medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (2. January) is the feast day of:
Basil the Great (d. 379) Basil was a native of Caesarea; both his
parents, one grandmother, and three siblings are also venerated as
saints. Basil studied at Athens and taught rhetoric before getting
religion, being baptized, and setting out on a tour of monasteries.
He soon gathered disciples and founded the first monastery in Asia
Minor. B. became bishop of Caesarea in 370, a position that made him
metropolitan of 50 dioceses. He played a major role in the
anti-Arian conflicts of the fourth century, was a dominant Christian
writer, and preached twice a day to enormous crowds (in that pre-TV
age; my church this morning had an attendance of 24). B. died at the
age of 49 after a long stomach ailment
Gregory of Nazianzus (d. 390) Gregory also came from a well-sainted
family (both parents and two siblings are saints). He met Basil (see
above) when they were students, and joined Basil's new monastery.
But Greg was called home to assist his elderly father, Bishop Gregory
(the Elder) of Nazianzus, and seems to have discovered quickly that
he had no taste for ecclesiastical administration. But Greg let
Basil appoint him bishop of Sasima, which caused a rift between them
because G. refused to go and argue with Arians for his diocese. For
the rest of his life, G escaped to the solitary life as often as
possible, but was frequently called to take a part in church
controversies.
Munchin of Limerick (7th cent.) The early Irish martyrologies call
him Munchin "the Wise"; other than that, there is little historical
evidence of this saint. He was apparently given the island of Sirban
by a prince and is honored as patron and first bishop of Limerick.
Adelard (d. 827) Adelard was a Carolingian; his father was a son of
Charles Martel. He became a monk at Corbie in 773. Charlemagne
forced A. out of the monastery (where he soon became abbot) to serve
as an advisor. This got A. into trouble, as he was accused of
supporting Bernard (whom he had tutored) in his revolt against Louis
the Pious, and was banished to a monastery in Aquitaine, only
returning to Corbie in 821. A. completed the foundation of Corvey
(or "New Corbie"). When he died, miracles were soon reported at his
tomb and a cult developed; there was a solemn translatio in 1040.
Stephana Quinzani (blessed) (d. 1530) Stephana was a middle-class
woman from the area of Brescia. She became a Dominican tertiary and
worked for the poor and sick through her life, eventually founding a
convent in Soncino. She was an ecstatic stigmatic. S's cult was
confirmed in 1740.
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