medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (3. April) is the feast day of:
Pancras of Taormina (1st cent.?) A very unreliable tradition tells
that Pancras was a native of Antioch whom St. Peter sent to be bishop
of Taormina in Sicily---where he was stoned to death by disgruntled
pagans.
Sixtus I (d. 127) An exemplary warning about early lists of popes:
Sixtus was supposedly bishop of Rome from 117 until his martyrdom,
but Irenaeus apparently never heard about the martyrdom and "Sixtus"
by an odd coincidence was the sixth pope on the list, casting doubts
about his entire existence.
Agape, Chionia, and Irene (d. c. 304) According to legend, A, C, and
I were three sisters (virgins, of course) who were burned at
Thessalonika in the reign of Diocletian (Irene after being abused in
a brothel for a couple of days).
Nicetas of Medikion (d. 824) Medikion was one of the monasteries on
Bithynian Olympus in Asia Minor, and Nicetas was abbot. Like many
Byzantine monks of the era, N. protested Emperor Leo V's iconoclast
policies. He came through the process better than a lot of his
fellows: he was merely imprisoned for six years on an island in the
Sea of Marmara. After Leo died, N. was set free and ended his life
as a hermit.
Richard de Wych (d. 1253) Richard was an Englishman who became
chancellor of Oxford in 1235, then legal advisor to two archbishops
of Canterbury, then bishop of Chichester in 1244. He died at Dover
while preaching a crusade. Especially his reputation as a model
pastor led to his canonization in 1262. The shrine of R. at
Chichester Cathedral was a popular pilgrimage site until the
Reformation.
Gandulf Sacchi (blessed) (d. 1260) Gandulf was from the region of
Milan. He became one of the earliest Franciscans and spent years
preaching in Sicily before becoming a hermit near Palermo. His cult
was confirmed in 1621.
Alexandrina di Letto (blessed) (d. 1458) Alexandrina was born at
Sulmona (the Abruzzi). She joined the Poor Clares at a young age and
in 1423 founded her own nunnery at Foligno. This became the mother
house of a Franciscan reform movement.
--
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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History Department
University of Southern Mississippi
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