Evidence ID
E03519
Type of Evidence
Literary - Other narrative texts (including Histories)
Gallic Chronicle of 452, 14
Reliquiae Gervasi et Protasii martyrum ab Ambrosio primum Mediolani repertae.
'The relics of Gervasius and Protasius the martyrs are first discovered by Ambrose at Milan.'
Text: Mommsen 1892, 646 (Burgess 2001, 68).
Translation: David Lambert.
Cult Places
Burial site of a saint - unspecified
RelicsBodily relic - entire body
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Source
The Gallic Chronicle of 452 was written by an unknown author who is generally located by scholars in southern Gaul on the basis of the prominence of southern Gallic events in the Chronicle. The last event mentioned in the Chronicle is the invasion of Italy by Attila in 452. It is therefore assumed to have been compiled at around that date, hence its modern title. For full discussion see Muhlberger 1990, 136-192; Burgess 2001, 52-65.The Gallic Chronicle of 452 is a continuation of the chronicle of Jerome, beginning when Jerome's concludes (in the 370s), and has the same chronological system, which makes simultaneous use of years from the birth of Abraham, Olympiads, and regnal years of Roman emperors (Burgess 2001, 52, 57-60).
Discussion
The discovery of the bodies of Gervasius and Protasius by Ambrose of Milan is one of the best known incidents involving the discovery and translation of relics in late antiquity (e.g. the account in Augustine's Confessions, E01019). The event occurred in 386; it is in approximately the correct chronological position in the Chronicle. The chronicler's source for his entry on the event is probably the Life of Ambrose by Paulinus of Milan (E00904), which was the source for other entries about Ambrose (Mommsen 1892, 646, n. 8).Bibliography
Editions:Mommsen, T., Chronica Gallica a.CCCCLII, in: Chronica Minora saec. IV. V. VI. VII., vol. 1 (Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Auctores Antiquissimi 9; Berlin: Apud Weidmannos, 1892), 646-662.
Burgess, R., "The Gallic Chronicle of 452: A New Critical Edition with a Brief Introduction," in: R.W. Mathisen and D. Shanzer (eds.), Society and Culture in Late Antique Gaul: Revisiting the Sources (Aldershot: Ashgate, 2001), 52-84, pp. 67-82.
English translation:
Murray, A.C., From Roman to Merovingian Gaul: A Reader (Peterborough, Ontario: Broadview Press, 2000), 76-85.
Further reading:
Muhlberger, S., The Fifth-Century Chroniclers: Prosper, Hydatius, and the Gallic Chronicler of 452 (Leeds: Francis Cairns, 1990).
Record Created By
David Lambert
Date of Entry
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00313 | Gervasius and Protasius, brothers and martyrs of Milan | Gervasius, Protasius | Certain | S00490 | Ambrose, bishop of Milan, ob. 397 | Ambrosius | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
David Lambert, Cult of Saints, E03519 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E03519