medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (9. January) is the feast day of:
Marciana (d. c. 303) Marciana was a Mauritanian woman, accused of
destroying a statue of the goddess Diana. She was sentenced to death in
the amphitheater, where she was gored to death by a bull.
Adrian (Hadrian) of Canterbury (d. 709/10) Hadrian was an African who
migrated to Italy to become a monk and in time abbot of Nerida (near
Naples). The pope wanted to send him to England as archbishop of
Canterbury, but H refused, recommending Theodore of Tarsus in his place.
That was only partly effective, though: H. avoided becoming archbishop, but
was still talked into accompanying Theodore to England. H. became abbot of
St. Augustine's, Canterbury, where he established an important school.
Hadrian's body was found incorrupt in 1091.
Fillan (early 8th cent.) Fillan was of Irish origin, the nephew of St.
Comgan. He became a monk, a hermit, and then an abbot in Scotland. His
cult was important enough that Robert the Bruce took one of Fillan's arms
with him to the battle of Bannockburn and credited the saint with his
victory.
Honorius of Buzancais (d. 1250) A very interesting saint. Honorius
doesn't seem to have been particularly good, virtuous, mystical, etc. In
1250 he came home from a journey, found that two servants had robbed him in
his absence, remonstrated with them, and was murdered for his pains. The
murderers were later struck with remorse and confessed their crime. And
miracles started occuring at his tomb in Parthenay (Poitou, France). This
kept up so long that Honorius was canonized in 1444.
Philip of Moscow (d. 1569) Late for this list, but an interesting case.
Philip was a Muscovite noble, who entered the monastery of Solovetsk at the
age of 30. He became abbot, and in 1565 metropolitan of Moscow. He very
quickly fell foul of the ruler, though---Ivan IV "the terrible." At first
he privately tried to get the tsar to stop massacring his political
opponents (and completely innocent people who were suspected), then finally
publicly rebuked him at a celebration of the eucharist. But Ivan was no
Emperor Theodosius, and instead of meekly mending his ways engineered
Philip's deposition on charges of sorcery and corruption, had him dragged
to several prisons in chains, and finally had him suffocated.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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