medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (16. August) is the feast day of:
1) Ambrose of Ferentino (d. 304 or 305, supposedly). A. is the patron
of today's Ferentino (FR) in southern Lazio, where he has been honored
since at least the central Middle Ages. According to his legendary
Passio (in Paris, B.N., Ms. lat. 3278; a thirteenth-century Roman
lectionary for the Daily Office), A. was a Christian centurion stationed
at Ferentino who during the Great Persecution was tortured in various
ways and was finally decapitated on 16. August of an unspecified year.
By the sixteenth century A. was also the subject of a miracle tale in
which his persecutor imprisoned him for several days without food or
water, after which he appeared stonger and healthier than before.
After being housed in other churches in Ferentino, A.'s remains are said
to have been brought to its cathedral of Sts. John and Paul at some time
close to the latter's consecration in 1108. In 1639 they were
rediscovered here under a side altar. Two views of A. (or the supposed
A.) as he now is will be found here:
http://ferentino.altervista.org/pagine/martirio.htm
Views of Ferentino's Basilica cattedrale di Santi Giovanni e Paolo:
http://www.proloco.ferentino.fr.it/duomo22.JPG
http://www.romeartlover.it/Gregfer6.jpg
http://www.proloco.ferentino.fr.it/duomo_1.jpg
http://www.proloco.ferentino.fr.it/r_duomo11.jpg
This church has a noteworthy cosmatesque pavement. Does anyone have a
better view of it to share with the list?
A stone bearing a dedication to A. is incorporated in the facade of
Ferentino's Chiesa di Santa Maria Maggiore. This too is a noteworthy
building. See:
http://tinyurl.com/lg7ym
http://www.st-mariamaggiore.org/
http://www.nuovipanorami.it/italia/lazio/ferent.html
I have not seen the procedings of the 1995 conference on "Ambrogio
Centurione", said to have been published as _Ambrogio centurione patrono
di Ferentino. Agiografia, storia, arte e devozione_ (Roma, 1998). Is
anyone aware of a North American or UK location of a copy of this work?
2) Lawrence "Loricatus", blessed (d. 1243). Today's less well known holy
person from the Regno was an Apulian who accidentally killed a man and
in remorse undertook a pilgrimage to Compostela. When that did not
satisfy him he became a hermit in a cave near the Benedictine complex at
Subiaco in the Anio valley south of Tivoli in today's Lazio. Here he
engaged in constant acts of self-denial and self-torture, the latter
most notably including the wearing next to his skin of the suit of chain
mail that has given him the sobriquet "Loricatus" ("Wearing Body
Armor"). L. attracted disciples and received numerous visitors. At
least one of the latter (we are told) was a cardinal, while another may
have been Francis of Assisi. A canonization trial begun for L. in 1244
was apparently never concluded. His cult was confirmed in 1778.
L.'s body armor was of ringed mail and appears to have been a hauberk.
It is (or, at any rate, used to be) on display at the monastery of the
Sacro Speco at Subiaco; there's a photograph of it in the _Bibliotheca
Sanctorum_, vol. 8, cols. 139-40. L. is said to have worn lots of other
ironmongery as well. Also at the Sacro Speco is the autograph original
of L.'s _Liber orationum_ ("Book of Prayers"). This contribution to
the _libellus precum_ genre is in four sections, one for oneself and
one's benefactors, one for the advancement of the Church, one for
various aspirations, and one for particular needs. L.'s bodily relics
are preserved in the same monastery's Cappella della Madonna. A guided
tour (Italian-language) of the Sacro Speco is here:
http://www.benedettini-subiaco.org/benedettini/sacro.htm
and six pages of views of its architecture and artworks are here (last
items on the menu):
http://www.benedettini-subiaco.org/benedettini/galarte.htm
A recent discussion of L. will be found in Sofia Boesch Gajano,
"Terreurs et tourments: formes d'eremitisme en Italie centrale entre le
XIIe et le XIIIe siecle," _Medievales_ no. 28 (1995; issue title: _Le
Choix de la solitude_), 11-23. An edition of his _Liber orationum_ by
Willibald Gnandt appeared early in the last century (Paderborn:
Schoeningh, 1902). The chief source for his biography is the record of
his canonization trial (BHL 4792), on which are based two anonymous
Lives (BHL 4793 and 4794).
Best,
John Dillon
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