Sághy, Marianne

Central European University Budapest

Research Topic: Heavenly Protectors, Earthly Models: Collecting Saints in the Pantokrator Complex (Zeyrek Camii) of Constantinople

Dr. Sàghy is an Associate Professor at the Medieval Studies Department, Central European University, former academic director of the Hungarian Cultural Institute in Paris, and a historian interested in transitions and transformations from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages. She exploits hagiography to understand the religious aspirations and the social and cultural politics of a period. She writes about controversial bishops, eccentric ascetics, and good empresses, such as Damasus of Rome, Saint Jerome, Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Genovefa of Paris and now, at ANAMED, on Empress Piroska/Eirene. Her books include Martyrs and Poems: The Cult of the Saints in Rome under Damasus, A. D. 366–384, Saint Martin of Tours: Asceticism and Power in Late Antiquity (both in Hungarian), the proceedings of a conference series on Pagans and Christians in Late Antique Rome, and a bilingual Latin-French text edition with commentary of Pierre Dubois’s De la récupération de la Terre Sainte. While at ANAMED, Dr. Sághy will work on the saints venerated in the Pantokrator Monastery. Dr. Sághy has taught courses on Religion and Society in Late Antiquity, Saint Augustine and the Confessions, Women and Christianity, Monasticism and Hagiography, Friendship from Antiquity to the Middle Ages, and Angevin Europe at CEU Budapest as well as in Tours, Poitiers, Turku, Warsaw, and Paris. She organizes summer courses at CEU and at the Hungarian Academy in Rome.