medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (1. November) is the feast day of:
All Saints. This feast had its start in eastern Christianity,
commemorating "the martyrs of the whole world" on the first Sunday after
Pentecost; the West in time moved the celebration to 1. November. Farmer
includes the interesting note that 1255 medieval English churches were
dedicated to all saints, a number second only to dedications to the Virgin
Mary.
Benignus (3rd cent.) Benignus was probably a missionary from Lyons who was
martyred in the reign of Aurelian (270-5). His sarcophagus can still be
seen in the crypt of Dijon cathedral.
Caesarius and Julian (date unknown) C and J were an African deacon and
priest who appear in the earliest martyrologies. They were martyred in
Terracina (Italy). Their rather curious legend tells that in Terracina it
was the custom that periodically a young man voluntarily jumped off a cliff
into the sea as a sacrifice to Apollo. He was pampered and clothed
brilliantly beforehand, rather like an Aztec sacrifice. Caesarius is
supposed to have publicly denounced the practice as abominable
superstition. The priest of Apollo had him and his priest Julian arrested.
The prefect had both sewn into a sack and thrown into the sea.
Cadfan (5th cent.) Cadfan was a Breton who migrated to Wales. Once there,
he gathered many disciples and founded the church of Towyn (Gwynedd) and
the monastery of Bardsey Island.
Vigor (d. c. 537) Vigor was a native of Artois, educated at Arras by St.
Vedast. He became a "preaching hermit" (I'm not sure what Farmer means by
this) near Bayeux. After some years of missionary work, in 513 he became
bishop of Bayeux, in which office he proved a rigorous assailant of
non-Christian cult statues and builder of churches.
Dr. Phyllis G. Jestice
[log in to unmask]
**********************************************************************
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
|