medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (4. November) is the feast day of:
Vitalis and Agricola (d. c. 304??) Ambrose of Milan liked to uncover
and proclaim the relics of otherwise unknown saints in pairs. Here's
another couple of them. Their remains were found in the Jewish
cemetery of Bologna in 393 and were exhumed in Ambrose's presence.
He declared them to be martyrs. Legend supplied them with a
biography, deciding that Agricola was a citizen of Bologna and
Vitalis his slave. V was killed in the amphitheater; A. was
crucified when he still refused to recant after V. was executed. I
want to know what they were doing in the Jewish cemetery if they were
Christian martyrs.
Pierius (d. c. 310) Pierius was head of the Alexandrian catechetical
school. He was learned and eloquent, and despite a fondness for some
of Origen's more controversial theology is considered a saint. He
survived the persecution, but died in Rome.
John Zedazneli and companions (d. c. 580) John was one of thirteen
Syrian monks who went to evangelize Georgia (not the one in the U.S.)
in the mid sixth century. They founded several monasteries, and are
collectively known as the fathers of the Iberian Church (not the
Iberia that = Spain).
Joannicus (d. 846) Joannicus was a Bithynia swineherd turned soldier
who was reformed from a dissolute (and iconoclast) life by a monk.
J. then became a hermit on Mt. Olympus and later a monk. He was
famous for miracles and prophecy, as well as his vigorous defense of
icons.
Clarus (d. c. 875) Clarus was a priest, probably a native of
Rochester (England). He went to Normandy and became a monk and then
a hermit near Rouen. But a noblewoman fell in lust with him, and
when he wouldn't have anything to do with her she had him killed near
St-Clair-sur-Epte.
A modern saint: Charles Borromeo (d. 1584) Carlo Borromeo was born
to a noble and well-connected family (his mother was Pope Pius IV's
sister). Uncle made him a cardinal at the age of 22, secretary of
state, and administrator of the see of Milan. CB became a priest
after a few years, to keep from being forced to a secular life when
his elder brother died, and became bishop of Milan in 1563. As the
first resident bishop in the city for 80 years, CB became a model
Catholic-Reformation bishop. He was canonized in 1610.
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