The paper studies the strategy of appropriation of the virtue of sacred objects. This strategy includes a wide range of practices widespread in Christian traditions -from contact techniques of communicating with relics (touching, wearing on the body, eating/drinking a fragment, etc.) to distant practices (approximation, eye contact, directing the relic at the desired person, object or locus, etc.). These are manipulative practices targeted at using the virtue that is supposed to emanate from a sacred object for necessary purposes -from healing, protecting, attacking the enemy, to creating new contact relics and spreading the virtue in various material objects. As the author shows, such practices are grounded in the idea that sacred objects have a “second body”, the invisible virtue extended in space around an icon, relics or brandea. Contact with this ‘body” is believed to be highly effective; it is achieved through various ways of “distant touch”. The idea of the shrine as a permanent source of virtue that can be used, appropriated with the help of certain physical operations, laid ground for many actions that have been performed in various Christian traditions until now.

Medieval practices related to the transfer of sacred “power" (virtue) from relics and holy images attached great importance to physical contact. It transformed the ordinary objects (often instruments of torture and murder) that touched the bodies of saints into relics, the symbol and medium of their presence in this world. What is even more important, the objects that later touched the relics were believed to become secondary (or contact) relics that could respond to the aspirations of pilgrims. Through the liquid that was used to wash a reliquary or some engraving that was applied to a miraculous fresco, the Christians could partake in the salutary/healing power of the saints. Towards the late Middle Ages in Catholic Europe, along with the ancient tactile rituals, a new set of practices appeared, which relied on the touch of the gaze. This article deals with pilgrim mirrors as an instrument for appropriation of the sacred virtus and to other practices that relied on the power of sight.

The article deals with the construction of the image of the Saint in the late Middle Ages, examplified with Jean of Ghent (f 1439), whose canonization was sought by the French monarch Louis XI (1423-1483). The paper analyzes the circumstances of the search and acquisition of the relics of Jean of Ghent, the role of the Royal Court in this process, its relations with the monastic community of Troyes, where Jean was buried, as well as with the Roman Curia and Pope Sixtus IV (1471- 1484). The process of gaining relics and their subsequent fate were central in the negotiations of the French throne with the Pope, as they were seen in the late Middle Ages as one of the main evidences of the holiness of a candidate for canonization. The paper analyzes the correspondence of Louis XI with the monks of Troyes and with the papal Curia; the Liber miraculorum of Jean of Ghent; and the materials of the routine process for his canonization. Based on these sources, the paper shows, what the relics of a saint meant for the French of the late 15th century; how the relics’ authenticity was determined; and what were the ways of using the relics by secular authorities and various groups of the medieval society.

For the persecuted English Catholic community, the preservation of the relics of pre-Reformation saints, as well as acquisition of the relics of new martyrs, required cooperation between clergy and Catholic laity. At the same time, the English Catholic hierarchy had no coercive power in the post-Reformation period: unlike officially Catholic countries, English Catholic clergy could not control the cults of the new martyrs. As a result, a number of narratives was produced to describe relics and the “correct” forms of the veneration of saints, but these texts rather reflect a desirable, than the real situation. The article is focused on the early 17th-century texts linked to the so-called “Father Garnet’s straw” (1606): a relic acquired at the execution of the Jesuit Henry Garnet, who was sentenced to death for his presumed involvement in the Gunpowder plot. Immediately after the execution, stories emerged about a straw allegedly imbued with the martyr’s blood. An image of Father Garnet - his face under the crown of martyrdom - was discovered on the straw, and it was proclaimed to have thaumaturgical powers. The analysis of pamphlets, the examination of persons involved, and the texts produced by the Jesuits reveal discrepancies between the ideal model of interaction between believers and the relics, which was promoted by the Catholic clergy and implied a minimum of physical contact, and common manipulative practices used by lay Catholics.

The article examines the image of the Christ Child with Cross from a 15th century scroll, Beinecke MS 410, which is an example of late medieval English “birth girdles". The miniatures are accompanied by prayers necessary to obtain indulgences and protection from diseases and dangers, including those at childbirth that in the Middle Ages often led to the death of mother and/or baby. The “birth girdles" are a variation of the so-called Arma Christi (Instruments of the Passion of Christ) manuscripts dating back to the 14th century. They are essential for understanding how piety and magic intersected in the daily lives of medieval people. A study of the texts and iconography of the Beinecke MS 410 suggests that the early owners of the scroll used various types of contact with images - tactile, visual, oral, and audial - to gain divine protection and patronage. The iconography of the Christ Child with Cross miniature and its place in the general visual-textual program of the scroll show that it was added to the manuscript for pregnant women and women in labor, as a special addition to the already existing set of protective images. The child in the miniature is the patron of both women and of the healthy child. An analysis of the iconography of the miniatures and their relationship to the text allows us to understand how religious images acted as amulets for women in labor and pregnant women, helping them cope with fear and uncertainty.

The paper offers a detailed and systematic overview of apotropaic protective tools used in the everyday life of the European Middles Ages and reflecting the medieval worldview. The author used a large scope of sources, including theological and ritual texts, as well as images and artifacts from the museums of medieval culture.

The article discusses the representation of miracles performed by the ancient icons of the Mother of God (believed to be painted by Luke the Evangelist and revered in Russia from the 12th - 13th centuries) in the late medieval Russian iconography. The paper analyzes three well-known replicas of the Virgin’s icons “with the legend” created and revered in the last decades of the 17th - early 18th centuries (“Our Lady of Vladimir” by Cyril Ulanov, “Theodor’s Our Lady” by Gury Nikitin, and “Our Lady of Tikhvin” by an unknown artist). In these works, the wonders of ancient shrines depicted in the chapters of their frames referred to significant events of the Russian history. Problems of decoding the iconographic programs of these icons, interpreting their plots, revealing the artistic techniques of transmitting the power of their miraculous prototypes are studied within a wide cultural and historical context. The icons emphasized those miracles that fit into the concept of a genetic connection of the Romanov dynasty with Vladimir-Suzdal and Moscow Russian state. The power of the miraculous icons of the Virgin Mary was not only appropriated in new images in the hope of receiving miraculous help from these replicas; the new icons were intended to preserve the memory of the miracles performed by the original images that saved Russian troops and cities in various dangerous situations.

The article discusses the veneration of a carved wooden crucifix kept in the church of St. John Chrysostom in Godenovo village. The cross, according to a legend, was revealed in 1423 to shepherds who saw him descending from the sky. According to the official version, the cross is of Byzantine origin and it appeared in Russia as a sign of the transition of spiritual grace from Constantinople to Moscow. A church was erected at the site where the cross has been revealed, then demolished in 1940, and the cross was transferred to the temple of a neighboring village, where it has been kept until today. In the 1990s, a monastery was built on the site of the cross discovery. The monastery declared its rights to possessing the cross. As a result, a confrontation between the two religious centers led to "doubling of the sacred” and conflicting claims for the appropriation of sacred power, understood as an emanation of the sacred power of the original Life-Giving Cross of the Lord. The cross and its copies keep a symbolic meaning of the Russian state building. The article draws upon official publications and field data.

The article is focused on a popular type of contact relics, found in Orthodox churches in the post-Soviet countries-the imprints of icons that appear on the glasses of the icon cases. These relics have given rise to many explanations and provoked various practices. Starting with the first widely publicized case - the imprint of the Kiev icon of Mother of God “Prizri na smirenie” that was found in 1993, examined and officially proclaimed a miracle by the Ukranian Orthodox Church - such images began to be found and described in many churches in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus, the Baltic States, and Israel. The idea that these imprints are the acheiropoietos, “not-made-by-hands” images, brings the tradition in a broader context of local veneration of images found on various natural or urban objects (trees, walls, window glass, etc.). The imprints on iconcases are most important and widespread objects of that kind, often venerated officially by clerics in churches and monasteries. These images are closely related to icons, and their appearance is often interpreted as the result of the influence of the invisible virtue that goes from an icon and reflects on the glass. The article discusses various assessments of this phenomenon and ways of venerating such imprints and their “mother” icons.

This article studies local practices of the groups of “True Orthodox Christians” in Tambov region in the 1950s, which resulted in the criminal persecution of some of the believers. The study is based on Alexander Klibanov’s personal archive and materials form Tambov archives, as well as field research. The studied practices are divided into four groups: 1) practices of political non-participation (abstaining from participating in elections, joining public organizations, signing Soviet documents); 2) religious practices (refusal to attend an official church; meetings of believers at home; home prayer and sermon); 3) economic practices (rejecting wages, state loans, pensions and social payments; non-paying taxes); 4) labor practices (refusal to join collective farms, state farms and work at Soviet enterprises). The article argues that the local habitus of the peasants of Tambov region served as the framework for all these practices.

The article examines the efforts of the Holy See to include Christian moral and ideological guidelines in the political agenda of the European Union and Vatican’s attitude towards the process of European integration from its beginning in the 20th century to the present day. The article is primarily based on papal encyclicals, statements and letters. The research reveals that for decades European integration has been under the close attention of the Holy See and was perceived primarily as an opportunity to strengthen the position of the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. At the same time, the attempts of the Holy See to include priority issues (first of all, “Christian roots” as Europe’s ideological and moral basis) in the fundamental documents of the EU were unsuccessful. As a result, the Holy See has shifted its interest from the European continent to Latin America, Africa and Asia. Despite this shift, the study shows that the Vatican and the EU are conducting a full-fledged dialogue in areas that represent mutual interest.

The article deals with factors and motives for the emigration of women, citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan, to the territory of the so-called “Islamic State" (IS). The idea is to represent the voices of women, who performed the Hijra to IS, through the analysis of their personal narratives. The study is based upon interviews with forty women who were returned from Syria and Iraq with the humanitarian operation Zhusan. The case of female emigration to the territory of the “Islamic State" is presented against the background of the process of formation of various types of female identity and problematic issues of the development of the Kazakhstani ummah. The compiled social profiles of women refute their stereotypical portrayal as people with a low level of secular education, low income and lack of agency. The dominant discourse in women’s narratives is a break with the previous secular life, the rejection of old religious patterns in favour of a new community - a female jamaat - based on the idea of “pure" Islam. The main factors of the Hijra were: identity crisis and religious quest; striving to find social support in a new community; romantic relationships; insufficient development of religious education for women; socio-economic deprivation; ISIS propaganda.

This article appeared in connection with the book Between Christ and Antichrist: Hieronymus Bosch's “The Adoration of the Magi” by Mikhail Maizuls, whose focus is anti-Semitism as revealed in this triptych. Drawing on the research lens of the medievalist Debra Higgs Strickland, Maizuls examines specific archetypes of hostile otherness projected by Western Christians onto the images of the Antichrist. The author sees the key to the Adoration of the Magi in the face of the Magi in a red mantle, for he is perceived “as the antichrist/Jewish Messiah.” The basis for the advancement of the Jew-Antichrist concept was the crystallization by the 13th century of the stereotypical iconographic form of the Jew, which made no difference between the biblical Jews, who crucified Jesus, and the Jews of the Middle Ages. In the end, the researcher comes to the conclusion that Bosch was one of the first artists, who put the semantic center of his triptychs' central parts not so much on the image of the New Testament collision as such, but rather on the drama of human life, on a person who found himself between Christ and Antichrist.