Quiteria

Martyrdom of St. Quiteria (18th century)

St. Quiteria, tile picture in Braga

Sarcophagus of St. Quiteria in Aire-sur-l'Adour

Quiteria ( French Quitterie , Spanish Quiteria ; * 119 in Braga , † 130 in Marjaliza near Toledo ) is the name of a child-youthful martyr of the 2nd or 5th century. Your vita is already mentioned in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum ; According to French tradition, it is one of the cephalophores ("head carriers").

Legends

Portugal

According to a Portuguese legend, Quiteria was one of the nine-born daughters of Calsia, the wife of the Roman governor in Braga. She and her sisters Liberata, Marina, Victoria, Germana, Eufemia, Marciana, Genibera and Basilia were cast out and brought up by Christian parents. At the age of 11 the children were discovered and had to flee; Quiteria came to Marjaliza near Toledo, where she was beheaded.

Her bones were reportedly buried in the Visigothic church of San Pedro de la Mata before being transferred to Aire-sur-l'Adour in France after the Moors invaded in the 8th century .

France

According to French tradition, which may be added later, Quiteria was the daughter of a Visigoth king of Toulouse . Her father had planned for her to marry a slave named Germanus, who had to do menial jobs at his court. But Quiteria refused; to escape the persecution of her father, she fled - disguised as a rider - to Aire sur-l'Adour, where she was tracked down by Germanus and beheaded in 472. When her head hit the ground, a spring sprang up there. Afterwards, she is said to have walked with her head in her hands to a nearby hill, where she was buried.

Adoration

St. Quiteria are numerous churches in western France as well as in Spain and in the Spanish-Portuguese colonial empire consecrated. She is the patron saint of the cities of Sigüenza and Aire-sur-l'Adour. In addition, she is venerated as the patron saint against rabies . A bridge with her name crosses the Río Mijares north of the city of Villareal ( Valencian Vila-real ).

presentation

The saint has no special attributes, but only carries a martyr's palm in her hands. In rare cases she is also shown with her severed head in hands.

See also

• Cephalophores ("head carriers")

Web links

Commons : Holy Quiteria  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Quiteria in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints