ABSTRACT
The fourth chapter examines stories of sacred theft during the Central Middle Ages (950–1150). It places particular emphasis on bishops who played important roles in the theft of relics, such as those of St Himerius in Amelia and Sts Gratinian and Felinus in Perugia. A section is devoted to the case of the relics of St Nicholas, which were transferred from Myra to Bari, arriving in Venice or, according to another text, in Benevento. This series of tales also inspired the translation of the relics of St John the Baptist from Myra to Genoa at the end of the eleventh century. The chapter explores other cases, including two further clandestine translations set in Venice, and one of the few narratives featuring a female protagonist, St Agatha.
