medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Dear all
This is not an important question, not something that I have really tried to investigate myself except by looking up a few things on my own shelves and on the Web, but maybe there is somebody on this list who can comment on it without having to go long ways:
I have come upon a few German popular works of reference (stuff of the kind "How to name your baby") and several German and English websites claiming that there was a 4th century saint Larissa martyred in the Crimea, with feast day on 26 March. The most detailed account that I have found is given on the website of the Orthodox Church of America, according to which she was one of the twenty-six martyrs who were killed under king Atharic and his "minister" Jungerich, see:
http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=100903
The website also displays an Icon with inscription LARYSA, but I have no experience at all with icons and cannot say whether this is an early or rather a recent document of her veneration.
The story of the "twenty-six" martyrs in Gothia goes back, as I have figured out so far, to the following sources:
- Ambros. B 133 sup and Cod. Berol. Philipp. 1633, this being the Version of the Synaxarium Sirmondianum, ed. H. Delehaye, _Synaxarium Ecclesiae Constantinopolitanae (ASS, Propyl. Nov.), Bruxelles 1902, 559f.
- Ambros. Q 40 sup (similar to the former)
- Menologion of Basileios II, PG 117,368 (shorter version)
- Paris. BN 1587, ed. H. Delehaye, _Saints de Thrace et de Mésie_, in: Anal. Boll. 31 (1912), 161-300, esp. 279
- In addition, there is an account (not specifying the names of the martyrs) in Sozomenos, Hist. eccl. VI, 37,14
- And there is a brief entry under 29 October in a Gothic calendar fragment, ed. H. Achelis, _Der älteste deutsche Kalender_, in: Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft 1 (1900), p.309-373
The major studies of this tradition seem to be Delahaye, Achelis and -- with regard to the names of these saints -- R. Loewe, _Gotische Namen in hagiographischen Texten_, in: Beiträge zur Geschichte der deutschen Sprache und Literatur 47 (1923), p.407-433.
I have not yet seen any of these, but only the entry in the Acta Sanctorum database, Mar. III, XXVI Martii, where the names are quoted as "Presbyteri duo Bathusis siue Aathuses & Vercas, siue Vericas, cum duobus filijs ipsorum (in excusis ipsius est) & filiabus duabus, & Arpyla, [Col. 0619E] solitariam vitam ducentes (in MS. est & Arpylas Solitarius) Laici vero Abepas siue Abippas. Constans in excusis prætermissus, Hagnas siue Hagias, Rhyas siue Vias, Hegathrax siue Egathrax, Hescous siue Iscoës, Sylas siue Silas, Sigitzat siue Siditzat, Suerilas, Suimblas siue Suimplas, Thermas siue Therthas, Philgas. Et mulieres ipsis commortuæ sex Anna, Allas siue Halas, Paris siue Barka, Moico, Mamyca siue Mamica, Virco siue Vico, & Animais.
I would not know how to connect the name Larissa (or Larysa) with any of these (except by taking her for one of the nameless "daughters"), but as the OCA website seems to indicate that there is at least an American orthodox cult of this saint, I would like to know a bit more:
Can anybody confirm this as an existing and maybe more widespread or even older cult of saint Larissa/Larysa, or is this simply a web myth picked up by careless German books in print?
As far as I can tell, notwithstanding the ancient Greek toponym and eponym Laris(s)a, this was not a common Christian name in the times before the late 19th century.
Many thanks in advance for your help (and patience),
Otfried Lieberknecht
D-40477 Duesseldorf
Klever Strasse 37
tel. +49 (0) 211 4976657
mob. +49 (0) 172 4076073
mailto:[log in to unmask]
http://www.lieberknecht.de
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