«Visio in sompniis». Un sogno sciamanico nel primo Trecento

In terms of variety and richness of attestation the dossier of written and iconographic sources regarding the canonization (1325-1446) and cult of Nicholas of Tolentino (1245-1305) is an especially suitable case study for decoding the vectors and signs of the cultural memory centred on the tomb of the great thaumaturge in question. A network of meanings and communicative tools was established over a few years through a complex interplay of reciprocal cross-references including court records, ex-votos of different shapes and materials, hagiographies, buildings of worship, frescoes and paintings on wood and other means of expressing and spreading his reputation of saintliness. This article will focus in particular on the interaction between the oneiric-visionary and literary-figurative imaginaries with regard to an episode of miraculous healing attributed to the intervention of the saint, which seem to be related to the ancient practice of incubation and the ecstatic techniques of shamanism.