Abstract
This paper focuses on the encounter between the Christian and the Islamic worlds as it appears in Florentine churches. It explores images of Muslims connected to the ideas of mission, conversion and crusade as they appear in the oral and visual traditions. Crusading sympathy in Tuscany, particularly in Florence, had a long history, going back to the twelfth century. The role of the mendicant orders, established in the great convents of Santa Croce and Santa Maria Novella, was crucial in winning sympathy for the crusades. This tradition continued in the fi fteenth century, after the fall of Constantinople, when Florence openly voiced support for papal crusading efforts and participated in fund-raising for the crusade. The main supporters of crusade propaganda in Florence were the Franciscan and Dominican preachers, who acted as virtual papal envoys, continuing a tradition of mendicant crusade sermons. These movements also developed special types of artworks, either painting or sculptures in order to disseminate their religious ideals. The usage of rhetoric and preaching, the interrelations between word and image, the artistic and literary traditions, artworks and sermons will be a central focus of essay.
Highlights
INTRODUCTIONThe Florentine merchant Luca Landucci (1460-1516), an enthusiastic supporter of Girolamo Savonarola, provides an interesting testimony to the ambivalence of the Florentines towards the Saracens
This paper focuses on the encounter between the Christian and the Islamic worlds as it appears in Florentine churches
The main supporters of crusade propaganda in Florence were the Franciscan and Dominican preachers, who acted as virtual papal envoys, continuing a tradition of mendicant crusade sermons[32]
Summary
The Florentine merchant Luca Landucci (1460-1516), an enthusiastic supporter of Girolamo Savonarola, provides an interesting testimony to the ambivalence of the Florentines towards the Saracens. As the Ottoman Empire advanced westward, from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries, humanists responded on a grand scale, leaving behind a large body of fascinating yet understudied works These works included Crusade orations and histories; ethnographic, historical and religious studies of the Turks; epic poetry; and even tracts on converting the Turks to Christianity. Nancy Bisaha and Margaret Meserve have recently offered an in-depth look at the body of Renaissance humanist works focusing on the Ottoman Empire, Islam and the Crusades. Throughout, these authors probe the texts to reveal the significant role Renaissance writers played in shaping Western views of self and other. The genre of a work of art sometimes dictated its content and message
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
