Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 15, No. 3, March 1886Various
History
Donahoe's Magazine, Volume 15, No. 3, March 1886
Various
Periodicals
SAINT ENIMIA OF GEVANDAN, virgin; 6th of October, about the seventh
century. She, too, is depicted with a serpent because she is said to
have delivered the country from that dangerous animal. (AA. SS.
_Octobr._, t. XI., p. 630, t. III., p. 306, sqq.)
SAINT CRESCENTIAN; 1st of June, 287. Coins of Urbino represent him armed
cap-a-pie, on foot or on horseback, and killing a dragon with his lance,
or carrying a flag; at other times he is seen in deacon's costume,
trampling a serpent under his feet. He is said to have been a Roman
soldier, and to have introduced the Gospel into Citta-di-Castello.
(Brantii _Martyrolog. poeticum_, 1 jun:
"Letifero Crescentinus serpente Tipherni
Occiso, gladio victima cæsa cadit.")
Turning to another part of Father Cahier's work, we find that the
following saints are also represented with serpents:
SAINT JOHN THE EVANGELIST; 27th of December. He is represented holding a
sort of chalice surmounted by a little serpent or a dragon. The Golden
Legend says, that, to prove the truth of his teaching, he was compelled
to drink poison. Some of it was first given to two men condemned to
death and they died on the spot. The saint made the sign of the cross
over the cup, drank, suffered no inconvenience, and then restored the
two dead men to life. Father Cahier adds that this story seems to have
given rise to the custom especially prevalent among Germanic nations of
drinking to friends' health under pretense of honoring Saint John. He
says that this custom has sometimes been put under the protection of
Saint John the Baptist, but that it is not probable the Germans would
have cared about putting their _healths_ put under the protection of a
saint who drank only water.
SAINT CHARITON, hermit and abbot in Palestine; 28th of September, about
350. Near him is represented a serpent plunging its head in a cup. A
native of Lycaonia, and released by the Pagans after being tortured for
the faith, he went to Jerusalem, where he was taken by robbers, and
confined in the cave which was their retreat. A serpent came and drank
out of the vase in which their wine was, at the same time poisoning it
with his venom, and the robbers died in consequence, whereupon the saint
made the cave the cradle of a monastery. (_Menolog., græc_, t. I., p.
73.)
SAINT POURCAIN (_Portianus_), abbot in Auvergne; 24th of November, about
540. He is represented with a broken cup from which emerges a serpent.
King Thierry I. was ravaging Auvergne, and the holy abbot went to
intercede with him for the poor people. The King was still asleep when
he came, and the principal officer offered him a drink, which he refused
because he had not yet seen the king or celebrated the office. Pressed,
however, he blessed the vase which was brought him, it broke, and a
serpent came out of it. The whole court considered that he had been
saved from poison. (Gregor. Turon., _Vitæ PP._, cap. V.)
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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