Le fléau des hérétiques. Ambroise de Milan, l’exclusion « ethnique » et l’autel d’or de la basilique Ambrosiana
| Autoři | |
|---|---|
| Rok publikování | 2017 |
| Druh | Článek v odborném periodiku |
| Časopis / Zdroj | Bulletin Monumental |
| Fakulta / Pracoviště MU | |
| Citace | |
| www | http://www.sf-archeologie.net/BM-175-2-2017.html |
| Obor | Umění, architektura, kulturní dědictví |
| Klíčová slova | Golden Altar; Ethnic Exlusion; Lombards; Carolingians; Angilbertus II |
| Popis | The golden altar in the basilica of San Ambrogio in Milan, made at the behest of Archbishop Angilbert II (824-859), is considered to be one of the most important monuments of the cult of Saint Ambrose in the city. The scenes on the altar place the biography of the saint in relation to the life of Christ. The narrative choice of the Vita of Ambrose seems, however, more complex: for the informed spectator, his life is noticeably abridged. Any allusion to the many conflicts between the Milanese bishop and the emperor is absent; moreover, there is no mention of his miraculous discovery of the relics of martyrs. If the first omission is understandable considering the politics of the time, Angilbert II having no interest in side-lining imperial power, silence concerning the discovery of the Milanese relics is difficult to understand. Although the cult of Gervase and Protase is no longer at its apogee, they are nonetheless on the altar, next to Ambrose. To explain this surprising choice, the only conceivable solution lies in the decision to favor another aspect of the biography of the saint. It may have to do with the struggle against heresy, another important facet of the saint's life. This dimension is not immediately visible, but a series of refined allusions, intended for the elite who were the only ones who had access to the reverse side of the altar, constitute a meta-discourse crucial to that part of the decoration. As there is not attested presence of heretics in Lombardy at that time, this choice may appear strange. Considering, however, the manner in which papal propaganda described the Lombards as an ethnic group of dubious Christianity, it is evidently to them that the subtle message is being addressed. Furthermore, Ambrose is a saint who had scarcely been appreciated by the Lombards. His celebration should thus be considered equally as an affront to the vanquished, transforming the altar de facto into a veritable object of ethnic exclusion. |