HEALING TOUCH: PILGRIMAGE TO THE ROMAN SANCTUARY OF ASKLEPIOS AT KOS

Abstract

This article describes the water monuments of benefactor Gaius Stertinius Xenophon at the Sanctuary of Asklepios at Kos in the first century CE. After his travels to Rome, Xenophon renovated the existing monuments of the sanctuary. He ornamented the Hellenistic arcuated retaining wall with the water channel carrying water from the springs of Bourina to meet the purificatory and healing needs of Asklepian patients. I demonstrate that with the addition of water, the Hellenistic arcuated wall makes a subtle reference to Roman aqueducts. The other monument designed by Xenophon, the cult niche dedicated to imperial cult gives direct reference to Rome. I argue that by means of water both monuments make Roman imperial power touchable as a healing factor for the use of Asklepian patients. To explore the effect of the sense of touch in the relationship of patients with architecture, I will narrate a type of travel that shapes the perception of the sanctuary: Sacred journey of the patients who come to the sanctuary to find healing by means of dreams. This narration emphasizes the effect of the sense of touch and relationship between sense of vision and touch in healing function.