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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture Today (19. October) is the feast day of: 1) Asterius of Ostia (d. 222, supposedly). According to the highly legendary _Passio Marii, Marthae et socc._ (BHL 5543), Asterius was a Roman priest who secretly buried the body of the martyred pope St. Callistus and who in consequence was drowned in the Tiber at Ostia upon the orders of the emperor Severus Alexander. By the late fourth century a basilica dedicated to A. existed at Ostia. In the twelfth century relics said to be those of A. were transferred, along with those said to be of other saints of Ostia, to their present home, Ostia's cathedral of St. Aurea. The latter church (which was until 1430 was also the resting place of St. Monica, mother of Augustine of Hippo) was rebuilt in the later fifteenth century. Here's a view: http://www.ostia-antica.org/img/aurea_2.jpg Prior to its revision of 1969, A. appeared on the Roman Calendar under 21. October. 2) Justus, Flavianus, and companions (?). The eleventh-century chronicle of the Benedictine abbey of Novalesa records the martyrdom of J., F., and other monks of a daughter house at Ulces or Ulcium (today's Oulx) in Piedmont's Val di Susa, slain -- it is said -- by invading Lombards. Of course, in the later sixth century there was as yet no abbey at Novalesa and it is extraordinarily unlikely that there would have been at that time any monastic community at Ulces. Papebroch thought it more likely that these monks had been slain during one of the early tenth-century Muslim raids in this subalpine area. But the chronicler of Novalesa was well aware of those raids. Probably, J. and F. were the traditional saints of a small house that later became one of Novalesa's dependencies. When and under what conditions they really met their end is unknown. In 1027 the then marquis of Turin had what were said to be J.'s remains brought from their recently "discovered" resting place at Oulx to today's Susa (TO), where he built a church to house them. This building was one manifestation of the early eleventh-century "white mantle of churches" famously remarked on by the Franco-Burgundian historian Rodulfus Glaber and, indeed, R. was present in Susa for its dedication (_Hist_. 3. 7). This church is recorded under various dedications but in time it and the Benedictine abbey that adjoined it from 1029 onward came to be known as those of J. Later in the same century a collegiate church dedicated to J. was established at Oulx. J. is the patron saint of Susa and of other towns in the general vicinity. J.'s much rebuilt church at Susa became the latter's cathedral when the diocese of Susa was erected in 1772. An Italian-language account of it, with detail views (slightly expandable), is here: http://www.cittadisusa.it/compaginagt.asp?id=462&S=1700&C=1 The cathedral is attached at one point to a late Roman city gate, the Porta Savoia: http://tinyurl.com/yt99hg http://www.eu-alps.com/r-site/do-2005/914/susar065.jpg A page of expandable views: http://tinyurl.com/298rr8 Further views are here: http://www.prosusa.it/master/info_susa/cartine/info/info_san_giusto.htm and here: http://www.sivas.com/aleene/sundials_gallery/image_full/78/ While we're in Susa, attached to the originally thirteenth-century Chiesa (di Santa Maria) del Ponte is the Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra di Susa. Among the lattter's treasures are this perhaps twelfth-century Madonna in linden wood: http://www.cittadisusa.it/Pers%5CFoto%5CFt_Big_48.jpg and this fourteenth-century bronze triptych of the Madonna and flanking saints (1358), called the Trittico del Rocciamelone after the name of a local mountain peak up to whose top the donor is said to have carried it in fulfilment of a vow: http://xoomer.alice.it/bstroppi/rocciame/trittico.jpg http://tinyurl.com/2wfaca expandable view: http://tinyurl.com/3dnqqm Best, John Dillon (last year's post lightly revised) ********************************************************************** 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