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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (1. May) was also once the feast day of: Maurus, venerated at Gallipoli (d. 284, supposedly). A saint of this name was venerated in Greek-speaking communities in and near Gallipoli on Italy's Salentine Peninsula (the heel of the Italian boot) from at least 1149 until well into the eighteenth century. His Greek Acta were translated into Latin in 1603 and on that basis were summarized by Godefroy Henschen in the _Acta Sanctorum_ (under 1. May) as follows: M. was a well-born Libyan Christian who was orphaned while still young, travelled to Rome, and was there promptly marytred under an official named Celerinus. Comrades of his from Libya placed his body in a container and attempted to sail home with it. Celerinus pursued them to a place in what the Acta imply was later the theme of Langobardia. Here he caught up with them and slew them but was unsuccessful in his attempt to burn M.'s remains; setting off on an intended return to Rome, he and all his minions were drowned off Gallipoli (at this point, the Acta note the parallel with Pharoah's pursuit of the Israelites). Well-born citizens of Gallipoli buried the bodies of M. and of his companions and celebrated his feast on 1. May. A Greek-rite monastery dedicated to M. at the locality of San Mauro alla Serra in today's Sannicola (LE), near Gallipoli, is documented from 1149 to 1331. There were also cave churches honoring M. at Oria (BR) and at Presicce (LE). The church of the monastery, which at one time had considerable holdings on the Salentine Peninsula, remained in use in the early modern period; richly frescoed, it has recently been restored without and within. Two external views and several views of its frescoes will be found here: http://www.anticasannicola.it/santi.html A pre-restoration view of the interior will be found on this page: http://xoomer.virgilio.it/tscigliu/New%20Pages/storia.html A guide to the frescoes, with hotlinks to views of several of these, is here: http://xoomer.virgilio.it/tscigliu/New%20Pages/archi.html Best, John Dillon ********************************************************************** 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