Ansanus “the Baptizer” and the Problem of Siena’s Non-Existent Early Episcopacy (c. 1100–1600)

Medieval writers designated Siena as a “new city”. Seemingly confirming this assessment, the Sienese Church possessed no hagiographic tradition of early bishops that would prove that their urban settlement was a true <i>civitas</i> in late antiquity. As part of their effort to verify tha...

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Main Author: Carol A. Anderson
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-12-01
Series:Religions
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/22
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author Carol A. Anderson
author_facet Carol A. Anderson
author_sort Carol A. Anderson
collection DOAJ
description Medieval writers designated Siena as a “new city”. Seemingly confirming this assessment, the Sienese Church possessed no hagiographic tradition of early bishops that would prove that their urban settlement was a true <i>civitas</i> in late antiquity. As part of their effort to verify that their city had not only Roman but also early Christian origins, the Sienese, primarily spearheaded by lay officials, refashioned the image of their martyr-saint, Ansanus (d. 296). By the thirteenth century, the implication that the lay martyr had baptized the citizens was added to his second Latin passion narrative. Yet, only beginning in the fifteenth century do vernacular passions and images of Ansanus baptizing the Sienese appear, revealing that the baptismal event emerged as a defining point in the sacred history of the city and was communicated to citizens both textually and visually. These were produced at the behest of lay institutions, such as the Opera del Duomo and the communal government. By performing the sacrament of baptism, Ansanus fulfilled a crucial function of a proto-bishop, namely the transformation of the pagan Sienese into a true community of the baptized. Though some Sienese humanists sought to identify the earliest bishops, no episcopal cult was ever established. Considering that the default for other major cities in Italy was to identify and venerate their early bishops, Ansanus’s transformation into “the Baptizer” presents a case study of how saints could be adapted in unconventional ways to fix a problematic civic past.
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spelling doaj-art-65914068744c47669733afbf4b617bf42025-01-24T13:47:18ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442024-12-011612210.3390/rel16010022Ansanus “the Baptizer” and the Problem of Siena’s Non-Existent Early Episcopacy (c. 1100–1600)Carol A. Anderson0<i>Speculum: A Journal of Medieval Studies</i>, Washington, DC 20064, USAMedieval writers designated Siena as a “new city”. Seemingly confirming this assessment, the Sienese Church possessed no hagiographic tradition of early bishops that would prove that their urban settlement was a true <i>civitas</i> in late antiquity. As part of their effort to verify that their city had not only Roman but also early Christian origins, the Sienese, primarily spearheaded by lay officials, refashioned the image of their martyr-saint, Ansanus (d. 296). By the thirteenth century, the implication that the lay martyr had baptized the citizens was added to his second Latin passion narrative. Yet, only beginning in the fifteenth century do vernacular passions and images of Ansanus baptizing the Sienese appear, revealing that the baptismal event emerged as a defining point in the sacred history of the city and was communicated to citizens both textually and visually. These were produced at the behest of lay institutions, such as the Opera del Duomo and the communal government. By performing the sacrament of baptism, Ansanus fulfilled a crucial function of a proto-bishop, namely the transformation of the pagan Sienese into a true community of the baptized. Though some Sienese humanists sought to identify the earliest bishops, no episcopal cult was ever established. Considering that the default for other major cities in Italy was to identify and venerate their early bishops, Ansanus’s transformation into “the Baptizer” presents a case study of how saints could be adapted in unconventional ways to fix a problematic civic past.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/22Saint AnsanussaintshagiographybishopbaptismSiena
spellingShingle Carol A. Anderson
Ansanus “the Baptizer” and the Problem of Siena’s Non-Existent Early Episcopacy (c. 1100–1600)
Religions
Saint Ansanus
saints
hagiography
bishop
baptism
Siena
title Ansanus “the Baptizer” and the Problem of Siena’s Non-Existent Early Episcopacy (c. 1100–1600)
title_full Ansanus “the Baptizer” and the Problem of Siena’s Non-Existent Early Episcopacy (c. 1100–1600)
title_fullStr Ansanus “the Baptizer” and the Problem of Siena’s Non-Existent Early Episcopacy (c. 1100–1600)
title_full_unstemmed Ansanus “the Baptizer” and the Problem of Siena’s Non-Existent Early Episcopacy (c. 1100–1600)
title_short Ansanus “the Baptizer” and the Problem of Siena’s Non-Existent Early Episcopacy (c. 1100–1600)
title_sort ansanus the baptizer and the problem of siena s non existent early episcopacy c 1100 1600
topic Saint Ansanus
saints
hagiography
bishop
baptism
Siena
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/22
work_keys_str_mv AT carolaanderson ansanusthebaptizerandtheproblemofsienasnonexistentearlyepiscopacyc11001600