medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (9. February) is the feast day of:
Apollonia of Alexandria (d. 249) Downgraded in the great calendar purge to
local calendar status, Apollonia was an elderly (! mirabile dictu, among
all the accounts of young, nubile virgin martyrs) deaconess of Alexandria.
According to legend, her torturers tried to convince A. to apostasize by
pulling out her teeth one by one with pincers, and went on to threaten her
with burning. A. responded by jumping into the fire herself---which has
caused concern to some theologians as rather too close to the line between
martyrdom and suicide. Naturally, she is invoked against
toothaches---although I don't know when people started doing so.
Primus and Donatus (d. 362) P and D were deacons in Roman Africa. They
were killed when the local Donatists tried to take over their church at
Lavallum.
Teilo (6th cent.) Teilo was a Welshman. Legend says that he was educated
by St. Dyfrig and was a companion of both David and Samson. He founded the
monastery of Llandeilo Fawr in Dyfed, serving as both abbot and bishop
there.
Ansbert (d. 693) Ansbert was chancellor for Frankish King Clothar III, but
quit to become a monk at Fontenelle. A. was third abbot of this monastery,
and went on to be bishop of Rouen in 684. Pepin of Heristal banished him,
and he ended up at the monastery of Hautmont.
Cronan the Wise (8th cent.?) Cronan was an Irishman, nicknamed because of
his ability to systematize canon law in Ireland. He was probably the same
person as Bishop St. Roman of Lismore.
Alto (d. c. 760) Alto was a wandering hermit, perhaps an Irishman. He
settled in a forest near Augsburg, granted to him by Pepin the Short. He
built a church there that grew into the monastery of Altomunster.
Marianus Scotus (Muirdach MacRobartaigh) (d. 1088) Marianus was from
Donegal (Ireland). He went on a pilgrimage to Rome but made a detour and
became a monk at Michelsberg near Bamberg. In 1067 he moved to Regensburg,
where he was the founding abbot of the "Scottish" monastery of St. Peter,
the first of this congregation in south Germany.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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