St James of the Marches and the Miracle of Angels of the Crucifix in the Franciscan Church in Dubrovnik

U tekstu se analiziraju izvori o čudu anđela uz raspelo u crkvi Male braće u Dubrovniku. Cilj je analize utvrditi koju je ulogu tradicija o franjevačkom propovjedniku Jakovu Markijskom, njegovoj ulozi u postavljanju anđela te najavljivanju čuda u prvoj polovini 15. stoljeća imala u procesu beatifikacije početkom 17. stoljeća. Na osnovi podataka iz pisanih i slikovnih izvora raspravlja se o značenju čuda u djelovanju Jakova Markijskog te se predstavljaju nova viđenja o materijalu i originalnom smještaju raspela.The paper analyses two early 17th-century written sources related to the miraculous angel figures which used to be placed next to the crucifix in the Franciscan church in Dubrovnik. Sources report the tradition of the Franciscan preacher James of the Marches, believed to have encouraged the placement of angel figures and announced the miracle during his stay in Dubrovnik. The analysis of written sources, the drawing of the crucifix and information related to the mission of James of the Marches, the author addresses the following questions: when did James of the Marches place the angel figures, when was the miracle first recorded, how it was used in the process of his beatification, what is the role of this act in the context of James’ s activity and what do written and visual sources reveal on the material and iconography of the crucifix. The exact time of the placement of the angel figures cannot be determined, since the miracle is not mentioned until early 17th century, and it was not recorded in the first biographies of James of the Marches written in late 15th century. In 1607 the miracle was presented before the beatification commission, while a drawing of the crucifix with miraculous angels was produced in 1614, accompanied by a writing confirming the authenticity of the miracle. The drawing (prepared for etching) and the writing was supposed to be printed by the Bolognese printer Simone Parlaschi. The questions of the commission of the drawing and the accompanying writing and the role of the Bolognese family Dondini still remain open. The miracle consisted of angel figures moving towards the crucifix above the high altar and burning incense before it, which complemented the miracle of the transubstantiation occurring at the high altar. Although records of James’ s miracles do not include those similar to the one in Dubrovnik, it is known that, besides a monogram of the name of Jesus, the saint used crucifixes during his sermons and applied them to perform several miracles. Written and visual sources confirm that both the angel figures and the crucifix were made of wood and not painted, which suggests that the commonly accepted attribution to Paolo Veneziano should be dismissed