Today, 7 October, is the feast of...
Sergius and Baccus, martyrs (303): When they refused to enter temple of
Jupiter with emperor Maximian, he stripped these soldiers of their
uniforms and made them walk the streets in women's clothes; later they
were martyred separately.
Last year TL Long added the following bit of info:
In his posthumously published _Same-Sex Unions in Premodern Europe_ (1994),
historian John Boswell discusses "Serge and Bacchus" at
length. Acknowledging the textual ambiguities in the legends of these
saints, Boswell suggests that they are depicted as a "married" couple and
their names are invoked in the ritual solemnization that is the subject of
his study.
Marcellus and Apuleius, martyrs (?): According to Roman Martyrology,
they were followers of Simon Magus. They were converted by St Peter and
martyred in Rome after his passion.
Justina, virgin martyr (?): After the discovery of her alleged relics in
1117 in Padova, a forged account of her passion was published.
Mark, pope (336): First pope elected after Constantine's 'freeing of
Christianity', he lived less than a year after his election. He is
praised in a poem by pope Damasus.
Osyth, virgin martyr (675): Daughter of a Marcian chief. Osyth was
raised in a nunnery - when married to king of East Saxons, he attempted
to embrace her when he saw a stag and left her to hunt it; when he
returned, she was gone to re-enter religious milieu. Founded a nunnery
at a place called Chich; pirates eventually raided the place and killed
her.
Matthew of Mantova, confessor/Dominican (1470): Met a child named
Stefana Quinzani and told her she would be his heiress; when she grew up
and he died, every Friday, she would get a pain in her bosom, as Matthew
used to have.
Feast of Mary's Rosary (established 1573): Established following
Christian victory at Lepanto over Turks Dominicans claim rosary was
devised by Dominic himself, who used it while preaching against the
Albigensians - the use of beads as device for aiding counting of prayer
is ancient, especially among Eastern monks - William of Malmesbury wrote
that Lady Godiva of Coventry (died 1075) bequeathed to a statue of Mary
'the circlet of precious stones which she had threaded on a cord in
order that by fingering them one after another she might count her
payers exactly. In thirteenth century these were called 'paternosters';
people who made them were called 'paternosterers'; in London these
people worked in the street called 'Paternoster Row'.
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Carolyn Muessig
Department of Theology and Religious Studies
University of Bristol
3 Woodland Road
Bristol BS8 1TB
UK
fax: +44.117.929.7850
phone: +44.117.928.8168
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