Cyriacus (saint)
Cyriacus ( Greek Kyriakós , also Cyriak , Cyriakus ; † around 303 in Rome by beheading) was a deacon from the time of the persecution of Christians in Rome, who is considered a martyr in the Catholic and Orthodox Churches and venerated as a saint. The name means "belonging to the Lord". Remembrance day is Catholic August 8th , the saint is counted among the fourteen helpers in need.
Life
Details of the life of Cyriacus are hardly known, most of them are legends . However, it is mentioned a few times in the Roman martyrs' records, which speaks for its historicity. It is known that Cyriacus was ordained a deacon by Pope Marcellinus around the year 300 . In particular, the deacon was entrusted with the care of the elderly, children and the sick, i.e. charity , but he also performed a special service in the liturgy, such as preaching the Gospel , reciting the intercession litanies and receiving the gifts during the preparation of the gifts holy mass .
It is also known where Cyriacus was buried, but this site no longer exists. According to the tradition of the Lorsch monastery , in 847 his bones were transferred to the collegiate church of St. Cyriacus in Neuhausen near Worms, which was later destroyed several times by acts of war . The bones were distributed as relics in various churches, partly by Leo X in Alsace (for example to Altdorf ), from where the worship of Cyriacus had already spread in the 10th or 11th century.
Legend
Maybe Cyriacus was also a from Alexandria derived doctor or exorcist . The legend tells that he healed the daughter of the emperor Diocletian from an obsession . As a thank you, the emperor gave him a house in which Cyriacus also set up a chapel and where he worked for many years. Although there were also many persecutions of Christians with Diocletian, Cyriacus was spared during this time, apparently because of the healing of the emperor's daughter. During the persecution of Christians by co-emperor Maximian , Cyriacus and his companions were captured and died a martyr's death: first they were poured with boiling oil and then beheaded. The house that Emperor Diocletian had given him was confiscated.
presentation
As a result of this legend of the healing of the emperor's daughter, Cyriacus, who is counted among the fourteen helpers of the Church, is often depicted with a devil, whom the saint leads tied to a chain. Often, however, especially in pictures of the fourteen helpers in need, he is depicted as a deacon (recognizable by the deacon's robe, the dalmatic ) with the martyr's palm in his hand. Finally, alluding to the healing of Diocletian's daughter, there are depictions of a mostly crowned female figure.
Patron and reception
Saint Cyriacus is supposed to protect against frost and bad weather, which is why he was very soon the patron saint of winemakers everywhere in the wine-growing areas, especially in the Palatinate. He was patron of the Papal States of the Principality of Castiglione and the cities of Bottrop and Gernrode . Cyriacus is invoked against evil spirits, obsession, temptation and scruples. Regardless of the traditional death anniversary of March 16, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of the saint on August 8. As a first name, Cyriacus is very rare; well-known namesake are the Italian humanist Cyriacus von Ancona , the Lutheran controversial theologian Cyriacus Spangenberg and the German hymn poet Cyriakus Günther .
Numerous churches (→ Cyriakuskirche ) as well as some monasteries (→ Stift Sankt Cyriakus ) are consecrated to Cyriacus .
The battle of Kitzingen on August 8, 1266 was also named Cyriakus battle after the saint . In the Hochstift Würzburg, the victory over the Counts of Henneberg was commemorated in later centuries with a procession in which the so-called “Cyriakuspanier” that blew during the battle was carried forward.
literature
- Jochen Boberg: Article Cyriacus of Rome ; in: Lexicon of Christian Iconography, Volume 6; Freiburg i.Br .: Herder, 1974; ISBN 3-451-22568-9 ; Col. 16-18
- Joseph Braun: Costume and attributes of the saints in German art. Stuttgart 1943; Reprinted there, 1964, Col. 178-181.
- Ekkart Sauser: Cyriacus. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 16, Bautz, Herzberg 1999, ISBN 3-88309-079-4 , Sp. 362-364.
- Luc Campana: The 14 holy helpers in need. Origin and admiration - competition with medicine - life and legends - reach and images. Lauerz: Theresia-Verlag, 2009. ISBN 978-3-03767-035-4 .
- Cyriacus. In: Lexicon of the Middle Ages . Volume III, 405.
- Jakob Torsy: The Big Name Day Calendar . 3720 names and 1560 biographies of our saints. 13th edition, Freiburg im Breisgau 1976; Reprint 1989, p. 226.
- Otto Wimmer: Handbook of names and saints, with a history of the Christian calendar. 3rd edition Innsbruck / Vienna / Munich 1966; from 4th edition 1982, by Otto Wimmer and Hartmann Melzer, under the title Lexicon of Names and Saints , p. 174 f.
Web links
- Franciscan monastery Vierzehnheiligen via Cyriak (as of September 13, 2018)
- St. Cyriacus Church in Kellinghusen: Who was “St. Cyriakus " (as of September 13, 2018)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Cyriacus |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Cyriak; Cyriacus; Kyriakos |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Saint and one of the 14 helpers in need |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 3rd century |
| DATE OF DEATH | at 309 |
| Place of death | Rome |