On September 27, 1297 Pope Boniface VIII (1294-1303) promulgated a bull beginning with the words Detestande feritatis, thereby outlawing any further practice of the medieval custom of dismembering human corpses which were subsequently boiled in water to separate the bones from the soft tissue. This was a practice that facilitated burial in places remote from the scene of death of the deceased. The first part of the article presents the circumstances in which the papal document originated. By outlawing such practices the Pope invalidated the decisions contained in the last wills of some, especially the French, cardinals of his times. The custom of dismembering human corpses was predominantly practiced north of the Alps, but it was also present on the territory of today’s Spain. In medieval times it was known as “the German custom” (mos teutonicus) and was underpinned by a specific medieval anthropology. The second part of the article scrutinizes the probable reasons of the Pope’s violent reaction. An attempt is made to reconstruct the forma mentis of Boniface VIII. Relevant indications and clues can be found in the records of the proceedings against the Pope by Philip the Fair, king of France, in the iconography of monuments erected at the Pope’s initiative, and also in the development of the natural sciences in the late Middle Ages.
Inaugurated by Boniface VIII the First Holy year in response to popular enthusiasm was one of the greatest revivals of the Middle Ages. Jubilee was conceived officially on the basis of the Old Testament, as a special year of universal pardon, when to the faithful made a remission of sins, and it was firmly linked to the crusade tradition. One of this controversial subject connected with the First Holly year is a fresco in the Lateran basilica by an artist, who may have been Giotto. And it depicts the pope in act of promulgating of Jubilee and contains a phrase Ad perpetuam rei memoriam. The same phrase was used in a lot of sources, which were associated with a struggle against the enemies of the Church during the pontificate of Boniface VIII. That category of enemies included a various persons, like the Colonna family, the members of the Franciscan Third Order, the King Frederick III of Sicily and the King Philip IV of France. Upon primary analysis follows, that we can talk about new making of the “malediction” ceremony linked with the Popes conception of power and its symbolism. Jubilee signified a great deal in this context.
W artykule podjęto problem ideowej wymowy grobowca papieża Bonifacego VIII w bazylice watykańskiej oraz dokonanego przez papieża nawiązania do postaci jego poprzednika z początku VII wieku, św. Bonifacego IV (608–615). To ukończone w 1296 roku dzieło autorstwa Arnolfa di Cambio i prawdopodobnie Jacopa Torritiego należy umiejscowić w kontekście skomplikowanych początków pontyfikatu Bonifacego VIII, wybranego na Stolicę Piotrową za życia poprzednika. Przeprowadzona analiza obejmuje ukazanie wyglądu tego nieistniejącego dzisiaj mauzoleum na podstawie zachowanych świadectw, prezentację ideowego przesłania grobowca oraz przybliżenie oryginalnego wprzęgnięcia przez Bonifacego VIII hagiografii w program własnego pontyfikatu. W artykule zastosowano metodę analityczną w odniesieniu do historii i historii sztuki. W świetle przeprowadzonych badań mauzoleum Bonifacego VIII w bazylice watykańskiej jawi się jako dzieło niezwykle spójne ideowo i podporządkowane jego wizji pontyfikatu, a zarazem służące apologii najwyższej władzy w Kościele w kontekście pojawiających się oskarżeń o bezprawną jej uzurpację. Zaprezentowane analizy mogą stanowić punkt wyjścia do dalszych badań nad papieską obrzędowością w średniowieczu.
The paper focuses on the apocalyptic elements of the work Arbor vitae crucifixae Iesu by the Spiritual Franciscan Ubertino of Casale. It specifically pays attention to Ubertino’s explanation of the Apocalypse within the historical context where he interpreted certain living persons as bearers of the label of apocalyptic enemies. The paper introduces Ubertino’s concept of the theology of history, presents his source of inspiration, and explains the originality of the concept. Apart from direct quotations from the Arbor vitae, the paper also contains a brief biography of Ubertino of Casale.
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