The Body of the Pope

The book by the famous Italian medievalist Agostino Paravicini Bagliani is a large-scale excursion into the history of the papacy – the oldest spiritual institution in Europe. The reader will get acquainted with the rituals accompanying the election and burial of the pontiffs, learn about the sacred principles hidden behind their physical body, and how the Curia interpreted the concepts of transience and eternity.

At the core of the book are the author's reflections on the essence of power, on the divine and natural in humans. The world of the Roman popes with dreams of longevity and fear of death, debates about the fragility of the body and the immortality of the soul is presented before us in all its diversity.

The translation of the book into Russian was done by the Russian medievalist, Doctor of Historical Sciences, specialist in the culture of medieval Western Europe Oleg Voskoboynikov.