Saints Quiricus and Julitta
Saints Quiricus and Julitta (also known as Cyricus and Julitta, Cyr and Juliet, or Ciriac and Giulitta; died c. 304 AD at Tarsus, Cilicia) were an infant and his mother venerated as Christian martyrs who suffered death during the Diocletianic Persecution. According to the hagiographic tradition, Julitta was a wealthy Christian widow of Iconium in Lycaonia who fled the persecution with her three-year-old son Quiricus (or Cyricus) and two faithful servants, was arrested in Tarsus, and died there after her child had already been killed before her eyes. The historical Acts of their passion are acknowledged by scholars — including the entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia — as later compositions that postdate the martyrdom and contain legendary elaborations; they were omitted from the General Roman Calendar in 1969. Nevertheless, the antiquity and breadth of the cult of these two martyrs is beyond dispute: a chapel dedicated to them existed in the Roman basilica of Santa Maria Antiqua at the Roman Forum by the fifth century, Constantine I reportedly built churches to honour them near Jerusalem and Constantinople, and Bishop Amator of Auxerre is said to have brought relics from Antioch in the late fourth century.[1][2][3]
Their feast is observed on June 16 in the Latin Church and on July 15 in the Eastern Orthodox, Assyrian, and Oriental Orthodox traditions. Quiricus and Julitta left an extraordinarily wide legacy of place names: hundreds of localities and churches across France, Italy, Britain, Croatia, and Ethiopia bear their names (Saint-Cyr, San Quirico, Newton St Cyres, and many others), making this mother and child among the most topographically influential of all early Christian martyrs.[2]
Stored in Cargo: Saints Quiricus and Julitta
| Saints Quiricus and Julitta | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | June 16 |
| Profession | Martyrs |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church; Oriental Orthodox Churches (especially Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo); Assyrian Church of the East |
| Patronage | Family happiness; sick children; mothers; invoked for the healing of children |
| Attributes | Infant boy Quiricus with palm of martyrdom; Julitta with sword (instrument of her beheading) and palm |
| Birthplace | Iconium (modern Konya), Lycaonia, Asia Minor (Turkey) |
| Death Place | Tarsus, Cilicia, Asia Minor (modern Tarsus, Mersin Province, Turkey) |
| Cause of Death | Martyrdom under the Diocletianic Persecution: Quiricus killed (thrown down stairs by the governor); Julitta tortured and beheaded |
| Primary Shrine | Cathedral of Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte, Nevers, France (major relic repository) |
| Liturgical Class | Feast listed in the Roman Martyrology on June 16; removed from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 (legendary Acts); observed locally in many dioceses and by Eastern Churches on July 15 |
| Historic Class | June 16 (included until 1969 reform) |
Biography
Historical note
The Catholic Encyclopedia is candid that the Acts of Saints Quiricus and Julitta "appeared later" and lack historical reliability in their narrative details.[1] What can be affirmed historically is: (a) their names appear in the ancient martyrologies and are authenticated by the early spread of their cult; (b) a chapel in their honour exists in Santa Maria Antiqua at Rome dating to the fifth century or earlier; (c) their cult was attested in Gaul by the late fourth century; and (d) they were among the most widely venerated early martyrs of the Church, east and west. The account below follows the hagiographic tradition and is presented as such.
Julitta: noblewoman of Iconium
Julitta was a wealthy Christian widow descended from a distinguished family of Iconium (modern Konya, Turkey), the principal city of the Roman province of Lycaonia in central Asia Minor.[2][3] Widowed and left to raise her son Cyricus (Quiricus) alone, she was thrown into great peril when the Emperor Diocletian's edicts against Christians (issued in 303–304) reached her city. With her two faithful maidservants and her three-year-old son, she disguised herself and fled.[3]
Flight and arrest in Tarsus
The fugitives made their way first to Seleucia (Silifke) on the coast of Cilicia, and then to Tarsus, the great commercial city of the same province — the birthplace of Saint Paul.[3] There Julitta's identity was discovered. She was arrested, brought before the governor (different sources give his name as Domitian, Alexander, or another), and commanded to offer sacrifice to the pagan gods. She refused, declaring that she was a Christian.[3]
The martyrdom of Quiricus
While Julitta was being interrogated and tortured, her infant son Quiricus — who had been taken from her arms by the governor's attendants — scratched the governor's face and cried out that he too was a Christian.[2][3] Enraged, the governor flung the child to the ground (or down stone steps), and Quiricus died from the fall. According to the hagiographic tradition, his mother thanked God that her son had already won the crown of martyrdom before her.[2]
The martyrdom of Julitta
After the death of her son, Julitta continued to endure torture. The Acts record that her sides were torn with iron hooks; she was then beheaded with a sword.[2] Two of her maidservants secretly recovered the bodies of mother and child and buried them.[2]
Discovery of relics and early veneration
The relics of Quiricus and Julitta subsequently attracted wide veneration. Constantine I is said to have found their tomb and built in their honour a monastery near Jerusalem and a church near Constantinople.[2] Bishop Amator of Auxerre brought relics from Antioch to Gaul in the late fourth century, establishing their cult in France at a very early date.[2] A chapel dedicated to them in the Roman basilica of Santa Maria Antiqua at the Roman Forum is among the earliest surviving monuments of their veneration; wall paintings there attest their cult by the fifth century, making it one of the oldest documented saint-cults in Rome. Gregory of Tours also records the veneration of these martyrs in Gaul in the sixth century, confirming the antiquity of the cult in the West.[1]
Major relic collections developed at Nevers in France and at the monastery of Saint-Amand in the Diocese of Tournai (now in Belgium).[2]
Legacy of place names
Few early martyrs have left so vast a topographical legacy. In France, the syllable Saint-Cyr (from Cyricus) recurs scores of times: Saint-Cyr-l'École (near Versailles), Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire, Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d'Or, and many more. In Italy, over 200 localities, churches, and comuni bear the names of Quiricus or Julitta: San Quirico d'Orcia (Siena, a UNESCO World Heritage site), San Chirico Nuovo, Serra San Quirico, Santa Giuletta, Corvino San Quirico, and others.[2] In England, Newton St Cyres (Devon), Tickenham (Somerset), Swaffham Prior (Cambridgeshire), and a parish in Stonehouse (Gloucestershire) are among those dedicated to Saint Cyricus; parishes in Luxulyan and St Veep in Cornwall preserve the name in its Cornish form. In Wales, the parish of Llanilid (Rhondda Cynon Taf) is dedicated to them. In Croatia, the town of Višnjan (Vižinada) venerates them.[2]
Their cult remains living in the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo traditions, where Cyricus (Qirqos) is among the most prominent saints; in Georgia, India, and throughout the Syrian Christian traditions as well.[2]
Significant events
- Born and raised in Iconium (Konya), Lycaonia, Roman Asia Minor.
- Julitta, a Christian widow, fled the Diocletianic Persecution with her three-year-old son Cyricus (Quiricus) and two servants.
- Arrested in Tarsus, Cilicia, c. 304; refused to sacrifice to the gods.
- Quiricus (age 3) scratched the governor's face and declared himself a Christian; thrown down stairs and killed.
- Julitta bore further torture and was beheaded; servants buried the bodies.
- Constantine I reportedly found the relics and built churches in their honour.
- Bishop Amator of Auxerre brought relics to Gaul in the late 4th century.
- Chapel in Santa Maria Antiqua, Rome, attests the cult by the 5th century.
- Feast: June 16 (Western); July 15 (Eastern).
- Over 200 localities and churches in Italy, scores in France, and many in Britain named after them.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Iconium (modern Konya), Lycaonia, Asia Minor (Turkey)
Death location: Tarsus, Cilicia, Asia Minor (modern Tarsus, Mersin Province, Turkey)
Notable location: City of origin; Julitta was a Christian noblewoman there before fleeing the persecution (Iconium (Konya), Turkey)
Notable location: Site of their martyrdom c. 304 (Tarsus, Mersin Province, Turkey)
Notable location: Site of the earliest known chapel dedicated to them (5th century), testifying to their ancient veneration in Rome (Santa Maria Antiqua, Roman Forum, Rome, Italy)
Notable location: One of over 200 Italian localities bearing their name; now a UNESCO World Heritage–listed town in Tuscany (San Quirico d'Orcia, Siena, Italy)
Notable location: One of several English parishes dedicated to Saint Cyricus (Cyr) (Newton St Cyres, Devon, England)
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Feast day
June 16 (Western); July 15 (Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, Assyrian)
Veneration
Saints Quiricus and Julitta are venerated throughout the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, and the Oriental Orthodox traditions — particularly in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Georgia, and India — making them among the most ecumenically honoured of early Christian martyrs. They are patrons of mothers, of sick children, and of family happiness. Their feast was kept in the General Roman Calendar until the 1969 reform, when it was removed because the historical basis of their Acts could not be confirmed, but the veneration itself remains ancient and widespread. In art, Quiricus is depicted as an infant or very young child holding a palm of martyrdom, while Julitta appears as a young woman holding a sword and palm.[1][2]
Prayers
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External links
- New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia – Sts. Quiricus and Julitta
- Wikipedia – Cyricus and Julitta
- EWTN – Saints Quiricus and Julitta