Vicente was already staying at the KNIR from 18 September to 6 November 2023 for a KNIR Scholarship for (R)MA students to do research on Feasting with the Dead in Christian North Africa (II – V c. AD). For that thesis he investigated how the practice of commemorating the dead originated and evolved within the Christian communities ofRoman North Africa from the late second to the fifth century. Furthermore, he described the role of these commemorations for the development of the North African Church and its identity formation, notably during the crisis triggered by the Donatist schism.
Vicente Fischer de Miranda Rodrigues, MA
Ted Meijer Prize Winner 2024
Title research: Inventio: Bishops, Martyrs and the construction of the past (350-750AD)
My research focuses on the early Christian martyr cult and how bishops used it to shape historical narratives. Through hagiography and other materials, clerics crafted a past which aligned with their cosmic vision, consolidating their authority. Rome’s Biblioteca Augustinianum and the KNIR library provide invaluable texts on early Christianity, while museums offer material evidence with iconographic messages which I plan to study in depth.
Working at KNIR: 27 January - 7 April 2025
Email address: v.fischer.rodrigues@gmail.com
University: Leiden University
