medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (21. January) is the feast day of:
Publius (d. c. 112) According to tradition, Publius was head of the
Christian community on the island of Malta. When Paul was shipwrecked
there, he and Publius became friends. Publius is supposed to have later
become bishop of Athens, where he was martyred in the reign of Trajan.
Another tradition reports that Publius was first bishop of Malta.
Fructuosus of Tarragona (d. 259) Fructuosus was bishop of Tarragona
(Spain). He refused to make the required offerings to the gods of the
state and was burned to death.
Agnes (d. 258/9 or c. 304) Agnes was already highly venerated in Rome in
the fourth century, and from there her cult spread early and wide. Her
life owes more to legend than history: according to legend, the son of the
urban prefect of Rome fell in love with Agnes and wanted to marry her, but
she insisted that her bridegroom was Christ. The angered prefect wanted to
kill her, but she miraculously survived an effort to burn her at the stake.
She was then beheaded. Every year on the feast of Agnes, two lambs are
blessed at the church of S. Agnese fuori le mura; their wool is used to
make palliums (pallia?) for archbishops.
Eugenios of Trapezunt (d. 310) Eugenios, from Trapezunt in Asia Minor, was
executed along with several companions after knocking over a pagan statue.
His cult became important: a monastery and a church were named after him,
he became the city patron of Trapezunt, and in the Middle Ages he even
appeared on coins.
Epiphanius of Pavia (d. 497) Epiphanius became bishop of Pavia in 467 and
soon became one of the most important bishops of his time. He organized
the rebuilding of Pavia after Odoacer had partly destroyed it, and also
ransomed 6000 captured citizens. Epiphanius' relics were stolen from Pavia
in 962 and since 963 have been in Hildesheim cathedral.
Meinrad (d. 861) Meinrad was a monk of Reichenau. From c. 835 on he lived
as a hermit, but in 861 was murdered by robbers (thus he is accounted a
martyr). Meinrad's cell became the core of the great Swiss monastery of
Einsiedeln.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
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