medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
> 3) Onuphrius of the Chaos (?). Today's less well known saint of the
> Regno (also O. of Belforte) is a very poorly attested Italo-Greek
> hermit of Calabria. He is said, seemingly legendarily, to have been
> born at today's Belforte (CZ) and to have lived ascetically to a great
> age in perhaps the tenth century as a recluse at a place called the
> Chaos (perhaps because of very rough terrain). This was located by
> early modern scholars in the woods of today's Panaia, now a _frazione_
> of Spilinga (VV). Others identify it as today's Sant'Onofrio (VV)
Dear John (or anybody else),
I'm interested in the idea that "the Chaos" seems to be related to medieval ideas of "the
Wilderness" and/or "the Desert" -- essentially places of disorder. I wouldn't be a bit
surprised, for example, if he had lived in a cave or grotto, which seems to carry the same
sorts of connotations. Do you, or does anyone else, know of written sources for such ideas
in the Middle Ages (or earlier)?
Cheers,
Jim
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