St Anastasia And Jurdan...?

[Spem in alium]

I'm looking at an illuminated manuscript which has a couple of illustrations of St Anastasia. In both of them, she's with someone named Jurdan (Iurdan/Jordan?) - in one image she's in his house, and in the other he's about to kill her. I'm interested in working out who he was exactly and if he features in the story of Anastasia, but haven't found anything really to guide me.

Anyone heard of him before?

 

[Credo in Deum]

Is this the same Anastasia?

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=17

[Spem in alium]

That's her! Anastasia of Sirmium.

[Credo in Deum]

Then I think the person is either Publius her husband or Florus her captor.

[Spem in alium]

I thought something similar at first, but I'm not too sure. The image I'm most focused on has a caption underneath which essentially translates from French to: "Mary and Joseph arriving at the house of Jurdan", and in the other image showing her martyrdom, Jurdan is referenced again. I sense that if the person was either her husband or captor, the accompanying caption would mention him by name.

 

Here's the illustration if anyone would like to see. I love it. :)

 

http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMINBig.ASP?size=big&IllID=29109
 

Edited August 20, 2014 by Spem in alium

[Credo in Deum]

Do you have the picture of her martyrdom?

[Spem in alium]

Yep. It references Jurdan again underneath - "Cy Jurdan de'cole Anestace". 

 

http://www.bl.uk/catalogues/illuminatedmanuscripts/ILLUMINBig.ASP?size=big&IllID=29110

 

 

[brandelynmarie]

Hmmm... :detective:

[Credo in Deum]

Well Spem I know this is a stretch but this is what I have been able to find. Cy is short for Cyrus, however, I think it can be short for Cyril.

Then I also found this:

Anastasia II

Martyr, whose history is the subject of legends. She is believed to have been a young woman who lived with a group of Christian virgins in Rome. During the persecutions of Emperor Valerian, she was arrested and cruelly tortured by a perfect named Probus. When she asked for some water, a man named Cyril brought her some. For this kindness he shared her fate in beheading.

http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=1353

I'm thinking this Cyril fellow who shared the same fate as Anastasia could be the one mentioned/depicted in the picture.

That is my guess.

[Spem in alium]

I like that, Credo! Hadn't heard of that Anastasia before. And good old Cyril! :)

Though I do think my Anastasia is different - she is pictured on the same page as the Nativity of Christ, which seems to tie in with the fact that her feast is on December 25. Plus, the man in the martyrdom image looks somewhat more violent than our Cyril seems to be. 

 

I was thinking it may perhaps have something to do with the translation as the captions are in Old French. Perhaps it references Jordan as a place? I have no idea. 

 

 

[Credo in Deum]

I like that, Credo! Hadn't heard of that Anastasia before. And good old Cyril! :)

Though I do think my Anastasia is different - she is pictured on the same page as the Nativity of Christ, which seems to tie in with the fact that her feast is on December 25. Plus, the man in the martyrdom image looks somewhat more violent than our Cyril seems to be.

I was thinking it may perhaps have something to do with the translation as the captions are in Old French. Perhaps it references Jordan as a place? I have no idea.

I was thinking the same thing about the language. Maybe a Anglo French?

[Spem in alium]

I was thinking the same thing about the language. Maybe a Anglo French?

 

Ah, good point. I just did a search and Old French was spoken (as Anglo-Norman) in England during the time the manuscript was produced. It was also the language of the royalty, and it's thought the manuscript's patron was a member of the royal family so there's some match there. 

 

Jurdan (or Iurdan) is definitely a name, though of what or whom I'm not yet sure.