St. Lydia the seller of purple, at Philippi in Macedonia.
St. Aspren, Bishop and Confessor, at Naples.
St. Hermillus, Martyr, at Constantinople.
The Holy Martyrs under Abenner, in India.
St. Diogenes, Martyr, at Rome.
St. Stephen, Martyr, at Rome.
St. Albinus, Martyr, at Rome.
St. Dalmatius, Archimandrite, at Constantinople.
St. Faustus, his son and a monk, at Constantinople.
St. Marana, at Beroea in Syria.
St. Cyra, at Beroea in Syria.
St. Euphronius, Bishop, at Autun.
St. Gregory, Abbot, at Nonantola.
St. Peter, Bishop, at Anagni.
St. Waltheof, Abbot, in Scotland.
St. Geoffrey, Bishop, at Le Mans.
St. Augustine, Bishop, at Lucera in Apulia.
St. Gaudentius, bishop of Novara, known in the history of the Arians, is recorded on this day in many auctaria of Usuard; but our predecessors long since treated of him at 22 January. A Saint of the same name, he too a bishop, not of Novara but of Chur among the Raetians or Grisons, Castellanus brings forward to us on this very day, without any note of time, or indication whence he received it. An error may easily have crept into the name of the city: but if there truly was such a Saint, bishop of Chur, let those whom it concerns inform us about his deeds, age, miracles and cult, and his true natal day.
"On that day, of blessed Gregory of Nisa," for Nyssa, is the announcement of the Ms. Ado of St. Laurence's at Liège, which also passed into one or another codex. His festivity is known, 9 March.
The Office of our holy mother Theodora the Myroblyte is assigned to this day in an old Greek Ms. Monologium of the library formerly of Lindenbrog. She is the same as St. Theodora, widow, of Thessalonica, whom we gave on the day 5 April.
The translation of St. Flamina, virgin and martyr, Saussay rightly entered on this day; "whose crown," he says, "glows red, and whose triumphal palm flourishes on the sixth day before the Nones of May," on which day treatment of her was given, 2 May.
St. Justus, bishop of Vienne, martyr, is entered on this day in the Usuards of Cologne and in others following them, with Ferrarius. Treatment was given of him on the natal day, 6 May.
St. Isaac, abbot at Constantinople, is quite often joined with Dalmatius and Faustus, of whom on this day in their place: but of St. Isaac treatment has long since been given at the day 30 May.
Greven, marking a St. Metropolus on this day at Constantinople, did not know, I think, what he was writing. I find Matrofilus and Metrophilus in the Hieronymian codices, but with whom I should bring him back I do not know, unless he is to be confused with Metrophanes, of whom we have already treated in the work on 4 June.
Another St. Metropolus is a bishop of Trier. But he is venerated on 8 October.
St. Hildebrand, companion of the labours and martyrdom of the great St. Boniface, is marked on this day by Camerarius in the Scottish Menologium, not opportunely enough. Of him and the other companions treatment was given on the day 5 June.
"In Scotland, of St. Domitius, monk, disciple of St. Columba," says Ferrarius on this day in the general Catalogue, from the English Martyrology (Wilson's). But it is to be observed, 1, that he is entered on this day by Wilson under the title of a Commemoration and with a little marginal star; and so that the present-day celebration of this Saint was unknown to him and in no way asserted: which Fitz-Simon does not seem to have noticed either, when he followed him in the Catalogue of the Saints of Ireland. 2, that this is the same Domitius whom Ferrarius likewise, as if another, had announced from the Menologium of Dempster on the day 21 April; on which day see the Passed Over. 3, that he is not rightly named Domitius by Boece, Lesley and others; but that he is to be called Dermitius, Diormitius or Diermitius, according to the cited Fitz-Simon, Colgan, volume 2, page 489, number 45, and Ussher, On the beginnings of the British churches, chapter 15, pages 694 and 696. 4, finally, that it is by no means established on what day this St. Diermitius was ever venerated in the Church; as we have already said in volume 2 of June, page 205, in the annotations, letter g. But on whatever day he ought or can be placed, we have no other Acts of him than those which we have already given in the Life of St. Columba at the day 9 June.
The natal day of St. Honoratus, martyr, Tamayo commemorates on this day in his Spanish Martyrology, by no means doubting that he was one of the priests whom the blessed Stephen, Pontiff and martyr, employed in the divine Offices. "His sacred pledges," he says, "are kept with honourable magnificence in the royal monastery of the Escorial, in a little casket skilfully made and wrought with gold." So it seemed to Tamayo, I think; but I should wish he had informed us who made him certain that this very body is that of the St. Honoratus who is recorded with companions in the Roman Martyrology. Or if we were to grant him this gratis, he would not belong to this day, but to that on which he is entered, 1 August.
The translation of St. Rufinus, bishop and martyr, at Assisi is marked by Ferrarius. Of several holy Rufini of Assisi, entangled in a quite wonderful manner, we have treated, and we await the light which we there asked for, 30 July.
The memory of our holy Father and confessor John, hegumen of the monastery of Patelaraea, is found in the great printed Menaea of the Greeks; it is unknown on this day to their other Fasti, at least those I have seen; nay rather, as Rader notes in the Ms. Observations on the Greek Menaea on this day, there is deep silence about this holy Father among the others; nor is anything handed down here besides the name and a place which is also obscure.
"In Egypt, the natal day of St. Stephen, anchorite," is celebrated today by Whitford in the additions to the English Martyrology, by Felicius, Maurolycus, Ferrarius in the general Catalogue, and the Charterhouse of Brussels in the Ms. additions to Greven. Peter Equilinus also calls him a Saint in book 7, chapter 17; where to his eulogy too, which he drew together from the fuller one of Palladius in the Lausiac History, chapter 30, he adds this: "He rested in Christ on the third day before the Nones of August." But since his public cult does not seem ever to have been known either to the older Martyrologists in the West or to any Menologies of the Eastern churches which we have seen, let it be enough here that account is taken of his memory.
Accellaus, Acillas, Achilleus, variously inflected, is found on this day in the Hieronymian codices, with the position at Constantinople, and indeed has a companion Justus in the codex of Corbie, unless perhaps Justus is his surname. From this Notker roundly formed his present-day announcement in this manner: "At Constantinople, of St. Achillas"; who, quite wonderfully, is nowhere known in the Greek tables; so that I deservedly fear that the name has been truncated or corrupted. But if some light arises from elsewhere, I shall most gladly grant him his place in our work.
Conrad of Herlsheim, of the Cistercian Order, in Hesse, is marked on this day with the title of blessed memory by Greven, and from him by Canisius. It pleased Ferrarius to add the appellation of Saint and to assert a cult, which I do not know whence he could have summoned. It is certainly well enough established that our predecessors did not find it, since they long ago placed him among the Passed Over at the day 1 June, on which he is also entered by several there cited. It is not likely that since that time anything has been added, or will be added hereafter, of further information, by which the honours of the Saints may be claimed for this Conrad.
A certain Mansuetus I find marked in our Kalendars of the Saints of Ireland without any further information.
"Of Martin, confessor," is read in the Auctaria of Greven; but he left it to be divined whom he wished to be indicated here.
Fortunatus, bishop of Trier, is suggested to us today only by the Ms. Additions of the Charterhouse of Brussels to Greven, of what value these are with us has often been said elsewhere. Our predecessors long ago set out their mind about him in two different articles among the Passed Over on 10 June, although on that day he is entered among the proper Offices of the people of Trier. We know of nothing written or published since that time by which anything more might be established about his true or supposed dignity, his deeds or his cult.
Conrad, from abbot of Holy Cross bishop of Passau, then archbishop of Salzburg, Henriquez and Bucelinus adorn in their Menologies with many and deserved praises; but when they give him the honours of the Saints, they use their customary liberty; besides that they mix in some things which it is not the business of this place to refute. Far more prudently Chalemot abstained even from naming Conrad.
Bartholomew, prior of the monastery of Clairvaux, the same Henriquez also honours with the title of Blessed, whom meanwhile Chalemot altogether passed over: by Saussay he is called a distinguished man.
William is added by Bucelinus, as a disciple of the mellifluous doctor St. Bernard, with an illustrious eulogy and the title of Blessed, which we wish to be confirmed from elsewhere, as we have already sufficiently insinuated on the preceding day, when we spoke of him among the Passed Over there.
The memory of Benno or Benedict, a plainly excellent man, first restorer of the Cell of St. Meinrad or Meginrad, afterwards bishop of Metz, has already more than once occurred in our Acta on the occasion of other Saints; his natal day falls on this day, on which Mabillon treats of him more fully in the fifth Benedictine saeculum, page 122, but adorning him only with the title of venerable: so that it is evident enough that he has not so far been celebrated with the honours of the Saints.
Lorenza Lorini, Beatrice Leitão and Paula of St. Thomas are wonderfully praised by Marchese in the Dominican Diarium.
John du Houssey, or de Husseto, on Mont-Valérien near Paris, is honoured on this day with the title of venerable by Castellanus, as one who led there the life of a recluse, and died in the year 1609.
Anna Juliana, archduchess of Austria, duchess of Mantua etc., restorer of the Order of Servites in Germany, is deservedly praised at length in a little book written about her life, also for the incorruption of her body, all of which can contribute to her beatification. When that has been obtained, she will obtain her due place in this work.
Juliana, who translated the body of St. Stephen to Constantinople, is found marked on this day by Canisius alone; from what source no one would easily divine: certainly under these characteristics she has not yet become known to me as a Saint for this day.
Thomas Belchian, martyr, at London in England; John Puteanus, martyr, at Louvain in Belgium; Gunther of Brabant, confessor, in the province of Cologne; an Anonymous confessor at Navis in Tuscany; Matthew Bascio, confessor, founder of the Capuchins, at Venice; Catherine of St. Gabriel, virgin, at Belalcázar in the territory of Córdoba: these are entered by Arthur with the title of blessed in the Franciscan Martyrology, and the last also in the Gynaeceum.
All the same, except Puteanus, but a little more modestly, Hueber marks in the Menologium, adding William Bertho at Ingolstadt in Bavaria and Michael of Argagnano at Milan in Insubria; then he gathers the Capuchin Fathers in Italy conspicuous for sanctity, Albert and Matthias of Bergamo, Bonaventure of Soncino, and several others whom he enumerates there in order: adding finally at number 9 John Montarasius at Lisbon in Portugal, with another John Martinez Montarasius.
St. Thersicius or Tarsitius at Rome is marked in the Usuardine codices of Centula and Florence, entered by others on the preceding day, as we noted there among the Passed Over, where he was referred, as we refer him again, to the day 15 August.
St. Theocleto (Θεοκλητὼ), adorned today with a distich in the printed Menaea, is altogether unknown to us, unless she is the one who in the same Menaea enjoys a longer eulogy on the day to which she will have to be referred, 21 August.
St. Fiacre, hermit, I know not why, is noted on this day in the Usuards of Cologne; he belongs to 30 August.
Why Castellanus marked St. Aeonius, bishop of Arles, on this day in his French additions, I am altogether unable to conjecture. The proper Offices of Arles, Claude Robert, the Sainte-Marthe brothers and others agree that the Saint died on 16 August, although he is not venerated on that day because of the more solemn festivity of St. Roch then occurring, as the Breviaries note: whence both the proper Breviaries and Saussay in the Gallican Martyrology defer him to the day on which his memory is more festively celebrated, 30 August.
St. John Orcus, first bishop of that name of Como, Castellanus alone marked on this day in his additions to the Roman Martyrology, without doubt because Ughelli in Italia sacra testifies that he died on this day. In Ferrarius neither is this John known, nor two other holy bishops of the same name, whom the Martyrology of Como of Primo Luigi de' Tatti enters, recording this first one on the day on which more can be inquired about him, 31 August.
The finding of Sts. Placidus and companions, that is, of the brothers Eutychius and Victorinus, of their sister Flavia, and of XXXIII monks, at Messina in Sicily, is announced by Ferrarius. The festivity of these Saints is known, to which both this translation and whatever else concerns them are to be transferred, 5 October.
St. Salome the myrrh-bearer (ἡ μυροφόρος) is entered in the great Menaea of the Greeks, published in print, as having been consummated in peace: of whom treatment will be possible on the day on which she is marked in the Roman Martyrology, 22 October.
Derbilia of Irras is numbered among various other Saints, equally unknown to me, by Colgan in the second appendix to the Acts of St. Columba. He had treated of the same in the appendix to the Acts of St. Colman, in the month of February, page 248, writing thus: "St. Derbhilia, daughter of Cormac, son of Brecc, son of Echaid, son of David, son of Fiachra, etc., is venerated on 3 August according to the Martyrology of Gorman, or on 26 October according to the Martyrologies of Tallaght and of Donegal." I should wish he had added those documents from which we could have treated safely of her cult and deeds. Since these have not been supplied so far, but may be suggested in due course by hagiophile countrymen, we refer the whole matter for examination to the other day marked, 26 October.
St. Quartus, Apostle (that is, a disciple of the Apostles), celebrated today in the printed Menaea, belongs according to the Roman Martyrology to the day 3 November.
The translation of St. Severus, bishop of Barcelona and martyr, made on this day, is noted by Tamayo in the Spanish Martyrology, where he disputes about more than one bishop of the same name. Let it be permitted us for the moment to suppose that the one indicated here is he who is placed in the Roman on 6 November.
Some translation of St. Stephen the protomartyr we entered among the Passed Over of the preceding day. Of several others treatment has also already been given elsewhere, notably among the Passed Over in volume II of May, page 4, in the same volume page 98, and likewise in volume VI of May, page 4, all of which were referred to the most celebrated festivity of the Saint's natal day, 26 December, on which very day some contend that the finding was made, which, however, is celebrated on this day by a feast already most ancient in the Church: unless with Saussay, after Notker, you prefer that this very day is the one on which he was stoned by the Jews; where he weaves a long history of the sacred relics translated into various churches of Europe. For the rest, the present-day solemnity of the finding is recorded with emulous zeal in all the Martyrologies, even the most ancient Hieronymian ones. I shall not repeat here what I inquired into a little more fully on this same day in the Observation on the Usuardine text concerning the aforesaid Finding of the body of St. Stephen, and likewise of three other saints, namely Gamaliel, Nicodemus and Abibo or Abibas, which the reader will be able to consult. Let it suffice here to keep to what has already been said, and to refer all these things to the day most fully received in the whole Church, on which all the deeds of St. Stephen, and of the other three Saints whose natal days are unknown, the relics, their manifold translations, and almost innumerable miracles will be illustrated expressly, 26 December.
Noticed an error, have a suggestion, or want to share a thought? Let me know.