[MR] Wikipedia and Others: Saint Scholastica

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Today, 10 February is the feast day of the interestingly-named Saint
Scholastica (480-533). She was the sister (supposedly twin) to Saint
Benedict of Nursia, founder of the Benedictine Order and author of the Rule
of St. Benedict, the basis for Catholic monasticism. Scholastica was said
to have founded the order of Benedictine nuns:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scholastica and
https://catholicsaints.info/saint-scholastica/ .

On this day in 1355, a riot erupted between Oxford scholars and
townspeople, which left some 90 dead. This event is commonly known as the
St. Scholastica Day Riot, which seems hardly fair to the saint, who had
nothing to do with the fighting. It is interesting that the riot's 1907
re-enactment was depicted on a postcard ("official", no less). It looks
like the SCA's 1966 Berkeley founders were not the first college students
to think of dressing up in medieval clothes and whacking each other:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Scholastica_Day_riot .

For those of you interested in a local connection, Saint Scholastica and
her brother Saint Benedict are depicted in panel 13 of the Albert Adsil
Clemons doors on display at the UVA School of Architecture. The
identification was made by Father Gregory Kandt, formerly pastor of the
Church of the Incarnation in Charlottesville. These doors may or may not be
medieval, but they are very, very old. The doors and a summary of my
research can be found at
http://isenfir.atlantia.sca.org/artsandsciences/files/CHAPEL%20DOORS.pdf .

Yours Aye,


Lord Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆