The Cult of Stephen the Protomartyr in the Early Middle Ages

FAIN: FT-53175-05

Maribel Dietz
Louisiana State University and A&M College (Baton Rouge, LA 70803-0001)

My project involves research into the origins, diffusion and character of the early medieval Cult of Stephen the Protomartyr. It was a cult complete with scriptural legitimacy, universal rather than local appeal, a clear body of texts associated with it, and led to building projects that included shrines, churches and monasteries throughout the Mediterranean world. By focusing on this single cult I hope to examine in depth the way in which a martyr cults spread and functioned. This cult is also of particular interest due to its connections with Jerusalem, the Bible, influential women, episcopal power, and Jewish-Christian relations.