| The common image that is associated with the religious atmosphere of the Middle Ages is paradoxical. On the one hand there is an aura of fervent religious piety, which also fueled religious animosity, most notably in the bloodshed and brutality of the Crusades. This overwhelming conflict makes it hard for anyone to imagine the Middle Ages as an ear in which there could have been cordial or harmonious religious coexistence of any kind. This must be considered. In the Balkans during the Late Medieval/ Early Ottoman Period, there existed a form of religious coexistence unlike anything else in Europe. Amicable religious coexistence, that is the sharing of saints and shrines between different faith groups, existed in the Balkans during this time, and continued well into the Modern period. This paper is a discussion of this occurrence and describes the significant factors, which allowed for amicable religious coexistence to take place. |
