medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (27. August) is the feast day of:
Marcellus (d. c. 178) Marcellus was a priest at Lyons when Marcus
Aurelius launched a persecution of Christians. He was iimprisoned
but escaped with a fellow prisoner. He was then sheltered by a man
whom he converted to Christianity. Captured again, Priscus refused
to sacrifice to the state gods and the governor had him buried to his
waist, in which position he died three days later.
Monica (d. 387) Now the patron saint of married women and long
regarded as a model of Christian motherhood, Monica is only known
because her son was Augustine of Hippo. Who gave credit to his mom's
persistent prayers and exhortations (and nagging) for his own
conversion to Christianity. M. pursued Gussie to Rome in 383 and
then to Milan, where he finally converted. After that, she lived
with Gus, his son, and his friends at Cassiciacum. She died at Ostia
when they were waiting for a ship back to Africa (the bit in the
Confessions about Gus and M in Ostia has to be one of the most
beautiful spiritual passages ever written).
Poemen (d. c. 450) Poemen became a hermit in the Egyptian desert
along with several brothers. In 408 they relocated because of the
threat of Berber raids, taking over a non-christian temple at
Terenuthis with Poemen as abbot. He was noted for his spiritual
wisdom.
Caesarius of Arles (d. 543) The Gallo-Roman Caesarius became a monk
at Lerins at age 18. He went on from there to assist his uncle, the
bishop of Arles, and succeeded him as bishop in 503. Caesarius was a
noted reformer, fighter of Arianism, preacher, sponsor of monasticism
(including writing a rule for nuns), etc. Caesarius is the first
bishop known to have received the pallium from a pope.
Hugh of Lincoln (d. 1255) This is "little" St. Hugh of Lincoln, not
to be mistaken with the bishop of the same name. Hugh's tale is one
of the most notorious tales of Jewish ritual murder from the Middle
Ages, immortalized in Chaucer's Prioresse's Tale. Hugh was murdered
at the age of nine and his body thrown down a well. The accusation
was made that a Jew had lured the kid into his home, flogged him,
crowned him with thorns, and crucified him. 93 Jews were arrested;
with the proper encouragement, the supposed murderer did indeed
confess to the crime, telling that it was a Jewish custom to crucify
a Christian child every year. 19 Jews were executed; the rest were
imprisoned but finally released after paying heavy fines.
Margaret the Barefooted (d. c. 1395) Margaret was the daughter of a
poor family of san Severino. She was married off at age 15 and
patiently endured her abusive husband for years. She got her
nickname by going around barefooted, begging for alms on behalf of
beggars.
A modern saint: David Lewis (d. 1679) The Welsh David Lewis was
raised a Protestant but, after training as a lawyer, visited the
continent and was converted to Catholicism. He became a Jesuit and
eventually went back to Wales as a missionary. He worked there for
31 years, until the Titus Oates plot created a wave of anti-catholic
hysteria. Then DL was betrayed by a servant and arrested, after
which he was convicted of being a Catholic priest and executed. He
was canonized in 1970 as one of the Forty Martyrs of England and
Wales.
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