Reliquiengraber - Sonderbestattungen der Spatantike

Abstract

Broad problems related to the veneration of relics in the early Christian period are discussed in this article, from the first excavation of the remains of martyrs to the worship of individual fragments of bodily remains. The value placed on relics in the early Christian period is shown with special attention to research in Carinthia and the Tyrol, as well as individual important examples in the broader Mediterranean region. The indigenous inhabitants took the remains of saints with them when they abandoned their settlements. On the basis of comparative analysis, the author establishes that the proper placement of relics was in graves, which were then marked with tables or mensae, thus representing miniature grave vaults. The presence of relics can be proven not merely in presbyteries, but also in chapels and apses. The relics and worship of martyrs were decisive for the creation of twin churches and special architectural spatial arrangements.