medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (20. January) is the feast day of:
Fabianus (d. 250) Fabianus was bishop of Rome 236-250. He organized his
diocese to better serve the growing number of Christians, dividing Rome
into the care of seven deacons. He was beheaded during Decian's
persecution.
Sebastian (d. 288) Sebastian is that saint who's always depicted full of
arrows. It was a surprise to me to discover a few years ago that the
arrows only killed him temporarily. According to legend, Sebastian was
from Milan and became a valued soldier in Diocletian's bodyguard. When
Diocletian discovered that Sebastian was a Christian, he had S. arrested,
tied to a tree, and shot full of arrows, leaving the body where it was
afterwards. But the Christian Irene found Sebastian and either resurrected
him or discovered he was still alive and nursed him back to health. Then
Sebastian went back to Diocletian and reproached him for his persecution of
Christians, whereupon Sebastian was clubbed to death and his corpse thrown
into the Cloaca maxima (where it was found by another Christian lady and
buried). A basilica was built over Sebastian's tomb in 367.
Euthymios the Great (d. 473) Euthymios of Melitene (Armenia) was one of
the great fathers of monasticism. He became a priest at a young age and
was then entrusted with supervision of all the monasteries in his region.
But at the age of about 30, Euthymios withdrew to the desert near Jerusalem
and spent the rest of his life in great asceticism. A colony of hermits
grew around him, which Euthymios led as abbot. He was recognized as a
saint immediately after his death.
Fechin (d. 665) Fechin was an Irish abbot, born in Connacht. He founded a
series of monasteries.
Maurus of Cesena (d. 946) Maurus, a nephew of Pope John IX, became a
Benedictine and abbot of the monastery of Classe outside of Ravenna. In
934 he was named bishop of Classe. He built for himself a cell in nearby
Cesena, where he regularly retreated for prayer. This cell later developed
into the Benedictine monastery of S. Maria del Monte.
Eustochia Smeralda Calefato (d. 1491) Eustochia, who was canonized in
1988, was born in 1434 on the island of Sicily. After a vision of the
crucified Christ she entered a Clarissan convent in 1449. Finding the
house too lax, in 1460 Eustochia founded her own convent of S. Maria
Accomandata. The strictness and adherence to the rule of this new house
attracted so many nuns that soon it had to be moved to a larger site, at
Montevergine. Eustochia experienced many visions and spiritual illnesses,
and her humility won the admiration of her fellow nuns and the populace.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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