Authored in Fall 2024 by Grace Deaton and Rebecca Haulk, Hargrett Hours 4.2
Anne
Saint Anne is famous for being the mother of the Virgin Mary. Although Anne does not appear in the Bible, by the later Middle Ages, her story develops and centers especially on Mary’s conception. Mary’s cult became popular in the twelfth century; this new popularity made many Christians question Anne’s role and her chastity. Different stories circulated, some saying that Mary was conceived after angels visited Anne or when her parents chastely embraced. Most of Anne’s legends state that Mary was conceived “immaculately” and that Anne retained her virginity and maidenhood. This saint also provided a gateway for medieval scholars to research Jesus’ extended family. Most notably, Anne is said to also be the mother of Mary Jacob and Mary Salome, who then birthed Jesus’ cousins or his “brothers” in the Bible. In fifteenth-century miniatures, Anneis often depicted teaching Mary how to read (Reames).
After looking through over 60 books of hours, we found suffrages to Anne in 17 of them. These included six antiphons and two oratios. Unusually, the Hargrett Hours has two suffrages to Anne. The first suffrage has the antiphon “Celeste beneficium introivit in anna” and the oratio “Deus qui beate anne tantam graciam.” The second suffrage has an antiphon that opens “Magna mater magne prolis nobilis” and an oratio that opens “Deus qui nos beate anne venerabili” (CO 1366b).
Anne received many antiphons, but the first antiphon in the Hargrett Hours is the most popular antiphon we found, appearing in six books of hours. Most of these antiphons praise Anne for being the mother of the Virgin Mary. The first oratio to Anne was found in all 17 other books of hours and also praises Anne for being Mary’s mother. In her second suffrage, both the antiphon and the oratio were only found in the Hargrett Hours. This suffrage follows the format of the others though, as it discusses Anne’s motherhood and how she currently lives with God.
Mary Jacob and Salome
The story of Mary Jacob and Mary Salome is contested and differs among regions. However, it is said that the two are sisters, or sometimes sister-in-laws, of the Virgin Mary, all three having different fathers. Mary Jacob (also called Mary Cleophae) and Mary Salome are said to have witnessed the crucifixion of Christ and stayed with the Virgin Mary until she died (Holweck 679). These women became more popular when scholars began researching Jesus’ extended family. Since Mary Jacob and Mary Salome are sisters to the Virgin Mary, their sons are Jesus’ cousins; it is theorized that the “brothers” mentioned in the Bible are these cousins, connecting Mary Jacob and Mary Salome very closely with Christ (Reames).
Only four books of hours in our survey had a suffrage to Mary Jacob and Mary Salome. In the Hargrett Hours, the antiphon to these virgins opens “O sorores egregie matris” and her oratio begins “Deus qui beatas mariam jacobi.” This antiphon appeared in no other books of hours and the oratio only appeared in one other manuscript. Overall, we found four different antiphons and three different oratios; this tells us that there was no standard suffrage to Mary Jacob and Mary Salome, and if someone wanted to include these saints in their book of hours, they would probably have to create a new suffrage to them rather than copying it from another text.
All of the suffrages to Mary Jacob and Mary Salome are very generic. They do not invoke the two women for anything specific, but typically just ask for blessings or love from God. Therefore, the suffrage in the Hargrett Hours is not atypical, even though it is unique.
Genevieve
Saint Genevieve, most well known for being the patron saint of Paris, was a historical figure and a very popular saint in Parisian books of hours. She earned the title of patron saint after she successfully prayed for the diversion of the Hun army from Paris in 451. Not only was she seen as a protector of the whole city, she was also known in the Middle Ages as being a healer and bringer of rain. Genevieve continued to be important in later medieval France, as her relics were carried throughout the city to help with illnesses, droughts, or in celebration (Sluhovsky). Eventually, this led to the creation of an extra feast day on November 26, called the “the feast of the miracle of the ‘Burning Ones,’” to celebrate her aid in curing a large ergotism outbreak that occurred in 1129 (Izbicki 399).
Throughout our research, we found 22 suffrages for Genevieve in 20 manuscripts. We also found seven different antiphons and seven different oratios to Saint Genevieve. In the Hargrett Hours, her antiphon is “O felix ancilla dei genovefa” (Cantus 203428), and her oratio opens“Mitissime deus miserere peccantibus.” Out of these 22 suffrages, 14 of them had the same antiphon and 10 had the same oratio as the Hargrett Hours. Additionally, seven of these suffrages (the antiphon and oratio) exactly matched the suffrage to Saint Genevieve in the Hargrett Hours, and this suffrage was the most common one we found to Genevieve.
Since a significant number of suffrages matched the one in the Hargrett Hours and the antiphon is found in the breviary from Notre Dame (BNF MS Lat 15181, fols. 407v-409v), we know that this is not a unique suffrage but is one commonly used in Paris. Of these 22 suffrages to Genevieve, 18 of them invoked her for health and well-being. Some of these suffrages were very specific, using phrases like “make those who complain be free from the plague.” A few books of hours used general, but still health-related phrases like “rejoicing in the sanctity of body and soul.” Therefore, we can assume that the Hargrett Hours suffrage, which requests that God “grant us the health of your mind and body,” can be read in this same medical context.
Since most of Saint Genevieve’s suffrages invoke her for health reasons, we can call her a “medical saint.” Other medical saints include Saint Apollonia (invoked for toothaches), Saint Agatha (invoked for breast cancer), and Saint Denis (invoked for headaches), and we define them as saints that are prayed to for medical assistance. Genevieve was often invoked to help with the burning sickness (or the Holy Fire disease), which arose as a result of ergotism. As stated above, in addition to her other two feast days, she had a dedicated day on November 26th to celebrate her help in the eradication of the disease. Therefore, we can see that although Saint Genevieve was titled the patron saint of Paris, most of the time she worked on a much more personal level, as she healed the sick and helped protect the city from large-scale illnesses.
Margaret
Saint Margaret of Antioch is a legendary saint. According to her legend, she was the daughter of a pagan priest who became a Christian and was kicked out of her home. She was kidnapped by the governor of Antioch who tried to seduce her, but she refused and proclaimed she was a Christian. She was tortured in many ways, including being swallowed by a dragon. Her iconography typically depicted her either emerging from the dragon or standing atop it in triumph. She was ultimately beheaded under the persecution of Diocletian (Farmer 327-328). Before her death, she promised to assist anyone who reads and shares her legend. Since Margaret is the patron saint of childbirth, typically her assistance was a promise of safe childbirth and health for mother and child. Depending on the particular legend, her assistance could also include the preservation of chastity, protection from other kinds of danger, and forgiveness of sins. Due to her association with childbirth, she was an extremely popular saint during the Middle Ages (Reames).
Margaret appeared in 24 books of hours. In the Hargrett Hours, her antiphon opens “Erat autem margareta annorum quindecim,” which is a passage taken from a version of her legend. Her oratio opens “Deus qui beatam margarteaam virginem.”
In the survey, we found six different antiphons, which were all relatively common. There is also a wide variety in sources of antiphons – the one in the Hargrett Hours is the text of her legend, another common antiphon is a hymn, and we also found several “stock” antiphons for all virgins with Margaret’s name plugged in. We found three different oratios. The most common one is the one found in the Hargrett Hours, appearing in 22 out of the 24 books of hours. The other two oratios we found were each only found in one manuscript of our survey.
Katherine
Katherine (also known as Catherine of Alexandria) was a legendary saint with an ancient cult centered on Mount Sinai in Egypt. Her legend says that she was a noble woman who rejected a proposal of marriage from the emperor because of her faith. She also successfully defended Christianity in front of 50 pagan philosophers. Katherine was tortured on a wheel, which became her symbol or attribute, but survived only to be later beheaded (Farmer). She was a popular saint with many different groups of people, including aristocratic women because she was royalty, university students because she was a scholar, and nursing mothers because milk flowed from her neck after she was beheaded. She is also known as the patron saint of craftsmen who worked with wheels. Because Katherine appealed to such a large audience, stories of her legend often vary considerably (Reames).
We found a total of 33 suffrages to Katherine. This included four antiphons and five oratios. The antiphon in the Hargrett Hours opens “Virgo sancta katherina grecie gemma” (Cantus 205274). The oratio is “Deus qui dedisti legem moisi” (CO 1521).
The Hargrett Hours suffrage is by far the most common; this antiphon and oratio appear together in 25 of our 33 books of hours. This short antiphon was found in 28 manuscripts and tells the reader her parentage and that she was born in Greece. The oratio was found in 29 manuscripts and praises Katherine as well as describing her burial place on Mount Sinai. The other antiphons and oratios were found less often, appearing in one to three books of hours. These all have a very similar focus and tend to praise Katherine for her virtue and her martyrdom with little mention of her legend.
Agnes
Saint Agnes is a historical figure born in Rome in 291, although the stories about her are probably legendary. She is said to have refused marriage at the age of thirteen because of her dedication to Christ. In some versions of her legend, she is tied to a stake to be burned, but the flames don’t harm her. She is then killed by a sword piercing her throat (Farmer 7-8).
In our survey, Agnes appeared in the suffrages of five books of hours. Her antiphon in the Hargrett Hours opens “Beata agnes in medio flammarum” (Cantus 001559) and her oratio starts “Omnipotens sempiterne deus” (CO3929b).
Every Parisian book of hours we found had the same antiphon and oratio found in the Hargrett Hours. Through the use of the Cantus database, we found this antiphon appearing frequently in liturgical manuscripts from cathedrals throughout France, including the Notre Dame breviary (BNF MS Lat 15181 f. 421r). It also appears in liturgical manuscripts coming from outside of France, including manuscripts from modern-day Belgium, England, and Italy. This data suggests that this antiphon is universal.
Mary the Egyptian
Mary of Egypt is a legendary saint who was a reformed prostitute. The earliest written version of her legend dates to the seventh century. That legend is told from the point of view of Zozimas, a monk seeking spiritual growth. He encounters Mary in the deserts of Egypt and she tells him of her life. She was a prostitute for seventeen years before receiving a vision from the Virgin Mary telling her to repent by living as a hermit in the desert (Schiavone de Cruz-Saenz 12-13). Later versions of Mary’s legend, including French vernacular legends, shift the focus from Zozimas as the main character to Mary herself. One such example is Rutebeuf’s thirteenth-century interpretation of her legend, which depicts Mary as a “paradigm of repentance and conversion” (Cazelles 259).
In the Hargrett Hours, the antiphon for Mary of Egypt is “In procellis hujus naufragii” (Cantus 202461) and the oratio is “Devotum tibi populum” (CO2222). In our survey, Mary of Egypt appeared in five books of hours. We found three distinct antiphons and two distinct oratios.
The Hargrett Hours has the same combination of antiphon and oratio as two other Books of Hours, both of which are specifically Parisian. The text of both the antiphon and oratio comes directly from the fourteenth-century Notre Dame breviary (BNF MS Lat 15181 473v, 477v). The other two manuscripts we found are not Parisian, but still French. These manuscripts both have different antiphons from the Parisian manuscripts. One of these manuscripts has the “Devotum tibi” oratio, while the other has a unique antiphon we could not locate elsewhere. This data is another piece of evidence that the Hargrett Hours is a Parisian manuscript.
Mary Magdalene
Mary Magdalene is a biblical figure and saint. Her medieval legend is composed of her life before and after Christ’s Ascension. The pre-Ascension part of her legend is somewhat based in the New Testament and melds together three biblical figures: the woman who is explicitly called Mary Magdalene who had seven devils exorcised from her; Mary of Bethany, the sister of Martha and Lazarus; and the unnamed sinner who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears. The post-Ascension portion of her legend is apocryphal and developed through many different iterations across Europe. The most popular version of her post-Ascension legend is that she was an apostle in Marseilles and Aix-en-Provence. While she was popular across Europe in the late Middle Ages, she was particularly popular in France due to this version of her legend, and many of her principal shrines were located in France (Reames).
Mary Magdalene appeared in the suffrages of 21 books of hours. We found four different antiphons and two oratios for her. In the Hargrett Hours, her antiphon opens “In diebus illis mulier” (Cantus 003224) and her oratio is “Largire nobis quesumus clementissime pater” (CO3231).
All four of the antiphons we found for Mary Magdalene reference the biblical story of the sinner washing Jesus’ feet with her tears. The antiphon in the Hargrett Hours uses the text from Luke 7:37-38; however, the most popular antiphon we found uses the account from John 12:3. The oratio we found in the Hargrett Hours appeared in all of the suffrages we found. We also found one manuscript whose suffrage to Mary Magdalene contained two oratios – one being the universal oratio found in the Hargrett Hours and the other only found in this manuscript.
Apollonia
Apollonia is the patron saint of toothaches. Her legend states that she was a deaconess in Alexandria before she was captured and tortured for her Christian beliefs. Her persecutors ripped out all of her teeth before threatening to throw her into a fire if she did not rescind these beliefs. In the end, Apollonia threw herself into the fire, becoming a martyr (Farmer).
We found suffrages to Apollonia in 10 other books of hours. Unfortunately, the folio containing the opening to Apollonia’s suffrage is missing, so we do not know what antiphon it included. The end of her oratio is visible on fol. 81r; the text there is similar to (but not identical with) CO 1317, “Deus, pro cuius sanctissimi nominis.”
Overall, we found five different antiphons and three different oratios. One of the suffrages we found contained an antiphon but not an oratio. The most common antiphon to Apollonia was found in five books of hours and her most common oratio was found in four; however, this antiphon and oratio rarely appear in manuscripts together, suggesting that Apollonia, unlike other virgin saints, did not have a standard suffrage. Almost all of the antiphons to Apollonia reference her legend; they retell her story and discuss how, while she was being tortured, she prayed to Jesus that those who invoke her should not have tooth pain. Her oratios, though, either pray to her for aid in toothaches or pray to God to keep Apollonia and the reader safe. From this research, we can assume that the suffrage in the Hargrett Hours would have been very similar, invoking Apollonia as the patron saint of toothaches.
References
Abbreviations
CO: Moeller, Edmond Eugène, Jean-Marie Clément, and Bertrand Coppieters ‘t Wallant, eds. Corpus orationum. Corpus Christianorum Series Latina 160 A–M. Brepols: 1993–2004. https://usuarium.elte.hu/corpusorationum/
Cantus: Cantus: A Database for Latin Ecclesiastical Chant. Directed by Debra Lacoste (2011-present), Terence Bailey (1997-2010), and Ruth Steiner (1987-1996); developed for the web by Jan Koláček (2011-2023), McGill University Distributed Digital Music Archives & Libraries Lab – DDMAL (2023-present); and funded through the Digital Analysis of Chant Transmission project at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada (SSHRC 895-2023-1002). https://cantusdatabase.org .
Works Cited
Cazelles, Brigitte. The Lady as Saint : A Collection of French Hagiographic Romances of the Thirteenth Century. University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991.
Cruz-Sáenz, Michèle S.de. The Life of Saint Mary of Egypt : An Edition and Study of the Medieval French and Spanish Verse Redactions. Puvill, 1979.
Farmer, David. The Oxford Dictionary of Saints, Revised. OUP Oxford, 2011.
Holweck, Frederick George. A biographical dictionary of the saints: with a general introduction on hagiology. Vol. 1. B. Herder, 1924, pp. 677-679.
Izbicki, Thomas M. “Saint Geneviève and the Anointing of the Sick.” The Catholic Historical Review, vol. 104, no. 3, Jan. 2018, pp. 393–414.
Reames, Sherry L. Middle English Legends of Women Saints. Medieval Institute Publications, Western Michigan University, 2003. https://metseditions.org/editions/W2PjE0jIWWYYu4K6H36vEIR1EDEYV6p
Sluhovsky, Moshe. Patroness of Paris: Rituals of Devotion in Early Modern France. E J Brill, 1998.
Manuscripts Consulted
Bibliothèque Nationale de France MS Lat 15181
University of Georgia, Hargrett Library, Hargrett MS 836