In this lecture organised by the Utrecht University Centre for Medieval Studies (UUCMS), Rutger Kramer (Utrecht University) traces the story of St Nicholas across medieval Europe. How did local authors adopt and adapt the story for their own respective audiences?
Localising Saint Nicholas
When we think of ‘the translation of Saint Nicholas’, most people will immediately think of the famous translatio (‘transfer’) of his relics from Myra to Bari in 1087. Equally important, or perhaps even more so, however, were the numerous translations and localisations of his vita (the biography of a saint) that were prepared all across Europe.
From two Greek originals and one Latin source text, texts about the saint were adopted and adapted by numerous authors. They used them as the base of everything ranging from prayers and sermons to plays, epics and sagas.
In his lecture, Kramer will highlight several strategies deployed by these authors to make the story of a late antique aristocrat understandable and believable to their respective audiences, be they in Italy, Francia or even Iceland.
