medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (24. March) is the feast day of:
Irenaeus of Sirmium (d. 304) Irenaeus was bishop of Sirmium (Mitrovica,
Serbia), martyred under Diocletian. An early account of his martyrdom
survives, telling of how, when he was tortured, his wife, children, and
even mother gathered around urging him to sacrifice and save his life.
After a period of imprisonment, I. was beheaded and his body thrown into
the river.
Hildelith (d. c. 712) Hildelith was abbess of Barking (England) for many
years. She enlarged the monastery, and was also a visionary---Boniface
mentions one of her visions in a letter.
Dunchad (d. 716) Dunchad was an abbot of Iona. Bede praises him (hardly
surprisingly) because he is the abbot who brought Iona over to Roman
practices regarding the date of Easter.
Aldemar the Wise (d. c. 1080) Aldemar was a monk at Monte Cassino. He was
sent to St. Lawrence's, Capua as spiritual director, but was so popular and
worked so many miracles that he was recalled. A. later founded several
monasteries in the Abruzzi, which he ruled well.
William of Norwich (d. 1144) William has a notorious place in Christian
history as the first supposed victim of Jewish ritual murder. He was 12
years old, killed on Holy Saturday. And the story developed that he had
been slaughtered by the Jews of the town, as part of a great international
conspiracy to kill one Christian child a year during holy week, in contempt
of Christ. Wm's cult was very popular for over a century, but died out by
the middle of the fourteenth century.
Catherine of Sweden (d. 1381) Catherine was a daughter of Bridget of
Sweden. She married an invalid, with whom perhaps she vowed chastity.
With her husband's consent, C. joined her mom in Rome and Jerusalem for
several years before returning to Sweden. After her husband's death, C.
became abbess of Bridget's convent at Vadstena. Catherine obtained papal
approval for the Brigittine order, and also won her mother's canonization;
C. herself was canonized in 1484.
Simon of Trent (d. 1475) Simon was another supposed victim of Jewish
ritual murder, a 2-1/2 year old child found dead under mysterious
circumstances. His death provoked a wave of antisemitic sentiment, and
there were so many miracles at S's tomb that, although the papacy hadn't
approved the cult in 1478, it did so in 1588. Simon was removed from the
Roman calendar in 1965, and all veneration forbidden.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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