Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix
Beatrix of Rome , a Christian martyr and saint , († around 303) belonged together with her brothers Faustinus and Simplicianus to one of the early Christian communities.
background
Documents show that the brothers Simplicius and Faustinus, soldiers of the Roman army, while one of the last bloody persecution of Christians under Emperor Diocletian tortured for their faith, killed and "per pontem qui vocatur Lapideus" (from the so-called bridge) into the Tiber had been thrown . Beatrix buried their bodies with the help of the presbyters ( priests ) Crispus and Johannes near the site of the discovery "ad Sextum Philippi" in a catacomb that was in the possession of a Roman matron named Generosa. This happened on the fourth day of the calendar of August of the year 303, according to today's calculation on July 29th.
According to the ancient sources, Beatrix followed the example of her brothers and refused to renounce their faith. That also cost her life. The noble matron Lucina, who was already known in Rome for helping the persecuted and for ensuring that the corpses were buried, took care of the dead Beatrix and arranged for her to be buried "ad Sextum Philippi" near her brothers. So it happened that Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix found the same resting place and were canonized together .
The historian of the work Liber de locis sanctis Martyrum (“The holy places of the martyrs ”) wrote about the martyrs that they “iuxta viam Portuensem dormiunt” (“rest near Via Portuense”) in anticipation of their resurrection.
Christian archeology succeeded in completing the authentic and essential parts of these narratives in such a way that the tomb "ad Sextum Philippi" with the adjoining burial corridors, which had been used by the early Christian community in this area of the Roman Campagna , came back to life. Under the direction of the archaeologist Wilhelm Henzen in 1868, the find of the Katakombe de Generosa , the burial place of the saints, arose in the Roman district of Magliana, not far from the bend of the Tiber.
Adoration
The Martyrs' Day is July 29th. Beatrix of Rome is depicted in the costume of a Roman maiden with a rope, her brothers Simplitius and Faustinus in armored Roman soldiers, sometimes with sword, lance and shield; also with a flag on which three lilies are depicted. In the coat of arms of the city of Lauterbach , St. Simplitius depicted in the armor of a knight.
Saint Boniface brought relics of the siblings to Fulda . Since then, the three have been the patron saints of this city. The three martyrs have been represented on the Fulda city seal and coat of arms since the 16th century by means of three lilies on a mountain of three , a symbol of purity . The three hills under the lily are said to represent the graves of the three. The red background stands for the martyrdom that the three died. The three saints are symbolized in the same way in the city arms of Geisa and Hammelburg . You are a co-patron of the Fulda Cathedral , which is a Church of the Redeemer. The relics of the three martyrs are walled up in the main altar.
Patronage
Since the year 1656 a patronage of the hll. Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix in the rural parish Hainzell of the Fulda monastery for the local chapel. In 1926 the patronage was taken over when the parish church was rebuilt.
literature
- Emilio Venditti: The city patron of Fulda and its catacomb in Rome. Ed. And edit. by Ulrich Schambony. [From the Ital. by Julia Schambony] Parzeller, Fulda 2000, ISBN 3-7900-0314-X
- Ekkart Sauser : Simplicius, Faustinus and Beatrix. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 10, Bautz, Herzberg 1995, ISBN 3-88309-062-X , Sp. 488-489.
