Medicus, Vol. 18 No. 2_Adolescencija, 2009.
Other
Anatomical Identification of Relics of Disease Patron Saints Kept in the Church of St. Blaise in Vodnjan
Ante Škrobonja
; Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify the anatomy of the relics found in the Church of St. Blaise in Vodnjan, Istria, which allegedly belong to disease patron saints. The article focuses on 42 out of 289 relics brought to the church by the painter Gaetano Grezler at the turn of the 19th century. The list of respective patron saints includes their “specialties” and description of the relics. Sixteen relics were positively identified, ten with a certain degree of reliability, while the remaining 16 were unidentifiable bone fragments of varying size. The article concludes that a certain medico-sacral approach may lead to new anthropological findings and that recognising the phenomenon of patron saints has a potential to raise interest in spirituality as an acceptable aid in medical practice.
Keywords
anthropology; relics; patron saints; Vodnjan; Croatia
Hrčak ID:
57583
URI
Publication date:
20.7.2009.
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