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Today, 7 September, is the feast of ... * Regina or Reine, virgin and martyr (date unknown) - native of Alise (Bourgogne), she refused a marriage offer from the local Roman prefect; as she was about to be beheaded, a shining dove was seen hovering above her head Two years ago Elena Lemeneva added: In my MA thesis I tried to find the earliest mention of this dove-story. What I found was the "Passio S. Reginae Virg. Mart." in the AASS Boll. 7 Sept. III, 39 - 40: [After tortures and last prayer] Et postquam oravit, miserunt illam in vas illud aqua plenum: et terrae motus factus est magnus: et ecce columba de coelo descendens habebat in ore coronam, et disrupta sunt vincula beatae Reginae, et ascendit de aqua, laudans et benedicens Dominum et dicens: Dominus regnavit, decorum indutus est; illuminasti me, Domine Jesu Christe, et salvasti, misertus unicae puellae, qui es benedictus ante secula. Et facta est vox columbae dicens: Veni Regina in requiem Christi; beata es, quae hanc coronam meruisti. (p. 39) The AASS do not date this passion of the unknown authorship. I presume that it must have been written before the twelfth century. Does anyone know when and where it comes from? [log in to unmask] Thanks Elena! * Sozon, martyr (date unknown) - the local magistrate tortured him by having nails driven upward through the soles of his shoes; when Sozon marched in front of the magistrate in the arena, he called up to him: 'I have finer red shoes than you!' * Grimonia, virgin and martyr (date unknown) - escaped from Ireland to France in the hope of thus preserving her virginity; she did, but only by defending her honour to the death; on this day in 1231, her relics were enshrined (along with those of another ex-Irish virgin and martyr, St Proba) at Lesquielles * John of Nicomedia, martyr (303) - according to Lactantius, he was burned alive; he has sometimes been erroneously identified with St George, protector of England * Anastasius the Fuller, martyr (304?) - although the Roman Martyrology says this saint died on this date in Aquileia, he really died on 26 August in Split * Clodoald or Cloud (c. 560) - brought up by his grandmother St Clotilda (the widow of Clovis); by a pun on his name, he is venerated in France as patron of nail-makers Last year Jim Bugslag asked the following question: Dear Carolyn, As usual, I checked your feasts for today against the 13th-century Ordinary of Chartres Cathedral and was fascinated to see that St. Cloud was, indeed, commemorated, but a full nine lessons were devoted to St Evurtius, who you didn't list. If, as in your answer to James Brundage, Butler is a major source, it's hardly surprising that he was left out. Butler, in full, says: "Saint Evurtius, Bishop of Orleans, C. Flourished in the reign of Constantine the Great, and died about the year 340. His name is famous in the ancient western Martyrologies, but his history of no authority [sic], as Stilting complains." Can anyone shed any light on this putatively "famous" story? Thanks, in advance, for all replies. Cheers, Jim Bugslag Nobody could answer Jim's query last year. How about this year? * Alcmund and Tilbert, bishops of Hexham (781 & 789) - the seventh and eighth bishops of this see ************ Dr Carolyn Muessig Department of Theology and Religious Studies University of Bristol Bristol BS8 1TB UK phone: +44(0)117-928-8168 fax: +44(0)117-929-7850 e-mail: [log in to unmask] %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%