The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity

Lives of the Fathers of Mérida, 4.7

7. [1] Hic namque uir beatus in corpore positus crebro eum cum sanctorum cateruas in coro eclesie stans et psallens uisus fuisse peribetur. Et alia multa narrantur, que scribere propter prolixitatem sui, ne fastidium legentibus prebeant, desiuimus. [2] Die quadam puerum familiarem suum ad locum quo Caspiana uocabulum est, quod ab Emerita urbe milibus sedecim distat, direxit ac precepit eum sub omni festinatione reuerti. [3] Qui quum fuisset et eodem die reuerti non occurrisset, ibidem mansit. Cui in ipso noctis initio iam dormienti uisum fuit gallos cantasse. Statim que expergefactus caballum suum ascendit atque festinus properans ante medium noctis ad portam ipsius ciuitatis, que appellatur Porta Pontis, peruenit. [4] Qui dum ibi diutissime residens cerneret quia ante ora oportuna consurrexisset et quia, quamuis clamasset, uociferante nullus ei portam aperiret, uisum est ei ut caballo suo pabulum erbe paululum daret, quousque aliquis forsitan portam reseraret. [5] Et ecce subito intempeste noctis eleuans oculos suos uidit eminus glouum igneum ab eclesia sancti Fausti, que ab urbe fere miliario distat, procedente atque ad basilicam sancte Leucricie peruenientem. [6] Qui quum tacitus contemplaret quidnam esset, nec mora et ecce multitudo sanctorum, quibus illud lumen preibat, uenientes per pontem ad portam usque peruenerunt, cum quibus etiam gradiebatur sanctissimus Fidelis. [7] At ubi uentum est ad portam, uidens supradictus puer aucta candidatorum agmina, ipsum etiam sanctum Fidelem ciclade niuea indutum in medio eorum properantem cernens obstipuit et exterritus ac tremebundus pre timore factus est uelut mortuus. [8] Illis uero claustra portarum diuinitus reserauit mox que ingressi sunt ciuitatem. Quibus ingressos, ille consurgens atque uolens post eos ingredi, sed nullatenus potuit, quia portam ita clausam sicut prius inuenit. [9] Qui quum primo diluculo aperta peruenisset ad atrium, protinus eum uir sanctus interrogauit quali ora de predicto loco egressus fuisset. Cui ille et oram in qua surrexerat et moram quam ad portam fecerat enarrauit. [10] Quem quum uir Dei interrogasset si aliquid non uidisset et ille uidisse se fateretur, hunc admonuit ut, quousque ipse sanctus in corpore esset, nulli referret ne ei ad immane periculum pertineret.


'7. 1. Even while still in the flesh this blessed man is said to have often been seen standing and singing in the choir of the church with the hosts of the saints. Many other tales are told about him which we shall decline to relate on account of the length of the telling, lest they should become burdensome to our readers. 2. One day he sent a boy from his household to a place called Caspiana, sixteen miles away from Merida and instructed him to return in all haste. 3. He, when he had gone and was unable to return the same day, stayed there. At nightfall when he was already asleep, he dreamt that the cocks had crowed. Waking at once, he mounted his horse and hurried through the middle of the night until he came to the gate of the city which is called the Gate of the Bridge. 4. When he had been there a long time, he realised that he had risen at an untimely hour and that, though he had shouted, no one would open the gate for him when he called, and so he decided to put his horse to grass for a short while until someone should unbar the gate. 5. And, lo, lifting up his eyes in the stillness of the night, he saw far off a fiery globe coming from the church of St Faustus which lies around a mile from the town. Setting out from there, it passed to the basilica of St Lucretia. 6. He watched this in silence wondering what it might be, then all at once there came a multitude of saints whom the light preceded, who crossing the bridge, arrived at the gate and amongst their number walked the most holy Fidel. 7. When they reached the gate, the boy, seeing the columns of white-clad saints had multiplied and that the holy Fidel wearing a white cloak was hurrying along in their midst, was astounded. Petrified, he began to tremble and through his fear became as a dead man. 8. The Deity opened the bars of the gates for the host and they entered the city. When they had gone in, the boy rising up wished to go in after them, but was in no way able to do so, for he found the gate secured just as it had been before. 9. When it was opened at dawn, he went to the palace and straightaway the holy man asked him at what hour he had set out from Caspiana. The boy told him the hour at which he had risen and the delay that he had experienced at the gate. 10. When the man of God then asked him if he had not seen something and he confessed that he had, Fidel warned him to make no mention of it, while he, the Holy man, remained in the body, to avoid coming into great peril.'


Text: Maya Sánchez 1992, 38-41 (text numbering from Garvin 1945, as used by Fear).
Translation: Fear 1997, 67-68.

Procession

Cult building - independent (church)

Apparition, vision, dream, revelation
Miraculous sound, smell, light
Power over objects

Ecclesiastics - bishops
Other lay individuals/ people

Source

Discussion

Bibliography