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Dr Jo Kershaw @mthrjo.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Fun fact! Jerome is the only one of the pre-Reformation Doctors of the church to be a mere commemoration, rather than a lesser festival (so he has no official collect), largely because his personality was so obviously really unpleasant…

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In calendars, Jerome's feast is usually written in black ink, as in F.m.VII.8, f.5r from Sweden. In the 1482 edition of Breviarium Othoniense, his feast is celebrated with nine lessons, but this is typical of well-known universal saints, and not an indication of a strong veneration. - SH

Detail from a thirteenth-century calendar fragment originally from Strängnäs diocese, Sweden. In use at Morkarla Church, Sweden, c.1400. Courtesy of Fragmenta Membranea (F.m.VII.8, f.5r). For a slightly more detailed description, see next picture.

Full page from a thirteenth-century calendar fragment originally from Strängnäs diocese, Sweden. In use at Morkarla Church, Sweden, c.1400. Courtesy of Fragmenta Membranea (F.m.VII.8, f.5r). The page shows the feasts for September. Jerome is called 'presbyter', priest, and his feast is written in black ink.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In later medieval iconography, he is often depicted as a cardinal – as in the predella of the Ringsaker altarpiece – although he is most commonly known as ‘presbyter’, priest. There are many sources to Jerome’s cult in the Norse sphere, but he does not seem to have had a very high standing.

The predella of the Ringsaker altarpiece. For a more detailed description, see alt text in the next picture. Photo courtesy of NIKU; photographer: Birger Lindstad.

Altarpiece commissioned for the Church of Ringsaker in Norway, seen here with the wings open. It was made in the early 1500s, possibly in Antwerp. Photo courtesy of NIKU; photographer: Birger Lindstad. The altarpiece has a main section comprised of six niches with saints and biblical scenes. Each wing contains six niches with a saint in each. The predella contains four sections. On each side is a plague-saint - Sebastian on the left and Roch on the right - with two church-fathers placed in each middle section. Jerome is dressed as a cardinal, and his lion is lying in the background.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

In Breviarium Nidrosiense (1519), the liturgical lessons provide an overview of his learning and his associates. In art, Jerome is easily recognisable due to his lion companion. According to legend, he pulled a thorn from its paw and it became tame.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Together with Augustine, Gregory the Great & Ambrose of Milan, Jerome was considered one of the four main fathers of the Church. As a saint, Jerome was ubiquitous in Latin Christendom, but perhaps mainly due to his standing as a theologian rather than his efficacy as an intercessor in Heaven.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

He became one of the most influential Christian writers of the Latin tradition, mainly for his translation of the Bible – the so-called Vulgata – but also his letters & his hagiography. Due to this influence, he was ubiquitous in the medieval Latin Christian world of letters.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/09/2026

Today is the feast of St Jerome (c.347-419). Born in Dalmatia, he spent much of his life travelling and studying throughout the Roman Empire, including Rome, Aquileia, Trier, Constantinople, & Bethlehem.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The second version of Ágústinus Saga was composed by Björn Þorleifsson (c.1480-1548/54), the compiler of Reykjahólabók (Stock. Perg. fol. no. 3), ff. 45vb–46vb, 95ra–100va, & is ultimately drawn from Low German sources. (7/7) - DSa

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

This version is extant in 6 manuscripts, including Stock. Perg. fol. no. 2 (ca. 1425–45), ff. 35-40v, one of the largest collections of saints’ lives from medieval Iceland. This version is ultimately drawn from Possidius’ Vita Augustini (BHL 787). (6/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Two versions of the saga of St Augustine (Ágústínuss saga) are extant in Old Norse-Icelandic. According to its oldest extant manuscript, AM 221 fol. (ca. 1275–1300), the first version was composed by Runólfr Sigmundsson, abbot of the Þykkvabæjarklaustri. (5/n)

Detail from a thirteenth-century manuscript of Ágústinuss' Saga, with a rubric attributing the authorship to Abbot Rúnolfr.

Reykjavík, AM 221 fol, f. 4r.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

The saint was also known for the Rule of St Augustine, which was adopted by many Scandinavian religious houses starting in the second half of the C12. Its spread has been attributed to the direct links that influential clergymen had with the Augustinian house of St. Victor in Paris. (4/n)

The ruins of Halsnøy Abbey, an Augustinian house in Norway. Source: Wikipedia.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Augustine himself gives a sincere and heartfelt account of his life in his Confessions, an autobiographical & theological work that had great influence throughout the Middle Ages & beyond. In Scandinavia, the presence and importance of St Augustine was spread thanks to his theological works. (3/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

He spent years searching the Truth by adhering to various philosophies and religious sects, until he received baptism in 387, by the hand of St Ambrose of Milan. A prolific writer and theologian, Augustine died in his see of Hippo during the siege of the Vandals. (2/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Today is the feast of St Augustine (354-430), bishop of Hippo & Doctor of the Church. Born in Carthage of a heathen father and a Christian mother, Monica, Augustine soon established himself as a renowned teacher and rhetorician in both North Africa and Rome. (1/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Similarly, a lead plate found in Alvastra Church in Sweden, dated to the fourteenth century, contains a prayer to the Seven Sleepers for the protection against sickness. These items demonstrate how cults could thrive outside of ecclesiastical control. (6/6) - SH

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Some sources indicate that there was a significant popular cult of the Seven Sleepers. A piece of wood (Bryggens Museum - BRM 0.31413) found in Bergen contains a runic inscription of the sleepers’ names. This is likely a prayer or an invocation. (5/n)

Section of a display case in a museum, containing several wooden items with runic inscriptions.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Their feast can be found in many calendars, but it did not have a high liturgical rank. It is absent from the Breviarium Roschildense (1517), but celebrated with 3 lessons in Breviarium Nidrosiense (1519). This difference suggests that the cult was distributed unevenly throughout the North. (4/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The story of the Seven Sleepers became widely known thanks to its inclusion in Jacobus de Voragine’s Legenda Aurea (c.1260). In the Norse sphere, there are few signs that their cult was particularly important. One C15 altarpiece from Bälinge, Sweden, does contain an episode from their legend. (3/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

The history of their cult in Latin Christendom is poorly mapped. It is doubtful whether they were part of the repository of saints introduced during the Norse conversion period. The feast is, however, attested in C13 calendars (such as Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25634). (2/n)

Lower half of a thirteenth-century manuscript page containing the feasts of July & August. Important feasts are written in red ink, while less important feasts - such as the Seven Sleepers on July 27 - are written in black.

Detail of the calendar page described in the previous photo. The photo shows the feasts of the latter half of July.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Today is the feast of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus. They were a group of Christians who sought refuge in a cave during the persecutions of Emperor Decius (c.250). There they fell asleep, & were discovered in the reign of Theodosius II (408-50), thus waking up in a Christian empire. (1/n)

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Alicia Smith @timekeptcity.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Saints Outside Hagiography is going to Leeds 2027! Co-sponsored by the Hagiography Society (www.hagiographysociety.org) we are planning a panel series to go deeper into the issues our online workshop has opened up this year. Paper proposals can be submitted here: forms.cloud.microsoft/r/Qqv6AA7q4K

Saints Outside Hagiography Leeds 2027 Call for Papers

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The woodcut vignette, however, is shared by three other saints in the collection, namely SS Wencesals, Hulpe, & Pantaleon. This recycling casts doubt about Knud Dux’ fame outside Denmark. (6/6) [Syddansk Universitetsbibliotek RARA M 15, f.181r] - SH

Woodcut vignette at the lower left-hand corner of a page. The vignette shows a young man dressed in royal robes with a halo around his head. His hair reached to his shoulders, and the palms of his hands are pressed together as in prayer. He is lying against a rugged boulder. Above him, and on the right-hand side, an executioner is standing. He has smitten a curved scimitar against the young royal, and the blade of the scimitar is cleaving the royal's head from ear to ear.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Knud Dux appears in the 1492 edition of the vernacular collection of saints’ lives, Passionael, printed by Steffen Arndes in Lübeck. The book contains an abbreviated account of Knud’s life, possibly drawn from the lessons of a liturgical office. (5/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

There were several merchant guilds dedicated to St Knud, but it is often unclear which of the two St Knuds it is. The translation feast was rarely celebrated outside Denmark, and is attested in only one Swedish calendar (AM 53 4to; courtesy of handrit.is). (4/n)

Thirteenth-century calendar page showing the feast for June. The most important feasts - such as the Nativity of John the Baptist on June 24 - are written in red ink. The translation of Knud Dux appears to be added by a second hand. This addition is written in black ink.

Detail of the calendar described in the previous image, showing the feasts in the last days of June.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

This was the first coronation in Denmark & the first presided over by a Danish archbishop, as Valdemar and earlier civil war kings had been crowned by the German emperor. The cult of Knud Dux was largely dynastic, & its popularity outside the cult centre of Ringsted varied. (3/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

The murder sparked a civil war which eventually resulted in Knud’s son Valdemar becoming king of Denmark. He sought to have his father canonised, & succeeded in 1169. On June 25 1170, the translation of Knud’s relics to Ringsted Abbey was combined with the coronation of Valdemar’s son, Knud. (2/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Today is the translation feast of St Knud Lavard (1096-1131), also known as Knud Dux. He was the son of King Erik Ejegod of Denmark (r.1095-1103), & the nephew of King Niels (r.1104-34). Knud was killed by his cousin Magnus near Ringsted, out of fear that he was plotting to be king. (1/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Curiously, while Petronilla is identified as a martyr in the breviary’s calendar. The heading of the office, however, reads “On the feast of St Petronilla, virgin, not a martyr”. This detail suggests that she was not a famous saint, but her story was available in the medieval North. (6/6) -SH

Rubric heading that marks the beginning of the liturgical office of St Petronilla. The heading translates as: In the feast of St Petronilla, virgin, not a martyr.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

The office for her feast-day in Breviarium Nidrosiense (1519) consists of 3 lessons which narrate a condensed version of her legend as it was known from the C6 onwards. She is here linked to other saints such as Peter, Nicodemus, Nereus, & Achilles. (5/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Exemplifying Petronilla's ubiquity throughout the medieval period are these two C13 calendar fragments. Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 25634 was possibly produced in Linköping. Fragmenta Membranea F.m.I.115, f.1r might have been produced in Sweden, but was used in Åbo from at least the late C14. (4/n)

Fragment of a medieval calendar, showing the lower part of the months of May and June. Important feasts are written in red ink, while the less important ones, like Petronilla's on May 31, are written in black. The fragment shows a lot of wear and tear, and contain postmedieval inscriptions, probably having been used as the binding of an account book.

Full page from a calendar fragment. The page contains the feasts for the month of May, with some important fests - including the translation of a relic of the Crown of Thorns - in red ink, and less important feasts in black ink. Petronella's feast is in black ink. The fragment shows several postmedieval inscriptions. The fragment has most likely been used as a book binding.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Petronilla was included in early martyrologies, & her cult was disseminated as part of the general Latin Christianisation process. It is unlikely that she was the subject of an active cult in the Nordic countries, but her feast-day is a common feature in medieval calendars. (3/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

According to the C6 legend, Petronilla was a Roman noblewoman who was converted by St Peter. She refused to marry a pagan suitor & chose rather to starve herself to death. A later tradition also claims she was Peter’s daughter, presumably because of her name. (2/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 31/05/2026

Today is the feast of St Petronilla. The earliest history of her cult is uncertain. It can be traced at least back to the C4 as she appears in a fresco in the catacombs of Domitilla in Rome. The fresco identifies her by name & her status as martyr. (1/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

In Sweden, a St. George hospital is documented in Sigtuna in 1278. In Norway, Bergen’s St. George’s hospital dates to the C15. In Denmark, archaeological research at Næstved’s St. George’s hospital has identified it as a prominent leprosarium in the period 1250–1550). (7/7) -DSe

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

On Gotland, representations of St. George are also abundant, including the murals of Halla and Öja Churches and the wooden sculpture at Hamra (c.1400). Hospitals in Sweden, Denmark, & Norway were dedicated to St. George. (6/n)

Wooden sculpture showing St. George in armour standing on the dragon's back, piercing its mouth with his spear.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

In Denmark, murals at Højby Church (C15) depict the saint as part of the parish wall-painting program (left). Nibe Church, associated with the Sæby Workshop (circa 1505–1525) & the Sebber Workshop (circa 1500–1525), preserves 13 scenes illustrating the legend of St. George (right). (5/n)

Mural showing a green field with St. George in the centre, astride a horse and wielding a lance. The lance is piercing the mouth of a red dragon. Behind George, Princess Alexandra is praying. The scene is hemmed by floreate patterns.

View of the interior of Nibe church with fragments of restored wall-paintings visible on the walls. In the distance, we can see the outline of the scene where the horse-riding George is piercing the mouth of the red dragon. The scene is located underneath and between two windows, right in the centre of a wall. On the right-hand side and continuing across the corner and onto the next wall are two rows of scenes that together depict the legend of St. George.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

The C15 Teiknibókin, a collection of models used by artists for manuscript illustrations, church paintings, carvings, and silversmithing (AM 673a III 4to), includes a model of St. George and the dragon. He frequently appears in Scandinavian mural painting, with over 50 documented instances. (4/n)

Full-page illumination showing the scene of George killing the dragon. The dragon is crouching in the right-hand corner of the image - almost lost due to damage on the margin of the page - while George is riding a horse, piercing the dragon's mouth with his lance. Behind him is the princess - often named Alexandra in the legends - and a lamb. In the background we see a harbour city with many ships and fishing boats afloat on the water. The sea is shown curving towards the horizon, with masts of distant ships appearing above it.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

There is abundant evidence of St George’s cult in Scandinavia: liturgical books, vitae, murals, manuscript illuminations, hospital dedications, & monumental church sculpture. Georgíuss saga is preserved in the largest legendary Reykjahólabók (Iceland Stock. Perg. fol. no. 3, ca. 1530–40). (3/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

St George was widely venerated in both Eastern & Western Christianity, serving as a model of courage and military sanctity, as well as a patron of lepers. St George is also recognised as one of the 14 Holy Helpers, a changeable configuration of saints established in the 1300s. (2/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 23/04/2026

Today is the feast of St. George, a Roman soldier who refused to renounce his faith during the Diocletian Persecution & was executed in Lydda, now Lod. Accounts of him as a warrior saint date from the C6 onward. They became popular & culminated in the well-known legend of the dragon. (1/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Come join us for an excellent conference that brings together a much-needed discussion between our two spheres.

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Reposted by Norse Hagiography Network

Celtic Hagiography Network @celtichagiography.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

Limited tickets to attend Sacred Networks: New Perspectives on Hagiography and Saints’ Cults in the Celtic and Norse Worlds *in person* remain - register soon to avoid disappointment! @networknorse.bsky.social www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sacred-net...

eventbrite.co.uk

Sacred Networks: New Perspectives on Hagiography and Saints’ Cults

Sacred Networks: New Perspectives on Hagiography and Saints’ Cults in the Celtic and Norse Worlds

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

A wooden statue from Tidavad parish church in Västergötland has been tentatively identified as the sainted tribune, & its iconography fits with that of the near-contemporary woodcut from the Lübeck Passionael. This suggests that the cult was popular, if not old. (6/6) - SH

Statue carved in oak, depicting a man in armour. He is holding a shield in his left hand, and his right arm is missing. He is wearing a cloak. His hair is flowing freely almost down to his shoulders.

Courtesy of Lennart Karlsson, Medeltidens bildvärld.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Several sources from the C15 suggest a surge in veneration of Quirinus in Sweden. Several pilgrimages to the Church of Quirinus are known, & pilgrim badges have been found in multiple locations (for details, see the Mapping Saints project: saints.dh.gu.se/explore/sain...). (5/n)

saints.dh.gu.se

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

St Quirinus' translation feast is recorded in the late-C12 Sollentuna calendar from Sweden (Sveriges Riksarkiv, Fr 25623). It is unclear whether this proves an active cult, or whether it is simply a feast copied from an imported calendar. (4/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

In 1050, Quirinus’ relics were translated to Neuss in Germany. They were given by Pope Leo IX to Gepa, the abbess of Neuss, who was also the pope’s sister. The cult of St Quirinus in the Nordic sphere is poorly documented, & is likely to never have been extensive. (3/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

This legend appears in the office for May 4 in Breviarium Nidrosiense. As a tribune, Quirinus is depicted as a knight in later medieval art, such as in the 1492 Lübeck Passionael, printed by Steffen Arndes. [Syddansk Universitetsbibliotek RARA M 15, f.383r] (2/n)

Blurry picture of a woodcut vignette from an incunable. The vignette shows an executioner with his back turned towards the viewer, with a drawn sword ready to strike off the head of a kneeling man in armour. A royal figure stands to the left, watching. The scene is set outdoors.

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

Today is the feast of St Quirinus of Neuss. His historicity is uncertain, but he is associated with the legend of Pope Alexander I & St Balbina (set in the C2). Quirinus was believed to have been a Roman tribune who imprisoned the pope, but then converted together with his daughter Balbina. (1/n)

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

In Norway, after the Reformation & well into the twentieth century, ‘Pederstol’, Peter’s chair, remained an important reference point in the calendars. It was said that on this date the ice began to thaw. On runic calendars, the feast was marked by Peter's keys. (6/6) - SH

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Norse Hagiography Network @networknorse.bsky.social · 22/02/2026

In a C15 calendar from Åbo, the rank is simplex, a low rank. In Breviarium Nidrosiense (1519), the rank is semiduplex, which is higher. In a C15 calendar from Linköping (Sveriges Riksarkiv Fr 27557, the rank is listed as totum duplex, the highest possible rank. (5/n)

Calendar fragment showing the feast of February. The fragment shows water damage and the beginning of the calendar entries are folded around the page for which the fragment served as a cover. The feast of St. Peter's Chair is seen in red letters with the rank to[tum] d[uple]x.

Close-up of the entry for St. Peter's Chair described in the previous image.

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