The Case of the Lost Relics: The Hermit Jean of Ghent and Louis XI

Abstract

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.