medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (29.April) is also the feast day of:
Severus, bp. of Naples (d. 409). Bishop of Naples from 363 to 409, S.
enjoyed the friendship of Ambrose of Milan and the esteem of Q. Aurelius
Symmachus. The early catalog of the city's bishops credits him with the
erection of four basilicas, one of which is today's S. Giorgio
Maggiore. He is now also usually credited with the construction of western
Christianity's earliest surviving baptistry, Naples' San Giovanni in Fonte
(for fairly obvious reasons, this is by no means the only baptistery so
named), though in the later Middle Ages the credit went instead to
Constantine the Great. This monument adjoins the early Christian basilica
of Santa Restituta (part of the late medieval and modern cathedral of
Naples) and is well worth a visit. The perhaps not entirely fluent
English-language version of the cathedral's website has a section on the
baptistery here:
http://www.duomodinapoli.com/
(click on "Baptstery" in the menu on the top).
This has a good slide show of the (restored) mosaics reached by clicking on
the arrows in the right-hand frame.
Severus also constructed a burial church at Naples' catacombs and housed
here the relics of Sts. Gervasius and Protasius sent to him by Ambrose;
frescoed remains of their arcosolia (and those of other saints mentioned in
early Neapolitan records) were discovered in 1865 under the early modern
church of San Severo alla Sanita'. He too was buried here and here he
remained until some time in the ninth century, when his remains were
transferred to a predecessor of today's cathedral. In 1310 he underwent a
further translation, this time to the high altar of the present cathedral
(which latter was under construction and would itself not be dedicated
until 1314). At this time his cult was renewed, so he joins St. Agrippinus
(9. November) as an early bishop-saint of Naples who received liturgical
prominence only during the Angevin period.
Severus' feast day was set at 30. April and changed to today after the
discovery in 1742 of the Marble Calendar of Naples with its ninth-century
record of S.'s commemoration on 29. April. An English-language translation
of the Marble Calendar of Naples is here:
http://www.ucc.ie/milmart/naples.html
Best,
John Dillon
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