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Article: A French king and a magic ring: the Girolami and a relic of St. Zenobius in Renaissance Florence *.
- Article from:
- Renaissance Quarterly
- Article date:
- June 22, 2002
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2002 The Renaissance Society of America. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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GIROLAMI PATRONAGE OF ST. ZENOBIUS' CULT AND RELICS
In Renaissance Florence, St. Zenobius (d. c. 424) was second only to the city's principal patron saint, John the Baptist, and his was the second oldest saint's cult in the city after that of the martyr, Minias (d. c. 250). Zenobius' prominence in Florence's pantheon of saints was due to his thaumaturgic powers, his role as the most important of the founding fathers of the Florentine church, and his proven efficacy as defender of the city in times of political and military crisis.
From the ninth century, the primary focus of civic, ecclesiastical, and popular devotion to St. Zenobius was his place of ...