«De sancto Adriano» («Legenda Aurea», CXXVIII) and its reception in the Catalan «Flos sanctorum» (ms. P)

Abstract

In this work we have analyzed the life De sancto Adriano within Voragine’s Legenda aurea (chap. cxxviii), and we have paid particular attention to the character of Natalia, the wife of the saint. She has a unique role in the story and is a clear example of how hagiography collects topics and motifs from other literary genres to «construct» the models of holiness as characters and make them more familiar and close. The analysis is divided into three sections: the descriptions of the character's traits and qualities, her speeches and her actions. In each of these sections, we also carry out a comparative analysis of the Latin text with that of the Catalan tradition (particularly that of the manuscript P), with the aim of verifying to what extent it is a faithful translation of the Latin text and if introduces significant changes in the characterization of Natalia's character.