medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (17. July) is the feast day of:
Alexis of Rome (?) Suppressed in 1969 just because he's fictitious, Alexis
was popular in western Europe and remains popular in the East. The legend
is that Alexis was of senatorial family. He fled from his wedding, became
a beggar, and eventually returned---unrecognized---to live under the stairs
of his own family home.
Scillitan martyrs (d. 180) Five women and seven men were martyred at
Scillium (Roman Africa) in the reign of Septimius Severus. The official
proceedings of their trial are still extant, and important source on early
Christianity.
Ennodius (d. 521) A Gallo-Roman nobleman, Ennodius became a rhetoric
professor at Milan until converted during a serious illness. His wife
became a nun and E. was ordained. He became bishop of Pavia in 510, and
was a noted poet and hymn writer.
Kenelm (d. 821) This saint was a product of wishful thinking. K. was a
Mercian prince who died before his father. The completely fictional legend
was later invented that K. succeed to his father's throne at the age of
seven and was murdered at his sister's orders.
Leo IV (d. 855) The source of the term "Leonine city" for the area around
the Vatican, Leo was a monk who became pope in 847. He took to
wall-building because of Muslim raids. His combination of prayers and
organization of the city militia then routed the Muslim raiders at Ostia.
Clement of Ohrid and companions (d. 916) Clement, Nahum, Gorazd,
Angelarius, and Sabas were all priests who helped Cyri and Methodius as
missionaries to the Slavs. They were expelled when the mission was
suppressed in 885 (in favor of the Latin rite) and went on to Bulgaria,
which was just converting to Christianity. Clement became the first
archbishop of the Bulgarian church, and first author of original texts in
Church Slavonic. All five are regarded as apostles of Bulgaria and
Macedonia.
Andrew Zoerard (d. c. 1010) Andrew was a Polish hermit, associated with a
Benedictine monastery near Nitra, Slovakia. He was canonized in 1083.
Ceslaus (d. 1242) A good day for holy Poles. Ceslaus was a canon at
Cracow, then became a Dominican along with (St.) Hyacinth, his brother.
Ceslaus served as provincial of Poland, and preached in Silesia and
Bohemia. He helped lead Breslau's resistance to the Mongols in 1240.
Hedwig (Jadwiga) of Poland (d. 1399) Definitely a good day for Poles.
Hedwig was a daughter of King Louis I of Hungary. In 1384, at the age of
10, she was elected queen of Poland, and soon married off to the duke of
Lithuania---the last non-Christian country in Europe. Hedwig encouraged
her newly-baptized husband and subjects to accept Christianity, patronizing
religious establishments and scholarship, while also making the
Polish-Lithuanian state a European power. She founded the Jagiellonian
University at Cracow. Hedwig was canonized in 1997.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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