Cyricus and Julitta
Cyricus and Julitta | |
---|---|
Born | Iconium, Asia Minor (modern-day Konya, Turkey) |
Died | ~304 AD Tarsus, Asia Minor (modern-day Tarsus, Mersin, Turkey) |
Venerated in | Church of the East Catholic Church Oriental Orthodox Churches Eastern Orthodox Church |
Major shrine | Relics at Nevers, and in the monastery of Saint-Amand, Tournai. |
Feast |
|
Attributes | From the story involving Charlemagne, Cyricus is depicted as a naked child riding on a wild boar. |
Patronage | Prayed to for family happiness, and the restoring to health of sick children. |
Cyricus (
Cyricus
Some evidence exists for an otherwise unknown child-martyr named Cyricus at
History
According to one version of their martyrdom, Julitta and her three-year-old son Cyricus had fled to
An alternative version of the story is found in Latin, Syriac, and Arabic.[5] In this version, Julitta is captured without Cyricus and brought before the governor. She refuses to sacrifice to idols and tells him to find a child, so that they can ask him if he thinks it is right to worship one god or many. Cyricus is found and he declares himself to be a Christian. The governor inflicts many tortures on them, all of which they miraculously survive. Satan enters Julitta's heart, causing her to be afraid of death, but Cyricus emboldens her with encouragement and prayers. The mother and child are finally decapitated.
Cyricus and Charlemagne
A story from Nevers states that one night Charlemagne dreamed he was saved from being killed by a wild boar during a hunt. He was saved by the appearance of a nude child, who had promised to save the Emperor from death if he would give him clothes to cover his nakedness.
The
Veneration
Croatia
In Croatia, in the Town of Visnjan, there is a 17th-century loggia and the church of Saint Cyricus (Kirik) and Julitta (Julita).
Georgia
Cyricus (Kvirike) and Julitta (Ivlita) are venerated as patron saints of the Kala community in the highland province of
Italy
In Italy, where they are known as Quirico (or Quilico, or Chirico) and Giulitta (or Giuletta or Giulietta ),
In parts of Piedmont, including Centallo, Asti and Murisengo, an unconnected Saint Quirico is venerated, regarded as a member of the Theban Legion.[8]
British Isles
There are a few churches in
The cult of "St. Giric" was formerly much more widespread in Celtic Britain, however. His feast day was one of the principal Welsh holidays, as codified by the
St Cyriac's Church, Lacock, Wiltshire, has a framed print of a similar story depicting St Cyricus boxing a governor's ears because the governor had blasphemed. The embittered governor stabs the child dead and the mother is crucified. This print appears to be based on panels from the predella of a 15th-century Italian altarpiece dedicated to Cyricus.[13]
Middle East
Cyricus in particular is mentioned numerous times in the
Ethiopia and Eritrea
Cyricus or Qirqos (ቂርቆስ), also known as Qurqos or Č̣ǝrqos/Č̣ärqos, is a popular saint in Ethiopia and Eritrea, along with Julitta (ኢየሉጣ, ʾIyäluṭa). His feast is celebrated on the 15th of the month of Ṭərr (ጥር). Many churches in Ethiopia and Eritrea are named after Qirqos.[14]
India
Cyriacus is one of the saints venerated by the
Ethiopic texts
Ethiopic texts on Saint Qirqos include:[17]
- Gädlä Qirqos "(Spiritual) Combat of Qirqos" (Passio)
- Täʾamrä Qirqos "Miracles of Qirqos"
- Mälkʾa Qirqos "Image of Qirqos"
- Sälam lä-Qirqos "Salutation to Qirqos"
Ethiopian manuscripts containing the Passio of St. Qirqos that were digitized by the Ethio-SPaRe project include:[17]
- ʿAddi Qolqwal Giyorgis: 1 MS (Gädlä Sämaʿtat, 16th century)
- Koholo Yoḥannǝs: 1 MS (Gädlä Sämaʿtat, 15th century)
- Mǝdrä Ruba: 1 MS (19th century)
- Qǝddus Qirqos: 2 MSS (19th century)
- Qändaʻro Qirqos: 1 MS (20th century)
- ʿUra Qirqos: 4 MSS (14th/15th, 19th, 18th, 20th century; 1 MS Gädlä Sämaʿtat)
- Wälwalo Qirqos: 1 MS (19th century)
Footnotes
- ^ "Saint Martyrs Julitta (Giulietta, Julietta) and Cyricus (Kirik, Cyr, Cyriacus, Quiriac, Quiricus) mother and son of Tarsus". www.icon.lt. Retrieved 4 September 2017.
- ISBN 9780199596607.
- ^ Papebroch, Daniel (1867). Acta Sanctorum, Junii, vol. 3. Paris & Rome. pp. 19–23.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ van Hoof, Gulielmus (1882). Analecta Bollandiana 1. Bruxelles. pp. 192–208.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ Terpelyuk, Alisa (2009). Martyrdom of Mār Qūryāqūs and Yōlīṭī (Cyriacus & Julitta). Critical text, Russian translation from Syriac, and research by Аlisa А. Тerpelyuk. Moscow: Institute for Oriental and Classical Studies, Russian State University for the Humanities. p. 5.
- JSTOR 23597593.
- ^ Taqaishvili, Ekvtime (1937). არქეოლოგიური ექსპედიცია ლეჩხუმ-სვანეთში [Archaeological expedition to Lechkhumi and Svaneti] (PDF) (in Georgian). Paris. pp. 179–184.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ^ a b Santi Quirico e Giullita : I lori nomi Archived 2007-10-21 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)
- ^ For a description and history of the church see Collegiata dei Santi Quirico e Giulitta (in English)
- ^ See the list at Santi Quirico e Giullita: Il culto in Italia Archived 2007-10-21 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "Home". tickenhamchurch.org.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-04-27. Retrieved 2006-06-21.
- Wade-Evans, Arthur. Welsh Medieval Laws, p. 343. Oxford Univ., 1909. Accessed 31 Jan. 2013.
- ^ "Story of Saints Julitta and Quiricus (Three predella panels)".
- ^ Pisani, Vitagrazia (2013). Il culto di San Qirqos nell’Etiopia storica: analisi storico-filologica, con edizione critica della "Passio" (Gädlä Qirqos) (Ph.D. dissertation). Naples: Università degli Studi di Napoli "L’Orientale".
- ^ Brock, Sebastian P. (2011a). "Thomas Christians". In Sebastian P. Brock; Aaron M. Butts; George A. Kiraz; Lucas Van Rompay (eds.). Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press. Retrieved 22 September 2016.
- ^ Whitehouse, Thomas (1873). Lingerings of light in a dark land: researches into the Syrian church of Malabar (1873 ed.). William Brown & CO. p. 31.
- ^ a b Pisani, Vitagrazia (28 April 2012). The Martyrdom of Saint Cyricus (Qirqos) in North Ethiopia: Elements of the devotion and of the manuscripts tradition. University of Hamburg.
External links
- "St. Julitta, Martyr", Butler's Lives of the Saints
- Catholic Encyclopedia
- Saint Julitta
- Church of St Quiricus and St Julietta Archived 2016-04-27 at the Wayback Machine, Tickenham, England
- Cyriac Family History Project - Saints Cyr & Julitta page
- Orthodox Church of America
- Online Chapel - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
- St. Cyricus page at the Christian Iconography web site
- "Saint Quiricus and His Mother Saint Julitta" from the Golden Legend
- Syriac Martyrdom of Mar Quryaqus and Yoliti Full text