medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (15. May) is the feast day of:
Torquatus and companions (1st cent) Legend tells that Torquatus was
one of seven missionaries sent to Spain by Peter and Paul. He was
very successful (says the legend), but ended up martyred at Cadiz.
Isidore of Chios (d. c. 251) Isidore was an army officer, denounced
as a Christian during the Decian persecution. He was tortured and
beheaded, and his body thrown into a well (which became famous for
healing miracles).
Hilary of Galatea (d. 558) Hilary was a Tuscan who turned to the
religious life at age 12. He built a hermitage and became founding
abbot of Galatea monastery. He convinced Theodoric the Goth not to
destroy the place, and even got an extra grant of land.
Dymphna and Gerebernus (d. c. 650) A rather exciting and racy legend
tells that Dymphna was the daughter of a non-Christian Celtic
chief---Irish, or British, or Breton, or. . . . After her mother
died, D's father developed a taste for incest so D fled to Antwerp,
accompanied by her confessor Gerebernus. They built an oratory at
Gheel (near Amsterdam) and lived as hermits. Daddy tracked them
down, though, and both were killed. D's and G's bodies were
discovered at Gheel in the 13th century, and many miracles were
reported at D's tomb---especially of people suffering a variety of
mental illnesses. D is the patron saint of epileptics and those
suffering from mental illness.
Isaias of Rostov (d. 1090) Isaias was born at Kiev. He became a
monk at the Caves monastery there, and in time abbot of St.
Demetrius. I. became bishop of Rostov in 1077 and was a very
effective missionary.
Isidore the Farmer (d. 1130) Isidore was the son of a poor family of
Madrid. He became a hired laborer, sharing the little he had with
the poor and working a lot of miracles. He was canonized in 1622 as
patron of farmers and the city of Madrid.
Hallvard (d. 1043) Regarded as a martyr and the patron saint of
Oslo, Hallvard was a Norwegian trader. One day he defended a woman
accused of theft who begged for his help---and was killed by the
three men attacking her. The murderers attached a stone to H's body
and threw it into the sea, but it floated anyway, and the whole story
came out.
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