medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (11. May) is also the feast day of:
Anthimus (d. ca. 304, supposedly). According to his legendary Acta (BHL
561-65), A. was a priest who during the Diocletianic persecution was
thrown into the Tiber with a heavy stone tied to his neck and who was
rescued from drowning by an angel. A proconsul named Priscus then had
him decapitated. A. was buried at an oratory that he had frequented.
All this happened in the vicinity of the twenty-second milestone from
Rome along the Via Salaria. The Acta in question provide mini-Passiones
for a number of saints of the Sabina (the hilly rural district east of
the Roman campagna perhaps best known in the context of this list for
its being the home of the great abbey of Farfa). Opinion is divided as
to whether A. is one of these local saints or instead the bishop of
Nicomedia (celebrated by Roman-rite Catholics on 24. April; formerly,
27. April) attracted to the story by virtue of a local cult celebrating
the translation of his relics and/or the erection of a church dedicated
to him at the Roman market town of Cures (two syllables; near today's
Passo Corese in Lazio's Rieti Province).
Dedicated to A. is the formerly Benedictine abbey of Sant'Antimo near
Montalcino in southern Tuscany. Already in existence in 814, it was
greatly enriched early in the twelfth century, entering upon a fairly
brief "golden age" in which a huge abbey church was built right next to
its much smaller Carolingian predecessor. An English-language account
of its history is here:
http://www.montalcino.net/sant_antimo.htm
and collections of views is are here (expandable):
http://www.antimo.it/pagine/08_FOTOGRAFIE.html
and here (not expandable):
http://tinyurl.com/q35db
For those who wish to spend more time learning about the place (now
operated by Premonstratensian canons), illustrated, English-language
historical and artistic tours of the abbey begin here:
http://www.antimo.it/pagine_en/00FRAME.html
Best,
John Dillon
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