E00544: Gregory of Tours, in his Glory of the Martyrs (46), narrates the discovery of the bodies of *Gervasius and Protasius (martyrs of Milan, S00313) by Bishop Ambrose, the construction of their church there, and the distribution of relics of their blood all over Italy and Gaul; an explanation is offered for the large quantity of blood distributed. Written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 580/594.
Creators: name: Kwojtalik
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2015
Subjects: History

description: Gregory of Tours, Glory of the Martyrs 46<br><br>In hac enim urbe beatorum martyrum Gervasi Protasique victricia corpora retenentur, quae diu, sicut ipsa passionis narrat historia, sub fossa latuerunt. Quae beato Ambrosio revelata atque ab eodem reperta, in basilicam, quam ipse proprio aedificavit studio, ostensis miraculis, sunt sepulta. De quorum reliquiis quia maxime Turonica urbs seniores eclesias contenet inlustratas, sed et per totum Galliarum ambitum Deo propitio dilatatae sunt. <br><br>Sermo quadam vice de his quibusdam religiosis est habitus, vel qua de causa antedictae reliquiae tam condensae fuerint per loca singula distributa. Et quae super his quodam referente audivi, absurdum non putavi inserere lectioni, quia non contenetur in historia passionis. Aiebat enim, quod, quando haec gloriosa corpora translata in eclesia illa fuerunt, dum in honore ipsorum martyrum missarum solemnia celebrarentur, cecidisse e camera tabulam unam, qui inlisa capitibus martyrum, rivum sanguinis elicuerit. De quo infecta lenteamina vel pallulae sive vela eclesiastica, beatus cruor collectus est; qui usque adeo confluxisse fertur, quoadusque lenteamina, qui susciperent, sunt reperta. Ex hoc enim eorum reliquiae affatim collectae per universam Italiam vel Gallias sunt dilatae. Ex quibus et sanctus Martinus multa suscepit, sicut Paulini beatissimi narrat epistola.<br><br><br>'In this city [of Milan] there are the victorious bodies of the blessed martyrs Gervasius and Protasius. According to the history of their suffering, for a long time their bodies were concealed underground. Their location was revealed to the blessed Ambrose, who found the bodies. After a display of miracles, the bodies were buried in a church that Ambrose had built by his own effort. Tours in particular has some older churches distinguished with relics (reliquiae) of these saints, although by God's grace their relics were also scattered throughout the entire compass of Gaul. <br><br>Once some monks were talking about these saints, [and wondered] why the aforementioned relics had been so thickly distributed to various places. I do not think it irrelevant to insert in this selection what I heard someone say on this matter, because it is not found in the history of their suffering. For this man said that when their glorious bodies were moved into the church, during the celebration of mass in honour of the martyrs a board fell from the vault. The board struck the heads of the martyrs and drew a flow of blood. The holy blood was collected after linen cloths, robes, and even the curtains of the church were stained with it. The blood was said to have continued flowing until linen cloths were found to soak it up. Thereafter, since so many relics [of the blood] of the martyrs were gathered, they were sent throughout the whole of Italy and Gaul. Saint Martin received many of these relics, as the letter of the most blessed Paulinus states.'<br><br>Text: Krusch 1969, 69. Translation: Van Dam 2004, 45.