No, we haven't been speaking of Croatia, I just wanted to grab your attention. My friend, Marion Eldridge, recently went on a grand Mediterranean cruise. It was the trip of a lifetime! And, being a good friend, Marion wanted to share the beauty of that part of the world with us. She has been sending one picture at a time every day or couple of days. It's delightful seeing towns even older than the Revolutionary War era ones of New England. It gives a whole new meaning to the word "antiquity."
I was particularly impressed by Dubrovnik, Croatia. I'm one of those people who had to look up Dubrovnik in order to find out what country it's in! (Sad, but true.)
In describing her Mediterranean visits, Marion mentioned seeing a number of reliquaries--displays of sacred objects such as fragments of saints' bones. Call me crazy, but I am fascinated by the veneration of saints and hope to one day read up on the topic. I'll probably start with Magnificent Corpses: Searching through Europe for St. Peter's Head, St. Chiara's Heart, St. Stephen's Hand, and Other Saints' Relics by Anneli Rufus [235.2 RUF]. Marion directed me to a site with a picture of a reliquary of St. Ursula (Ursula of 11,000 virgins fame).
Here's an excerpt on St. Ursula from Magnificent Corpses: "St. Ursula's legend is one of Christianity's oldest and, if you like horror films, the most romantic. It is a tale of slaughter."
Whoa!
Pictures courtesy of Marion Eldridge.
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