medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (5. July) is the feast day of:
Modwenna (d. c. 520) There were several Irish and English saints named
Modwenna, and the stories of their lives have become inextricably mixed.
They include a follower of Hilda who may have succeeded her as abbess of
Whitby (d. c. 695), another English abbess of the nunnery of Polesworth (d.
c. 900), and an Irishwoman who foounded and ruled the Irish nunnery of
Killeevy.
Wendelin (mid-6th cent.) There is a very strong cult of Wendelin, even
though his vita is largely legendary. He was a hermit in the Vogesen,
according to legend the son of an Iro-Scottish king. His tomb at St.
Wendel in Saarland became an important pilgrimage center. He is the patron
of farmers and cattle. There are churches dedicated to St. Wendelin not
only in Europe but in South America, China, and Africa.
Numerian (d. c. 666) Numerian was born in c. 600 in Trier as the son of a
rich senator. He became a monk at Remiremont and then Luxeuil, and from c.
650 on was bishop of Trier.
Athanasius the Athonite (d. 1003) An abbot of Mt. Athos (against his
strong wishes), Athanasius wrote rules for every aspect of monastic life,
with special insistence on unity, study, and austerity. He made himself so
unpopular in this way that other hermits are said to have attempted to
murder him twice. His efforts to beautify his monastery led to his
death---he and several companions were killed while inspecting building
work on the church, when the cupola collapsed.
William of Hirsau (d. 1091) Blessed. Born in Regensburg, William was a
child oblate to the monastery of St. Emmeram. While still there he taught
and wrote on mathematics, astronomy, and music. In 1069 William became
abbot of Hirsau in the Black Forest, which he reformed on the model of
Cluny. Under William's leadership, Hirsau became the largest monastery in
Germany---forces that William used to support the cause of Gregory VII in
the Investiture Contest.
Elias of Bourdeilles (d. 1484) Born in 1407 as count of Bourdeilles, Elias
became a Franciscan at the age of ten (which I confess I didn't know was
possible). In 1437 he became bishop of Périgueux, in 1468 bishop of Tours,
and was named a cardinal in 1483. He was famous for his written defence of
Joan of Arc. A process to beatify him was begun, but never brought to
completion.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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