I exclaimed, ‘O blessed Christine, worthy virgin exalted by God, and most triumphant and glorious martyr! Since the Lord chose to confer on you the crown of sainthood, I beg you to pray for me, a poor sinner who bears your name. O most merciful lady, please intercede on my behalf as my patron saint. See how delighted I am to recount your holy legend and include it in my book, showing my great devotion to you by leaving nothing out. If you please, pray also for the whole of womankind, in the hope that your saintly life will inspire all women to make a good end. Amen.’
Justice continued, ‘What more can I tell you, my dear friend, to swell the number of inhabitants of our city? Let Saint Ursula come forward with her great host of blessed virgins, more than eleven thousand in total, all of whom were beheaded for the sake of Jesus Christ. Having been sent off to be married, they arrived in a country full of unbelievers who tried to force them to renounce Christianity. They all preferred to die rather than abjure their faith in Jesus Christ, their Saviour.’
11. About several saints who saw their children being martyred in front of them.
‘What in the world is more tender than a mother towards her child? What greater pain is there than that felt in a mother’s heart when she sees her child suffer? Yet, in my view, faith is an even greater thing, as was shown by the many valiant women who, for the love of Our Lord Jesus Christ, gave up their own children to be martyred. One such woman was the blessed Felicity, who saw all seven of her beautiful children being tortured in front of her. This fine mother comforted her little ones and urged them to have patience and to remain steadfast in their faith: in her devotion to God, she had put aside all maternal feelings for her own flesh and blood. After she had allowed every one of them to be sacrificed, she chose to suffer the same fate and so died a martyr’s death.
‘Likewise, this was also the case of the blessed Julitta, who had a son named Cyricus. Just as she gave her son nourishment for his body, so she gave him nourishment for his soul by thoroughly immersing him in the tenets of the Christian faith. Though he was just a young child, he never succumbed to the efforts made by his persecutors to force him to renounce the name of Jesus Christ. Indeed, as he was being tortured, he kept crying out as loud as he could in his little high-pitched voice, “I am a Christian, I am a Christian, and I give thanks to you, Lord God!” He spoke as eloquently as any forty-year-old man would have done. His loving mother comforted him before she too in turn underwent terrible torments. She never left off praising God and reassuring the other martyrs by telling them not to be afraid but to turn their minds towards the celestial joy that awaited them.
‘Likewise, what could we say about the constancy and fortitude displayed by the blessed Blandina? She watched her beloved fifteen-year-old daughter being tortured and martyred before her very eyes. She consoled her child most joyfully and afterwards went to face her own martyrdom with a heart as glad as that of any bride going to meet her bridegroom. Blandina was subjected to so many different torments that her persecutors wore themselves out from their efforts. She was placed on a gridiron and roasted, before being torn to pieces with iron pincers. Yet she still kept on glorifying God, right up until the moment she died.’
12. About Saint Marina the virgin.
’There are so many stories that could be told about virgin-martyrs as well as other women who took religious orders or who displayed their saintliness in different ways. I’ll tell you about two such women in particular, because their legends are very inspiring and they also prove what we’ve been saying about the constancy of women.
’A layman had a young daughter called Marina, whom he placed in the care of one of his relatives when he took holy orders and went off to devote himself to God. However, his thoughts were naturally still drawn to her and his anxiety about her welfare preyed heavily on his mind. He became so preoccupied that the abbot eventually asked him what it was that was causing him such distress. He explained that he was deeply concerned about a son of his left behind in the outside world and whom he was unable to put out of his thoughts. The abbot told him to fetch his son and bring him back to the monastery with him. In order for her to stay with her father, the young maiden was made to dress like a novice. She learnt to keep up this pretence and adhered perfectly to the rigours of her new life, growing ever more saintly with each passing day. Her father, who had given her a truly devout upbringing, died when she was eighteen years old. Henceforth, she lived alone in his cell, leading such a holy existence that the abbot and all the other monks were full of praise for her piety. None of them suspected that she was, in fact, a woman.
’About three miles away from the monastery lay a town where a market was regularly held. The monks frequently had to go to the market to buy their necessary supplies. Sometimes in winter when their business kept them overnight, they would take lodgings in town. Marina, who was known as Brother Marinus, often had to take her turn and spend the night at a certain inn where they usually stayed. It so happened that the innkeeper’s daughter became pregnant. Under pressure from her parents to tell them who the father was, she accused Brother Marinus. Her parents went to complain to the abbot, who was deeply upset by this news and called Marinus in to see him. Since the holy virgin preferred to take the blame rather than prove her innocence by revealing that she was a woman, she fell weeping to her knees and said, “Father, I have sinned. Pray for me and I will do penance.” The abbot was so angry that he had Marinus beaten and thrown out of the monastery, forbidding him ever to return. In penance, Marinus lay down on the ground in front of the gate and begged for a scrap of bread to eat from the other monks. The innkeeper’s daughter gave birth to a son whom her mother then left with Marinus as he lay outside the monastery. The virgin took the child and fed him with the pieces of bread that she received from people as they went inside, bringing the boy up as if he were her own son. After a while, the monks took pity on Marinus and begged the abbot to show mercy on him and allow him back in. They had great difficulty in persuading him to do so, even though Marinus had already spent five years doing penance. On his return to the monastery, the abbot gave Marinus all the dirtiest and most unpleasant tasks to do, making him fetch the water for washing and cleaning and forcing him to see to everyone’s needs. The holy virgin carried out all these jobs most willingly and with great humility.
’Some time later, she fell asleep in Jesus Christ. When the monks told the abbot, he said to them, “You can clearly see that his sin was so great that he was not forgiven. Wash his body all the same, but bury him well outside the monastery walls.” However, once they undressed him and discovered that he was in fact a woman, they began to beat themselves and wail in dismay. They were horrified to see the terrible wrong that they had done to such a holy and innocent creature, and they were all amazed by her extraordinary saintliness. No sooner was the abbot informed than he rushed to Marina’s cell. He burst into tears as he fell down at her feet, beating his breast and begging for mercy and forgiveness. Afterwards, he gave the order for her to be buried in a chapel inside the church. The monks all gathered round the tomb, including a certain monk who had lost his sight in one eye. As he bent down to kiss the body and pay his respects, his sight was immediately restored. That same day, the girl who had given birth to the baby went out of her mind and confessed her sin. She too was taken before the holy body and soon recovered her senses. Many other miracles occurred on this site, and still do today.’
13. About the blessed virgin Euphrosyna.
’Similarly, in Alexandria, lived a virgin named Euphrosyna whose father, Paphnutius, was a very wealthy man. God had granted him a daughter in answer to all the prayers which he had requested from a holy abbot and a community of monks which lay nearby. When this girl came of age, her father wanted to marry her off. However, because she had dedicated herself to God and wished to preserve her virginity, she ran away from home disguised as a man. She asked to be admitted into this monastery, making them believe that she was a youth from the emperor’s court who devou
tly wished to take orders. Seeing the boy’s great fervour, the abbot was delighted to let him in. When Paphnutius realized that his beloved daughter was missing, he fell into despair. In order to find some comfort, he went to the abbot and poured out his heart to him, begging him and the whole community of monks to appeal to God for news of her. The abbot tried to reassure Paphnutius by saying that he couldn’t believe that God would have answered his prayers and given him a daughter whom He would then allow to perish. He and his monks spent a long time praying on the father’s behalf.
’Seeing the worthy man come back to the monastery day after day to try to alleviate his suffering at having received no news of his daughter, the abbot eventually said to him, “I truly believe that your daughter cannot have come to any harm: if she had, God would somehow have let us know it. We have here amongst us a pious young man who has come from the emperor’s court. God has shown him such favour that whoever speaks to him is greatly comforted by his words. You could go and talk with him, if you wished.” Paphnutius asked him to arrange such a meeting straightaway. The abbot then led him to see his daughter, whom he failed to recognize. She, however, recognized him instantly. Tears welled up in her eyes and she had to turn her head away from him as if she were finishing a prayer. Because of the harsh regime of abstinence which she followed, her fresh young complexion had already faded. A few moments later, she spoke to her father and cheered him immensely by saying that his daughter was serving God and living in a safe place. She also reassured him that, before he died, he would definitely see her again and would once more delight in her company. Thinking that the boy knew all this thanks to divine inspiration, the father felt much better. As he took his leave, he told the abbot that ever since he had lost his daughter, he had never known such peace of mind: “By God’s grace, I’m as happy as if I had actually found my daughter.” On his departure, he commended himself to the abbot and to the monks’ prayers. It wasn’t long before he started to come back time and time again to visit the holy man, for the only happiness he knew was when the two of them were in conversation.
’This state of affairs went on for a long time. The daughter, who called herself Brother Smaragdus, had spent thirty-eight years in her cell when God decided to call her to Him. She thus fell very ill. The good Paphnutius was very upset at this news and rushed to his side. Seeing that Smaragdus was on his deathbed, he began to cry out to him, “Alas! What about all the comforting words and the promises you gave me that I would see my daughter again?” Smaragdus later died in God’s arms when the father was absent. In his hand, he clasped a letter which none of the monks could remove from his fingers. Everyone in the monastery, including the abbot, tried to do so but failed. At this point, the father came in, weeping and wailing at the loss of his dear friend, the only person who had ever consoled him. As he approached the body to kiss it, in front of everyone the hand opened and gave him the letter. He took it and read inside that she was his daughter and that no one else but him should prepare her body for burial. He, the abbot and all the other monks were astounded by these revelations and couldn’t praise her highly enough for her devout constancy and determination. Her father was so moved by pity and relief at the thought that she had led such a holy life that his tears increased twofold. He sold everything he owned in order to join the monastery, where he eventually ended his days.
’Now that I’ve told you about several virgins, I’ll go on to talk about some other holy ladies, all of whom suffered a glorious martyrdom.’
14. About the blessed lady Anastasia.
’At the time of the great persecutions in Rome during the reign of Diocletian, there lived a very patrician lady named Anastasia, who was one of the richest and most influential women in the city. This lady was full of heartfelt compassion at seeing a constant stream of blessed Christian martyrs being subjected to torture. Every day, she would disguise herself as a pauper and go off accompanied by a young girl to visit the martyrs in their cells and try to comfort them with costly wines, foods and whatever else she could find. She washed and dressed their wounds and anointed them with precious ointments. She carried on like this until her activities were reported to Publius, a Roman nobleman who wanted to marry her. Angered by this news, he put her under such close surveillance that she no longer dared to leave her house. Amongst the other martyrs detained in prison was Saint Chrysogonus, a most worthy man who had endured horrific tortures and had been greatly sustained by all the gifts brought by the holy lady Anastasia on her visits. Using a kind Christian lady as an intermediary, this saintly man sent Anastasia a series of letters in which he counselled her to have patience. She sent similar letters back to him, thanks to the same helpful lady. In the end, it was God’s wish that Publius, the man who had placed her under strict guard, should pass away. The noble Anastasia thus sold everything she owned and devoted herself entirely to visiting the martyrs and bringing them succour, gathering round her a large company of Christian ladies and maidens.
’Amongst these women were three virgins, Anastasia’s intimate companions, who were all sisters from a very distinguished family. One of the sisters was called Agape, another Chionia, and the third Irene. Having found out that these three virgins had become Christians, the emperor sent for them and promised them great gifts and advantageous marriages if they would renounce Jesus Christ. When they took no notice of his offer, he had them beaten and thrown into a horrible prison. Here they were visited by their saintly friend Anastasia, who never left their side day or night. She prayed to God that He would keep her alive until her wealth ran out so that she could continue to do these charitable works. The emperor informed his prefect, Dulcitius, that all the Christians who were being held in the cells should be subjected to torture until they agreed to worship the pagan idols. The prefect thus ordered all the prisoners to be brought before him, including the three blessed sisters.
’When the wicked prefect laid his eyes on the three girls, he was greatly smitten with their beauty. In secret, he tried to cajole them with promises into letting him have his pleasure with them, in exchange for their freedom. Because they rebuffed all his advances, Dulcitius put one of his servants in charge of them and ordered him to escort the girls to his house, convinced that one way or another he would win them over. At nightfall, he set off alone without a lantern to the house where the three sisters had been taken. Hearing their voices as they sang God’s praises through the night, he began to make his way towards them. As he passed through the room where all the kitchen implements were hanging up, he was so blinded by the lustful thoughts that the Devil had inspired in him that he hugged and kissed each pot in turn, thinking that he was with the three virgins. He gave himself up completely to his pleasures until he was exhausted. In the morning, he went outside to meet up with his men who were waiting for him. However, as soon as they saw him, they fled in terror, taking him for a devil because he was covered from head to foot in dirt, grease and soot, and his clothes were all torn and hanging off him in shreds. He was utterly baffled to see them all running away and couldn’t understand why they were refusing to have anything to do with him. As everyone who came across him walking down the street made fun of him, he decided to go straight to the emperor to complain about being ridiculed as he passed by. On arriving at the palace, where some people were waiting that morning for an audience, he was immediately set upon. Whilst one person hit him with a stick, another pushed him from behind, saying, “Shove off, you filthy pig, you’re stinking the place out!”, and yet another spat in his face, much to the amusement of the crowd. In his shock at being treated like this, he almost went out of his mind, for the Devil had closed his eyes so tightly that he was unable to realize what a state he was in. Burning with shame, he made his way back home.
’He was replaced by another judge who had the three sisters brought before him and tried to force them to worship the idols. Seeing their adamant refusal to comply with his wishes, he ordered them to be stripped and beaten. Yet no matter how hard his
men tried, they were unable to undress the girls: their clothes had become so firmly stuck to their skin that they couldn’t be removed. The judge then had them thrown into a raging fire, but this did them no harm at all. None the less, the three sisters prayed to God to let them die, if He so pleased, and they ended their days as glorious martyrs. In order to show that they had died of their own free will, the fire didn’t burn either a single hair of their heads or a scrap of their clothing. When the flames died down, their bodies were found to be completely intact, with their hands joined in prayer and their faces as fresh as if they were merely asleep. The blessed Anastasia took care of their bodies and buried them.’
15. About the blessed Theodota.
The Book of the City of Ladies Page 30
