Sergei P. Brun Terra Adusta: the Sacred Topography of the Rum Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in the 10th-14th сenturies

Abstract

The article is dedicated to the reconstruction of the sacred topography (the complex of venerated relics, cathedrals, churches, monasteries) of the Rum Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in the 11th—14th centuries. The period in question can be seen as the last ‘golden age’ of this Middle Eastern Church, encompassing about three centuries, between the time of the so-called Byzantine Reconquest (the time when Cilicia, northern Syria and western Mesopotamia were brought back under the control of the Byzantine Empire) and a series of devastating punitive campaigns, undertaken by the Zengids, Mongols and especially the Egyptian Mamluks in the 12th—14th centuries. Relying on a vast array of sources (narrative, documentary, archaeological) the author not only provides references and descriptions of the many lost relics and shrines of Middle Eastern Orthodox Christianity (the majority of which was lost and destroyed) but also offers a systematic analysis of their dedication. Thus, shrines dedicated to the Apostles, to Old Testament Prophets, to Christ and the Holy Virgin, to women saints, are all brought into separate categories. The Melkite veneration of various warrior-saints and their shrines, as well as the balance between the veneration of local, Antiochian, and «ecumenical» (Constantinopolitan, Palestinian) saints is also thoroughly analyzed. In conclusion, the article provides a detailed analytical take on the crucial factors that turned the Medieval Patriarchate of Antioch — a thriving Middle Eastern Church — into a Church of dwindling enclaves, bereft of the majority of its former shrines, relics and traditions.

Keywords

Middle Eastern Orthodoxy, the Patriarchate of Antioch, Byzantium, Melkites, Marian Veneration, Veneration of the Apostles, Warrior-Martyrs, Syrian Saints, Sacred Topography

For Citation

Brun S.P. Terra Adusta: the sacred topography of the Rum Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch in the 10th-14th centuries // The Historical Reporter. 2025. Vol. 53. P. 146–195. DOI: 10.35549/HR.2025.2025.53.003

Sergei P. Brun

General Director of Novgorod State Museums, an Editorial Board Member of The Historical Reporter, Novgorod, Russian Federation.
e-mail: sbrun@mail.ru
SPIN-code: 6611-0835
Author ID: 822080

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