medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (28. April) is also the feast day of:
Pamphilus (7th century, perhaps). According to apparently factitious local
tradition, Pamphilus (in Italian, Panfilo) was bishop of Valva (today's
diocese of Sulmona and Valva) during a time of dissension between Catholics
and Arians. His seat was in Corfinium (the area's chief city in Roman
times) and he is said to have incurred papal suspicion for his practice of
celebrating Sunday mass at midnight and of devoting the time at daybreak to
providing a large meal for the poor. An investigation confirmed his
doctrinal orthodoxy and his pastoral practices subsequently received papal
approval. After his death his body was removed to Sulmo (today's Sulmona),
where -- according to one branch of the tradition -- he had also been born.
Corfinium suffered badly from Muslim and Magyar raids in the ninth and
tenth centuries and its ancient cathedral church of St. Pelinus had by the
eleventh century come to occupy a semi-rural location. Sulmona, on the
other hand, was now the diocese's chief city and it had a church dedicated
to a saint Pamphilus since at least 1042. In 1075 abbot Transmundus of San
Clemente a Casauria, who was also bishop of Valva, undertook to rebuild
both this church and that of St. Pelinus, maintaining both of them as
cathedrals of the one diocese (as they still are today). It would seem
that Pamphilus' Vita (which is thought to have been cobbled together from
those of other regional saints and perhaps also from that of St. Aldhelm)
was initially created, either now or sometime earlier in the eleventh
century, in order to reinforce Sulmona's episcopal dignity.
Sulmona's cathedral of San Panfilo has been rebuilt several times but still
retains some of its medieval character. Views of the facade (with its
"gothic" portal) and of the structures behind it are here:
http://www.regione.abruzzo.it/giubileo/itinerari/sulmona/index.html
http://www.comune.sulmona.aq.it/lib_arte/spanfilo.htm
There's an English-language summary here:
http://www.tuttoabruzzo.it/english/religious_arch_sanpanfilo.html
And a much more detailed account (with good photographs of "romanesque"
elements) in Italian here:
http://www.liceoscientificosulmona.it/ROMANICO-ABRUZZESE/Schede-edifici/S_PA
NFILO-A-SULMONA/S_PANFILO.htm
The site to which this belongs ("Abruzzo Romanico") has similar treatments
of other medieval churches in the area, including San Pelino. Go to:
http://www.liceoscientificosulmona.it/ROMANICO-ABRUZZESE/indice.htm
Best,
John Dillon
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