Relatio de Simone Puero Tridentino (Gabriele di Pietro, 1475)
Description:
The story of Simon of Trent is among the most egregious examples of the “blood libel” against Jews. This accusation usually involves the sacrificial killing of children whose blood is then used in various rituals, among them the making of Passover matzoh. Simon of Trent (or Trento), 28 months old, disappeared on 23 March 1475; his body was found in a river several days later. Earlier in the Lenten season, the Franciscan friar Bernardinus of Feltre had delivered several inflammatory sermons denouncing the Jews of Trent and predicting the murder of a Christian child during Passover. The discovery of Simon’s body engendered widespread condemnation of the Jewish community and eventually led to the torture and execution of several of its members. Simon of Trent was canonized about a century later. After the second Vatican Council (1962-1965), the entire episode was declared a fraud; Simon’s name was removed from the calendar of saints’ days in 1965, the cult dedicated to him was dissolved, and further veneration of him was forbidden. Excerpt from a 1475 copy of Johannes Matthias Tiberinus' Relatio de Simone Puero Tridentino [The story of Simon, a boy of Trent], with annotations in the margins
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