medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (3. November) is the feast day of:
"The Innumerable Martyrs of Zaragoza" (d. c. 304) Prudentius names
eighteen martyrs of Diocletian's persecution at Zaragoza; many more were
killed. The local prefect published an edict expelling all Christians from
the city, and as they were leaving ordered the garrison to kill them all.
Acepsimas of Cyrrhus (5th cent.) Acepsimas was a hermit who lived in a
cave near Antioch for sixty years.
Sylvia (d. c. 572) The mother of Gregory the Great, Sylvia was honored
with a chapel dedicated to her on the site of her home on the Coelian Hill.
Domnus of Vienne (d. 657) Domnus was bishop of Vienne, and especially
famous for ransoming war captives.
Winefride (Gwenfrewi) (7th cent.) A rather spectacular late legend tells
that Winefride was the niece of a holy man of Wales, who so inflamed a
suitor that, when he was rejected, he chopped her head off. A spring
sprang from the ground where her head fell, creating Holy Well, for many
centuries a pilgrimage center. Her uncle put her head back on, and she
became abbess of Gwytherin in Clwyd. The center of her cult was Shrewsbury
Abbey; the translation of her relics is the subject of Ellis Peters' very
entertaining and sometimes profound novel, *A Morbid Taste for Bones.*
Hubert of Liege (d. 727) Hubert was a Frankish courtier, according to late
legend converted to the religious life while out hunting under
circumstances strangely similar to those of the conversion of St.
Eustace---he saw a stag with a glowing crucifix between its antlers. H.
became a hermit, and bishop of Maastricht in c. 706 (he moved the see to
Liege). H. is honored as the apostle of the Ardennes.
Pirmin (d. 753) Pirmin seems to have been a Visigoth, a refugee from the
Arab invasion of Spain. He ended up in southern Germany where he founded
several monasteries, most notably Reichenau, besides serving as a regional
bishop.
Hermengaudius (Armengol) (d. 1035) Hermengaudius was bishop of Urgell (in
the Pyrenees) 1010-1035. He built the cathedral in Urgell and formed a
chapter of canons following the Augustinian Rule.
Alpais of Cudot (d. 1211) (blessed) Alpais was a peasant from the area
near Sens. She came down with leprosy while still a child, and, although
bedridden, won fame for her patience and gentleness and for living only on
the eucharist. She had an informal cult for centuries, which was confirmed
in 1874.
Simon Ballachi (d. 1319) (blessed) Simon was a noble of the area of
Rimini. Although of distinguished family (two of his uncles were
archbishops of Rimini) he became a Dominican lay brother at the age of 27
and famous for his astounding asceticism.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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