ABSTRACT
The seventh chapter addresses two themes: the oneiric and the ritual. It begins by examining the role of dreams and visions in the tales of sacred theft as well as in the recovery of martyrs’ bodies in the passiones. Special attention is given to a comparative analysis of the ritual of evocatio deorum, an ancient practice used to ‘summon’ the deities of a besieged city and transfer their protection and simulacra to the besieging city. The chapter then explores the main ritual stages of the translation, starting with the procession of the saints’ bodies after the theft, their arrival in the new city, and finally their deposition in the new church. It concludes with a reflection on the spatial context in which these translations occur.
