Gervasius and Protasius
Saints Gervasius and Protasius | |
---|---|
Feast | 19 June (Catholic Church) 14 October (Eastern Orthodox Church) |
Attributes | the scourge, the club and the sword[1] |
Patronage | Milan; Breisach; haymakers; invoked for the discovery of thieves |
Gervasius and Protasius (also Gervase and Protase, Gervasis and Prothasis and in
Legend
The acta[2] may have been expanded from a letter (Epistle liii) to the bishops of Italy, falsely ascribed to Ambrose. They are written in a very simple style; it has not been possible to establish the date of their composition. According to these, Gervasius and Protasius were the twin sons of martyrs. Their father, Vitalis of Milan, a man of consular dignity, suffered martyrdom at Ravenna, possibly under Nero. Their mother, Valeria, died for her faith in Milan. Gervasius and Protasius were imprisoned, and visited in prison by Nazarius.
The sons are said to have had large hands and had been scourged and then beheaded, during the reign of the Emperor
Ambrose and Gervasius and Protasius
Ambrose had their relics removed to the Basilica of Fausta (now the Church of Saints Vitalis and Agricola),[5] and on the next day into the basilica, accompanied in the texts by many miracles, emblematic of divine favor in the context of the great struggle then taking place between Ambrose and the Arian Empress Justina.[6] Of the vision, the subsequent discovery of the relics and the accompanying miracles, Ambrose wrote to his sister Marcellina.
Veneration
J. Rendel Harris, in "The Dioscuri in the Christian Legends" (London, 1903), addressed the subject of twin saints in Christian legend, who seem to be connected with the
Immediately after the discovery of the relics by Ambrose, the
In 835, Angilbert II,
A tradition claims that, after the destruction of Milan by Frederick Barbarossa, his chancellor, Rainald of Dassel, had taken the relics from Milan and deposited them at Breisach in Germany, whence some came to Soissons. The claim is rejected by Milan.[8]
Nevertheless, they were
A famous series of tapestries of the "Life of Gervasius and Protasius," donated to the Cathedral of Antwerp in 1509, is displayed in the cathedral's choir.[10]
See also
- Kantheesangal
- St-Gervais-et-St-Protais Church
- San Gervasio (disambiguation)
- San Trovaso
Notes
- ^ Stracke, Richard (20 October 2015). "Gervasius and Protasius: The Iconography". Christian Iconography.
- ^ "Acta Sanctorum" June, IV, 680 and 29.
- ^ a b c d Mershman, Francis. "Sts. Gervasius and Protasius." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 24 Jan. 2014
- ^ Letter of St. Ambrose of Milan on the discovery of the Relics of Sts. Gervasius and Protasius Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Letter of Ambrose of Milan on the Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ D. H. Williams, "Ambrose of Milan and the End of the Arian-Nicene Conflicts," Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1995 discusses the "inventio" and "depositio" of the relics as the crowning gesture of Ambrose's triumph over the Arians.
- ^ Civiltà Cattolica, 1864, IX, 608, and XII, 345
- ^ Biraghi, Civiltà Cattolica, 1864, IX, 608, and XII, 345.
- ^ Gervasius - Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon
- ^ Laura Weigert, "Reconstructing Medieval Pictorial Narrative: Louis Joubert's Tapestry Restoration Project" Art Journal 54.2, Conservation and Art History, Summer 1995:67-72.
References
- ISBN 0853238294, 9780853238294; full text Ambrose of Milan: Letter 22: The Finding of SS. Gervasius and Protasius, Fordham
- This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sts. Gervasius and Protasius". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
External links
- Gervase
- Protase
- Saints Gervasius and Protasius at the Christian Iconography web site.
- Here Follow the Lives of Saints Gervase and Prothase from Caxton's translation of the Golden Legend
- St Gervase Colonnade Statue in St Peter's Square
- St Protase Colonnade Statue in St Peter's Square
- (in Italian) Santi Gervasio e Protasio
- (in German) Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon über Gervasius