ABSTRACT
The ritual translation of a saint's relics involved removing them from their original burial site below ground to a new shrine in an elevated position within the church. The establishment of a shrine and the ritual preservation of the relics would have been attended by a substantial amount of publicity, and such a step would have served as an advertisement to the glory of the saint and effectively revitalized the cult. At the same time, the normally sumptuous nature of the shrine itself, and its placing in a prominent location provided a visible focus of conspicuous magnificence for veneration by suppliants. On a more basic level, the ceremonial translation 'proved' that the remains of the saint were still present in the church and established beyond doubt that the religious community had 'undisputed possession of the relics and their miraculous power'. 1 This enabled them to exercise full control over the cult: they alone had the power to allow or refuse access to their holy saint; they alone had the power to authorize the utilization of the relics for the purposes of appealing for assistance in times of great crisis.
