«Too Many Hagiographers for a Saint? Medard’s of Noyon Dossier and the Attributive Question of BHL 5864». ABSTRACT: Bishop of Noyon in the middle of the VI century, Medard received in 555 the Merovingian queen Radegund, while fleeing from the king Chlothar, and consecrated her as a deaconess against the will of the king (Ven. Fort., Vita Radeg. 12). The reputation of the holiness of the bishop was increased, so much so that only a few years later, at his death, it was Chlothar himself who buried him 'cum summo honore' in Soissons, ordering the construction of an imposing basilica, later completed by his son Sigebert (Greg. Tur., Franc. IV 19). Therefore, the richness of his hagiographic dossier (BHL 5863-5874) is not surprising. It includes, among others, a large poem by Venantius Fortunatus (carm. II 16) about Medard’s miracles 'in vita' and 'post mortem', dating to 566/567, and a later and dependent 'Vita Medardi' in prose, written during the reign of Theodebert II (after 602). Part of the manuscript tradition also attributes this second text to Fortunatus (it would be a senile work), while the editor of the MGH edition includes it among the «opuscula Venantio Fortunato male attributa».
Troppi agiografi per un santo? Il ‘dossier’ di Medardo di Noyon e la questione attributiva di BHL 5864
Ferrarini, Edoardo
2020-01-01
Abstract
«Too Many Hagiographers for a Saint? Medard’s of Noyon Dossier and the Attributive Question of BHL 5864». ABSTRACT: Bishop of Noyon in the middle of the VI century, Medard received in 555 the Merovingian queen Radegund, while fleeing from the king Chlothar, and consecrated her as a deaconess against the will of the king (Ven. Fort., Vita Radeg. 12). The reputation of the holiness of the bishop was increased, so much so that only a few years later, at his death, it was Chlothar himself who buried him 'cum summo honore' in Soissons, ordering the construction of an imposing basilica, later completed by his son Sigebert (Greg. Tur., Franc. IV 19). Therefore, the richness of his hagiographic dossier (BHL 5863-5874) is not surprising. It includes, among others, a large poem by Venantius Fortunatus (carm. II 16) about Medard’s miracles 'in vita' and 'post mortem', dating to 566/567, and a later and dependent 'Vita Medardi' in prose, written during the reign of Theodebert II (after 602). Part of the manuscript tradition also attributes this second text to Fortunatus (it would be a senile work), while the editor of the MGH edition includes it among the «opuscula Venantio Fortunato male attributa».
I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
