medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
On Wednesday, May 31, 2006, at 8:00 am, christopher crockett wrote:
> From: "Phyllis G. Jestice" <[log in to unmask]>
>
> > Cantius, Cantianus, and Cantianella (d. 304)
>
>
>
> apparently the source of the major relics held at the Royal
> Collegial abbey of
> St. Mary of Etampes (south of Paris, between Chartres and Sens).
>
> should anyone have information off the top of their head about how
> these guys'
> remains found their way to northern France and the extent of their
> cult there,
> i'd be happy to hear of it.
In a general way, C., C., and C. (also known as the Cantiani) will have
been known to the French because their cult at Aquileia gets a mention
in Venantius Fortunatus' _Life of St. Martin_. They are also mentioned
in a sermon ascribed to Maximus of Turin that formerly circulated as one
of Ambrose's. Their legendary _Acta_ (BHL 1546; originally
fifth-century, according to Lanzoni) make them members of the prominent
senatorial family of the Anicii (as in Anicius Manlus Severinus
Boethius). And they're in all the early Western martyrologies. So
their relics would clearly have been worth having.
And by the later Middle Ages, several cities in northern Italy and a few
abroad did have them. Where the ones at Etampes came from seems to be
unknown. According to Henschen in the AA.SS., in 1613 one Petrus
Gandraeus of Etampes published at Paris a poem in Latin hexameters on
the life, martyrdom, translations to and at Etampes, and miracles of the
Cantiani. In this monument of local piety the martyrs' relics are said
to have been brought to Etampes by Robert II (a.k.a. Robert le Pieux).
A very early reliquary (fifth-century; silver) depicting the Cantiani as
well as several other saints was discovered in 1871 beneath the high
altar of the cathedral of Grado. Matej ´upancic discussed it on this
list last June in connection with Quirinus of Siscia (also depicted on
this piece) and I added some bibliography. Our exchange is in the
Archive at:
http://tinyurl.com/q6jed
It's an important piece. It is mentioned, as the oval reliquary from
Grado, in the first paragraph of the _Catholic Encyclopedia_'s entry on
"Reliquaries" and it figures in most and perhaps all major treatments
of early Christian art from Aquileia. Curiously, I've been unable to
find a view of it on the free Web.
Nor can I do better than the thumbnail on this page
http://www.aquileia.net/basilica_3.htm
for the fourteenth-century "sarcophagus" (thought to be probably an
altar frontal) in the Patriarchal Basilica at Aquileia depicting the
Cantiani and their teacher and companion in martyrdom, Protus.
The martyrium of the Canziani at today's San Canziano d'Isonzo (FVG) was
mentioned by Matej in his contribution to the present thread. A brief,
English-language description is here:
http://tinyurl.com/pkxpg
Best,
John Dillon
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