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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (17. February) is the feast day of: 1) Theodore of Amasea (d. 306, supposedly). T. is a martyr of today's Amasya in north central Turkey, formerly Amasea in Pontus. He had major cult site at Euchaita (today's Avkat), also in Pontus, described by St. Gregory of Nyssa in a panegyric of about 386. Since at least that time "eastern" churches have considered today to be his _dies natalis_. From Bede through the Roman Martyrology of 1956, "western" martyrologies listed him on 9. November. Said to have been slain while still a young man, T. was from at least the later fifth century widely known as a great military saint. Shortly after the ninth century his legend bifurcated: in both "east" and "west" T. was treated both as Theodore the General (T. stratelates) and as Theodore the Recruit (T. tiro), as the young Theodore's appellation was now interpreted. In the Byzantine world, at least, the two T.'s were venerated by different classes: the general by officers and the recruit by other ranks. T. the General (a.k.a. T. of Heraclea) came to have a different _dies natalis_, 7. February (in Byzantine synaxaries, 8. February), and was listed as a saint of that day in the RM though its version of 1956. The new (2001) version of the RM returned to the early practice of considering T. as a single saint, martyred on 17. February. Among the many noteworthy "eastern" churches associated with T. are: his church (Mar Thedros) in Bahdidat, Lebanon, with its impressive twelfth(?)-century mural paintings: http://www.mari.org/JMS/april97/Frescoes_of_Saint_Theodores.htm his eleventh-century church at Athens: http://www.caed.kent.edu//History/Byzantine/stheodore1.jpg http://www.artandarchitecture.org.uk/images/conway/cbbad8b0.html and his late thirteenth-century church at Mistra: http://www.viaggiaresempre.it/01GreciaMistraSanTeodoro.jpg An early testimony to T.'s cult in the "west" is his perhaps sixth-century church at Rome. An English-language account of it is here: http://roma.katolsk.no/teodoro.htm Some views: http://philrome1997.free.fr/htm500/det/002_0102.htm http://p.vtourist.com/1302809-San_Teodoro_Rome-Rome.jpg http://www.stuardtclarkesrome.com/teodoro.html T. was the early patron saint of Venice. Here he is on his column there (perhaps wondering how he's going to get back at the winged lion on the next column who replaced him in that role): http://relay.arglist.com/photos/20050527-005.jpg In the early thirteenth century remains said to be T.'s were brought from Euchaita to Brindisi (BR) in Puglia, where they were placed in the partly silver container shown here: http://www.brindisiweb.com/storia/foto/arca1.jpg This panel illustrates the translation by which T. became Brindisi's patron saint (and, _a fortiori_, a saint of the Regno): http://www.brindisiweb.com/arcidiocesi/foto/arca_part.jpg Note the two columns in the representation of Brindisi: unlike those at Venice (largely a medieval foundation), these were holdovers from the Roman city. They have since suffered earthquake damage and one is now at Lecce (LE) on the Salentine peninsula, where it supports that city's statue of Sant'Oronzo in the piazza of the same name. For a fuller description (Italian-language) of this container, go here: http://www.brindisiweb.com/arcidiocesi/santi/index.html and click on "San Teodoro". Whereas this _objet d'art_ is now in the archdiocesan museum at Brindisi, T.'s putative remains are kept in a chapel dedicated to him in that city's cathedral: http://www.brindisiweb.com/monumenti/foto/duomo3.jpg For a novel interpretation of "Tiro", go here: http://www.saintbarbara.org/about/icons/theodore.cfm Begorra! 2) Flavian, bishop of Constantinople (d. 449 or 450). Prior to his elevation in 446 he had been scevophylax of that city's Great Church (Hagia Sophia). In 448 F. presided over a synod that condemned the theologian Eutyches. The latter, influential at court, was soon (449) rehabilitated by the so-called Robber Council of Ephesus. That body deposed F., who died shortly afterward (his supporters said that this was from mistreatment). In 451 he was rehabilitated by the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and declared a martyr. F. too is a saint of the Regno. In 1001, supposedly, his alleged remains arrived miraculously at today's Giulianova (TE) in Abruzzo, where they remain in the originally medieval church (rebuilt, 1470) dedicated to him: http://www.darnick.com/scoala/date/italia/turnx.jpg http://www.ilpiacere.biz/giulianova2.html Prior to its refounding in 1470 by Giulio Antonio Acquaviva, duke of Atri and count of Teramo and of Conversano (d. 1481 fighting Turks from Otranto), Giulianova had been known as San Flaviano. 3) Benedict of Dolia (d. 1120?). Peter the Deacon's early twelfth-century (ca. 1136) catalogue of holy people associated with the abbey of Montecassino, the _Ortus et vita iustorum cenobii Casinensis_, relates in chapter 46 that Constantine, a king (we would say, judge) of the Sardinians, asked abbot Oderisius (i.e., Oderisius I; 1087-1105) to select a bishop for him from one of the brothers. O. selected Benedict, a man venerable in all things. While in office B. was noted -- so Peter tells us -- for the following miracles: a) A great crowd of sparrows was in the habit of defecating all over his cathedral, not even exempting the altar vessels. When B. adjured them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to depart and make a mess no more, they did so -- and none has dared to return. b) Saracen raiders in Sardinia reached B.'s cathedral and asked for the bishop. B. was standing before the altar, offering prayers, but they could not see him. Everyone they found they led off into captivity. But they did not find B., who was right in front of them. B. has been identified as the bishop of Dolia who in 1112 confirmed a donation made by his predecessor Virgilius (still in office in 1089). Dolia (accented on the first syllable) was incorporated into the diocese of Cagliari (also accented on the first syllable -- but you knew that!) early in the sixteenth century, but its medieval cathedral of San Pantaleo remains as a parish church in today's Dolianova (CA). Said to have been begun in the latter half of the twelfth century and to have been consecrated in 1289, it was preceded by an early medieval church traces of which have been found during restoration of the present structure. An illustrated, Italian-language account of this monument is here: http://web.tiscali.it/itgnervi/pantaleo.htm Expandable versions of the views in the previous account are here: http://www.stilepisano.it/immagini4/index12.htm Not all of those expand to the same degree, so here are a few other views: Exterior: http://www.lamiasardegna.it/web/000/foto.asp?url=308/027 http://web.tiscali.it/romanicosardo/mioweb4/dolianova.jpg http://www.lamiasardegna.it/web/000/foto.asp?url=308/028 Interior: http://www.lamiasardegna.it/web/000/foto.asp?url=308/029 Best, John Dillon (Theodore and Benedict lightly revised from last year) ********************************************************************** 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