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13 February 2021

இன்றைய புனிதர்கள் பெப்ரவரி 14

 St. Valentine

† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(ஃபெப்ரவரி 14)


✠ புனிதர் வேலண்டைன் ✠

(St. Valentine)


ஆயர் மற்றும் மறைசாட்சி:

(Bishop and Martyr)


பிறப்பு: கி.பி. 176

டேர்னி (Terni)


இறப்பு: ஃபெப்ரவரி 14, 273

ரோம் (Rome)


ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Catholic Church)

கிழக்கு மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Eastern Orthodox Church)

ஆங்கிலிக்கன் ஒன்றியம்

(Anglican Communion)

லூதரனியம்

(Lutheranism)


நினைவுத் திருவிழா: ஃபெப்ரவரி 14


சித்தரிக்கப்படும் வகை:

பறவைகள்; ரோஜா மலர்கள்; முடக்குவாதம் அல்லது வலிப்பு வந்த ஒரு குழந்தையோடு; ஆயரின் தலை வெட்டப்படுவது போல; வாள் ஏந்திய குருவாக; சூரியனோடு; குருடரை குணமாக்குவது போல


பாதுகாவல்:

திருமண உறுதி, மயக்கம், தேனீ வளர்ப்பு, திருமணம், காதல், கொள்ளைநோய், வலிப்பு நோய், முடக்குவாதம்.


புனிதர் வேலண்டைன் என்பவர், மூன்றாம் நூற்றாண்டின் பரவலாக அறியப்படும் ரோம புனிதர் ஆவார். உலகின் பல நாடுகளில் இவரின் விழா நாளான ஃபெப்ரவரி 14ம் நாள், "வேலண்டைன் தினம்" என இவரின் பெயரால் அழைக்கப்பட்டு, காதலர்கள் மற்றும் காதலுக்கான நாளாகக் கொண்டாடப்படும் வழக்கம் நடுக்காலம் முதலே உண்டு.


இவரின் பெயர், மற்றும் இவர் ரோம் நகரின் வடக்கு பகுதியில் உள்ள ஃபிலாமினியாவில் ஃபெப்ரவரி 14ம் நாளன்று கொல்லப்பட்டார் என்பதையும் தவிர இவரைப்பற்றிய வேறெந்த தகவல்களுக்கும் நம்பத்தகுந்த சான்றுகள் இல்லை.


புனிதர் வேலண்டைன் என்று ஒரு புனிதரா, அல்லது அதே பெயரில் இரு புனிதர்கள் உள்ளனரா என்பதும் உறுதியற்றதாக உள்ளது. இவரின் வரலாற்றை எழுதிய பலர் தரும் தகவல்கள் நம்ப முடியாததாகவும் பின்னர் சேர்க்கப்பட்டவைகளாகவும் இருக்கலாம்.


இந்த காரணங்களுக்காக இவரின் விழா நாள் 1969ல் திருத்தப்பட்ட உலகளாவிய கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையின் பொது நாள்காட்டியில் இடம்பெறவில்லை. ஆனாலும் "ஃபெப்ரவரி 14 அன்று ஃபிலாமினியாவில் வழியாக மில்வியான் பாலத்திற்கு அருகில் கொல்லப்பட்ட மறைசாட்சி வாலெண்டினுஸ்" என்னும் பட்டத்தில் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபையினால் தனித்திருச்சபைகளின் வணக்கத்திற்காய் அதிகாரப்பூர்வமாக அங்கீகரிக்கப்பட்ட புனிதர்களில் பட்டியலில் இவரின் பெயர் உள்ளது.

Feastday: February 14

Patron: of Love, Young People, Happy Marriages

Death: 269




Saint Valentine, officially known as Saint Valentine of Rome, is a third-century Roman saint widely celebrated on February 14 and commonly associated with "courtly love."


Although not much of St. Valentine's life is reliably known, and whether or not the stories involve two different saints by the same name is also not officially decided, it is highly agreed that St. Valentine was martyred and then buried on the Via Flaminia to the north of Rome.


In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed St. Valentine from the General Roman Calendar, because so little is known about him. However, the church still recognizes him as a saint, listing him in the February 14 spot of Roman Martyrolgy.


The legends attributed to the mysterious saint are as inconsistent as the actual identification of the man.


One common story about St. Valentine is that in one point of his life, as the former Bishop of Terni, Narnia and Amelia, he was on house arrest with Judge Asterius. While discussing religion and faith with the Judge, Valentine pledged the validity of Jesus. The judge immediately put Valentine and his faith to the test.


St. Valentine was presented with the judge's blind daughter and told to restore her sight. If he succeeded, the judge vowed to do anything for Valentine. Placing his hands onto her eyes, Valentine restored the child's vision.


Judge Asterius was humbled and obeyed Valentine's requests. Asterius broke all the idols around his house, fasted for three days and became baptized, along with his family and entire 44 member household. The now faithful judge then freed all of his Christian inmates.


St. Valentine was later arrested again for continuing to try to convert people to Christianity. He was sent to Rome under the emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II). According to the popular hagiographical identity, and what is believed to be the first representation of St. Valentine, the Nuremberg Chronicle, St. Valentine was a Roman priest martyred during Claudius' reign. The story tells that St. Valentine was imprisoned for marrying Christian couples and aiding Christians being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Both acts were considered serious crimes. A relationship between the saint and emperor began to grow, until Valentine attempted to convince Claudius of Christianity. Claudius became raged and sentenced Valentine to death, commanding him to renounce his faith or be beaten with clubs and beheaded.


St. Valentine refused to renounce his faith and Christianity and was executed outside the Flaminian Gate on February 14, 269. However, other tales of St. Valentine's life claim he was executed either in the year 269, 270, 273 or 280. Other depictions of St. Valentine's arrests tell that he secretly married couples so husbands wouldn't have to go to war. Another variation of the legend of St. Valentine says he refused to sacrifice to pagan gods, was imprisoned and while imprisoned he healed the jailer's blind daughter. On the day of his execution, he left the girl a note signed, "Your Valentine."



Pope Julius I is said to have built a church near Ponte Mole in his memory, which for a long time gave name to the gate now called Porta del Popolo, formerly, Porta Valetini.


The romantic nature of Valentine's Day may have derived during the Middle Ages, when it was believed that birds paired couples in mid-February. According to English 18th-century antiquarians Alban Butler and Francis Douce, Valentine's Day was most likely created to overpower the pagan holiday, Lupercalia.


Although the exact origin of the holiday is not widely agreed upon, it is widely recognized as a day for love, devotion and romance.


Whoever he was, Valentine did really exist, because archaeologists have unearthed a Roman catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to St. Valentine. In 496 AD Pope Gelasius marked February 14th as a celebration in honor of his martyrdom.


Relics of St. Valentine can be found all over the world. A flower-crowned skull of St. Valentine can be found in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome. In 1836, other relics were exhumed from the catacombs of Saint Hippolytus on the Via Tiburtina and were identified as Valentine's. These were transported for a special Mass dedicated to those young and in love.


Fr. John Spratt received a gift from Pope Gregory XVI in 1836 contianing a "small vessel tinged" with St. Valentine's blood. This gift now stands placed in Whitefriar Street Church in Dublin, Ireland.


Other alleged relics were found in Prague in the Church of St Peter and Paul at Vysehrad; in the parish church of St. Mary's Assumption in Chelmno Poland; at the reliquary of Roquemaure in France; in the Stephansdom in Vienna; in Balzan in Malta and also in Blessed John Duns Scotus' church in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland.


St. Valentine is the Patron Saint of affianced couples, bee keepers, engaged couples, epilepsy, fainting, greetings, happy marriages, love, lovers, plague, travellers, and young people. He is represented in pictures with birds and roses and his feast day is celebrated on February 14.


Not to be confused with Valentinus (Gnostic) or Valentine of Passau.

For the holiday, see Valentine's Day. For the Canadian city, see Saint-Valentin, Quebec.

For other uses of "San Valentino", see San Valentino (disambiguation).

Saint Valentine (Italian: San Valentino, Latin: Valentinus) known as Saint Valentine of Rome was a widely recognized 3rd-century Roman saint, commemorated in Christianity on February 14. From the High Middle Ages his Saints' Day has been associated with a tradition of courtly love. He is also a patron saint of epilepsy.[2]


Saint Valentine was a clergyman – either a priest or a bishop – in the Roman Empire who ministered to persecuted Christians.[3] He was martyred and his body buried at a Christian cemetery on the Via Flaminia close to the Ponte Milvio to the north of Rome, on February 14, which has been observed as the Feast of Saint Valentine (Saint Valentine's Day) since 496 AD.


Relics of him were kept in the Church and Catacombs of San Valentino in Rome, which "remained an important pilgrim site throughout the Middle Ages until the relics of St. Valentine were transferred to the church of Santa Prassede during the pontificate of Nicholas IV".[4] His skull, crowned with flowers, is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome; other relics of him were taken to Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland, where they remain; this house of worship continues to be a popular place of pilgrimage, especially on Saint Valentine's Day, for those seeking love.[5][6] For Saint Valentine of Rome, along with Saint Valentine of Terni, "abstracts of the acts of the two saints were in nearly every church and monastery of Europe", according to Professor Jack B. Oruch of the University of Kansas.[7]


Saint Valentine is commemorated in the Anglican Communion[8] and the Lutheran Churches on February 14.[9] In the Eastern Orthodox Church, he is recognized on July 6; in addition, the Eastern Orthodox Church observes the feast of Hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna, on July 30.[10][11] In 1969, the Roman Catholic Church removed his name from the General Roman Calendar, leaving his liturgical celebration to local calendars, though use of the pre-1970 liturgical calendar is also authorized under the conditions indicated in the motu proprio Summorum Pontificum of 2007.[12] The Roman Catholic Church continues to recognize him as a saint, listing him as such in the February 14 entry in the Roman Martyrology,[13] and authorizing liturgical veneration of him on February 14 in any place where that day is not devoted to some other obligatory celebration, in accordance with the rule that on such a day the Mass may be that of any saint listed in the Martyrology for that day.[14]



Identification

Saint Valentine doesn't occur in the earliest list of Roman martyrs, the Chronography of 354, although the patron of the Chronography's compilation was a wealthy Roman Christian named Valentinus.[15] However, it is found in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum,[16] which was compiled between 460 and 544 from earlier local sources. The feast of St. Valentine of February 14 was first established in 496 by Pope Gelasius I, who included Valentine among all those "... whose names are justly reverenced among men, but whose acts are known only to God."


The Catholic Encyclopedia[17] and other hagiographical sources[18] speak of three Saints Valentine that appear in connection with February 14. One was a Roman priest, another the bishop of Interamna (modern Terni, Italy) both buried along the Via Flaminia outside Rome, at different distances from the city. The third was said to be a saint who suffered on the same day with a number of companions in the Roman province of Africa, of whom nothing else is known.


Though the extant accounts of the martyrdoms of the first two listed saints are of a late date and contain legendary elements, a common nucleus of fact may underlie the two accounts and they may refer to a single person.[19] According to the official biography of the Diocese of Terni, Bishop Valentine was born and lived in Interamna and while on a temporary stay in Rome he was imprisoned, tortured, and martyred there on February 14, 269. His body was hastily buried at a nearby cemetery and a few nights later his disciples retrieved his body and returned him home.[20]


The Roman Martyrology, the Catholic Church's official list of recognized saints, for February 14 gives only one Saint Valentine: a martyr who died on the Via Flaminia.[21]


The name "Valentine" derived from valens (worthy, strong, powerful), was popular in Late Antiquity. About eleven other saints having the name Valentine are commemorated in the Roman Catholic Church.[22] Some Eastern Churches of the Western rite may provide still other different lists of Saint Valentines.[23] The Roman martyrology lists only seven who died on days other than February 14: a priest from Viterbo (November 3); Valentine of Passau, papal missionary bishop to Raetia, among first patrons of Passau, and later hermit in Zenoburg, near Mais, South Tyrol, Italy, where he died in 475 (January 7); a 5th-century priest and hermit (July 4); a Spanish hermit who died in about 715 (October 25); Valentine Berrio Ochoa, martyred in 1861 (November 24); and Valentine Jaunzarás Gómez, martyred in 1936 (September 18). It also lists a virgin, Saint Valentina, who was martyred in 308 (July 25) in Caesarea, Palestine.[24]


Hagiography and testimony


Saint Valentine of Terni oversees the construction of his basilica at Terni, from a 14th-century French manuscript (BN, Mss fr. 185)

The inconsistency in the identification of the saint is replicated in the various vitae that are ascribed to him.


A common hagiography describes Saint Valentine as a priest of Rome or as the former Bishop of Terni, an important town of Umbria, in central Italy. While under house arrest of Judge Asterius, and discussing his faith with him, Valentinus (the Latin version of his name) was discussing the validity of Jesus. The judge put Valentinus to the test and brought to him the judge's adopted blind daughter. If Valentinus succeeded in restoring the girl's sight, Asterius would do whatever he asked. Valentinus, praying to God, laid his hands on her eyes and the child's vision was restored.[25] Immediately humbled, the judge asked Valentinus what he should do. Valentinus replied that all of the idols around the judge's house should be broken, and that the judge should fast for three days and then undergo the Christian sacrament of baptism. The judge obeyed and, as a result of his fasting and prayer, freed all the Christian inmates under his authority. The judge, his family, and his forty-four member household of adult family members and servants were baptized.[26] Valentinus was later arrested again for continuing to evangelize and was sent to the prefect of Rome, to the emperor Claudius Gothicus (Claudius II) himself. Claudius took a liking to him until Valentinus tried to convince Claudius to embrace Christianity, whereupon Claudius refused and condemned Valentinus to death, commanding that Valentinus either renounce his faith or he would be beaten with clubs and beheaded. Valentinus refused and Claudius' command was executed outside the Flaminian Gate February 14, 269.[27]



Saint Valentine is said to have ministered to the faithful amidst the persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire.[3]

An embellishment to this account states that before his execution, Saint Valentine wrote a note to Asterius's daughter signed "from your Valentine", which is said to have "inspired today's romantic missives".[28]


The Legenda Aurea of Jacobus de Voragine, compiled about 1260 and one of the most-read books of the High Middle Ages, gives sufficient details of the saints for each day of the liturgical year to inspire a homily on each occasion. The very brief vita of St Valentine states that he was executed for refusing to deny Christ by the order of the "Emperor Claudius"[29] in the year 269. Before his head was cut off, this Valentine restored sight and hearing to the daughter of his jailer. Jacobus makes a play with the etymology of "Valentine", "as containing valor".


A popularly ascribed hagiographical identity appears in the Nuremberg Chronicle (1493). Alongside a woodcut portrait of Valentine, the text states that he was a Roman priest martyred during the reign of Claudius Gothicus. He was arrested and imprisoned upon being caught marrying Christian couples and otherwise aiding Christians who were at the time being persecuted by Claudius in Rome. Helping Christians at this time was considered a crime. Claudius took a liking to this prisoner. However, when Valentinus tried to convert the Emperor, he was condemned to death. He was beaten with clubs and stones; when that failed to kill him, he was beheaded outside the Flaminian Gate. Various dates are given for the martyrdom or martyrdoms: 269, 270, or 273.[30]


There are many other legends behind Saint Valentine. One is that in the 3rd century AD[citation needed] it is said that Valentine, who was a priest, defied the order of the emperor Claudius and secretly performed Christian weddings for couples, allowing the husbands involved to escape conscription into the pagan army. This legend claims that soldiers were sparse at this time so this was a big inconvenience to the emperor.[31] The account mentions that in order "to remind these men of their vows and God’s love, Saint Valentine is said to have cut hearts from parchment", giving them to these persecuted Christians, a possible origin of the widespread use of hearts on St. Valentine's Day.[32]


Another legend is that Valentine refused to sacrifice to pagan gods. Being imprisoned for this, Valentine gave his testimony in prison and through his prayers healed the jailer's daughter who was suffering from blindness. On the day of his execution, he left her a note that was signed, "Your Valentine".[28]


Churches named after Saint Valentine


St Valentine Kneeling in Supplication (David Teniers III, 1600s) – Valentine kneels to receive a rosary from the Virgin Mary

There are many churches dedicated to Saint Valentine in countries such as Italy. Saint Valentine was venerated no more than other Christian martyrs and saints.[33]


A 5th- or 6th-century work called Passio Marii et Marthae made up a legend about Saint Valentine's Basilica being dedicated to Saint Valentine in Rome. A later Passio repeated the legend and added the adornment that Pope Julius I (357–352) had built the ancient basilica S. Valentini extra Portam on top of his sepulchre, in the Via Flaminia.[34] This church was really named after a 4th-century tribune called Valentino, who donated the land on which it is built.[34] It hosted the martyr's relics until the 13th century, when they were transferred to Santa Prassede, and the ancient basilica decayed.[35]


Saint Valentine's Church in Rome, built in 1960 for the needs of the Olympic Village, continues as a modern, well-visited parish church.


Saint Valentine's Day

Main article: Saint Valentine's Day

Saint Valentine of Rome was martyred on February 14 in AD 269.[36] The Feast of Saint Valentine, also known as Saint Valentine's Day, was established by Pope Gelasius I in AD 496 to be celebrated on February 14 in honour of the Christian martyr.[37]



Shrine of Saint Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, Ireland

February 14 is Saint Valentine's Day in the Lutheran calendar of saints.[9] The Church of England had him in its pre-Reformation calendars, and restored his mention as bishop and martyr in its 1661–62 Book of Common Prayer, and most provinces of the Anglican Communion celebrate his feast.[38][39] The Roman Catholic Church includes him in its official list of saints, the Roman Martyrology. He was also in the General Roman Calendar for celebration as a simple feast until 1955, when Pope Pius XII reduced all such feasts to just a commemoration within another celebration. The 1969 revision of the General Roman Calendar removed even this mention leaving it for inclusion only in local calendars such as that of Balzan, Malta. His commemoration was still in the 1962 Roman Missal and is thus observed also by those who, in the circumstances indicated in Pope Benedict XVI's 2007 motu proprio Summorum Pontificum, use that edition.


July 6 is the date on which the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates the Roman presbyter Valentine; on July 30 it observes the feast of the hieromartyr Valentine, Bishop of Interamna.[10][11] Members of the Greek Orthodox Church named Valentinos (male) or Valentina (female) may observe their name day on the Western ecclesiastical calendar date of February 14.[40]


English 18th-century antiquarians Alban Butler and Francis Douce, noting the obscurity of Saint Valentine's identity, suggested that Saint Valentine's Day was created as an attempt to supersede the pagan holiday of Lupercalia (mid-February in Rome). This idea has lately been dismissed by academics and researchers, such as Professor Jack B. Oruch of the University of Kansas, Henry Ansgar Kelly of the University of California, Los Angeles[41] and Associate Professor Michael Matthew Kaylor of the Masaryk University.[42] Many of the current legends that characterize Saint Valentine were invented in the 14th century in England, notably by Geoffrey Chaucer and his circle, when the feast day of February 14 first became associated with romantic love.[43]


Oruch charges that the traditions associated with "Valentine's Day", documented in Geoffrey Chaucer's Parlement of Foules and set in the fictional context of an old tradition, did not exist before Chaucer.[44] He argues that the speculative explanation of sentimental customs, posing as historical fact, had their origins among 18th-century antiquaries, notably Alban Butler, the author of Butler's Lives of Saints, and have been perpetuated even by respectable modern scholars. In the French 14th-century manuscript illumination from a Vies des Saints (illustration above), Saint Valentine, bishop of Terni, oversees the construction of his basilica at Terni; there is no suggestion here that the bishop was a patron of lovers.[45]


During the Middle Ages, it was believed that birds paired in mid-February. This was then associated with the romance of Valentine. Although these legends differ, Valentine's Day is widely recognized as a day for romance and devotion.


Associated Christian relics


Relic of Saint Valentine in the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome

The flower-crowned alleged skull of St. Valentine is exhibited in the Basilica of Santa Maria in Cosmedin, Rome.


St. Valentine's remains are deposited in St Anton's Church, Madrid, where they have lain since the late 1700s. They were a present from the Pope to King Carlos IV, who entrusted them to the Order of Poor Clerics Regular of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools (Piarists). The relics have been displayed publicly since 1984, in a foundation open to the public at all times in order to help people in need.


Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church, Dublin, also houses some relics of St Valentine. On 27 December 1835 the Very Reverend Father John Spratt, Master of Sacred Theology to the Carmelite order in Dublin, was sent the partial remains of St Valentine by Cardinal Carlo Odescalchi, under the auspices of Pope Gregory XVI. The relics and the accompanying letter from Cardinal Odescalchi have remained in the church ever since.[46] The remains, which include "a small vessel tinged with his blood", were sent as a token of esteem following an eloquent sermon Fr Spratt had delivered in Rome.[47] On Saint Valentine's Day in Ireland, many individuals who seek true love make a Christian pilgrimage to the Shrine of St. Valentine in Whitefriar Street Carmelite Church in Dublin, which is said to house relics of Saint Valentine of Rome; they pray at the shrine in hope of finding romance.[48] There lies a book in which foreigners and locals have written their prayer requests for love.[5]


Another relic was found in 2003 in Prague in Church of St Peter and Paul at Vyšehrad.[49]


A silver reliquary containing a fragment of St. Valentine's skull is found in the parish church of St. Mary's Assumption in Chełmno, Poland.[50][51]


Relics can also be found in Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos.[52]


Another set of relics can also be found in Savona, in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.[53]


Alleged relics of St. Valentine also lie at the reliquary of Roquemaure, Gard, France, in the St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna, in Balzan in Malta and also in Blessed John Duns Scotus' church in the Gorbals area of Glasgow, Scotland. There is also a gold reliquary bearing the words "Corpus St. Valentin, M" (Body of St. Valentine, Martyr) at Birmingham Oratory, UK, in one of the side altars in the main church





Sts. Cyril and Methodius


† இன்றைய புனிதர் †

(ஃபெப்ரவரி 14)


✠ புனிதர்கள் சிரில் மற்றும் மெதோடியஸ் ✠

(Saints Cyril and Methodius)


ஆயர்கள்/ ஒப்புரவாளர்கள்

(Bishops/ Confessors)

அப்போஸ்தலர்களுக்கு நிகரானவர்கள்

(Equals to the Apostles)

ஐரோப்பா மற்றும் அடிமைகளின் பாதுகாவலர்கள்

(Apostles to the Slaves and Europe)


பிறப்பு:

சிரில்: கி.பி. 826 அல்லது 827


மெதோடியஸ்: கி.பி. 815

தெசலோனிக்கா, பைஸான்தீனிய பேரரசு (தற்போதைய கிரேக்க நாடு)

(Thessalonica, Byzantine Empire (Present-day Greece)


இறப்பு:

சிரில்: ஃபெப்ரவரி 14, 869

ரோம் (Rome)


மெதோடியஸ்: ஏப்ரல் 6, 885

வெலெராட், மொராவியா

(Velehrad, Moravia)


ஏற்கும் சமயம்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க திருச்சபை

(Roman Catholic Church)

மரபுவழி திருச்சபை

(Orthodox Church)

ஆங்கிலிக்கன் சமூகம்

(Anglican Communion)

லூதரன் திருச்சபை

(Lutheran Church)


நினைவுத் திருநாள்: ஃபெப்ரவரி 14


பாதுகாவல்:

ரோமன் கத்தோலிக்க மற்றும் மரபுவழி திருச்சபைகளுக்கிடையேயான ஒற்றுமை

(Unity between Orthodox and Roman Catholics),

ஐரோப்பா (Europe),

பல்கேரியா (Bulgaria),

“மசெடோனியா” குடியரசு (Republic of Macedonia),

"செக்" குடியரசு (Czech Republic),

"ஸ்லோவேகியா" (Slovakia),

"ல்ஜூப்ல்ஜனா" உயர்மறை மாவட்டம்

(Archdiocese of Ljubljana)


புனிதர்கள் சிரில் மற்றும் மெதோடியஸ் ஆகிய இரு சகோதரர்களும் "பைஸன்டைன்" (Byzantine) நாட்டின் கிறிஸ்தவ இறையியலாளர்களும், மறை பரப்பாளர்களுமாவர். அவர்களின் நற்பணிகள் மூலம், அனைத்து அடிமைகளின் கலாச்சார வளர்ச்சியிலும் மேம்பாடு பெற்றனர். இதன் காரணமாகவே, இவர்களிருவரும், "அடிமைகளின்அப்போஸ்தலர்" என்று போற்றப்பட்டனர்.


தற்போதைய கிரேக்க நாடான "பைஸன்டைன்" (Byzantine) நாட்டில் பிறந்த இவர்களிருவரினதும் தந்தை பெயர் "லியோ" (Leo) ஆகும். "மரியா" (Maria) இவர்களது தாயார் ஆவார். லியோ மற்றும் மரியாவுக்கு பிறந்த ஏழு குழந்தைகளில் சிரில் கடைக்குட்டி ஆவார். சிரிலின் இயற்பெயர் "காண்ஸ்டன்டைன்" (Constantine) ஆகும். இவர் தமது மரணத்தின் சிறிது காலத்தின் முன்னே ரோம் நகரில் துறவறம் பெற்றபோது, சிரில் என்னும் மதப் பெயரை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார்.


"மைக்கேல்" (Michael) எனும் இயற்பெயர் கொண்ட மெதோடியஸ், துருக்கி நாட்டின் வடமேற்கு பிராந்தியத்திலுள்ள "மைசியன் ஒலிம்பஸ்" (Mysian Olympus) என்னுமிடத்தில் துறவறம் பெற்றபோது, தமது மதப் பெயராக "மெதோடியஸ்" எனும் பெயரை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார்.


சிரிலுக்கு பதினான்கு வயது நடக்கையில் அவர்களது தந்தையார் மரணமடைந்தார். அந்நிலையில், பேரரசின் முதலமைச்சர்களுள் ஒருவராயிருந்த "தியோக்டிஸ்டோஸ்" (Theoktistos) என்பவர் அவர்களின் பாதுகாவலரானார். அவரே அவர்களது கல்விக்கும் உதவி புரிந்தார். இவர்கள் இருவரும் சிறப்பான முறையில் கல்வியைப் பூர்த்தி செய்தனர். சிரில், தமக்கு கிடைத்த ஆளுநர் பதவியை புறக்கணித்தார். ஆனால் அதே வேளையில் அவரது சகோதரரான மெதோடியஸ் "ஸ்லாவிக்" (Slavic) மொழி பேசும் மக்கள் வசிக்கும் பிராந்தியத்தில் அப்பதவியை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டார்.


சிரில், ஒரு துறவு மடத்தில் இணைந்தார். அவரது சகோதரர் மெதோடியஸ், சிறிது காலம் அரசு பதவியில் பணியாற்றிய பிறகு துறவு மடத்தில் இணைந்தார்.


"மொராவியா" (Duke of Moravia) பிராந்திய பிரபு, கிழக்குப் பிராந்திய பேரரசன் மைக்கேலிடம் (Eastern Emperor Michael) ஜெர்மன் ஆட்சியாளர்களிடமிருந்து அரசியல் சுதந்திரமும் திருச்சபை சுயாட்சியும் (Ecclesiastical Autonomy) கேட்டபொழுது, சிரில் மற்றும் மெதோடியஸ் ஆகிய இருவரின் வாழ்வில் திட்டவட்டமான மாற்றம் உண்டாகியது. அவர்கள் மறைப் பணியை ஏற்றுக்கொண்டனர்.


சிரிலுடைய முதல் பணி, கிழக்கு விதிமுறைகள் அமலிலிருந்த அப்பிராந்தியத்தில் ஒரு புதிய எழுத்துக்களை கண்டுபிடித்தலாயிருந்தது. பின்னர், அவருடைய சீடர்கள் சிரில்லிக் எழுத்துக்களை (Cyrillic alphabet) உருவாக்கினர். அவர்கள் சுவிசேஷங்கள், துதிப்பாடல், பவுல் எழுதிய கடிதங்கள் மற்றும் வழிபாட்டு புத்தகங்கள் ஆகியனவற்றை இணைந்து "ஸ்லாவோனிக்" (Slavonic) மொழியில் மொழிமாற்றம் செய்தனர். ஸ்லாவோனிக் வழிபாட்டு முறையையும் உருவாக்கினர். மிகவும் சரளமாக அவர்கள் பிரசங்கித்த முறையானது, ஜெர்மன் மதத்தவரிடையே எதிர்ப்பை உருவாக்கித் தந்தது. அப்போதைய ஜெர்மன் ஆயர், ஸ்லாவிக் ஆயர்களையும் குருக்களையும் (Slavic bishops and priests) அருட்பொழிவு செய்ய மறுத்தார்.


இதன் காரணமாக சிரில் ரோமுக்கு மேல்முறையீடு செய்தார். ரோம் நகருக்கு பயணித்த சிரிலும், மெதோடியஸும் 'திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் அட்ரியான்' (Pope Adrian II) தமது புதிய கண்டுபிடிப்பான "சிரில்லிக் எழுத்துக்களை" (Cyrillic alphabet) அங்கீகரித்தது கண்டு அகமகிழ்ந்தனர். ரோம் நகரில் துறவறம் பூண்ட சிரில், நீண்ட காலம் வாழ இயலாமல் ஐம்பதே நாட்களில் மரணமடைந்தார்.


மெதோடியஸ் தமது மறை பணிகளை மேலும் பதினாறு வருடங்களுக்கு தொடர்ந்தார். அவர் ஸ்லாவிக் மக்களுக்கு திருத்தந்தையின் பிரதிநிதியாக செயல்பட்டார். புதிய ஆயர் ஒருவரை அருட்பொழிவு செய்தார்.


"பவேரியன் ஆயர்கள்" (Bavarian bishops) பலரது முன்னாள் அதிகார வரம்பிலிருந்த பகுதிகள் நீக்கப்பட்டதால், அவர்கள் மெதோடியஸுக்கு எதிராக பல குற்றச்சாட்டுப் புயலைக் கிளப்பினர். இதன் பயனாக, ஜெர்மன் பேரரசன் லூயிஸ் (Emperor Louis the German) மெதோடியசை மூன்று ஆண்டுகளுக்கு நாடு கடத்தினான். திருத்தந்தை எட்டாம் ஜான் (Pope John VIII) அவரை விடுவித்தார்.


ஃபிராங்கிஷ் (Frankish) மொழி பேசும் குருக்களின் தொடர்ந்த தொந்தரவு, வெந்த புண்ணில் வேல் பாய்ச்சியது போன்று இருந்தது. அவர்கள் தொடர்ந்து மெதோடியஸின் மேலே மதங்களுக்கு எதிரான குற்றச்சாட்டுக்களை சுமத்தினர். தம்மைக் காத்துக்கொள்ளவும், தமது கண்டுபிடிப்பான ஸ்லாவோனிக் வழிபாட்டு முறையின் பயன்பாட்டினை நிலைநிறுத்தவும், மெதோடியஸ் ரோம் நகர் பயணித்தார். மீண்டும் தம்மை அவர் நிரூபித்தார்.


அதன்பின்னர், மெதோடியஸ் ஜுர வேகத்தில், எட்டே மாத காலத்தில் மொத்த திருவிவிலியத்தையும் "ஸ்லாவோனிக்" (Slavonic) மொழியில் மொழிபெயர்த்தார். கி.பி. 885ம் ஆண்டின் தவக்காலமான ஏப்ரல் மாதம், புனித செவ்வாய்க்கிழமையன்று (6ம் தேதி), தமது தேவாலயத்திலேயே மெதோடியஸ் மரணமடைந்தார். அவர் மரிக்கும்போது அவரது சீடர்கள் அவரைச் சுற்றியிருந்தனர்.


மெதோடியஸின் மரணத்தின் பின்னரும் அவரது எதிர்ப்பாளர்கள் தொடர்ந்து எதிர்த்தே வந்தனர். சிரில் மற்றும் மெதோடியஸ் சகோதரர்களின் பணி "மொராவியா" (Moravia) நாட்டில் முடிவுக்கு வந்தது. அவர்களது சீடர்கள் சிதறிப்போயினர். ஆனால் இந்த வெளியேற்றங்கள் சிரில் - மெதோடியஸ் சகோதரர்களின் ஆன்மீக, வழிப்பாட்டு, மற்றும் கலாச்சார பணிகளை "பல்கேரியா", "போஹெமியா" மற்றும் "தென் போலந்து" (Bulgaria, Bohemia and Southern Poland) ஆகிய நாடுகளில் பரப்புவதில் சாதகமான விளைவைத் தந்தன. "மொராவியா" (Moravia) நாட்டின் பாதுகாவலர்களான இவர்கள் விசேடமாக, "செக்" மற்றும் ஸ்லோவாக்" கத்தொலிக்கராலும் (Catholic Czechs, Slovaks), "குரோஷியர்களாலும்" (Croatians), "செர்பிய" மற்றும் "பல்கேரிய" (Orthodox Serbians and Bulgarians) மரபுவழி திருச்சபையினராலும் புனிதராக ஏற்றுக்கொள்ளப்பட்டனர். சிரில் - மெதோடியஸ் சகோதரர்கள் நீண்ட கால விருப்பமான "கிழக்கு மற்றும் மேற்கு" திருச்சபைகளின் ஒன்றிப்பிற்காக சிறப்பாக பணியாற்றியிருந்தனர்.


கி.பி. 1980ம் ஆண்டு, திருத்தந்தை இரண்டாம் ஜான் பால் (Pope John Paul II) இச்சகோதரர்களை ஐரோப்பிய நாடுகளின் (புனிதர் பெனடிக்டுடன்) இணை பாதுகாவலர்களாக நியமித்தார்.

Feastday: February 14



Cyril and Methodius must have often wondered, as we do today, how God could bring spiritual meaning out of worldly concerns. Every mission they went on, every struggle they fought was a result of political battles, not spiritual, and yet the political battles are forgotten and their work lives on in the Slavic peoples and their literature.


Tradition tells us that the brothers Methodius and Constantine (he did not take the name Cyril until just before his death) grew up in Thessalonica as sons of a prominent Christian family. Because many Slavic people settled in Thessalonica, it is assumed Constantine and Methodius were familiar with the Slavic language. Methodius, the older of the two brothers, became an important civil official who would have needed to know Slavonic. He grew tired of worldly affairs and retired to a monastery. Constantine became a scholar and a professor known as "the Philosopher" in Constantinople. In 860 Constantine and Methodius went as missionaries to what is today the Ukraine.


When the Byzantine emperor decided to honor a request for missionaries by the Moravian prince Rastislav, Methodius and Constantine were the natural choices; they knew the language, they were able administrators, and had already proven themselves successful missionaries.


But there was far more behind this request and the response than a desire for Christianity. Rastislav, like the rest of the Slav princes, was struggling for independence from German influence and invasion. Christian missionaries from the East, to replace missionaries from Germany, would help Rastislav consolidate power in his own country, especially if they spoke the Slavonic language.



Constantine and Methodius were dedicated to the ideal of expression in a people's native language. Throughout their lives they would battle against those who saw value only in Greek or Latin. Before they even left on their mission, tradition says, Constantine constructed a script for Slavonic -- a script that is known today as glagolithic. Glagolithic is considered by some as the precursor of cyrillic which named after him.


Arriving in 863 in Moravia, Constantine began translating the liturgy into Slavonic. In the East, it was a normal procedure to translate liturgy into the vernacular. As we know, in the West the custom was to use Greek and later Latin, until Vatican II. The German hierarchy, which had power over Moravia, used this difference to combat the brothers' influence. The German priests didn't like losing their control and knew that language has a great deal to do with independence.



So when Constantine and Methodius went to Rome to have the Slav priesthood candidates ordained (neither was a bishop at the time), they had to face the criticism the Germans had leveled against them. But if the Germans had motives that differed from spiritual concerns, so did the pope. He was concerned about the Eastern church gaining too much influence in the Slavic provinces. Helping Constantine and Methodius would give the Roman Catholic church more power in the area. So after speaking the brothers, the pope approved the use of Slavonic in services and ordained their pupils.


Constantine never returned to Moravia. He died in Rome after assuming the monastic robes and the name Cyril on February 14, 1869. Legend tells us that his older brother was so griefstricken, and perhaps upset by the political turmoil, that he intended to withdraw to a monastery in Constantinople. Cyril's dying wish, however, was that Methodius return to the missionary work they had begun.


He couldn't return to Moravia because of political problems there, but another Slavic prince, Kocel, asked for him, having admired the brothers' work in translating so much text into Slavonic. Methodius was allowed by the pope to continue saying Mass and administering baptism in the Slavonic tongue. Methodius was finally consecrated bishop, once again because of politics -- Kocel knew that having a Slavonic bishop would destroy the power of the Salzburg hierarchy over his land. Methodius became bishop of Sirmium, an ancient see near Belgrade and given power over Serbo-Croatian, Slovene, and Moravian territory.


The German bishops accused him of infringing on their power and imprisoned him in a monastery. This lasted until Germany suffered military defeats in Moravia. At that time the pope intervened and Methodius returned to his diocese in triumph at the same time the Germans were forced to recognize Moravian independence. There was a loss involved -- to appease the Germans a little, the pope told Methodius he could no longer celebrate liturgy in the vernacular.


In 879 Methodius was summoned to Rome to answer German charges he had not obeyed this restriction. This worked against the Germans because it gave Methodius a chance to explain how important it was to celebrate the liturgy in the tongue people understood. Instead of condemning him, the pope gave him permission to use Slavonic in the Mass, in Scripture reading, and in the office. He also made him head of the hierarchy in Moravia.



The criticism never went away, but it never stopped Methodius either. It is said that he translated almost all the Bible and the works of the Fathers of the Church into Slavonic before he died on April 6 in 884.


Within twenty years after his death, it would seem like all the work of Cyril and Methodius was destroyed. Magyar invasions devastated Moravia. And without the brothers to explain their position, use of the vernacular in liturgy was banned. But politics could never prevail over God's will. The disciples of Cyril and Methodius who were driven out of Moravia didn't hide in a locked room. The invasion and the ban gave them a chance to go to other Slavic countries. The brothers' work of spreading Christ's word and translating it into Slavonic continued and laid the foundation for Christianity in the region.


What began as a request guided by political concerns produced two of the greatest Christian missionaries, revered by both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, and two of the fathers of Slavonic literary culture.


In Their Footsteps:

Cyril and Methodius believed in the importance of celebrating liturgy in our own language, a privilege we have only had in last twenty years. If this change took place before your time, ask older Catholics about the differences that have taken place in their worship because of this change. If you were worshipping during the change, reflect on how celebrating in the vernacular has helped your worship and your spiritual life.


Prayer:

Saints Cyril and Methodius, watch over all missionaries but especially those in Slavic countries. Help those that are in danger in the troubled areas. Watch over the people you dedicated your lives to. Amen


For other uses, see Saints Cyril and Methodius (disambiguation).

Cyril (born Constantine, 826–869) and Methodius (815–885) were two brothers and Byzantine Christian theologians and missionaries. For their work evangelizing the Slavs, they are known as the "Apostles to the Slavs".[6]


They are credited with devising the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet used to transcribe Old Church Slavonic.[7] After their deaths, their pupils continued their missionary work among other Slavs. Both brothers are venerated in the Orthodox Church as saints with the title of "equal-to-apostles". In 1880, Pope Leo XIII introduced their feast into the calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. In 1980, Pope John Paul II declared them co-patron saints of Europe, together with Benedict of Nursia.[8]



Early career

Early life

The two brothers were born in Thessalonica (located in present-day Greece) – Cyril in about 827–828 and Methodius about 815–820. Cyril was reputedly the youngest of seven brothers; he was born Constantine,[9] but was given the name Cyril upon becoming a monk in Rome shortly before his death,[10][11][12] according to the Vita Cyrilli ("The Life of Cyril"). Methodius was born Michael and was given the name Methodius upon becoming a monk at Mysian Olympus (present-day Uludağ), in northwest Turkey.[13] Their father was Leo, a droungarios of the Byzantine theme of Thessalonica, and their mother was Maria.


The exact ethnic origins of the brothers are unknown, there is controversy as to whether Cyril and Methodius were of Slavic[14] or Byzantine Greek[15] origin, or both.[16] The two brothers lost their father when Cyril was fourteen, and the powerful minister Theoktistos, who was logothetes tou dromou, one of the chief ministers of the Empire, became their protector. He was also responsible, along with the regent Bardas, for initiating a far-reaching educational program within the Empire which culminated in the establishment of the University of Magnaura, where Cyril was to teach. Cyril was ordained as priest some time after his education, while his brother Methodius remained a deacon until 867/868.[17]


Mission to the Khazars

About the year 860, Byzantine Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch of Constantinople Photius (a professor of Cyril's at the University and his guiding light in earlier years), sent Cyril on a missionary expedition to the Khazars who had requested a scholar be sent to them who could converse with both Jews and Saracens.[18] It has been claimed that Methodius accompanied Cyril on the mission to the Khazars, but this may be a later invention.[citation needed] The account of his life presented in the Latin "Legenda" claims that he learned the Khazar language while in Chersonesos, in Taurica (today Crimea).


After his return to Constantinople, Cyril assumed the role of professor of philosophy at the University while his brother had by this time become a significant figure in Byzantine political and administrative affairs, and an abbot of his monastery.[citation needed]


Mission to the Slavs

Great Moravia


Cyril and Methodius, painting by Jan Matejko, 1885

In 862, the brothers began the work which would give them their historical importance. That year Prince Rastislav of Great Moravia requested that Emperor Michael III and the Patriarch Photius send missionaries to evangelize his Slavic subjects. His motives in doing so were probably more political than religious. Rastislav had become king with the support of the Frankish ruler Louis the German, but subsequently sought to assert his independence from the Franks. It is a common misconception that Cyril and Methodius were the first to bring Christianity to Moravia, but the letter from Rastislav to Michael III states clearly that Rastislav's people "had already rejected paganism and adhere to the Christian law."[19] Rastislav is said to have expelled missionaries of the Roman Church and instead turned to Constantinople for ecclesiastical assistance and, presumably, a degree of political support.[20] The Emperor quickly chose to send Cyril, accompanied by his brother Methodius.[21] The request provided a convenient opportunity to expand Byzantine influence. Their first work seems to have been the training of assistants. In 863, they began the task of translating the Gospels and necessary liturgical books into the language now known as Old Church Slavonic[22] and traveled to Great Moravia to promote it.[23] They enjoyed considerable success in this endeavour. However, they came into conflict with German ecclesiastics who opposed their efforts to create a specifically Slavic liturgy.


For the purpose of this mission, they devised the Glagolitic alphabet, the first alphabet to be used for Slavonic manuscripts. The Glagolitic alphabet was suited to match the specific features of the Slavic language. Its descendant script, the Cyrillic, is still used by many languages today.[20]


The brothers wrote the first Slavic Civil Code, which was used in Great Moravia. The language derived from Old Church Slavonic, known as Church Slavonic, is still used in liturgy by several Orthodox Churches and also in some Eastern Catholic churches.


It is impossible to determine with certainty exactly what the brothers translated. The New Testament and the Psalms seem to have been the first, followed by other lessons from the Old Testament.[citation needed] The "Translatio" speaks only of a version of the Gospels by Cyril, and the "Vita Methodii" only of the "evangelium Slovenicum," though other liturgical selections may also have been translated.


Nor is it known for sure which liturgy, that of Rome or that of Constantinople, they took as a source. They may well have used the Roman alphabet, as suggested by liturgical fragments which adhere closely to the Latin type. This view is confirmed by the "Prague Fragments" and by certain Old Glagolitic liturgical fragments brought from Jerusalem to Kiev and discovered there by Izmail Sreznevsky—probably the oldest document for the Slavonic tongue; these adhere closely to the Latin type, as is shown by the words "Mass," "Preface," and the name of one Felicitas. In any case, the circumstances were such that the brothers could hope for no permanent success without obtaining the authorization of Rome.


Journey to Rome


Saints Cyril and Methodius in Rome. Fresco in San Clemente

The mission of Constantine and Methodius had great success among Slavs in part because they used the people's native language rather than Latin or Greek. In Great Moravia, Constantine and Methodius also encountered missionaries from East Francia, representing the western or Latin branch of the Church, and more particularly representing the Carolingian Empire as founded by Charlemagne, and committed to linguistic, and cultural uniformity. They insisted on the use of the Latin liturgy, and they regarded Moravia and the Slavic peoples as part of their rightful mission field.


When friction developed, the brothers, unwilling to be a cause of dissension among Christians, decided to travel to Rome to see the Pope, and seek a solution that would avoid quarreling between missionaries in the field. In 867, Pope Nicholas I (858-867) invited the brothers to Rome. Their evangelizing mission in Moravia had by this time become the focus of a dispute with Archbishop Adalwin of Salzburg (859–873) and Bishop Ermanrich of Passau (866-874), who claimed ecclesiastical control of the same territory and wished to see it use the Latin liturgy exclusively.


Travelling with the relics of Saint Clement and a retinue of disciples, and passing through Pannonia (the Balaton Principality), where they were well received by Prince Koceľ. This activity in Pannonia made a continuation of conflicts inevitable with the German episcopate, and especially with the bishop of Salzburg, to whose jurisdiction Pannonia had belonged for seventy-five years. As early as 865, Bishop Adalwin was found to exercise Episcopal rights there, and the administration under him was in the hands of the archpriest Riehbald. The latter was obliged to retire to Salzburg, but his superior was naturally disinclined to abandon his claims.


The brothers sought support from Rome, and arrived there in 868, where they were warmly received. This was partly due to their bringing with them the relics of Saint Clement; the rivalry with Constantinople as to the jurisdiction over the territory of the Slavs would incline Rome to value the brothers and their influence.[20]


New Pope Adrian II (867-872) gave Methodius the title of Archbishop of Sirmium (now Sremska Mitrovica in Serbia) and sent him back in 869, with jurisdiction over all of Moravia and Pannonia, and authorisation to use the Slavonic Liturgy.[24] The brothers were praised for their learning and cultivated for their influence in Constantinople. Anastasius Bibliothecarius would later call Cyril "a man of apostolic life" and "a man of great wisdom".[25] Their project in Moravia found support from Pope Adrian II, who formally authorized the use of the new Slavic liturgy. Subsequently, Methodius was ordained as priest by the pope himself, and five Slavic disciples were ordained as priests (Saint Gorazd, Saint Clement of Ohrid and Saint Naum) and as deacons (Saint Angelar and Saint Sava) by the prominent bishops Formosus and Gauderic.[26] Cyril and Methodius along with these five disciples are collectively venerated (mainly by the Bulgarian Orthodox Church) as "Seven Saints".[27] The newly made priests officiated in their own languages at the altars of some of the principal churches. Feeling his end approaching, Cyril became a Basilian monk, was given the new name Cyril,[28] and died in Rome fifty days later (14 February 869). There is some question as to assertion of the Translatio (ix.) that he was made a bishop.


The statement of the "Vita" that Methodius was made bishop in 870 and not raised to the dignity of an archbishop until 873 is contradicted by the brief of Pope John VIII, written in June 879, according to which Adrian consecrated him archbishop; John includes in his jurisdiction not only Great Moravia and Pannonia, but Serbia as well.


Methodius alone


Saint Cyril and Methodius by Stanislav Dospevski, Bulgarian painter

Methodius now continued the work among the Slavs alone; not at first in Great Moravia, but in Pannonia (in the Balaton Principality), owing to the political circumstances of the former country, where Rastislav had been taken captive by his nephew Svatopluk in 870, then delivered over to Carloman of Bavaria, and condemned in a diet held at Regensburg at the end of 870. A the same time, the East Frankish rulers and their bishops decided to remove Methodius. The archiepiscopal claims of Methodius were considered such an injury to the rights of Salzburg that he was captured and forced to answer to East Frankish bishops: Adalwin of Salzburg, Ermanrich of Passau, and Anno of Freising. After a heated discussion, they declared the deposition of the intruder, and ordered him to be sent to Germany, where he was kept prisoner in a monastery for two and a half years.[29]


In spite of the strong representations of the Conversio Bagoariorum et Carantanorum, written in 871 to influence the pope, though not avowing this purpose, Rome declared emphatically for Methodius, and sent a bishop, Paul of Ancona, to reinstate him and punish his enemies, after which both parties were commanded to appear in Rome with the legate. Thus in 873, new Pope John VIII (872-882) secured the release of Methodius, but instructed him to stop using the Slavonic Liturgy.[30]


Methodius' final years

The papal will prevailed, and Methodius secured his freedom and his archiepiscopal authority over both Great Moravia and Pannonia, though the use of Slavonic for the mass was still denied to him. His authority was restricted in Pannonia when after Koceľ's death the principality was administered by German nobles; but Svatopluk now ruled with practical independence in Great Moravia, and expelled the German clergy. This apparently secured an undisturbed field of operation for Methodius, and the Vita (x.) depicts the next few years (873–879) as a period of fruitful progress. Methodius seems to have disregarded, wholly or in part, the prohibition of the Slavonic liturgy; and when Frankish clerics again found their way into the country, and the archbishop's strictness had displeased the licentious Svatopluk, this was made a cause of complaint against him at Rome, coupled with charges regarding the Filioque.


In 878, Methodius was summoned to Rome on charges of heresy and using Slavonic. This time Pope John was convinced by the arguments that Methodius made in his defence and sent him back cleared of all charges, and with permission to use Slavonic. The Carolingian bishop who succeeded him, Witching, suppressed the Slavonic Liturgy and forced the followers of Methodius into exile. Many found refuge with Knyaz Boris of Bulgaria, under whom they reorganised a Slavic-speaking Church. Meanwhile, Pope John's successors adopted a Latin-only policy which lasted for centuries.


Methodius vindicated his orthodoxy at Rome, the more easily as the creed was still recited there without the Filioque, and promised to obey in regard to the liturgy. The other party was conciliated by giving him a Swabian, Wiching, as his coadjutor. When relations were strained between the two, John VIII steadfastly supported Methodius; but after his death (December 882) the archbishop's position became insecure, and his need of support induced Goetz to accept the statement of the Vita (xiii.) that he went to visit the Eastern emperor.


It was not until after Methodius' death, which is placed on 6 April 885,[31] that the animosity erupted into an open conflict. Gorazd, whom Methodius had designated as his successor, was not recognised by Pope Stephen V. The same Pope forbade the use of the Slavic liturgy[32] and placed the infamous Wiching as Methodius' successor. The latter exiled the disciples of the two brothers from Great Moravia in 885. They fled to the First Bulgarian Empire, where they were welcomed and commissioned to establish theological schools. There they and scholar Saint Clement of Ohrid[33] devised the Cyrillic script on the basis of the Glagolitic. Cyrillic gradually replaced Glagolitic as the alphabet of the Old Church Slavonic language, which became the official language of the Bulgarian Empire and later spread to the Eastern Slav lands of Kievan Rus'. Cyrillic eventually spread throughout most of the Slavic world to become the standard alphabet in the Eastern Orthodox Slavic countries. Hence, Cyril and Methodius' efforts also paved the way for the spread of Christianity throughout Eastern Europe.


Methodius' body was buried in the main cathedral church of Great Moravia. Until today it remains an open question which city was capital of Great Moravia and therefore the place of Methodius' eternal rest remains unknown.[34]


Invention of the Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets


The Baška tablet is an early example of the Glagolitic from Croatia


A cartoon about Saints Cyril and Methodius from Bulgaria in 1938. The caption reads : Brother Cyril, go tell those who are inside to learn the alphabet so they know freedom (Bulgarian: свобода) and anarchy (Bulgarian: слободия) are not the same.

The Glagolitic and Cyrillic alphabets are the oldest known Slavic alphabets, and were created by the two brothers and their students, to translate the Gospels and liturgical books[22] into the Slavic languages.[35] The early Glagolitic alphabet was used in Great Moravia between 863 (the arrival of Cyril and Methodius) and 885 (the expulsion of their students) for government and religious documents and books, and at the Great Moravian Academy (Veľkomoravské učilište) founded by Cyril, where followers of Cyril and Methodius were educated, by Methodius himself among others. The alphabet has been traditionally attributed to Cyril. That attribution has been confirmed explicitly by the papal letter Industriae tuae (880) approving the use of Old Church Slavonic, which says that the alphabet was "invented by Constantine the Philosopher". The term invention need not exclude the possibility of the brothers having made use of earlier letters, but implies only that before that time the Slavic languages had no distinct script of their own.


The early Cyrillic alphabet was developed in the First Bulgarian Empire[36] and later finalized and spread by disciples Kliment and Naum in the Ohrid and Preslav schools of Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria[37] as a simplification of the Glagolitic alphabet which more closely resembled the Greek alphabet. It was developed by the disciples of Saints Cyril and Methodius at the Preslav Literary School at the end of the 9th century.


After the death of Cyril, Clement of Ohrid accompanied Methodius from Rome to Pannonia and Great Moravia. After the death of Methodius in 885, Clement headed the struggle against the German clergy in Great Moravia along with Gorazd. After spending some time in jail, he was expelled from Great Moravia, and in 885 or 886 reached the borders of the Bulgarian Empire together with Naum of Preslav, Angelarius, and possibly Gorazd (according to other sources, Gorazd was already dead by that time). The four of them were afterwards sent to the Bulgarian capital of Pliska, where they were commissioned by Tsar Boris I of Bulgaria to instruct the future clergy of the state in the Slavonic language.


After the adoption of Christianity in 865, religious ceremonies in Bulgaria were conducted in Greek by clergy sent from the Byzantine Empire. Fearing growing Byzantine influence and weakening of the state, Boris viewed the adoption of the Old Slavonic language as a way to preserve the political independence and stability of Bulgaria, so he established two literary schools (academies), in Pliska and Ohrid, where theology was to be taught in the Slavonic language. While Naum of Preslav stayed in Pliska working on the foundation of the Pliska Literary School, Clement was commissioned by Boris I to organise the teaching of theology to future clergymen in Old Church Slavonic at the Ohrid Literary School. For seven years (886-893) Clement taught some 3,500 students in the Slavonic language and the Glagolitic alphabet.


Commemoration

Saints Cyril and Methodius' Day


Saints Cyril and Methodius procession

The canonization process was much more relaxed in the decades following Cyril's death than today. Cyril was regarded by his disciples as a saint soon after his death. His following spread among the nations he evangelized and subsequently to the wider Christian Church, and he was famous as a holy man, along with his brother Methodius. There were calls for Cyril's canonization from the crowds lining the Roman streets during his funeral procession. The brothers' first appearance in a papal document is in Grande Munus of Leo XIII in 1880. They are known as the "Apostles of the Slavs", and are still highly regarded by both Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians. Their feast day is currently celebrated on 14 February in the Roman Catholic Church (to coincide with the date of St Cyril's death); on 11 May in the Eastern Orthodox Church (though for Eastern Orthodox Churches which use the Julian Calendar this is 24 May according to the Gregorian calendar); and on 7 July according to the old sanctoral calendar that existed before the revisions of the Second Vatican Council. The celebration also commemorates the introduction of literacy and the preaching of the gospels in the Slavonic language by the brothers. The brothers were declared "Patrons of Europe" in 1980.[38]


The first recorded secular celebration of Saints Cyril and Methodius' Day as the "Day of the Bulgarian script", as traditionally accepted by Bulgarian history, was held in the town of Plovdiv on 11 May 1851, when a local Bulgarian school was named "Saints Cyril and Methodius": both acts on the initiative of the prominent Bulgarian educator Nayden Gerov,[39] although an Armenian traveller mentioned his visit to the "celebration of the Bulgarian script" in the town of Shumen on 22 May 1803.[40]


The day is now celebrated as a public holiday in the following countries:


In Bulgaria it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Script Day" (Bulgarian: Ден на българската просвета и култура и на славянската писменост), a national holiday celebrating Bulgarian culture and literature as well as the alphabet. It is also known as "Alphabet, Culture, and Education Day" (Bulgarian: Ден на азбуката, културата и просвещението). Saints Cyril and Methodius are patrons of the National Library of Bulgaria. There is a monument to them in front of the library. Saints Cyril and Methodius are the most celebrated saints in the Bulgarian Orthodox church, and icons of the two brothers can be found in every church.

In North Macedonia, it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Saints Cyril and Methodius, Slavonic Enlighteners' Day" (Macedonian: Св. Кирил и Методиј, Ден на словенските просветители), a national holiday. The Government of the Republic of Macedonia enacted a statute of the national holiday in October 2006 and the Parliament of the Republic of Macedonia passed a corresponding law at the beginning of 2007.[41] Previously it had only been celebrated in the schools. It is also known as the day of the "Solun Brothers" (Macedonian: Солунските браќа).

In the Czech Republic and Slovakia, the two brothers were originally commemorated on 9 March, but Pope Pius IX changed this date to 5 July for several reasons.[42] Today, Saints Cyril and Methodius are revered there as national saints and their name day (5 July), "Sts Cyril and Methodius Day" is a national holiday in Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the Czech Republic it is celebrated as "Slavic Missionaries Cyril and Methodius Day" (Czech: Den slovanských věrozvěstů Cyrila a Metoděje); in Slovakia it is celebrated as "St. Cyril and Metod Day" (Slovak: Sviatok svätého Cyrila a Metoda).[42]

In Russia, it is celebrated on 24 May and is known as the "Slavonic Literature and Culture Day" (Russian: День славянской письменности и культуры), celebrating Slavonic culture and literature as well as the alphabet. Its celebration is ecclesiastical (11 May in the Church's Julian calendar). It is not a public holiday in Russia.

The saints' feast day is celebrated by the Eastern Orthodox Church on 11 May and by the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion on 14 February as "Saints Cyril and Methodius Day". The Lutheran Churches of Western Christianity commemorate the two saints either on 14 February or 11 May. The Byzantine Rite Lutheran Churches celebrate Saints Cyril and Methodius Day on 24 May.[43]


Other commemoration

The national library of Bulgaria in Sofia, Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje in the North Macedonia, and St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria and in Trnava, Slovakia, bear the name of the two saints. Faculty of Theology at Palacký University in Olomouc (Czech Republic), bears the name "Saints Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology". In the United States, SS. Cyril and Methodius Seminary in Orchard Lake, Michigan, bears their name.


The Brotherhood of Saints Cyril and Methodius (1846), a pro-Ukrainian organization in the Russian Empire to preserve Ukrainian national identity.


Saints Cyril and Methodius are the main patron saints of the Archdiocese of Ljubljana. Ljubljana Cathedral stands at Cyril and Methodius Square (Slovene: Ciril–Metodov trg).[44] They are also patron saints of the Byzantine Catholic Eparchy of Košice (Slovakia)[5] and the Slovak Greek Catholic Eparchy of Toronto.


St. Cyril Peak and St. Methodius Peak in the Tangra Mountains on Livingston Island, South Shetland Islands, in Antarctica are named for the brothers.


Saint Cyril's remains are interred in a shrine-chapel within the Basilica di San Clemente in Rome. The chapel holds a Madonna by Sassoferrato.


The Basilica of SS. Cyril and Methodius in Danville, Pennsylvania, (the only Roman Catholic basilica dedicated to SS. Cyril and Methodius in the world) is the motherhouse chapel of the Sisters of SS. Cyril and Methodius, a Roman Catholic women's religious community of pontifical rite dedicated to apostolic works of ecumenism, education, evangelization, and elder care.



St. Maro


Feastday: February 14

Death: 410



St. Maro chose a solitary abode not far from the city of Cyrrhus in Syria, and there in a spirit of mortification, he lived mainly in the open air. He had indeed a little hut covered with goatskins to shelter him in case of need, but he very seldom made use of it. Finding the ruins of the heathen temple, he dedicated it to the true God, and made it his house of prayer. St. John Chrysostom, who had a great regard for him, wrote to him from Cucusus, the place of his banishment, and, recommending himself to his prayers, begged to hear from him as often as possible. Maro was a disciple of St. Zebinus. He drew great crowds by his spiritual wisdom. He trained many hermits and monks and founded three monasteries. It is believed the Maronites take their name from Bait-Marun monastery near the source of the Orantes river, where a church was erected over his tomb. His feast day is February 14th.


For other uses, see Maron (disambiguation).

Maron, also called Maroun or Maro, (Syriac: ܡܪܘܢ‎, Mārūn; Arabic: مارون‎; Latin: Maron; Greek: Μάρων) was a 4th-century Syriac Christian hermit monk in the Taurus Mountains whose followers, after his death, founded a religious Christian movement that became known as the Syriac Maronite Church, in full communion with the Holy See and the Catholic Church.[5] The religious community which grew from this movement are the modern Maronites.


Saint Maron is often portrayed in a black monastic habit with a hanging stole, accompanied by a long crosier staffed by a globe surmounted with a cross. His feast day in the Maronite Church is February 9.[3][4]



Life

Maron, born in what is now modern Syria, in the middle of the 4th century, was a priest who later became a hermit, retiring to the Taurus Mountains in the region of Cyrrhus, near Antioch. His holiness and miracles attracted many followers, and drew attention throughout the empire. John Chrysostom wrote to him around AD 405 expressing his great love and respect, and asking Maron to pray for him.[4] Maron and Chrysostom are believed to have studied together in the great Christian learning center at Antioch, which at the time was the third largest city in the Roman Empire.[3]


Maron embraced a life of quiet solitude in the mountains north-west of Aleppo.[6] He was known for his simplicity and his extraordinary desire to discover God’s presence in all things.[3]


Maron is considered the Father of the spiritual and monastic movement now called the Maronite Church.[4]


Monastic spirituality

Maron's way was deeply monastic with emphasis on the spiritual and ascetic aspects of living. For Maron, all was connected to God and God was connected to all. He did not separate the physical and spiritual world and actually used the physical world to deepen his faith and spiritual experience with God.[4] He was able to free himself from the physical world by his passion and fervour for prayer and enter into a mystical relationship of love with God.


He lived his life in the open air next to a temple he had transformed to a church. He spent his time in prayer and meditation exposed to the forces of nature such as sun, rain, hail and snow. Theodoret of Cyrrhus wrote that this was a new type of asceticism that soon enjoyed wide acceptance in Syria and Lebanon. His Religious History, written about 440, mentions fifteen men and three women who followed this practice, many of them trained or guided by Maron.[6]


Missionary

Saint Maron was a mystic who started this new ascetic-spiritual method that attracted many people in Syria and Lebanon to become his disciples. Accompanying his deeply spiritual and ascetic life, he was a zealous missionary with a passion to spread the message of Christ by preaching it to all he met. He sought not only to cure the physical ailments that people suffered, but had a great quest for nurturing and healing the "lost souls" of both non-Christians and Christians of his time.


This missionary work came to fruition when in the mountains of Syria, Saint Maron was able to convert a temple into a Christian church in Kafr Nabu.[3][7] This was to be the beginning of the conversion to Christianity in Syria which would then influence and spread to Lebanon. After his death in the year 410 in Kalota,[8] his spirit and teachings lived on through his disciples.


His burial place is a debated issue. Some Lebanese sources, such as Giuseppe Simone Assemani and Maronite bishop Yusef al-Dibs believe he was buried in Arethusa or modern-day al-Rastan along the Orontes River in Syria, while others, like Jesuit priest Henri Lammens, claim he is buried in Brad village to the north of Aleppo.[9]


The Maronite movement reached Lebanon when Saint Maron's first disciple, Abraham of Cyrrhus, who was called the Apostle of Lebanon, realized that there were many non-Christians in Lebanon and so he set out to convert them to Christianity by introducing them to the way of Saint Maron.[6] The followers of Saint Maron, both monks and laity, for emphasizing the mia-thelite union of Christ's will with God's, were accused by Byzantium of monothelitism. However, Maronite historians argue that they have always remained in full communion with Rome.[10] Saint Maron's feast day is celebrated on February 9.[11]


Veneration

Saint Maron was known for his gift for healing.[12][13]


Patronages

Maronites

The town of Volperino in Italy. After being brought to Sassovivo Abbey in Foligno, Saint Maron's relics were kept for a long time in the tiny village of Volperino, before being transferred to Saint Felicianus Cathedral church in Foligno.

The Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn

The Eparchy of Saint Maron of Canada - Montréal, Canada - Official Website

The Eparchy of Saint Maron of Australia.

Notable recognitions

On 23 February 2011, Pope Benedict XVI unveiled a statue of Saint Maron on the outer wall of Saint Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and imparted his Apostolic Blessing. The 15 feet tall statue was commissioned by the Maronite Church to the Spanish sculptor Marco Augusto Dueñas. The saint appears in the sculpture holding a miniature, Maronite style church; the sculpture also features an inscription in Syriac reading: The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon. The statue occupied the last available niche in the outer perimeter of Saint Peter's Basilica.[14]


In June 2012, an impressionist painting of Saint Maron, as well as several icons based on images from the 5th-century Syriac Rabboula manuscript including the Crucifixion, the Marian icon of the "Mother of Light" and the Evangelists, was donated, installed and was solemnly attended by Cardinal Donald Wuerl at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.,[15] and was formally dedicated on September 23, 2012.




St. Dionysius


Feastday: February 14



Martyr of Egypt with Ammonius. They were beheaded in Alexandria




Saint Modestinus of Avellino


Also known as

• Modestinus of Mercogliano

• Modestin, Modestino



Additional Memorial

10 June (re-internment of relics)


Profile

Born to the nobility of Asia Minor. Bishop of Antioch, Turkey in 302, working with Saint Fiorentinus and Saint Flavianus. Imprisoned in the persecutions of Diocletian, he was miraculously freed and fled to Italy. There he was imprisoned for his faith in Locri, Italy by the local governor, but was released after he healed the governor‘s daughter through prayer; the governor and his family converted to Christianity. Evangelist in the area of Avellino, Italy, thought to have been led by Michael the Archangel to the places that most needed his preaching; reported to have convered 4,000 in one area. Imprisoned and martyred in persecutions of Maximian.


Born

c.245 in Antioch (modern Turkey)


Died

• burned to death by being wrapped in heated armor on 14 February 311 in Mercogliano, diocese of Avellino, Italy

• relics re-discovered 1166–1167 during a construction project led by Bishop William of Avellino

• relics re-interred in the crypt of the cathedral of Avellino on 10 June 1167


Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

• at the request of Bishop Francis of Avellino, in 1308 Pope Clement V granted an indulgence to those who made a pilgrimage to their shrine




Saint Juan García López-Rico


Also known as

• Giovanni Battista della Concezione

• Giovanni Garcia Xixon

• John Baptist de la Concepción Garcia

• Juan Bautista Rico

• Juan Bautista de la Concepción

• Juan García Gijón

• Juan García Xixón

• Juan Rico



Additional Memorial

15 February (diocese of Ciudad Real, Spain and diocese of Córdoba, Spain)


Profile

Fifth of eight children born to Xixón and Isabel García Marcos López-Rico; three of his siblings entered religious orders. As a child he was so drawn to follow the example of the saints that he nearly starved himself and endangered his health trying to live an ascetic life. At the age of 15 he met Saint Teresa of Avila which left him with a fascination with the Carmelites. He studied with the Carmelites in Almodóvar, Spain, and then at seminaries in Baeza and Toledo. Juan joined he Trinitarians on 28 June 1580, and made his profession on 29 June 1581. Ordained to the priesthood in 1585. On 20 August 1599 he received approval from Pope Clement VIII to begin a reformation of the Trinitarians; he based his efforts on the example of Saint Teresa of Avila and the original Rule of the Order which required six hours of prayer a day. In addition to reforming existing houses, he founded more monasteries that followed this new, invigorated form. Prolific writer on theology.


Born

10 July 1561 in Almodóvar del Campo, Ciudad Real, Spain


Died

14 February 1613 in Córdoba, Spain of nephritis


Canonized

25 May 1975 by Pope Paul VI



Saint Flavianus of Avellino


Also known as

• Flavianus of Mercogliano

• Flaviano


Additional Memorial

10 June (re-internment of relics)


Profile

Deacon in Antioch, Turkey, serving Saint Modestinus of Avellina. Imprisoned for his faith in the persecutions of Diocletian, he fled to Italy. There he was again imprisoned and martyred in persecutions of Maximian.


Died

• burned to death by being wrapped in heated armor on 15 February 311 in Mercogliano, diocese of Avellino, Italy

• relics re-discovered 1166–1167 during a construction project led by Bishop William of Avellino

• relics re-interred in the crypt of the cathedral of Avellino on 10 June 1167


Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

• at the request of Bishop Francis of Avellino, in 1308 Pope Clement V granted an indulgence to those who made a pilgrimage to their shrine


Patronage

• Avellino, Italy, city of (given in 1220 by Ruggiero of Avellino)

• Avellino, Italy, diocese of (given in 1220 by Ruggiero of Avellino)

• Mercogliano, Italy



Saint Nostrianus of Naples


Also known as

Nostrian, Nostrien, Nostriano



Additional Memorial

16 August (discovery of relics; date set in 1619)


Profile

Fifteenth bishop of Naples, Italy, in the mid-5th century, serving for 17 years. Fought against the spread of the Arian, Manichean and Pelagian heresies in his diocese. Helped hold his people together and adhering to the faith during a period of barbarian invasion of the aging Roman empire, and helped support the civic life of the city of Naples. Gave refuge to Christians, including Saint Gaudiosus of Abitina and Saint Quodvultdeus of Carthage, who fled Carthage after it fell to the Vandals.


Died

• between 452 and 465 (records vary) of natural causes

• buried in the catacombs of San Gaudioso in Naples, Italy

• relics enshrined in the church of San Gennaro all'Olmo in Naples in the 10th century in a marble urn under the high altar

• relics re-discovered and re-enshrined on 16 August 1612

• relics re-enshrined in the church of Saints Philip and James in Naples in 1865


Canonized

2 May 1878 by Pope Leo XIII (cultus confirmation)




Blessed Vicente Vilar David


Profile

Youngest of eight children. Educated by the Piarists, and studied engineering in Valencia, Spain. Married to Isabel Rodes Reig, the main witness to his life and martyrdom, and who died in 1993. Spread a Christian outlook and morality among his peers, and known for charity to the poor. He worked as an industrial engineer in the family ceramics firm, and held several important municipal posts in which he put the Church's social teaching into practice. Always involved in parish activities and Catholic youth groups. Against the anti-religious sentiment of 1930's Spain, he worked to save persecuted priests and religious. As he was taken away to his martyrdom for supporting his faith, his wife said, "See you tomorrow!", and he answered, "Until tomorrow or in heaven!". Those who've studied his case believe he had a cause for canonization based solely on his life, not just his martyrdom.



Born

28 June 1889 at Manises, Valencia, Spain


Died

shot on 14 February 1937 in Manises, Valencia, Spain


Beatified

1 October 1995 by Pope John Paul II




Saint Derien of Brittany


Also known as

Derhen, Derchen, Derc'hen, Derrien


Profile

Seventh century knight from the British Isles. Pilgrim to the Holy Lands. Several churches in Brittany, France are named in his honour as he is considered one of the British who brought Christianity to the region.


Legend says that on his return from the Holy Lands, travelling with Néventer of Brittany, the two knights rescued Riok, the two-year-old son of the Count Élorn, from a dragon; Derien defeated the monster by making the Sign of the Cross over it, then using his sash as a leash to drag the animal to the English Channel at Pontusval, France where he ordered it to drown itself. Élorn refused to convert to Christianity, but offered them lands as a reward; they asked for just enough land to build a church.


As dragon slaying usually refers to killing off pagan practices or demonic worship, this legend may refer to Derien healing the nobleman’s child – there is a tradition in the area of asking for his intercession for sick children, and of a well, formerly dedicated to a pagan god but now dedicated to Derien, whose waters could be used to heal children.


Born

British Isles




Saint Fiorentinus of Avellino


Also known as

• Fiorentinus of Mercogliano

• Fiorentino


Additional Memorial

10 June (re-internment of relics)


Profile

Priest in Antioch, Turkey, led by Saint Modestinus of Avellina. Imprisoned for his faith in the persecutions of Diocletian, he fled to Italy. There he was again imprisoned and martyred in persecutions of Maximian.


Died

• burned to death by being wrapped in heated armor on 15 February 311 in Mercogliano, diocese of Avellino, Italy

• relics re-discovered 1166–1167 during a construction project led by Bishop William of Avellino

• relics re-interred in the crypt of the cathedral of Avellino on 10 June 1167


Canonized

• Pre-Congregation

• at the request of Bishop Francis of Avellino, in 1308 Pope Clement V granted an indulgence to those who made a pilgrimage to their shrine


Patronage

• Avellino, Italy, city of (given in 1220 by Ruggiero of Avellino)

• Avellino, Italy, diocese of (given in 1220 by Ruggiero of Avellino)

• Mercogliano, Italy




Saint Valentine of Terni


Profile

Ordained by Saint Felician of Foligno. Consecrated bishop of Terni, Italy by Pope Victor I, c.197. Noted evangelist, miracle worker and healer, he was much loved by his flock. Imprisoned, tortured, and beheaded by order of the prefect Placid Furius during the persecution of Aurelius. He was murdered in secret and at night to avoid riots and revenge by the people of Terni. Some scholars believe that he and Saint Valentine of Rome are the same person.



Born

c.175 at Terni, Italy


Died

• on the Via Flaminia between Rome and Terni, Italy

• exhumed and re-interred outside the walls of Terni by his spiritual students


Patronage

• Terni, Italy

• Terni-Narni-Amelia, Italy, diocese of




Saint Fortunata of Baucina


Also known as

Fortunata of Rome


Additional Memorial

2nd Sunday of September (patronal feast for the town of Baucina, Italy)


Profile

Young woman who converted to Christianity in her teens. Imprisoned for her faith by Imperial Roman troops, she was tortured and eventually executed when she refused to renounce Christianity. Martyr.


Born

c.182 in Palestrina, Rome, Italy


Died

• October 200 in Rome, Italy

• buried in the Saint Ciriaca catacombs of Rome

• relics transferred to Baucina, Italy on 29 January 1750; they arrived on 14 February 1750, and were enshrined in the church of the Collegio di Maria

• relics re-enshrined in an urn in 1840


Patronage

Baucina, Italy (declared on 9 April 1870 due to the level of devotion by local Christians)




Saint Auxentius of Bithynia


Profile

Career soldier and equestrian guard of Emperor Theodosius the Younger, he was known to preach to his fellow guards. He eventually left the service to become a hermit on Mount Oxia near Constantinople. Accused and cleared of Eutychianistic heresy. Archimandrite in Bithynia. Active in the Council of Chalcedon. Hermit on Mount Sinope (Skopas) near Chalcedon. Many were attracted to his austerity, holiness, counsel, and teaching; a community of nuns formed at Trichinarion near his mountain.



Born

at Syria


Died

14 February 473 at Mount Skopas of natural causes




Saint Abraham of Harran


Also known as

Abraames of Harran


Profile

Syrian hermit. Hoping to bring the faith to a village at Mount Lebanon, he set up shop as a fruit seller; the people were willing to buy his fruit, but abused him when he started to preach. He converted them by borrowing money to pay their taxes, which kept them out of prison, finally convincing them of the goodness of Christians. He worked to pay the debt, taught them for three years, found a priest to minister to them, then returned to solitude. Chosen bishop of Harran in Mesopotamia. Greatly influenced Theodosius the Younger, who carried that influence to the throne when he became emperor.


Died

c.422 of apparent natural causes at Constantinople while visiting the emperor




Saint Antoninus of Sorrento


Also known as

• Antoninus of Campagna

• Antoninus Cacciottolo

• Antoninus the Abbot

• Antonino...



Profile

Benedictine monk. Forced by war to leave his monastery, he was first a hermit, then abbot at Saint Agrippinus and teacher of the people of Sorrento, Italy.


Born

Campagna, Italy


Died

830 of natural causes


Patronage

• Campagna, Italy

• Sorrento, Italy


Representation

Benedictine monk holding a standard on a city wall




Saint Alexandra of Egypt


Profile

To avoid the temptations of the world, around the age of 20 Alexandra walled herself up in a crypt in Alexandria, Egypt and spent 10 years as an anchoress, doing penance, praying, accepting meals through a slot in the wall, and giving spiritual advice to visitors.


Born

latter 4th century in Alexandria, Egypt


Died

late 4th century in Alexandria, Egypt of natural causes




Saint Eleuchadius


Also known as

Eleucadio


Profile

Convert, brought to the faith by Saint Apollinaris of Ravenna who then ordained him a deacon. Bishop of Ravenna, Italy in 100; legend says he was chosen when a dove rested over his head, which was taken as a sign of the Holy Spirit descending on him.


Born

Greece


Died

• 14 February 112 of natural causes

• relics later enshrined in Pavia, Italy




Saint Louans of Chinon


Also known as

Lupance, Lupantius


Profile

Seventh century monk at the Abbey of Saint Mesmin near Orleans, France. Feeling a need for solitude with God, he retired to live as a hermit on the banks of the river Vienne near Chinon, France. Reported to have the gift of healing by prayer. A 12th century abbey dedicated to him was built on the site of his hermitage.




Saint Felicula of Rome


Also known as

Felicola


Profile

A sanctified virgin who was imprisoned and martyred in the persecution of Domitian.


Died

• left for a fortnight in prison without food or drink, then thrown into a ditch to die, late 1st century in Rome, Italy

• her body was recovered for burial by Saint Nicomedes




Saint Zeno of Rome


Also known as

Zenone


Profile

Martyr.


Died

• Rome, Italy

• in the cemetery of Praetextatus on the Appian Way outside Rome




Saint Vitale of Spoleto


Profile

Martyr.


Died

Spoleto, Umbria, Italy




Saint Vitalis of Rome


Profile

Martyr.


Died

Rome, Italy




Saint Theodosius of Vaison


Profile

Bishop of Vaison, France.


Died

554




Saint Conran of Orkney


Profile

Bishop of the Orkney Islands, Scotland.



Twenty Mercedarians of Palermo


Profile

A group of twenty Mercedarians who, when an unspecified plague struck Palermo, Italy, volunteered to nurse the sick. They contracted the plague themselves, and died as martyrs of charity.



• Adriano Calabrò

• Andrea Schiafino

• Batilani Marsalio

• Bonaventura Palmerio

• Gaspare de Ortega

• Gaspare Fajolo

• Giovanni Battista de Sartis

• Giovanni Battista Mansa

• Giovanni Ruiz

• Giovanni Zorita

• Giuseppe Latona

• Michele de la Rosa

• Pietro Nolasco

• Pietro Salanitro

• Pietro Salino

• Stefano Marchesi

• Vincenzo Bonello

• Vincenzo Calderon

• Vincenzo Carrenzo

• Vincenzo Salanitro




Martyrs of Alexandria


Profile

A group of Christians murdered in various ways for their faith in Alexandria, Egypt. We know the names and a few details about 16 of them - Agatho, Agatone, Ammonio, Ammonius, Antonius, Bassiano, Bassianus, Cirione, Cyrio, Dionysius, Dionysius, Lucio, Moses, Moses, Proto, and Tonione.



Martyrs of Terni


Profile

Three Christians who gave proper burial to Saint Valentine of Terni. Martyred in the persecutions of Aurelius. We know little more that their names - Apollonius, Ephebus, and Proculus


Died

273 in Terni, Italy


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