medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Yet further to Petronilla:
An expandable view (at lower left) of Petronilla receiving the Eucharist when ill and of Petronilla (apparently still ill) undergoing martyrdom as depicted in a late thirteenth-century copy of French origin of the _Legenda aurea_ (San Marino, CA, Huntington Library, ms. HM 3027, fol. 64v):
http://tinyurl.com/7a7er5g
Today (31. May) is also the feast day of:
Vitalis of Assisi (d. 1370?). According to his seemingly very late Vita (BHL 3688), this Vitalis was a native of today's Bastia Umbra (PG) in Umbria who after a stereoptypic dissolute youth undertook pilgrimages to major sanctuaries and then returned to Umbria, where he took the habit and became an hermit outside of Assisi at a place called Viola (it's now Assisi's _frazione_ of Viole), erected a chapel dedicated to the Virgin, lived in absolute poverty, inspired others, and died already considered a saint. A formal cult, bolstered by postmortem miracles, is said to have been instituted in 1377. In 1581 Vitalis' chapel was recognized papally as a parish church of San Vitalis. In 1586 Vitalis' relics were translated to Assisi's cathedral of St. Rufinus. In 2001 these were returned to the chiesa di San Vitae in Viole, where Vitalis is honored as the patron saint. Vitalis of Assisi seems never to have been papally canonized. He has yet to grace the pages of the RM.
On 24. May 2011 it was publicly announced that a person in Ireland was putting up for sale at an auction to be held just before Vitalis' feast day a head said to be that of St. Vitalis of Assisi. See the illustrated, English-language press accounts here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-13522546
http://tinyurl.com/3dx7mnz
In Assisi, and especially at Viole, people were of course better informed. After all, their remains of Vitalis are a complete skeleton including a skull. See the expandable views at the bottom of this Italian-language page reacting to the announcement:
http://www.vivereassisi.it/index.php?page=articolo&articolo_id=297903
I suppose it would be fruitless to argue in Assisi that the skull in Ireland was that of Vitalis in his dissolute youth, whereas the one at Viole comes from the period of his saintly maturity.
Best again,
John Dillon
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