medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (13. April) is the feast day of:
Hermenegild (d. 585) Hermenegild was a son of the Visigothic king
Leovigild of Spain. H. converted from orthodox Christianity to
Arianism. He also rebelled against his dad in 582. The two were
reconciled, but H. was later imprisoned and killed on Leovigild's
orders. It is not clear whether he was executed for refusing to give
up orthodoxy or for rebellion, so his status as martyr is a matter of
debate.
Martin I (d. 655) The Umbrian Martin worked for a time in the
imperial service in Constantinople before coming back to Italy to be
elected pope in 649---upon which he had himself consecrated without
imperial approval. Emperor Constans refused to acknowledge M. as
pope. Things heated up rapidly because M. convened a council to
condemn Monothelitism--and also to condemn the imperial edict
forbidding discussion of the matter. Constans responded by sending a
legate to arrest M. The first failed, but a second arrest attempt in
653 was successful. M. was dragged off to Constantinople, imprisoned
for a time, and then tried and condemned as a traitor. He was
publicly flogged, then exiled to the Crimea. He died in September
655 of starvation and ill-treatment. He is the last of the popes to
be venerated as a martyr.
Ida of Boulogne (blessed) (d. 1113) Ida was a daughter of Duke
Godfrey IV of Lorraine and his wife Doda. She was married off to
Eustace II of Boulogne, and her sons Godfrey and Baldwin became
successive rulers of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem. After she was
widowed, Ida used her wealth to help the poor and aid monasteries.
Caradoc (d. 1124) The Welsh Caradoc served as harpist at the court
of King Rhys ap Tewdwr of South Wales, but he gave it up to become a
priest and a hermit.
Margaret of Metola (blessed) (d. 1320)
Another Umbrian, Margaret was born blind. When she was about six,
her parents took her to a shrine in Citta-di-Castello in hope of a
miracle, but when they didn't get one they abandoned her. Some local
women took the girl in and the local nuns gave her a permanent home.
She was much more pious than they were, though, and annoyed them so
much that she was finally kicked out. Then at the age of 15 she
joined the Dominican third order. She lived a life of strenuous
self-abuse and enjoyed a variety of mystical experiences before dying
at about the age of 33. M's cult was approved in 1609.
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