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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (17. June) is the feast day of: Bessarion (4th cent.) An Egyptian anchorite, Bessarion was a disciple of St. Antony (the one with the pig, not the one with the Christ child). He seems to have specialized in water miracles, including making salt water fresh, bringing rain in a drought, and walking on the Nile. Nectan (6th cent.?) Nectan is a Welsh saint, the eldest of the 24 children of King Brychan (an alternative explanation is that he led a group of Cornish and Devon saints known as the "children of Brychan").N. moved into English territory, where he lived as a hermit, only meeting his many disciples once a year. Still, he managed to found churches in Devon and Cornwall before being murdered by robbers. Hervé (6th cent.) The patron saint of people with eye trouble, Hervé (according to his 13th-century vita) was born blind. He was raised at a monastic school by his uncle, and eventually took charge of the school himself, finally going on to found a monastery at Lanhouarneau. He was famous for piety and preaching ability. Legend tells that one day while still young, H. was out plowing a field, only to have a wolf come and eat his donkey. H. prayed for help, whereupon the wolf let itself be harnessed up to finish the plowing job. Moling (d. 697) Moling was a major saint of Ireland, with a widespread cult and early evidence of veneration. Legend tells that he was related to the kings of Leinster, was educated at Glendalough, and went on to found the monastery of Tech Moling. He is supposed to have lived in a hollow tree, to have been blessed with superhuman strength, and to have been good at settling disputes. Rainerius of Pisa (d. c. 1161) Rainerius is the principal patron of Pisa. Like so many male Italian saints, he came of a wealthy family and tried out a good dose of dissipation in his youth. He repented, though, took to barefooted begging, and finally returned to Pisa where he lived in several monasteries before his death. He was a famous healer. -- Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice Associate Professor & Chair History Department University of Southern Mississippi 118 College Dr. #5047 Hattiesburg, MS 39406 (601) 266-5844 ********************************************************************** 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