Eugippii Vita sancti Severini (BHL 7656). Dal testo al territorio: il Norico tardoantico

The thesis proposes a historical and literary interpretation of the hagiographical text called “Vita sancti Severini”, work written by latin monk Eugippius in 511. The hagiography is located mostly in the area of modern Austria, the thesis intends to give a historical-topographical reconstruction about it, according to what its christian author wrote in 6th century. The work is divided into two sections: first one is devoted to the comprehension and classification of the literary genre that Vita Seuerini belongs to and another one, more articulated, useful to the reconstruction of cultural and historical dynamics, which interact with themselves on Late Antique Noricum, narration’s main landscape. An introduction and methodological-lexical remarks are before the text analysis, with aim to make text’s next readings easier. Afterwards this introductive section two chapters are devoted to main character of this hagiography and to its author respectively, suggesting a reading model of Severin’s identity like holy man and devoting particular attention not only to biography, but also to other works by Eugippius. The hagiographical text was examined carefully in order to find direct or indirect biblical quotations, without leaving quotations of towns, populations and natural factors out as not relevant; to this aim in the first part of the thesis new text’s indices are proposed: index of personal and place names, of religious, military and natural words, of biblical items and quotations by other sources. The second part of the thesis shows up a structure for themes, with surveys of physical, politics, topographical and religious aspects. To this section, by means of recovery of others late antique and medieval historical documents about Noricum, is tried to suggest a revaluation of a phase of social, economical, cultural continuity and interruption of a significant border country. Finally, the analysis is equipped by a photographic collection about quoted towns and by a bibliography, which includes the most of recent studies both “Vita sancti Severini” either late antique Noricum