Beginning with Saint Barbatianus, a fifth-century wonderworking monk and confessor to the Empress Galla Placidia, this book focuses on the changes in the religious landscape of Ravenna, a former capital of the Late Roman Empire, through the Middle Ages. During this period, written stories about saints and their relics not only offered guidance and solace but were also used by those living among the ruins of a once great city¿particularly its archbishops, monks, and the urban aristocracy¿to reflect on its past glory. This practice remained important to the citizens of Ravenna as they came to terms with the city¿s revival and renewed relevance in the tenth century under Ottonian rule. In using the vita of Barbatianus as a central text, Edward M. Schoolman explores how saints and sanctity were created and ultimately came to influence complex political and social networks, from the Late Roman Empire to the High Middle Ages.

Edward M. Schoolman is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Nevada, Reno, USA.

Acknowledgments iii

List of Abbreviations v

List of Illustrations vii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Barbatianus in Late Antiquity 16

1.1: Locating Barbatianus in the Fifth Century 16

1.2: 'Foreign' Saints in the Late Roman Capital 20

1.3: Saints in the Sphere of Galla Placidia 22

1.4: The Other Barbatiani in Late Antiquity 33

Chapter 2: The Contexts of Medieval Ravenna 37

2.1: The Legend of Barbatianus from the Sixth to the Ninth Century 37

2.2: Politics of Tenth-Century Ravenna: Archbishops 42

2.3: Politics of Tenth-Century Ravenna: Emperors 51

2.4: Politics of Tenth-Century Ravenna: Nobles 54

2.5: The Monastic Communities and Monastic Reform in Tenth-Century Ravenna 55

2.6: The Monasterium of Barbatianus 62

Chapter 3: The Hagiographic Landscape of Medieval Ravenna 67

3.1: Approaching Ravenna's Hagiographic Landscape 67

3.3: Hagiographic Production of the Tenth Century 80

3.4: The Long Perspective of the Vita et Inventio Sancti Probi 85

3.5: New Monastic Hagiography in Eleventh-Century Ravenna 94

Chapter 4: The History of the Vita Barbatiani 97

4.1: History of the Vita Barbatiani 97

4.2: Dating the Vita of Barbatianus 101

Chapter 5: Content and Composition of the Vita Barbatiani 112

5.1: Content of the Vita Barbatiani 112

5.2: The Composition of the Vita 121

5.3: The Miracles of Barbatianus 132

Chapter 6: Barbatianus in the Later Middle Ages 146

6.1: Barbatianus in the Eleventh Century and the Sermon of Peter Damian 147

6.2: The Legend of Barbatianus in the Twelfth Century and Beyond 151

6.3: Noble and Monastic Diffusion of the Vita Barbatiani 157

Chapter 7: Conclusions 162

7.1: Creating Local Saints 169

7.2: Barbatianus as Survivor< 174

Appendix 1: Translation of the Vita Barbatiani 178

Appendix 2: Translation of Peter Damian's On the Feast of St. Barbatianus 191

Appendix 3: Manuscripts of the Vita sancti Barbatiani 203

Bibliography 209