La morfologia della preghiera nell’agiografia medievale

Abstract

In the hagiographic literature, prayer possesses a particular facies, characterized by a series of topical elements. In this article, I have analyzed the structure of medieval prayer, identifying the components that are always present in these texts. In the first part, through some examples of prayers to S. Francis of Assisi, S. James of Compostela, and S. Petronilla, I have introduced such recurring patterns, composed of nomen sacrum, the aim of invocation, the words describing the saint, and the historical references. Although each prayer has its specific characteristics, all texts share the same setting. Next, I have analyzed a specific type of prayer, extracted from the Liber miraculorum Sancte Fides of Bernard d.Angers. Here, healing is often characterized by the saint.s request of gold or precious objects. In one of these miracles, there are two different prayers, which I have named .anti-prayer. and .contro-prayer.: the first is the unconventional .prayer. . recurring in the Liber . in which Sancta Fides asks a woman for the delivery of a gold bracelet; the second is the .answer. from the latter, who accepts the request but wants something in return (the saint will grant her a son). The article provides an overview of