Fides, Spes and Caritas

Fides, Spes and Caritas, oil painting by Heinrich Maria von Hess, 1819

Fides, Spes and Caritas (Latin for faith, hope and love, the three basic virtues of Christianity ) are three legendary virgins who, according to tradition, suffered martyrdom at the time of Emperor Hadrian (117-138) . They are venerated as saints together with their mother Sophia . Their names are personifications of virtues based on the Roman model and refer to the Song of Songs of Love in 1 Cor 13 : 12-13  EU .

Lore

St. Sophia with her three daughters, statue around 1870, princely house chapel at Löwenstein Castle , Kleinheubach

According to tradition, Sophia was a Christian widow from Milan who, after the death of her very wealthy husband, shared all her wealth with the poor. She left Milan with her daughters to go to Rome . There she suffered martyrdom with her daughters in the persecution of Christians under Emperor Hadrian .

According to legend, the three daughters first suffered martyrdom. They are said to have been buried by their mother, who was executed three days later, on the Via Appia in the Catacomb of Calixtus in Rome. According to other pilgrimage reports, however, they are supposed to be buried under their Greek names Pistis (Πίστις), Elpis (Ελπίς) and Agape (Αγαπή) on the Via Aurelia . Her Passio has been translated into many languages ​​and her veneration is attested in Rome from the 6th century. However, the historicity of the narrated events is doubtful.

The daughter Fides of Sophia is to be distinguished from the early Christian martyr Fides of Agen († 287 or 303).

art

In art, the widow with her three daughters is often depicted at the feet of Christ , for example in the Agnes Chapel in Cologne Cathedral on a fresco from the 14th century. The symbols of Fides are the chalice , cross, book and burning candle, she is dressed in red, Spes in green clothes carries an anchor, Caritas' symbol is the flaming heart, she is dressed in white.

literature

• Bernhard Kötting : Fides, Spes u. Charitas . In: Josef Höfer , Karl Rahner (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 2nd Edition. tape 4 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1960, Sp. 120-121 .
• Victor Saxer : Sophia v. Rome . In: Walter Kasper (Ed.): Lexicon for Theology and Church . 3. Edition. tape 9 . Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 2000, Sp. 733-734 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ “The Passio was translated and handed down in many languages. It does not have any historical value. The creative imagination probably only used inscriptions as a basis " , B. Kötting in: Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche 2, Vol. IV, Sp. 12O-121