Symphorosa

Symphorosa († 120 in Tibur ) was an early Christian martyr and saint .

Life

The legend of Saint Symphorosa was written in a Passio around the 8th century . She connects her martyrdom with that of her seven children and relocates it to the time of Emperor Hadrian . The latter asked her to sacrifice to the Roman gods at the inauguration of his palace in Tibur , whereupon Symphorosa refused. According to tradition, she referred to her husband Getulius , who had been martyred before her for his Christian faith and whom she wanted to follow; other traditions date the martyrdom of Getulius a few years after that of Symphorosa. The emperor finally ordered Symphorosa to be tied to a heavy stone and sunk in the Tiber. She was then buried on Via Tiburtina near the 9th milestone at the gates of Rome. Her seven sons were each subjected to a special martyrdom: Crescens, the eldest, had the neck pierced, Julianus was stabbed, Nemesius was killed with a sword stab in the heart, Primitivus was fatally stabbed in the navel, Justinus was was killed with a sword blow in the back, Stacteus had been opened the sides, and Eugenius had been split in two from the bottom. It is unclear, however, whether the martyrdom of seven Christians, who originally had nothing to do with Symphorosa, was not subsequently reinterpreted as that of their children. The legend could have been based on the Passio Felicitatis , which describes a very similar process.

Adoration

In the 17th century , on the 9th milestone of Via Tiburtina , Antonio Bosio discovered the remains of a small basilica , which was probably the original place of worship of the Symphorosa. Their relics are venerated today in the church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria , where Pope Stephen II is said to have brought their remains in 752. The local sarcophagus, which was found in 1610, bears the inscription Hic requiescunt corpora SS. Martyrum Simforosae, viri sui Zotici (Getulii) et Filiorum ejus a Stephano Papa translata .

Symphorosa is venerated as a saint. Her feast day is July 18th .

literature

• Victor Saxer: Symphorosa and Companions . In: Lexicon of saints and veneration of saints . Lexicon for theology and the church compact. tape 3 , personal part R - Z, material part, appendix. Herder Verlag , Freiburg im Breisgau 2003, ISBN 3-451-28193-7 , Sp. 1550 f .
• Adolf Lumpe:  Symphorosa. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 11, Bautz, Herzberg 1996, ISBN 3-88309-064-6 , Sp. 367-368.

Web links

• Entry at www.zeno.org