Crociate, ordini militari e santi guerrieri: culto e iconografia in Italia centromeridionale

The travel and the war constituted the main themes of crusader propaganda. In this context extremely successful Saints were who having fought militarily against evil, offering an exemplum to the monks-warriors and to the Christian knights in general. A leading role was reserved to St. George. He was not only the patron saint of the Crusaders but became crusader himself, and he was given a lead role in the first major victory: the conquest of Antioch in 1098. Within a phenomenon that affected the whole of Europe, my contribution focuses on central and southern Italy, where from the late eleventh century, spread the cult and iconography of the holy knights, thanks also to military orders. In conclusion, the contribution deals with a very particular study case: the attempt to canonize Bevignate, promoted in Perugia in the second half of the thirteenth century by the Templars who spread his relics in Italy and Spain.