medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (4. November) is the feast day of:
Vitalis and Agricola (??). V. and A. are martyrs of Bologna whose bodies were unearthed in a former Jewish cemetery there in the year 392. That great discoverer of martyrs' remains, St. Ambrose of Milan, was present; thanks to him, late antique interest in this pair became widespread in Italy and in Gaul. Later tradition made V. a servant of A. and had him martyred first; A. was said to have been crucified. They appear in the (pseudo-)Hieronymian Martyrology on 3. November and again on 3. December. Their association with other Sts. Vitalis has led at times to their being listed on 28. April and/or on 27. November. In Bologna they have been celebrated today since at least the Carolingian period and this is also where they are in today's RM.
Bologna's church of Santi Vitale e Agricola is thought by some to be originally of the sixth century and contains fragments of mosaic floor that have been so dated. But in its present form, which utilizes elements from earlier structures, it is of the eleventh century (with later modifications) and forms part of the of the Santo Stefano complex. In this distance view it is the building at rear left:
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Bologna-santostefano01.jpg
and is number 3 on the plan show here:
http://www.eptort.bme.hu/doc/szakral/kep/Image335.gif
Exterior views:
http://www.italiantourism.com/fotoenit/prew_2100000070824.jpg
http://www.italiantourism.com/fotoenit/prew_2100000070817.jpg
http://tinyurl.com/yhoqzq
That last view shows a relief above the entrance. Figured (from left to right) are A., Christ, and V. A better view is here:
http://www.bologna.chiesacattolica.it/bo7/2004/2004_09_26/testi/31.php
Interior views (nave; crypt):
http://keynes.scuole.bo.it/ipertesti/felsina/felsina/sstefano/image6.jpg
http://www.settechiese.it/01_2001/img/pag_45.jpg
In 1019 V. and A.'s relics were translated from sarcophagi here to the nearby chapel of San Giovanni, now part of Santo Stefano's Chiesa del Crocefisso (number 1 on the plan linked to above). They presently repose in the Crocefisso's crypt:
http://keynes.scuole.bo.it/ipertesti/felsina/felsina/sstefano/image4.jpg
Some bibliography:
Gina Fasoli, ed., _Vitale e Agricola. Il culto dei protomartiri di Bologna attraverso i secoli_ (Bologna: EDB, 1993).
Giampaolo Ropa, Giulio Malaguti, _Vitale e Agricola sancti doctores_ (Bologna: EDB, 2001).
Giulio Malaguti, _Martirio di pace. Memoria e storia del martirio nel XVII centenario di Vitale e Agricola_ (Bologna: Il Mulino, 2004).
Best,
John Dillon
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