The Book of the City of Ladies

by Christine Pizan

  ‘The villainous Olybrius also tortured and beheaded the blessed virgin Regina, a young girl only fifteen years of age. This was because she not only refused to give herself to him but also converted many people through her preaching.’

  5. About Saint Lucy.

  ‘Neither should the blessed virgin, Saint Lucy of Rome, be excluded from our litany. This virgin was kidnapped and taken captive by the barbarian king Aucejas. Back in his own country, he tried to take Lucy by force. She began to preach to him, managing by the grace of God to rid him of his evil intentions and to win him over by her excellent good sense. Proclaiming that she was a goddess, he installed her in his palace and treated her with great honour and respect. He provided her and her household with beautiful rooms and forbade anyone else from entering them for fear of disturbing her. She spent her time in constant fasting and prayer, leading a holy existence and beseeching God to shine the light of His faith down into her host’s heart. Aucejas consulted her in all his affairs, and everything on which he took her advice turned out well for him. When he went off to war, he implored her to pray to her god for his sake. She said a blessing on him and, on his triumphant return, he declared that he wanted to adore her like a goddess and dedicate temples to her. Lucy told him not to do so on any account, for there was but one God who should be worshipped, whereas she was but a poor sinner.

  ‘She lived in this holy state for twenty years until she received a vision from Our Lord telling her to return home to Rome where she would end her life as a martyr to the faith. When Lucy informed the king of her plans, he was deeply saddened and exclaimed, “Alas! If you leave me, my enemies will attack me and all my good fortune will disappear once you’re gone from my side.” But she answered him, “My lord, come with me and leave your earthly kingdom behind: God has chosen you to partake of a higher realm, one which will last for ever.” At these words, the king abandoned everything to go off with the holy virgin, acting no longer as her sovereign but as her servant. Once they were in Rome, Lucy lost no time in revealing that she was a Christian. She was immediately taken prisoner and led off to be martyred. Aucejas was distraught at what had happened and ran to find her. He would gladly have attacked those who were torturing her but she forbade him at all costs from doing so. Weeping bitterly, he shouted out that only wicked people could do such an evil thing to a virgin of God. When he saw that they were about to decapitate the saintly maiden, he laid his head on the block next to hers and exclaimed, “I, too, am a Christian, and I offer my head to the living God, Jesus Christ, whom Lucy worships.” Thus they were both beheaded and crowned in glory, along with twelve others who had also been converted by the blessed Lucy. Their joint feast day is celebrated on the seventh of the calends of July.’1

  6. About the blessed virgin Martina.

  ‘We mustn’t forget to mention the blessed virgin Martina, an extremely beautiful girl who was born of noble parents in Rome. The emperor wanted to make her marry him but she replied, “I am a Christian and have dedicated myself to the living God who delights in chastity of body and purity of heart. I adore only Him and to His care alone do I commend myself.” Outraged by these words, the emperor had Martina taken to a temple where he tried to force her to worship the idols. Falling on her knees and raising her eyes towards the heavens, she clasped her hands together as she offered up a prayer to God. Immediately, the idols cracked and fell to the floor, the temple crumbled and all the priests who served the pagan gods were killed. The devil who was hidden in the chief idol screamed out loud and confessed that Martina was indeed the servant of God. In order to avenge the loss of his idols, the tyrannical emperor had Martina endure a cruel martyrdom but God appeared to her and comforted her. She prayed for those who were tormenting her and succeeded in converting them and many other people by her great virtue. When he saw this, the emperor became even more determined than before and he submitted Martina to tortures that were twice as brutal. However, her persecutors cried out that they could see God and His saints standing in front of her. They therefore begged for mercy and converted. Whilst she was deep in prayer on their behalf, a light shone down upon them and a voice from heaven was heard saying, “For the sake of my beloved Martina, I shall spare you.” Seeing that they had indeed gone over to the Christian faith, the prefect shouted at them, “You fools! You’ve been tricked by this sorceress Martina!” Their fearless reply came, “It’s you who have been deceived by the devil which possesses you, because you don’t even recognize your own Creator.” In his rage, the emperor ordered them to be hanged and flayed alive. They all praised God as they received their martyrdom with joy.

  ‘Next, the emperor had Martina stripped naked. She had such lily-white skin that the onlookers were all dazzled by her incredible beauty and the emperor burnt with desire for her. He made many threats to her and, as she refused to give in to him, he had her flesh cut to ribbons. From her wounds poured milk instead of blood and a delicious scent emanated from her body. His anger grew ever greater as he ordered her to be tied down flat on the floor between four posts, telling his torturers to smash her limbs. They beat her until they were completely exhausted, since God wanted to keep her alive a little longer in order for her to inspire everyone present to convert, including those who were persecuting her. Indeed, the torturers all cried out, “Your Majesty, we can’t continue with this because angels are beating us with chains!” More men were brought in to punish Martina but they promptly fell down dead, much to the astonishment of the emperor, who was at his wits’ end. None the less, he then had Martina spreadeagled on the ground and her body set on fire with burning oil. Never once did she leave off singing the glories of God as a delightful scent poured out of her mouth. When the torturers grew tired of inflicting these sufferings upon her, they threw her into a dark dungeon. The emperor’s cousin, Elagabalus, who went to spy on Martina in her cell, saw her surrounded by angels and seated on a magnificent throne. The whole room itself was bathed in a brilliant light and was filled with the sound of melodious singing. Martina held up a golden tablet on which was written “O sweet Lord, Jesus Christ, praised be your works through your blessed saints”. Elagabalus was so stunned by what he had seen that he went to tell the emperor, who retorted that his cousin had been taken in by Martina’s sorcery. The next day, when the tyrant had her brought out again, everyone was amazed to see that her body was completely whole once more, and many of those present converted on the spot.

  ‘The emperor took her back to the temple to make her sacrifice to the false gods. However, the devil who was lurking in one of the idols began to shriek, “Alas, alas! I give in!” The virgin ordered him to come out and reveal himself in all his foulness. Immediately there was a great roar of thunder and a bolt of lightning fell from the heavens, hurling the idol to the floor and burning the priests to death. The emperor then attacked Martina even more viciously than before, having her tied down and all her flesh torn off with iron pincers. Seeing that she was not yet dead but still kept praising God, he had her thrown to wild beasts for them to devour. A huge lion which hadn’t eaten for three days came over to her and bowed down before her. It then lay down beside her like a little dog and began to lick her wounds. She extolled the glory of the Lord, saying, “Thanks be to God, for in His goodness He has calmed the ferocity of these savage beasts.” The tyrant was so maddened by this spectacle that he gave the command for the lion to be taken back to its pit. To his horror, the lion reared up in rage and leapt out, killing his cousin Elagabalus. The emperor then ordered Martina to be burnt alive on an enormous fire. However, as she stood there joyfully in the midst of the flames, God sent a strong wind to spread the fire all around her, thus burning to death all those who were torturing her.

  ‘The emperor commanded her beautiful long hair to be cut off, declaring that it was the source of all her magic powers. The virgin replied, “Just as you are taking away the hair that the Apostle calls the glory of a woman,2 so the Lord will take away your kingdom and will persecute you unti
l you suffer a terrible death in torment.” He then ordered her to be locked up in a temple dedicated to his gods, and he himself secured the doors tight, marking them with his own seal. Three days later, he returned to find his gods lying smashed on the ground whilst the virgin, still alive and well, was seen playing with the angels. When the emperor asked her what she had done to his gods, she answered, “The glory of Jesus Christ has brought them down.” At that point, he gave the command that her throat should be cut. A voice was then heard saying, “Martina, noble virgin, since you have fought the good fight in my name, come and join the saints in my kingdom and live in eternal joy with me.” Thus the blessed Martina met her end. The bishop of Rome arrived with all his clergy to take the body away and give it a splendid burial in the church. That very same day, the emperor, whose name was Alexander, was afflicted with such searing pain that he bit himself all over in his agony and devoured his own flesh.’

  7. About another Saint Lucy who was a virgin, as well as some other saints who were virgin-martyrs too.

  ‘There was also another Saint Lucy, who came from the city of Syracuse. One day, as she was praying for her sick mother at the tomb of Saint Agatha, she received a vision of the saint surrounded by angels and adorned with precious jewels. Agatha said to her, “My sister Lucy, virgin dedicated to God, why are you asking me for what you yourself can do for your mother? I tell you here and now that, just as the city of Catania is exalted thanks to me, so will the city of Syracuse become famous thanks to you, for you have given Jesus Christ the priceless treasure of your virginity.” Lucy stood up and her mother was cured. She gave up everything she had to God and ended her days as a martyr. One particular torture with which she was threatened by the judge who was persecuting her was to be taken to a house full of prostitutes where she would be raped, thus nullifying the vows she had sworn to her celestial bridegroom. To this threat, she replied, “The soul cannot be tainted if the mind does not give its consent. If you try to corrupt me by force, my chastity will be strengthened and my victory will be all the greater.” The tyrant was determined to send Lucy to the brothel but she became so heavy that neither oxen nor any other beasts that they tied her to could pull her. Though they attached ropes to her feet in order to drag her, she remained as immovable as a mountain. As she was dying, she prophesied what would happen in the future to the Roman empire.

  ‘Likewise, the glorious virgin Saint Benedicta, who was born in Rome, is equally deserving of our veneration. She was accompanied by twelve virgins whom she had converted to Christianity through her preaching. In her desire to use her eloquence to increase the number of believers, she and her host of blessed virgins journeyed fearlessly across many lands, for God was with them. It was Our Lord’s wish that they should be separated from each other in order that they might spread the word to as many countries as possible. Having introduced several different nations to Christianity, Benedicta ended her life holding the palm of martyrdom in her hand, just as did every one of her holy companions in turn.

  ‘Likewise, no less perfect than Benedicta was Saint Fausta, a fourteen-year-old virgin. Because she refused to sacrifice to the gods, the Emperor Maximian ordered that she should be cut to pieces with an iron saw. Although the men entrusted with this task didn’t stop sawing at her from the hour of terce to none,3 they were unable to make even a scratch on her body. They therefore asked her, “What magic spell have you put on us to make all our lengthy efforts so futile?”, whereupon Fausta began to preach to them. She told them about the Christian faith and soon succeeded in converting them. The emperor was infuriated by this and had her subjected to various other forms of torture, one of which consisted of banging a thousand nails into her head, which soon resembled a knight’s helmet. None the less, she kept on praying for those who were persecuting her. The prefect himself was eventually converted once he saw the heavens open and beheld God sitting amongst His angels. As Fausta was being placed in a cauldron of boiling water, he cried out, “Holy servant of the Lord, don’t go without me!” and jumped straight into the cauldron after her. When two other men whom she had converted saw this, they too leapt in. The water was bubbling away furiously but Fausta touched them all so that they felt no pain and said to them, “I am in your midst, just like the vine which bears fruit. As Our Lord says, ‘Wherever several people are gathered together in my name, I am there in the middle of them.’ ” A voice was then heard exclaiming, “Come, holy spirits, your Father is calling you.” At these words, their souls joyfully departed their bodies.’

  8. About Saint Justine and other virgins.

  ‘The holy virgin Justine, born in Antioch, was a young girl of extraordinary beauty who overcame the Devil. This demon, who had been conjured up by a necromancer, boasted that he would succeed in making Justine give herself to a man who was desperately in love with her and would not leave her alone. This was because Justine’s would-be suitor had decided he would invoke the Devil’s help, seeing that his promises and entreaties had had no effect on her. Yet it was all in vain, for the glorious Justine kept chasing away the Devil, no matter what different shapes he took to tempt her. In the end, the demon slunk off in defeat, having been totally vanquished by Justine. She then converted not only the man who had been pursuing her so relentlessly, but also the necromancer himself, whose name was Cyprian. Though he had led a wicked life, he became a better man afterwards thanks to her. Several other people were also converted by the signs of the Lord which He revealed through her. In the end, she departed this life as a martyr.

  ‘Likewise, the blessed virgin Eulalia, born in Spain, was only twelve years old when she ran away from her parents. They had locked her up because she wouldn’t stop talking about Jesus Christ. She escaped one night and went to cast down the idols in the pagan temples. She accused the judges who were persecuting the martyrs of acting in error, but insisted that she too wanted to die a martyr of the faith. Eulalia thus became one of the soldiers of Christ,4 and underwent much suffering. Many people were converted by the signs which God made manifest through her.

  ‘Likewise, another holy virgin, called Macra, was subjected to terrible torture in defence of the Christian faith. As part of her punishment, she had her breasts cut off. Later, as she lay in her prison cell, God sent her His angel to restore her to health. The next day the prefect was astounded at this sight, though he carried on persecuting her most cruelly. Eventually, she surrendered up her soul to God. Her body now lies near the city of Rheims.

  ‘Likewise, the glorious virgin Saint Foy underwent martyrdom when she was only a young girl. She had to endure many torments but in the end the angel of the Lord came down to crown her in full view of everyone, bringing her a diadem encrusted with precious stones. God revealed His many mysteries through her, thus bringing about the conversion of scores of people.

  ‘Likewise, when the blessed virgin Marciana saw that everyone was worshipping the false image of an idol, she picked it up and hurled it to the ground to smash it. For this action, she was beaten so hard that she was left for dead. That night, as Marciana lay locked in a cell, a corrupt priest crept in to try and rape her. By the grace of God, a huge wall suddenly rose up to stop him from getting anywhere near her. In the morning, many people saw the wall and were converted there and then. Marciana endured more terrible suffering but she never left off preaching in the name of Jesus Christ. She prayed to God to come and fetch her soul, at which point her martyrdom finally came to an end.

  ‘Saint Euphemia was another martyr who had to endure appalling torments for Jesus’s sake. This exceptionally lovely girl came from a very noble family. The governor Priscus used all sorts of threats to try and make her sacrifice to the idols and renounce Jesus Christ. However, the arguments she gave him against doing as he wished were so convincing that he didn’t know how to answer her. In his fury at having been outwitted by a woman, he inflicted many cruel punishments upon her. Yet the more Euphemia’s body was racked with pain, the more eloquent she became as words inspired by
the Holy Spirit continued to pour out of her mouth. In the midst of her affliction, the angel of the Lord came down and not only destroyed the instruments of torture but also attacked those who had been tormenting her. With a face full of joy, she emerged unscathed from her suffering. The treacherous governor then had a huge furnace lit. When the flames leapt over 40 cubits into the air,5 he had Euphemia thrown inside. From within the furnace, her delightful songs in praise of God were loud enough to be heard by everyone outside. When the fire died down, she emerged from the furnace as alive and well as before. Priscus grew angrier than ever and ordered red-hot pincers to be used to tear her limb from limb. However, those men who were supposed to perform this torture were so terrified that they didn’t dare touch her and the pincers themselves fell to pieces in their hands. The brutal tyrant then had four lions and two other ferocious wild beasts brought in, but all they did was fall down before her and worship her. In the end, the blessed virgin prayed to God to accept her soul, for her only desire was to be at His side. She thus died untouched by a single one of the animals.’