medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
In an article I read recently, comparing the designs in Chaucer's Treatise on the Astrolabe
with surviving English astrolabes of the 14th century, one puzzling aspect of these
astrolabes, exemplied by the Painswick Astrolabe in the British Museum, that has not
apparently been figured out yet is why they have an abbreviated calendar of saints' days on
the back, since astrolabes cannot be used to determine feast days. The author speculates
that the the abbreviated Painswick calendar was based on the calendars of John Somer and
Nicolas of Lynn, which I've never heard of, and one of my questions to the list is what these
are and how they might relate to liturgical calendars such as that associated with the Use of
Sarum, or of the province of Canterbury (there is a profusion of saints associated with
Canterbury). I am also wondering, however, what motivated the choice of feast days, which
include some English saints (but only male English saints!!). I am wondering if this choice
may, in fact, be used to localize the Painswick Astrolabe to perhaps Oxford. Here is the
calendar inscribed on the Painswick Astrolabe:
1 Jan. Circumcisio Domini
6 Jan Epiphany
13 Jan Hilarius
22 Jan Vincent
25 Jan Paulus conversion
2 Feb Maria purificatio
10 Feb Scolastica
14 Feb Valentine
22 Feb Petrus in cathedra in Antiochia
24 Feb Mathias
2 Mar Chad
12 Mar Gregorius
21 Mar Benedictus
25 Mar Maria annunciatio
4 Apr Ambrosius
14 Apr Tiburtius
19 Apr Alphegus
23 Apr Georgius
25 Apr Marcus
1 May Philippus
3 May Inventio cruces
6 May Johannes ante portam latinam
19 May Dunstanus
25 May Aldhelm
26 May Augustine of Canterbury
5 Jun Bonifacius
11 Jun Barnabas
20 June Albanus
24 Jun Johannes Bapt. Nativitas
29 Jun Petrus et Paulus
7 Jul Translatio S. Thome
15 Jul Swithinus
20 Jul Margareta
22 Jul Maria Magdalena
25 Jul Jacobus
1 Aug Petrus ad vincula
10 Aug Laurentius
15 Aug Maria assumptio
24 Aug Bartholomew
8 Sept Maria Nativitas
14 Sept Sancte Crucis
21 Sept Matthaeus
29 Sept Michal, archangel
9 Oct Dionysius
13 Oct Edward the Confessor translatio
18 Oct Lucas
28 Oct Simon et Judas
1 Nov Omnium sanctorum
11 Nov Martinus
17 Nov Hugh of Lincoln
25 Nov Katerina
30 Nov Andreas
6 Dec Nicholas
8 Dec Maria conceptio
21 Dec Thomas
25 Dec Nativitas
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