medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (20. April) is the feast day of:
Easter, of course, except to any orthodox members of the list. A happy
Easter to everyone!
Theodore the Hairy (d. after 330). Theodore was a native of Byzantium. He
became a hermit and won hs nickname by wearing nothing but a hairshirt.
Caedwalla (d. 689) Caedwalla was king of Wessex. After an often violent
career, he abdicated to go to Rome, where he was baptized on Holy saturday
of 689. C. died soon after, still wearing his baptismal robes, and was
buried in St. Peter's.
Harduin of Fontenelle (d. 811) Harduin became a monk at Fontenelle in 749,
and in later years a hermit near the monastery. He spent his life in
isolation copying the works of the fathers of the Church.
Hildegund (d. 1188) Unlike many saintly cross-dressing tales, this one
seems to have a clear basis in fact. Hildegund's father was a knight who
decided to take his daughter along with him on a pilgrimage to the Holy
Land---dressing her as a boy for her protection on the rode. Dad died when
they were on the way home. After a series of adventures, H. was accepted
as a novice at the Cistercian monastery of Schonau, under the name "Brother
Joseph." Her sex was only discovered after she died.
Agnes of Montepulciano (d. 1317) As a young woman, Agnes joined the
charmingly-named "Sisters of the Sack" (they got their name from their
rough clothing) at Montepulciano (Tuscany). She was responsible for
joining the community to the Dominicans. But she was much more famous for
her austere life, visions of Jesus, Mary, and angels, as well as prophecies
and miraculous cures.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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