Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.34075/cs.61.2.5

The Body as a Social Map: Hagiographic Narrative of St. Margarita in the Code of Croatian Literature, Iconography and Ritual Practice

Viktoria Franić Tomić orcid.org/0009-0009-6944-2644 ; Faculty of Croatian Studies, University of Zagreb, Zagreb, Croatia
Anita Zelić Tomaš orcid.org/0009-0002-0837-8844 ; Faculty of Philosophy, University of Split, Split, Croatia

Abstract

This paper examines the hagiographic narrative of Saint Margarita through an interdisciplinary lens of literature, theatre studies, and iconography. The central hypothesis postulates that the female body in martyrological discourse is constituted as a "social map" (P. Brown) reflecting the historical tensions of Dalmatian communes and the ideals of Christian asceticism. The research aims to deconstruct the relationship between sacred pedagogy and private life, focusing specifically on the ritual function of the medieval miracle play The Passion of Saint Margarita as an act of monastic initiation. An analysis of iconographic codes—ranging from Catalan Vic to Titian and Zurbarán—confirms the transformation of subaltern female status into a domain of spiritual sovereignty. The findings indicate that Margarita’s cult transcends its hagiographic template, functioning as an active intercessory model and a symbol of female spiritual resistance within cyclical theatrical time.

Keywords

Saint Margarita; asceticism; hagiography; the body; medieval drama

Hrčak ID:

348422

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/348422

Publication date:

29.6.2026.

Article data in other languages: croatian

Visits: 0 *