Author: Augustine Thompson, O.P.
Publication Info: Penn State Press, 2005.
“Thompson positions the Italian republics in sacred space and time.He maps their religious geography as it was expressed throughpolitical and voluntary associations, ecclesiastical and civil structures,common ritual life, lay saints, and miracle-working shrines.He takes the reader through the rituals and celebrations of the communalyear, the people’s corporate and private experience ofGod, and the “liturgy” of death and remembrance.In the process he challenges a host of stereotypes about “orthodox” medieval religion, the Italian city-states, and the role of new religious movements in the world of Francis of Assisi, Thomas Aquinas, and Dante.”