medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (30. May) is the feast day of:
Gabinus of Torres (d. c. 130) According to legend, Gabinus was a Roman
official, martyred in Torres (Sardinia) along with a companion named
Crispulus.
Ferdinand III of Castile (d. 1252) When Pope Clement X canonized Ferdinand
in 1671, he declared him "the model of a Christian ruler." Ferdinand was
born in Spain in 1199. He inherited his mother's kingdom of Castile in
1217, and his father's kingdom of Leon in 1230, uniting the two kingdoms.
To this he added the kingdoms of Cordoba, Seville, jaen, and Murcia, which
he conquered from the Moors. He is also responsible for the construction
of the cathedral of Burgos.
Zdislava of Lemberk (d. 1252) Zdislava was born in c. 1220 in Krizanov
(Slovakia) and married at the age of seventeen. She lived an exemplary
life as wife and mother, and as a Dominican tertiary also cared for the
sick and poor. Tradition reports that Zdislava brought dead people back to
life. She died in Lemberk (Czech Republic). John Paul II canonized
Zdislava in 1995.
Jeanne d'Arc (d. 1431) Thanks to the recent spate of movies, it's hard to
find anyone who hasn't heard of Joan of Arc. She was born in Domremy
(Lorraine) in 1412, the daughter of prosperous peasants. From the age of
thirteen Jeanne began to have mystical experiences, and in 1429 her voices
told her to save France from the English. The dauphin Charles believed
Joan and sent her to raise the English siege of Orleans, which she did
successfully. After this, Charles was able to get to Rheims to be crowned
as Charles VII. But then in 1430 Joan was captured by the Burgundians, who
sold her to the English, who tried her first for witchcraft and then for
heresy. She was burned to death in Rouen on either the 30th or 31st of
May. (The tackiest souvenirs I've ever seen in my life were years ago when
I went to Rouen and found that all the shops had molded plastic ashtrays
with Joan tied to her stake in one corner, so the smoke would swirl up
around her.) After Charles VII's final victory against the English, he had
Joan posthumously retried and exonerated. A canonization process began in
the nineteenth century, and Joan was declared blessed in 1909 and a saint
in 1920.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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