medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (1. February) is also the feast day of:
Severus of Ravenna (d. after 342). S. is the first bishop of Ravenna of
whom we have any knowledge apart from questionable local tradition. He
took part in the council of Serdica/Sardica (342/43), to whose canons
and letters his name appears as a signatory. Both the
(pseudo-)Hieronyman Martyrology and his ninth-century biographers give
his _dies natalis_ as 1. February. His burial chamber in a house
(perhaps that of his family) at Classe became a memorial chapel. In the
later sixth century a funerary basilica was erected next to this in the
remains of the previous structure and S.'s relics were translated into
this new church. The latter no longer exists, but it has been the
subject of archeological excavation and an aerial view of what's left of
it is here:
http://tinyurl.com/9oohh
S. also appears as one of the four bishops (and as one of the pair of
these specifically called _sanctus_) in the apse mosaics of
Sant'Apollinare at Ravenna. A partial reproduction of this
representation graces the cover the forthcoming exhibition catalog
announced here:
http://www.turismo.ra.it/contenuti/index.php?t=eventi&id=861
According to that announcement and, especially, to this one:
http://www.ravenna2000.it/lapiazza/2006/060107/20.asp
, 2006 will be the Year of San Severo at Ravenna.
By the ninth century a legend had developed about S. Reflected in the
_Libellus pontificum_ of Andreas Agnellus of Ravenna (shortly after 831)
and in S.'s Vita by one Luitolf (BHL 7681; shortly after 856), this
included both a funerary miracle involving his recently deceased
daughter Innocentia and his not so recently deceased wife Vincentia and
a bilocation miracle in which while present at Mass in Ravenna S. was
also on hand at Modena for the passing of his friend, the recently
celebrated saint Geminian.
According to Liutolf, S.'s remains were translated to Mainz in 842.
Later they went on to Erfurt, where the late thirteenth-century
Severikirche became a center of his cult. In the view shown here, the
Severikirche is on the right:
http://tinyurl.com/9kdju
More exterior views:
http://tinyurl.com/7sgtb
http://www.wilnsdorf-niederdielfen.de/erfurt02.htm
http://www.erfurt.de/ef/de/erleben/sehenswertes/dom/21110_1.shtml
http://www.kunsttrip.nl/images/erfurt/HPIM9472.jpg
This brief, German-language account of the church includes a view of
the nave:
http://www.thuringia-online.de/session/erfurt/kirche.html
An expandable view of a remnant of S.'s fourteenth-century shrine in
the Severikirche is here:
http://tinyurl.com/e346x
This shows S. between his wife and his daughter (both of whom were also
regarded as saints).
Best,
John Dillon
PS: Gillian Mackie's recently mentioned _Early Christian Chapels in the
West_ discusses S. on pp. 30-32 and 245. M.'s assertion that S. was the
"first bishop of Ravenna" _tout court_ (p. 31) is questionable in view
of reported finds of earlier Christian inscriptions at Classe. Her
reference (p. 32) to "Justinian's victory in 526" preceding the
re-establishment of Catholic orthodoxy at Ravenna also gives one pause:
though 526 was the year of Theoderic's death, the Romans did not gain
control of Ravenna from his successors until 540.
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