Jim Bugslag's extraordinary sucess in finding out about St. Magne encourages
me to float a long-time question of my own to this larnéd
list.
Carolyn Muessig <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Today, 20 August, is the feast of ...
>Bernard of Clairvaux, abbot (1153): ...(*The Catholic Encyclopedia*
gives 21 August as the feast day, whose right the *Encylopedia* or Butler?)
AND:
>21 August, is the feast of ...
>Humbeline, matron and abbess (1135): The one-time worldly sister of
Bernard of Clairvaux.
Rozanne's fine explanation of the "true" date for Bernie's Day
notwithstanding, i'm struck by the apparent coincidence of both he and
his sister being commemorated in the calendar only (perhaps) a day apart.
is it certain that feast days were *always* the dates of death?
reason i ask is that i've noted in several obituaries from the diocese of
Chartres --especially, it seems, that of the Benedictine abbey of St.
Peter's-- that there appear to be several instances of what i've termed (ad
hoc fashion) "cluster obits": not just two, but sometimes several members of
the same family (though this is not always explicitly stated
in the entry) entered in the institution's Book of Life on sucessive
days, or within a very few days of each other.
rather than accepting this as a reflection of the historical *fact*
that members of the same family tended to die on certain favorite days --years
apart, of course-- i've stubbornly come to the conclusion
(without any other proof) that at least these non-saintly "feast" days were
subject to insertion into the necrological liturgical calendar in a somewhat
flexible fashion, perhaps to facilitate the attendance of
living family members (who would have come from out of town) at the abbey's
services for their departed kin.
e.g., the living members of the Chenard clan of Louville-la-Chenard 15 or so
miles Southwest of Chartres) would come into the City and the precinct of St.
Peter once a year to participate in a *series* of commemorative masses for
their departed kin (including the Abbot Udo [+1150], his
mother and one of his brothers), which would be celebrated over a period of
several days.
since he was --from the point of view of the monks of St. Peter's-- the most
prominent member of the clan, it seems to me that the *actual* death date of
Abbot Udo may have served to "anchor" the dates of the "feast" days of other
members of the family (who would have then had "moveable"
feasts, as it were).
in a similar fashion, Humbeline's feast would have been moved to be next to
that of her illustrious brother, perhaps not so much for the same reason, but
rather to enhance the prestige of them both(??).
if this supposition is correct, surely the practice must have been quite
widespread and other members of the List would have noted it as well.
is this the case?
has anyone else noted these "clusters" of obituary dates in the documents from
other places?
any literature on the phenomenon?
or, alternatively (i'm not proud), a better explanation for the
"coincidence"?
best to all from here,
christopher
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