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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (2. August) is the feast day of: Stephen I (d. 257) Stephen, a Roman, was elected pope in 254. He tried to assert his position as bishop of Rome as giving authority over other bishops, especially fighting energetically against the rebaptism of heretics who joined the mainstream church. This led to a split between the churches of Rome and Carthage, which only ended with Stephen's death. Serenus (d. probably 604) In c. 600 Serenus was bishop of Marseille. The sole source of information we have about him is the letters that Gregory the Great wrote to him, including a letter urging him not to have images removed from his churches. Etheldritha (Elfriede, Alfreda) (d. either 795 or 834) Etheldritha is supposed to have been the daughter of King Offa of Mercia. She married King Aethelbert of East Anglia, but after his death in 794 (?) became a hermit on Croyland Island in Lincolnshire, where she was famous for her prophecies. Her shrine remained at Croyland until the island was plundered in 870 by Danes Plegmund (d. 914) Archbishop of Canterbury from 894 until his death, Plegmund played an important role reorganizing the English dioceses. Sidwell (Sativola) (?) According to what is probably a purely legendary Passio, Sidwell was a Christian woman from the west of England. Her shrine in Exeter was a pilgrimage site in c. 1000; in Devonshire there are still churches dedicated to her. It is not known why she is honored as a martyr---she is supposed to have been beheaded (perhaps at the command of her stepmother) and is sometimes depicted holding her detached head in her hand. Gundekar of Eichstatt (d. 1075) Gundekar was chaplain to Empress Agnes, and later bishop of Eichstatt. He was highly honored for his humility and mildness; after his death his tomb in Eichstatt cathedral became a pilgrimage site. Petrus of Osma (blessed) (d. 1109) Petrus (Pedro) is venerated as the chief patron of the diocese of Osma in Spain. He was a monk of Cluny, who came to Spain at the end of the eleventh century, where he first served as archdeacon for the archbishop of Toledo and from 1101 as bishop of Osma. Johanna Guzman of Aza (blessed) (d. c. 1190) Johanna gave birth to the future St. Dominic, after she had prayed for a child before the shrine of St. Dominic of Silos. She later bore three more children. Her local cult was approved in 1828. Thomas of Hales (of Dover) (d. 1295) A Benedictine monk, Thomas was killed by the French in a raid of the town. Some attempt was made to have him canonized, based on a local cult that soon grew up around his tomb, encouraged by the bishop of Winchester and the archbishop of Canterbury; Richard II formally applied to Rome for his canonization. A commission was set up, but came to nothing. Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice [log in to unmask] ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: join medieval-religion YOUR NAME to: [log in to unmask] To send a message to the list, address it to: [log in to unmask] To leave the list, send the message: leave medieval-religion to: [log in to unmask] In order to report problems or to contact the list's owners, write to: [log in to unmask] For further information, visit our web site: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/medieval-religion.html