Las plumas del arcángel San Gabriel en el imaginario popular y literario de Italia y España. Del Decameron VI, 10 al siglo XXI

Abstract

Relics serve as the central theme around which the tenth tale of the sixth day of The Decameron is woven. The aim of this study is to provide new data regarding the real meaning and significance of this passage, within the framework of a complex system of magical and religious motifs. Although the relic picked by Boccaccio, the feather lost by the Archangel Gabriel during the Annunciation, might seem nowadays surprising, it was only but one among many disparate typologies of sacred remains that existed at the time, which captivated the interest of the faithful and drew them to the churches. Only by taking into account the historical and sociological context that define their charisma, it is possible to grasp this motif’s real breadth. Additionally, it is concluded that contrary to being a phenomenon exclusive to that place and time in particular, its significance has carried on up to the present time.