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medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture The Gallo-Roman prelate Perpetuus of Tours (d. 490 or 491; in French also Perpétue and Perpet) was a friend and correspondent of St. Sidonius Apollinaris and a patron of the poet Paulinus of Petricordia (Paulin de Périgueux). But we know about him chiefly from St. Gregory of Tours (esp. _Historia Francorum_, 2. 14, 2. 26, and 10. 31). During his thirty years as bishop of Tours he presided over at least one and probably two regional synods, built a magnificent basilica for St. Martin into which that saint was translated in 473 _non sine miraculis_, built other churches, and devoted much attention to elaborating liturgical practices in his diocese. Perpetuus also wrote an _Indiculus_ of Martin's miracles and presumably commissioned from Paulinus of Petricordia the latter's six-book _Vita Sancti Martini_, which latter, after versifying matter from Sulpicius Severus' prose Vita of the saint and two dialogues, follows Perpetuus when dealing with the miracles in Book Six. Perpetuus' epitaph in eight elegiac distichs mentions his noble ancestors and his own senatorial rank but focuses primarily on his great church for St. Martin and on his burial at St. Martin's feet. Here's a text (_PL_ 58, cols. 755-56; expanding the image makes it more legible): http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k5505350p/f378.item.r=Perpetuus.zoom Today (30. December) is Perpetuus of Tours' day of commemoration in the Roman Martyrology. Perpetuus of Tours leading the procession at the translation of St. Martin as depicted in a later fifteenth-century copy of Vincent of Beauvais' _Speculum historiale_ in its French-language version by Jean de Vignay (1463; Paris, BnF, ms. Français 51, fol. 393v): http://tinyurl.com/ckocnr2 Best, John Dillon ********************************************************************** To join the list, send the message: subscribe 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: unsubscribe 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/medieval-religion