Le iscrizioni Fel e Fol e il e il perduto mosaico pavimentale della chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore di Vercelli (metà XII secolo)

The article gives a new interpretation in the inscriptions Fol and Fel of the mosaic of the church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Vercelli. They are one of the most ancient testimoni of the Italian vernacular. The two inscriptions refer to a duel between a Christian ( Fol ) and a Muslim ( Fel ). The author studies them in relation to the historical context when the mosaic was created: it is the period of the Second Crusade (1146-49), when the preachings of the Church urge knights to fight for the Faith. The mosaic seems to have been a figurative homily in favor of the Crusade. The image of the duel is an exhortation to the knights to abandon frivolous habits and to struggle against Muslims. It is, therefore, not difficult to understand why the two inscriptions are in vernacular: since the mosaic addresses the knights, it must speak the language of every man.