Location:Probably Vaucelles - Date:Shortly before 1250 (incorporated in the first 'Passionaire français') (BHL 5195) (Perrot, 1992: 20, 180-189) - Commission: /

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Life of Saint Mammes of Caesarea (275 +). He came from Granga and was born when his parents, Theodotus and Roufina, were in captivity due to their religious conviction under the reign of Emperor Aurelian. Both parents died during their imprisonment. Mammas was adopted and raised by a widow named Ammia, who died when he was fifteen years old. As a young adult he converted many pagans of Cappadocia to great dissatisfaction of the Roman governor, Democritus, who sent him immediately to emperor Aurelian. Mamas was arrested and forced to renounce his faith. Which he refused, so the imperial executioners were given free rein. After a few tortures Mamas managed to escape and hide in the mountains near Caesarea. According to legend he would have preached the gospel to the wild animals with whom he lived peacefully. Nevertheless, he was discovered after some time. Once in captivity again Mamas was convicted and thrown to the lions who refused to harm him. Eventually a pagan priest killed him by piercing him with a trident.

Brussel/Bruxelles, Koninklijke Bibliotheek/Bibliothèque Royale
Dublin, Trinity College
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Paris, Bibliothèque Nationale de France
Sainte-Geneviève, bibliotheek

MEYER (P.), Notices et Extraits des Manuscrits de la Bibliothèque Nationale, XXXVI (1901), II 688 (fragment)
PERROT (J.P.), Le Passionnaire français au Moyen Age (Genève, 1992) 228-230, 277-278 (fragment)

BERGER (A.), 'Die alten Viten des Heiligen Mamas von Kaisareia. Mit einer Edition der Vita BHG 1019', Analecta Bollandiana: Revue critique d'hagiographie / A Journal of Critical Hagiography, 120 (2002) 241-310
Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina 5195
DURNECKER (L.), 'Tête de l'église diocésaine et chef du saint patron. Le pèlerinage à s. Mammès de Langres à la fin du Moyen Age', in: C. Vincent, J. Pycke (eds.), Cathédrale et pèlerinage aux époques médiévale et moderne: Reliques, processions et dévotions à l'église-mère du diocèse (Bibliothèque de la Revue d'histoire ecclésiastique, 92 ) (Louvain, 2010) 145-159
MEYER (P.), Légendes hagiographiques en français, in: Histoire littéraire de la France, XXXIII (1906) 393-458
PERROT (J.P.), Le Passionnaire français au Moyen Age (Genève, 1992) 180-189
SIMERAY (J.P.), 'Saint Mammès, saint Nicolas et la déesse Isis.', Revue de Moret et de sa région 88 (1983) 42-46
VAN DER LINDEN (S.), De Heiligen (Antwerpen, 1999) 551-552