Dear collegues,
I have a query on the name and identity of a particular saint. In a mid
fifteenth century convent account book from the Augustinian convent of Santa
Caterina di San Gaggio al Galluzzo (in/near? Florence) the nuns dedicate
their accounts to a large number of saints. It was common accounting
practice at the time to begin account books with an invocation to God or a
particular saint but these nuns seem to have taken things to extremes. The
dedication runs as follows:
"Al nome sia dall' altissimo Dio, padre, figliuolo e spirito sancto et della
gloriosa madre di Christo, vergine Maria, et de santissimi apostoli, Piero e
Paulo, et del grorioso arcangelo Raphaello, et del beato e glorioso
confessare e doctore, Sancto Agostino, et del beato Sancto Ghaio, papa e
martire di Cristo, et del beato e grorioso Sancto Antonio, heremita, et
della beata et glorioso madonna Sancta Katherina, vergine e martire, et
della beata Sancta Agnesa, et della beata Sancta Cecilia, carrissime spose e
viatoriossissime martire di Yhesu Cristo e di tutti e [sic.] sancti e sancte
di vita eterna. Amen."
They certainly weren't taking any chances!:-)
My query is this. I have taken the San Ghaio mentioned to be Saint Gaius a
4th? century pope. However I can find no record of him being a martyr. I
also take San Ghaio to be the San Gaggio after whom the convent is named. Am
I right in these assumptions? Does anyone know of any other saint who might
fit the bill, so to speak?
Please excuse my ignorance in these matters and thanks in advance for any help.
Justine.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Justine Heazlewood
Mail: C/- History Department, Monash University,
Clayton VIC 3168 Australia
Voice: +61 3 9531 6520
Email: [log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|