Les fondations d’ Ambroise à Milan et la question des martyria
Abstract
The Edifices οf St. Ambrose in Milan and the Question of Martyria
A series of basilica churches founded by the end of the 4th century have been linked to initiatives of the bishop of Milan Ambrose. The Ambrosian basilica is the one that stands out of this ensemble. The interesting part that these edifices have is not their extra muros location, but their consecration ritual, especially that of the Ambrosian basilica which was done by placing holy relics of saints into the altar. Hence, these churches do not belong to the category of martyria churches usually erected over the tomb of a saint. Conversely, these buildings combined the cult of the saints with the celebration of the mass. The introduction of this practice, probably an innovation of Ambrose, and the formalization of Eucharist were the means employed by the Church to control the cult of the dead, the private ceremonies and the spread of heresy.
Article Details
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SPIESER, J.-M. (1999). Les fondations d’ Ambroise à Milan et la question des martyria. Deltion of the Christian Archaeological Society, 20, 29–34. https://doi.org/10.12681/dchae.1188
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