medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Greetings, all. I'm sorry I fell behind with the saints' column; I
was at Kalamazoo (where, in my humble opinion, the medieval-religion
session went very well).
Here are the highlights of the saintly of recent days:
4. May: Florian (d. 304) A victim of Diocletian's persecution,
martyred at Lorch. He was an army officer. Florian helps people in
danger from fire and water. The water part makes sense, since he was
thrown into the river Emms with a stone tied around his neck, but I
can't find why he's supposed to deal with fire.
also on 4. May is the blessed Ladislas of Warsaw (d. 1505),
apostle and patron saint of Lithuania. He was a Franciscan
missionary, beatified in 1586.
5. May: Hilary of Arles (d. 449) This Hilary (there's a more famous
Hilarius, from Poitiers) was an aristocrat who became bishop of Arles
at the ripe age of 29. He was a monk of Lerins, and did much to
introduce monasticism to his diocese.
also on 5. May is Godehard of Hildesheim (d. 1038). He was a
canon of Niederaltaich and played a large role in making the place a
Benedictine monastery, before succeeding Bernward as bishop of
Hildesheim. He restored churches, reformed the cathedral chapter,
and cared for the sick and poor. G. was canonized in 1131.
6. May: Edbert of Lindisfarne (d. 698) Edbert was a monk and
biblical scholar. He succeeded Cuthbert as bishop, and seems to have
spent much of his life imitating the greater saint; his relics were
even moved to safety along with those of Cuthbert.
7. May: John of Beverley (d. 721) John was a monk at Whitby who
became bishop of Hexham in 687, moving on to the archdiocese of York
in 705.
also on 7. May is the blessed Gisella of Bavaria (d. 1060)
Gisella was a queen of Hungary, wife of St. Stephen. She was a
daughter of Duke Henry II of Bavaria, and thus sister of Emperor
Henry II (pity they couldn't come up with a few more family names).
She was active in the work of conversion and church endoment; when
her husband died, she retired to the convent of Niedenburg, where she
became abbess. Her tomb attracted pilgrims for centuries.
8. May: Victor the Moor (d. 303) Victor is the patron of Milan. He
was a Mauretanian soldier in the Praetorian Guard.
--
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
Associate Professor & Chair
History Department
University of Southern Mississippi
118 College Dr. #5047
Hattiesburg, MS 39406
(601) 266-5844
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