medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (10. December) is also the feast day of:
Luke of Melicucca', bp. of Isola [di] Capo Rizzuto (d. 1114). L. was
born at today's Melicucca' (RC) around the middle of the eleventh
century, when southern Calabria, populated by people of Greek language
and culture, had just ceased to be part of the (Eastern) Roman Empire.
He became a monk, was raised to the priesthood for his merits, and by
1092 was bishop of today's Isola [di] Capo Rizzuto (KR). His Life,
thought to have been written shortly after his death, makes him out to
have been a peripatetic preacher of note among the Greek communities of
southern Calabria; charter evidence puts him in Sicily as well,
preaching and also ordaining Greek-rite priests. He also founded a
monastery dedicated to St. Nicholas at Viotorito near Rossano, retired
here towards the end of life, and died surrounded by his region's
bishops and abbots and by other monks and priests. Miracles both
lifetime and immediately posthumous soon led to his acclamation as a
saint and he has been so considered by the Greek-rite church in Italy
ever since. In the latter he is also sometimes known as Luke the
Grammarian. The Latin-rite church in the dioceses of Oppido-Palmi and
Crotone-Santa Severina considers 9. December to be his _dies natalis_
and celebrates him on that day.
L.'s Life -- also an interesting document for what it says about the
uneasy relations between the Greek church in southern Italy and its new
Frankish overlords -- survives thanks to its inclusion in the great
menologion written for Santissimo Salvatore at Messina in the early
fourteenth century. It has been edited, annotated, and translated into
Italian by Giuseppe Schiro' as _Vita di s. Luca, vescovo di Isola Capo
Rizzuto_ (Palermo: Istituto siciliano di studi bizantini e neogreci,
1954). Another annotated Italian translation will be found on the Web at:
http://digilander.libero.it/ortodossia/Luca%20il%20grammatico.htm
Best,
John Dillon
(last year's post, lightly revised)
**********************************************************************
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
|