medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (8. September) is the feast day of:
The nativity of the Virgin Mary.
Hadrian of Nicomedia (d. c. 300) According to legend, Hadrian was a Roman
soldier, martyred in the persecution of Galerius by having his arms hacked
off and his legs smashed. His widow Natlaia brought his relics to
Byzantium, where they soon became the focus of a major cult. In the
seventh century the relics were taken to Rome.
Sergius I (d. 701) The pontificate of Sergius I (elected pope in 687)
marks the beginning of papal independence from Byzantine authority.
Sergius was a Syrian from Palermo. He took a stand against the anti-Roman
canons of the 2nd Trullian Council; as a result, Emperor Justinian II
ordered his arrest and banishment. However, the Roman people prevented the
Byzantine soldiers from carrying out their orders. Sergius had close
contact with the kingdom of the Franks and with England; his consecration
of Willibrard as bishop of the Frisians laid the foundation for northern
mission. Sergius is also credited with incorporating the Agnus Dei into
the liturgy of the mass. There is already evidence of a cult of Sergius in
the eighth century.
Corbinian of Freising (d. c. 728) Corbinian is one of the most venerated
saints of Bavaria; his relics are in the crypt of Freising Cathedral.
Corbinian was born in the last third of the 7th century, probably near
Melun in the Frankish kingdom. At first he was a hermit. In c. 710,
however, Corbinian undertook a pilgrimage to Rome. There he was
consecrated as a bishop by Pope Constantine I. After several years of
wandering he settled in Freising under the protection of the duke of
Bavaria and began an extremely successful missionary program throughout the
duchy. The work was disturbed when Corbinian protested Duke Grimoald's
marriage to a near relative; the saint had to flee. Grimoald's successor
brought Corbinian back to Freising, where he continued his work. He is
often depicted in art with a bear because, according to legend, when
traveling through the Alps his mule was killed by a bear; the saint then
made the bear, as penance, carry his baggage all the way to Rome.
William of St-Thierry (blessed) (d. 1148 or 1149) William was born in c.
1082 in Liege. After completing his studies, he became a Benedictine monk,
and in 1119 abbot of St-Thierry near Rheims. In 1135 William abdicated
from his office and entered the Cistercian monastery of Signy near Rheims,
under the influence of his friend Bernard of Clairvaux. He is one of the
great mystics and theologians of the twelfth century.
Thomas of Villanova (d. 1555) Thomas, who was born in c. 1487 in Villanova
(Spain), became an Augustinian Hermit in 1516. In his position as head of
the province of Castile he sent the first Augustinian missionaries to
Mexico. He refused to become archbishop of Granada in 1542, but in 1544
accepted the archbishopric of Valencia. He was noted for his care of the
poor and was known as "the almsgiver."
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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