What is cephalophory?


	What is cephalophory?

enbar

9-6-2007 11:59 PM

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tags:

words, random_sh!t, post:facebook(clip), art, history

enbar says:

Ever wonder what "cephalophory" is? In a nutshell, it's the iconographic tradition whereby saints martyred by decapitation are traditionally depicted carrying or otherwise prominently displaying their severed heads.

3 Comments |

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9-7-2007 1:17 AM

willhelm

I usually see quite a few cephalophs at Halloween.

9-7-2007 1:21 AM

ratilfar

Interesting.

9-8-2007 6:51 AM

ghiberti

Thanks, n

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<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/25819699-93eb-47f3-8942-90a5c8d38624/DEB8D073-436B-4CE9-AF53-6450BE03DFE3/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalophore&oldid=152838924" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalophore&oldid=152838924" style="font-size: 11px;">en.wikipedia.org</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalophore&oldid=152838924"><H1 class="firstHeading">Cephalophore</H1></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalophore&oldid=152838924"><P>A <B>cephalophore</B> (from the <A title="Classical Greek" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classical_Greek">Greek</A> for "head-carrier") is a <A title="Saint" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint">saint</A> who is generally depicted carrying his head in his hands; in art, this was usually meant to signify that the subject in question had been <A title="Martyr" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martyr">martyred</A> by <A title="Decapitation" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decapitation">beheading</A>. Handling the <A title="Halo (religious symbol)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halo_%28religious_symbol%29">halo</A> in this circumstance offers a unique challenge for the artist. Some put the halo where the head used to be; others have the saint carrying the halo along with the head. Perhaps the most famous cephalophore is <A title="Denis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis">Denis</A>, <A title="Patron saint" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patron_saint">patron saint</A> of <A title="Paris" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris">Paris</A>, which according to the <A title="Golden Legend" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Legend">Golden Legend</A> miraculously preached with his head on his hands the seven miles from <A title="Montmartre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montmartre">Montmartre</A> to <A title="Saint Denis Basilica" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Denis_Basilica">his burying place</A>.</P></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalophore&oldid=152838924"><DIV class="thumbinner"><A title="Saint Denis of Paris" class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Musee_du_Moyen_Age_A01.JPG"><IMG width="150" height="267" border="0" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0d/Musee_du_Moyen_Age_A01.JPG/150px-Musee_du_Moyen_Age_A01.JPG" alt="Saint Denis of Paris" /></A>
<DIV class="thumbcaption">
<DIV class="magnify"><A title="Enlarge" class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Musee_du_Moyen_Age_A01.JPG"><IMG width="15" height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" /></A></DIV>
<A title="Denis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis">Saint Denis of Paris</A></DIV>
</DIV></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalophore&oldid=152838924"><DIV class="thumbinner"><A title="Saint Aphrodisius, a martyr of Alexandria, venerated at Béziers" class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Saint_Aphrodisius.JPG"><IMG width="169" height="236" border="0" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/eb/Saint_Aphrodisius.JPG" alt="Saint Aphrodisius, a martyr of Alexandria, venerated at Béziers" /></A>
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<DIV class="magnify"><A title="Enlarge" class="internal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Saint_Aphrodisius.JPG"><IMG width="15" height="11" alt="" src="http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png" /></A></DIV>
Saint Aphrodisius, a martyr of Alexandria, venerated at <A title="Béziers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9ziers">Béziers</A></DIV>
</DIV></blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cephalophore&oldid=152838924"><DIV class="thumbinner"><A title="St. Denis's angelic companions show polite concern; portal from Notre Dame de Paris (probably 19th century replacements)" class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:ND_Portail_gauche_gauche.jpg"><IMG width="180" height="135" border="0" class="thumbimage" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/ND_Portail_gauche_gauche.jpg/180px-ND_Portail_gauche_gauche.jpg" alt="St. Denis's angelic companions show polite concern; portal from Notre Dame de Paris (probably 19th century replacements)" /></A>
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St. Denis's angelic companions show polite concern; portal from <A title="Notre Dame de Paris" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notre_Dame_de_Paris">Notre Dame de Paris</A> (probably 19th century replacements)</DIV>
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