Sermo in Cantilena: Structures as Symbol in Imago Sancti Nicolai

Authors

Michael L. Norton

Abstract

In lieu of an abstract, the first paragraph of the essay follows:

Imago Sancti Nicolai is the third of the four miraculorum Sancti Nicolai preserved in the twelfth-century Fleury Playbook (Orléans, Bibliothèque Municipale, MS. 201).¹ Based on a tenth-century addendum to the saint's life,² the Fleury miraculum tells the story of a certain Judeus (Barbarus in most other versions)³ who leaves his unlocked treasure chest under the protection of an image of St. Nicholas only to have it stolen by three rather confused and disorganized thieves. Following a lament by Judeus, the saint intervenes and compels the thieves to return the stolen treasure. Judeus, upon discovering the return of his treasure, bursts forth in a hymn of praise, and the miraculum concludes with the Introit to the Mass for the Feast of St. Nicholas (6 December).

Recommended Citation

Norton, Michael L. (1993) "Sermo in Cantilena: Structures as Symbol in Imago Sancti Nicolai," Comparative Drama: Vol. 27: Iss. 1, Article 6.
Available at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/compdr/vol27/iss1/6