medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (10. September) is the feast day of:
Pulcheria (d. 453) Pulcheria was the East Roman empress who convened the
Council of Chalcedon. She was a daughter of Emperor Arcadius, born in 399.
At her father's death in 414 she became empres, ruling for her underage
brother. Pulcheria had many churches constructed, and continued to advise
her brother Theodosius II until his death in 450. Then Pulcheria married
the general Marcianus, raising him to the imperial office. Against strong
opposition she called the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Finian of Moville (d. c. 579) Finian is regarded as one of the outstanding
Irish scholars of the sixth century. He is said to have studied at the
Scottish monastery of Candida Casa. When he returned, according to
tradition he brought a manuscript of Vulgate, perhaps the first that
reached Ireland. There is a late story that Finian's student, St.
Columcille, took Finian's copy of the Psalter and copied it without his
mentor's permission. This is supposed to have been the cause of the
quarrel that led to Columcille leaving Ireland. After his study abroad,
Finian founded two monasteries, at Dromin (Co. Louth) and at Moville (Co.
Down) in c. 550. He gained a reputation as a severe ascetic: legend says
that at Finian's first monastic foundation, seven monks died of hunger and
cold, after which Finian lessened the rigors of his monastic rule.
Salvius of Albi (d. 584) Salvius was a lawyer who became a monk, then a
recluse. In 574 he became bishop of Albi. During the plague epidemic in
his diocese, Salvius cared personally for the sick, finally catching the
disease himself and dying.
Theodard of Maastricht (d. 669) Theodard, who was originally from Speyer,
became bishop of Maastricht sometime before 660. He complained to the king
about pillaging of Church goods---and was attacked and murdered.
Serlo (blessed) (d. 1158) Serlo was a Benedictine monk who in 1140 became
abbot of the monastery of Savigny, which gave him charge of a monastic
confederation of over 30 houses in France, England, Scotland, and Ireland.
In 1147 Serlo turned over the entire federation to the Cistercian order,
specifically to Clairvaux, which became the mother house. Serlo lived from
1153 until his death as a simple monk of Clairvaux.
Nicolas of Tolentino (d. 1305) Nicolas was born in c. 1245, and at the age
of eleven became an Augustinian Hermit. For the following 20 years he drew
increasing audiences as a charismatic preacher. In 1275 he left his native
region (Sant' Angelo in Pontano) for Tolentino, where he became a priest.
His daily sermons attracted large crowds, and already in his lifetime
Nicolas was regarded as a saint---a belief encouraged by many miracles.
When he was canonized in 1446 over 300 miracles were attributed to him.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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