medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (3. February) is the feast day of:
Blaise (d. c. 316) Blaise's cult only appears to have developed in
the ninth century. Tradition tells that he was bishop of Sebastea
(Armenia), martyred in the great persecution by first being worked
over with wool-carding combs and then beheaded. He became a popular
saint thanks to the legend that, while in prison, he healed a boy who
had a fish bone stuck in his throat---thus he became the proper saint
to invoke by sufferers of sore throats (and also of wool-combers).
Werburga (d. c. 700) Werburga was a Mercian princess, with a lot of
saintly relatives. When her father died, W. became a nun at Ely.
Her uncle (the new king) soon put W. in charge of a number of
convents, which she reformed.
Anskar (d. 865) Anskar was a native of northern Francia who became a
monk at Corbie, then moved to the daughter house of Corvey. Soon
after his transfer, A. took to missionary work. He was sent to
Denmark with a fellow monk to convert Danes. A. went back to Saxony,
but soon a Swedish king requested his services, so he evangelized in
Sweden. In 831 A. was made abbot of Corvey and bishop of the new see
of Hamburg. A's vita, written by his successor Rimbert, makes it
plain that A. continued to work until the end of his life to
establish Christianity in Scandinavia, but with few helpers, little
support, and little permanent success.
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