Inscribing Presence

This article explores the interactions between script, relics, and space, focusing on five inscribed slabs found in the twentieth century in the crypt of Salerno Cathedral. These slabs list the names of more than fifteen saints whose mortal remains had been concealed in the Cathedral crypt in March 1081. Exploring the ways in which these artefacts have defined the sacred topography of the built environment and the relations between the inscribed names and relics, it considers how script could have enhance the presence of these holy figures, acting as proxies for their mortal remains.