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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (24. July) is the feast day of: Niceta and Aquilina (?) An interesting case of a myth upon a myth. These saints were originally Nicetas and Aquila---two mythical soldiers who were martyred. In the acta of St. Christopher they became the women Niceta and Aquilina, two prostitutes converted by Christopher and martyred with him. Lewina (5th cent.?) Probably a pious fraud, the tale of Lewina, which apparently first saw the light of day in 1058, tells that Lewina was a British virgin (beautiful, no doubt) who was foully slaughtered by Saxon invaders. Her alleged relics were translated from Seaford, England to Berg near Brussels in that year. Godo (d. c. 690) Godo (Gond) was a native of Verdun, a nephew of St. Wandrille. He was one of the first monks at his uncle's foundation of Fontenelle, and later himself founded the monastery of Oyes in Brie (later named after him). Boris & Gleb (d. 1010) Boris and Gleb were sons of Vladimir of Kiev and Anna. When their father died, their brother Svyatopolk killed them so he could seize the throne. Pious legend tells that they refused to fight for their rights or ally their enemies to defend them, making them "passion bearers" in Russian Orthodox terms---martyrs who from piety accept their death without resistance. Christina the Astonishing (blessed) (d. 1224) Christina with the really great nickname was born near Liege in 1150. In 1182 she had a cataleptic fit, which set off a series of incredible mystical phenomenathat lasted the rest of her life. Kinga (Cunegund) of Poland (d. 1292) Kinga was a niece of Elizabeth of Hungary. She married Boleslav V, prince of Cracow. The couple are supposed to have lived without sexual relations (I've forgotten if it's supposed to be a "chaste" or a "celibate" marriage). The couple worked together to try to help people in the wake of the Mongol invasions. K. became a Franciscan tertiary, and died at the convent she had founded at Sandecz. Her cult was confirmed in 1690. Nicholas Hermansson (d. 1391) Nicholas was a Swede educated in France. He became tutor to St. Birgitta of Sweden's sons, and eventually bishop of Linkoping. He was a great liturgist and poet, and it is claimed but unprovable that he was canonized in 1414. Giovanni Tavalli of Tossignano (blessed) (d. 1446) Giovanni was from Tossignano near Imola (Italy). He studied at the university of Bologna and then joined the Gesuati order. He became bishop of Ferrara in 1431. He caught my attention because he produced a translation of the Bible in Italian. Louise of Savoy (d. 1503) (blessed) Louise was a daughter of the also-blessed Amadeus IX of Savoy. After she was widowed at age 27, Louise joined the Poor Clares and was marvelled at for willingly doing menial work. 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