Frutos (saint)

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Statue of Saint Fructus in the San Frutos Chapel of Segovia Cathedral
Ermita de San Frutos priory church with the Cuchillada de San Frutos crevice (left) above the valley of the Río Duratón

San Frutos , the holy Fructus (* 7th century in Segovia , † 8th century in the area of Carrascal del Río ), was a Spanish hermit . He is the patron saint of Segovia. His feast day is October 25th, which is celebrated with great festivity in the city and region ( Romería de San Frutos ).

Life and legend

The life of St. Fructus has only been handed down in legend . The historical background is the Islamic conquest of the Iberian Peninsula from 711; The story did not take its effective form until the time of the Reconquista .

Accordingly, Fructus and his younger siblings Ingratia and Valentinus came from a distinguished Christian family in the Visigothic Segovia. Even in his youth, Fructus was characterized by a special passion for God. He sold his property, gave the proceeds to the poor, left town and went to an uninhabited area, where he built a hut for himself. There he led a life of asceticism and prayer . Soon people came from far away and found comfort and advice from him.

When the Moors took Segovia, Fructus and his siblings offered shelter to Christian refugees. Eventually the conquerors advanced as far as the hermitage. Fructus came up to them and drew a line across a rock with a stick. Then the rock split and a deep chasm separated the Christians from their persecutors. This crevice, the Cuchillada de San Frutos , is still shown today at the Ermita de San Frutos .

Nothing is known about the saint's further life and death. Some versions of the legend give 715 as the year of death. His relics are kept in Segovia Cathedral . However, their veneration can only be traced back to the 11th century. In 1076 the area near the crevice of St. Fructus, where there was probably an old chapel, was given to the Benedictines of Silos , who built a priory there , the Ermita de San Frutos .

Web links

Commons : San Frutos  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Santoral Octubre 2006 ( Memento of February 7, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ referenced from cyberbasilica.org
  3. ↑ cyberbasilica.org
  4. ^ Catholic Encyclopedia
personal data
SURNAME Frutos
ALTERNATIVE NAMES San Frutos; Fructus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish hermit, saint
DATE OF BIRTH 7th century
PLACE OF BIRTH Segovia
DATE OF DEATH 8th century
Place of death at Carrascal del Río