The Cult of Saint Anthony in Medieval and Early Modern Estonia

I Põltsam-Jürjo

doi:10.3176/hist.2021.1.02

Abstract

The Cult of Saint Anthony in Medieval and Early Modern Estonia

Highlights

The Christian tradition of saints’ cults was introduced to medieval Livonia, which roughly encompassed the areas of today’s Estonia and Latvia, during the conquests and Christianisation of the thirteenth century
Little information has survived from the medieval period about the cult of Saint Anthony in the Estonian countryside, there is no doubt that the saint was venerated by both the nobility and the common folk
In medieval Estonia and Livonia, no cults of local saints developed; the veneration of saints still had an important place in local folk belief

Summary

Introduction

The Christian tradition of saints’ cults was introduced to medieval Livonia, which roughly encompassed the areas of today’s Estonia and Latvia, during the conquests and Christianisation of the thirteenth century. Cultural contacts and communication with other regions played an important role in the development of folk veneration typical to Livonia; one must take into account the influence of local pre-Christian cults, even if its analysis is challenging and problematic. Medieval and early modern Estonia, identify its typical characteristics, and explore if and how the veneration of this saint differed for urban and rural village populations. The central question this contribution addresses is the following: why was it Saint Anthony who became so popular among the people of this region, and what was the essence of his veneration’s resilience? The central question this contribution addresses is the following: why was it Saint Anthony who became so popular among the people of this region, and what was the essence of his veneration’s resilience? For a more constructive exploration of the topic, it seems useful to approach it along the lines of ethnic and/or social divisions and from a wider transcultural perspective

The cult of Saint Anthony in towns

Saint Anthony chapels and altars in rural areas

Antonites in Livonia and the Brotherhood of Saint Anthony in Tallinn

The folk cult of Saint Anthony

Conclusions