I loved the story of St Swithun of Winchester. I am intrigued by the
repercussions
of the Saints' vindictiveness on the folk people, as in the case you
reported about the upset Saint Swithin, causing
the village to be flooded with rain for 40 days.
At the University, I also did a four years course in Cultural Anthropology,
which I
enjoyed immensely.
We would follow our Professor Paolo Apolito, to various Saint Patron local
Festivals
around the region to observe the features of those Christian-pagan cults -
but were never able to maintain neither the scientific objective eye of the
young cultural anthropologists nor the proper required behavior for that
role, and most often would end by joining the lines of dancers, hand in hand
with the villagers in the public square , in and out the patterns of the
dances.
And at the end of those fantastic university trips, (which UK poet Jamie
McKendrick always joined , as recorded in his second collection The Kiosk on
the brink, OUPress) ) to places such as the Volcano Vesuvio, or to the
Pagani's Festival of the "Holy Virgin of the Hens") - my Professor Paolo
Apolito would make the following comment that there is no such a thing as
the scientific eye and that it is impossible to join a folk festival and
remain outsiders because the very essence of rituality is participation.
Erminia
----- Original Message -----
From: Matthew Francis <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 08, 2000 1:53 PM
Subject: Re: A Saint for Matthew
> Thanks - and of course I have an Italian saint for a surname.
>
> When I lived in Winchester, I became interested in the local saint,
Swithun
> (usually mis-spelled Swithin everywhere else). He was bishop of Winchester
> and tutor to Alfred the Great. He also built the first bridge over the
River
> Itchen. He only had one miracle in his lifetime: walking across the
bridge,
> he met a peasant woman who was so astonished at meeting the bishop that
she
> dropped all the eggs she was carrying to market. He picked them up and
> handed them back to her, still whole. When he died, he was buried outside
> the cathedral as he had requested, so the rain would fall on his grave,
but
> years later they decided it would be more appropriate to move his body
> inside. He was so angry he made it rain for 40 days - hence the legend
that
> if it rains on St Swithun's Day (15 July) it will rain for 40 days
> afterwards.
>
> Haven't got to know the Welsh saints yet, St Illtud, St Teilo, St David
etc.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Matthew
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: E P <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: 08 August 2000 08:59
> Subject: Re: A Saint for Matthew
>
>
> >
> >
> >Matthew wrote:
> >
> >Saints do interest me, probably because I can't understand
> >>them. Matthew
> >
> >
> >Here is some help for Matthew to understand Saints better.
> >First Saint: San Matteo
> >
> >
> >
> >>Thanks, Candice. Saints do interest me, probably because I can't
> >understand
> >>them. The painting the poem is based on is in Southampton City Art
> >Gallery -
> >>a long way for you to go and see it, I know. Amazingly, I forgot to take
a
> >>note of the name of the painter. Can anyone help?
> >>
> >>Haven't read Steve's poem, as I haven't had my copy yet.
> >>
> >>Best wishes
> >>
> >>Matthew (or else Matteo)
> >
> >............
> >Saint Matthew the Apostle, also known as the Evangelist (San Matteo,
first
> >Century AD))
> >is the Saint Patron of the City of Salerno (my home town) in the South of
> >Italy.
> >It is represented - in the iconography of the kind - as having two
opposite
> >faces.
> >(Saint Matthew or else Giano Bifronte).
> >It is widely respected, but also suspected of being hypocritical (say, to
> >have two different "faces"
> >for different situations.) Because of this iconography, which is also on
> the
> >flag of the town of Salerno and on the
> >local armorial bearings, Salernitan people are considered by those of
other
> >towns in the region has having the same
> >unreliable attitude of San Matteo. Unlike San Gennaro, San Matteo makes
no
> >miracles. He avoids in this ways both
> >fanatic veneration and vehement cursing (cursing occurs when the Saint
does
> >not gratify the people's expectations, like in the few cases when San
> >Gennaro's blood did not melt in the cup, as it normally does twice a
year.)
> >San Matteo's relics lie in a crypt in the Cathedral of Salerno side by
side
> >with the human remains of famous
> >Hildebrand di Soana (Gregory the VII, Pope from 1073 to 1085) who
increased
> >the papacy's temporal power and moved temporarily the Vatican Site to the
> >charming town of Salerno) .The event remains in the chronicles.
> >
> >Erminia
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Lycos Homepage > Lycos_Italy > Arte & Spettacolo > Letteratura
> >...acquistare online. Passannanti Erminia NUOVO! - Le......forme di
> >scrittura visiva.
> >http://www.lycos.it/dir/Arte_e_Spettacolo/Letteratura/Autori/Novecento/
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >________________________________________________________________________
> >Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com
> >
> >
>
>
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