medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The matter of Maurus and Placid is enormously complicated and interesting.
First, M. traditionally had his feast day on Jan 15th but after the
we-all-know-which-Council, he was moved here to share with Placid (usually
the two are mentioned together. To see Fluvial here is odd). Maurus,
Benedict's pupil, had been, as Phyllis notes, appropriated by the French
abbey of Glanfeuil as its patron, and a lengthy Vita Mauri had been
"discovered' by the abbot of Glanfeuil (Odo, surely the author of the life)
in the mid-9th century. In the mid-12th, Peter the Deacon, the great forger
of Montc Cassino, having seen the great success of the Maurus cult following
the publication of Odo's life, forged a life of Maurus's young companion,
Placid. Placid was, intentionally or not, confused with an early Roman
martyr of the same name from Sicily whose feast was on Oct 5 (as was a
totally unrelated Gaulic saint, Flavia). So Peter the Deacon wrote a long
life of Placid, in which he was sent to Sicily (as Maurus had been sent to
France), and there suffered martyrdom after having established Benedictine
life (and property claims) in Sicily, as Maurus had supposedly in France.
Placid was joined in his sufferings by his brothers and sister, Flavia, all
of whom were originally , as I said, members if a group of Gaulic saints
celebrated on October 5.
Peter did his work well; a cult of Placid grew up first in Italy, then among
Benedictine congregations and finally was extended to the whole church in
the 16th century. Many Benedictine houses have Placid as their patron.
jw
-----Original Message-----
From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Phyllis Jestice
Sent: Friday, October 04, 2002 8:48 PM
To: John Wickstrom
Subject: saints of the day 5. October
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (5. October) is the feast day of:
Apollinaris of Valence (d. c. 520) Apollinaris became bishop of Valence
(Burgundy) in 486, after the see had been vacant for 50 years. He renewed
the diocese with great success, but was banished to Sardinia for political
reasons. However, we are told, the Burgundian king who had exiled A. fell
ill. The queen journeyed to Sardinia and begged A to return and heal her
husband; he refused to do so, but sent a token that did the job. Then the
king traveled personally to Sardinia and fetched the bishop home again.
And there was great public rejoicing.
Maurus (6th cent.) Maurus was a noble boy, given to St. Benedict to be
educated and to become a monk at Monte Cassino. Gregory the Great tells of
Maurus' great obedience, including running on water because the abbot had
ordered him to rescue a drowning boy. Nothing is known of him after that
event. He was later identified, almost certainly wrongly, with Maurus the
founder of the abbey of Glanfeuil; this led to his adoption as the patron
of the Benedictine Congregation of St-Maur in the seventeenth century.
Flavia and Placidus (d. 542) Placidus was the boy pulled out of the water
by Maurus. According to legend, Placidus and his sister Flavia went to
Sicily where P founded a monastery and F lived as a consecrated virgin.
They were both killed in a pirate attack.
Galla (d. c. 560) Galla was a noblewoman of Rome, widowed at a young age.
She became a recluse, living in a cell near St. Peter's, and avoided
unwelcome attention from men by disguising herself in men's clothing and a
beard. According to later legend, an angel brough Galla a miraculous
portrait of the Virgin Mary, which later averted the plague.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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