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Aemilian of Cogolla

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For the Italian city, see Milan. For other saints with this name, see Aemilian (disambiguation).

Aemilian
Abbot
Born12 November 472
La Rioja, Spain
Died11 June 573
Spain
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church[1]
Anglican Communion
Major shrineAugustinian Recollets monastery of La Cogolla
Feast12 November
Attributesmonk on horseback
PatronageCastile
Monastery of San Millán de Yuso

Saint Aemilian (/ˈimiːliən/; (in Latin Emilianus or Aemilianus) (12 November 472 – 11 June 573) is an Iberic saint, widely revered throughout Spain, who lived during the age of Visigothic rule.

Life

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According to his Vita, written by Braulio, the bishop of Caesaraugusta (modern Zaragoza) roughly a hundred years after the saint's death,[2] Aemilian was born in Vergaja,[3] which is identified with Berceo in La Rioja, where he was a shepherd.

Aemilian had a religious experience, perhaps around the age of twenty, which led him to decide to dedicate himself to God's service. He sought out an experienced hermit in Bilibio,[4] Felix (more usually known by the Spanish form of his common name, San Felices), where Aemilian lived for a number of years.

After leaving his teacher, Aemilian lived as a hermit (perhaps even a gyrovagus) in the mountains or on the historic Roman road which became the Camino de Santiago. Didymus the Bishop of Tarazona ordained Aemilian and appointed him parish priest of Vergaja.[5] However, Aemilian aroused the opposition of his fellow priests because of his heavy distribution of alms or reputation for holiness or miracle working. Aemilian returned to the wilderness, and a small community of disciples gathered around his cell.[6] He died at a venerable age, and his body, was initially interred at his hermitage, but later transferred to a monastery built in memory of him.[7]

Veneration

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Braulio also recorded miracles that occurred after death of Aemilian, but the fame of the San Millán de la Cogolla monastery dedicated in his memory (and which held his tomb) eclipsed that of its founder. San Millán de Suso monastery is known for its Mozarabic architecture, and its growing popularity during the heyday of the pilgrimage rout led to its expansion in the eleventh century with San Millán de Yuso (the communities however having separate abbots until the 12th century).

The longstanding monastic community (Benedictine by the mid-medieval era) is credited with one of the oldest books written in the Spanish language, the Vida de San Millán de la Cogolla (biography by Gonzalo de Berceo). St. Dominic of Silos (the miracleworker for whom Saint Dominic was named) also received his education and began his religious career at San Millan monastery.

He is a patron saint of La Rioja; the longer name of San Millán de la Cogolla refers to the monastic cowl. Because of the monastery's role on the traditional pilgrimage route, representations of Aemilian can be mixed with that of Saint James the Moor-slayer, such as a Benedictine on horseback with a banner and sword.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Russian Church officially adds saints of Spain, Portugal to liturgical calendar".
  2. ^ Melanie Hanan, "St Aemilian", Encyclopedia of Medieval Pilgrimage 2012 ISBN 9789004181298
  3. ^ Monks of Ramsgate. "Aemilian". Book of Saints, 1921 CatholicSaints.Info. 26 November 2016Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "Bilibio, también conocido como Haro la Vieja, fue una aldea situada en la falda norte de los Riscos de Bilibio, donde el río Ebro entra en La Rioja por el lugar de Las Conchas, municipio de Haro." (Paloma Torrijos, "Historia y Genealogìa")
  5. ^ Holweck, Frederick George. A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints, B. Herder, 1924, p. 24
  6. ^ Watkins, Basil. The Book of Saints Eighth Ed., Bloomsbury, 2015, no pagination ISBN 9780567664150
  7. ^ "Panel with San Millán", The Met (Gallery 14)
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