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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (11. October) is the feast day of: Firminus of Uzès (d. after 552). F. was an early bishop of Ucetia in the Narbonensis, today's Uzès (Gard) in southern France between the Gardon and the Cévennes. A friend of St. Caesarius of Arles, he took part in the councils of Orléans of 541 and 549 and in that of Paris in 552. He was also a contributor to St. Cyprian of Toulon's Life of Caesarius. In or slightly before 544 the Roman subdeacon Arator praised F. in his _Historia apostolica_ (a.k.a. _De actibus apostolorum_) as someone whose fame has extended even unto Italy. The year of his death is unknown. Usuard gives today as his _dies natalis_. A cult at his tomb (presumably in the then cathedral of Uzès) is attested from the ninth century onwards. In 1090 work commenced at Uzès on a new cathedral, dedicated to St. Theodoritus (who now became the town's patron). Badly damaged in the sixteenth century, it was replaced in the seventeenth by the present cathedral, which still houses F.'s relics (most of them, at least). Views of the cathedral's twelfth-century belltower, the Tour Fenestrelle, are here: http://tinyurl.com/e66cp http://www.sics.se/~humble/images/france/uzes/IMG_0268.jpg http://tinyurl.com/fqf9u http://www.armchairfrance.com/images/Snowflakes.jpg http://www.levieuxmas.co.uk/uzes.jpg The parish church at Saint-Germain (Gard) possesses relics said to be of F. F. is the patron saint of Gordes (Vaucluse) in the Luberon, whose early eighteenth-century church is dedicated to him. Its medieval predecessor had been dedicated to the BVM. 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