Abraham Mesapsa and the issue of the authenticity of the relics of Saint John the Almsgiver

Zervan, Vratislav (2024) Abraham Mesapsa and the issue of the authenticity of the relics of Saint John the Almsgiver. ACTA ANTIQUA ACADEMIAE SCIENTIARUM HUNGARICAE, 64 (3-4). pp. 567-579. ISSN 0044-5975

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Abstract

This inquiry focuses on the testimony of Abraham Mesapsa, Archbishop of Ohrid, concerning the authenticity of the remains of Saint John the Almsgiver from 1629. The document, preserved in the Slovak National Archive, was already annotated in the 19th century. This study incorporates commentary on the hitherto unanalysed text. A detailed examination has shown that the spiritus rector of the document was apparently the Esztergom Archbishop and Cardinal Péter Pázmány, who had meticulously prepared the erection of a new mausoleum for the relics of Saint John the Almsgiver. Pázmány took advantage of the services of the greatly impoverished Archbishop of Ohrid, who was at that time in Vienna seeking financial support for his almost ruined archbishopric. Abraham, who often abused the trust of European rulers as well as the Russian Tsar, evidently confirmed the authenticity of the relics of Saint John the Almsgiver in exchange for financial help. His not particularly trustworthy document was then presented to the highest authorities of the Habsburg monarchy during the centenary festivities in Pressburg as an important testimony.

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