medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (13. January) is the feast day of:
Agrecius of Trier (d. c. 333) A bishop of Trier. According to an
eleventh-century vita, A. obtained (with the help of St. Helena) the robe
of Christ that is still Trier's greatest relic.
Hilary (d. c. 368) Hilary (or perhaps better Hilarius, to avoid confusion
with NY senators) was born to a wealth non-Christian family of Poitiers.
He became an orator, married, and had a daughter. In 350 he became a
Christian, and in c. 353 bishop of Poitiers. Augustine and Jerome praise
him as "the illustrious teacher of the churches" and "a fair cedar
transplanted out of this world into the Church" (quotes compliments of
Farmer); he has even been called "the Athanasius of the West," thanks
especially to his adamant stand against Arianism, which led to four years
of exile in Phrygia. H was named a doctor of the Church in 1851.
Kentigern (Mungo) (d. 612) Kentiger was a monk and bishop, missionary to
Strathclyde and Cumbria. Traditions report that he was the illegitimate
grandson of a British prince. Other legendary details include that his
mother was thrown off a cliff and set adrift in a coracle while pregnant
with K; there is also yet another Scottish fish story: a badly behaved
queen gave her husband's ring to her lover, the king got suspicious and
demanded its return within three days, and K saved the day when one of his
monks recovered the ring from a salmon. K. is also supposed to have lived
185 years according to one hagiographer.
Berno of Baume (d. 927) Surprisingly little is known of Berno, considering
his importance as founder and first abbot of Cluny.
Godfrey of Cappenberg (blessed) (d. 1127) Godfrey was a Westphalian count.
He met Norbert of Xanten and was so impressed that he turned his castle
into a Praemonstratensian monastery. G. and his brother joined the
community, while his wife and two sisters became nuns in a convent he
founded for them.
Jutta of Huy (blessed) (d. 1228) This Dutch woman was widowed at the age
of 18, with three young children. For ten years she devoted herself to
nursing the lepers at the local lazar house, then became a recluse for over
forty years. She was a noted mystic, renowned especially for the gift of
counsel.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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