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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (16. January) is the feast day of: Priscilla (d. c. 98) Priscilla gave her name to what was probably the earliest of the Roman catacombs. But little is known of her life. Suetonius tells that her husband was executed for blasphemy; it's been suggested that this means he was a Christian. Marcellus I (d. 309) Marcellus succeeded Pope Marcellinus as bishop of Rome in 308, after the see had been vacant for three years. Emperor Maxentius exiled M., apparently because of M's harsh treatment of an apostate. M. soon died of the hardships of his exile. Honoratus of Arles (d. 429) Honoratus was the son of a Roman consular family that had settled in Gaul. He converted to Christianity, along with his older brother; the two then decided to become hermits, despite their father's objections. They went to Greece to look for a desert; the brother died there and H returned to Gaul. In c. 405 he and his mentor St. Caprasius founded the monastery of Lerins. Fursey (d. c. 648) Fursey was from western Ireland. He founded a monastery in Ireland, but after some time went over to England with his brothers. F. settled in East Anglia, but after the king who supported him died continued on to Francia, where he built yet another monastery. Henry of Coquet (d. 1127) Henry was born in Denmark. He fled to England to escape an unwanted marriage and became a hermit on the little island of Coquet on the Northumbrian coast. He got a reputation for holiness, buttressed by gifts of foreknowledge and mind-reading, and many people came to him for spiritual advice. Berard and companions (d. 1220) A group of five Franciscans, the order's first martyrs. They started as missionaries in Muslim Seville---and were promptly kicked out. So they went on to Morocco and made such an nuisance of themselves that the sultan had them killed. Romanus the Bulgarian (d. c. 1375) Romanus was born in the city now known as Vidin. He's another guy who reacted badly to his parents' arrangement of a marriage: he fled and became a monk, going on to become a disciple of Gregory of Sinai. He was a great mystic. ********************************************************************** 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