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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (17. February) is the feast day of: Benignus (2nd or 3rd cent.) Legend reports that Benignus was a disciple of St. Polycarp, sent on a preaching mission to Autun, Langres, and Dijon. There he was martyred. As is so often the case in saintly legend, the first effort failed: he was thrown in a pit with starved dogs, but the dogs refused to eat him. So the guards speared him. Fintan of Clonenagh (d. 603) Fintan was a native of Leinster. He founded the monastery of Clonenagh, famed for its ascetic practices. Fintan himself is said to have lived on nothing but barley bread and water. Finan of Lindisfarne (d. 661) The Irish Finan succeeded Aidan as bishop and abbot of Lindisfarne. He worked closely with the king of Northumbria and encouraged further missionary work, sending his monks to Mercia and Essex. Silvinus of Auchy (d. 718/20) Silvinus was a Frankish courtier. He gave that life up, and went as a penitential pilgrim to the Holy Land and other pilgrimage sites. When in Rome, though, S. was ordained and consecrated as a regional bishop. He then spent the rest of his life preaching in the area around Therouanne and Toulouse, where apparently Christianity hadn't yet penetrated far into the countryside. Seven Servite Founders (13th cent.) This is a group of Florentines. They founded the order of Servites (Servants of Mary) in reaction to Catharism and the bad morals of their time. The new order won papal recognition in 1259. The seven were canonized in 1887. 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