medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (3. April) is the feast day of:
Sixtus I (d. c. 125) Sixtus (or Xystus) was bishop of Rome for about
10 years. He may have been martyred.
Nicetas (d. 824) Nicetas was a Bithynian. He became a monk on Mt.
Olympus as soon as he was old enough, and became abbot in 813. Like
so many good monks, N. refused to support imperial iconoclasm and was
exiled. He soon gave in and accepted communion from the
imperially-imposed "false" patriarch. But then N. was sorry and went
to Constantinople to denounce iconoclasm in public. He was exiled
again---if being kept in a dungeon with very little food constitutes
"exile." On his release in 820, N. spent the rest of his life as a
hermit.
Richard of Chichester (d. 1253) Richard was a native of
Worcestershire. He studied at Oxford and Paris, eventually becoming
chancellor of the former. One of his former tutors, (St.) Edmund of
Abingdon (who had become archbishop of Canterbury), was impressed by
R's job performance, and made him diocesan chancellor. The next
archbishop arranged the election of R as bishop of Chichester---which
enraged King Henry III, who refused to allow R to assume his office.
In the 2 years before Henry acquiesced, R. lived in a priest's house
and did visitations of the diocese on foot. R. was a reformer and
model bishop. He was canonized in 1262.
Gandulf (blessed) (d. 1260) Gandulf was a native of Binasco (near
Milan). He became a Franciscan at a young age, and a very ascetic
Franciscan too. He was sent to preach in Sicily, winning great
praise for eloquence, which inspired him to become a hermit in a less
accessible part of the island. He still went out to preach among the
locals occasionally. He was credited with a special relationship
with birds, once getting them to shut up while he was preaching, and
enjoying the distinction of birds coming to sing in his honor after
his death. G's cult was approved in 1881.
**********************************************************************
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
|