Cucuphas
Encyclopedia
Saint Cucuphas (d. 304 AD) is a martyr
of Spain
. His feast day
is July 25, but in some areas it is celebrated on July 27 to avoid conflict with the important feast day of Santiago
, the patron saint
of Spain. His name is said to be of Phoenician
origin with the meaning of "he who jokes, he who likes to joke."
, later martyred at Girona
, were said to have been deacon
s of the Catholic Church in Carthage
who arrived at Barcelona
to evangelize the area. According to his legend, he functioned as a merchant
in Barcelona while preaching the Christian faith, baptizing converts, and aiding the Christian community there. According to Christian accounts of his life, he was generous with the poor and a worker of miracle
s.
He was martyred near Barcelona
during the persecution of Diocletian
. Under the Roman
governor, he suffered many torments and was imprisoned somewhere near Barcelona, along the twenty-mile stretch between ancient Barcino (Barcelona) and Egara (Terrassa
). His throat was finally cut in 304. Tradition holds that two Christian women from Illuro (Mataró
), Juliana and Semproniana, buried his body and were consequently martyred as well.
The Benedictine abbey of St. Cugat de Valles is considered to be situated on the site of his martyrdom, which was once the Roman site of Castrum Octavianum.
The legendary details of his martyrdom state that he was handed over to twelve strong soldiers, who were ordered to whip him and tear his skin with iron nails and scorpion
s. Cucuphas is then roasted alive after being covered in vinegar
and pepper
, though heavenly intervention saves him from death and injury. A great bonfire
also fails to kill the saint and instead kills his would-be executioners. His jailers are subsequently converted to Christianity after they find Cucuphas in his cell illuminated with heavenly light. The next day, he is flagellated with iron whips. By means of heavenly intervention, the prefect Maximianus is killed when his carriage
catches on fire. Rufus, the new prefect, prudently decides to not practice torture of any kind on the saint and instead orders an immediate execution by sword.
honored him in a hymn
. Cucuphas is mentioned in the Hieronymian Martyrology; the Prayer Book of Verona (7th century AD); in a hymn
called Barcino laeto Cucufate vernans (7th century, recorded in manuscripts in Toledo
and Silos
, 10th-11th centuries), which has been attributed to Quiricus, Bishop of Toledo
; the Liber Sacramentorum (Toledo, 9th century, Mozarabic mass dedicated to Cucuphas); Martyrology of Ado
; Martyrology of Usuard
(9th century); and the Martyrology of Saint Peter of Cardeña (10th century, presumed copy of 7th century manuscript).
The early medieval hymn Barcino laeto Cucufate vernans runs as follows:
. The relics of Cucuphas occupy a place of honor in the apse
to the right of Saint Denis to this day.
From the 14th century onwards, Sant Cugat kept the martyr's remains in a small chest, decorated with scenes of the saint's life. This chest was taken to the parish of Sant Cugat del Rec (or "del Forn") in Barcelona after the monasteries were freed from mortmain
.
In 1950, Sant Cugat commemorated a relic proceeding from this chest of Sant Cugat del Rec. The relics are now in the crypt of the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar.
Many churches in Europe, from the Middle Ages
onwards, claimed his relics, including Reichenau
; the cathedrals of Braga
, Oviedo
; and Lièpvre
, whose monastery had been founded by Fulrad, who had already brought some of the saint's relics to Saint-Denis.
, since some of his relics are enshrined at the church of Saint-Denis, in the Chapelle Saint-Cucuphas. Near Rueil-Malmaison
, there is a forest named Bois de St-Cucufa, as well as a tiny lake that carries the saint's name. Property of the state since 1871, the forest was called Bois Béranger (Nemus/Boscus Berengerii) until the Benedictines built a chapel dedicated to the saint in the 13th century. Pilgrimages to the shrine of "Saint Quiquenfat" were practiced until the eighteenth century.
Other place-names that may point to a diffusion in France of Cucuphas' cult include Guinelat, Conat, and Coplian.
has several parochial churches dedicated to him.
San Cucao de Llanera
is situated in the municipality of Llanera, Asturias
.
Concern amongst Catalan
devotees of the saint was raised when it was discovered in 2001 that the name of Saint Cucuphas had been removed from the latest version of the Roman Martyrology. However, the saint had been included –under his Latin
(and English
) name of "Cucuphas" rather than "Cugat." In the martyrology
, he was described as a "martyr of the persecution of Diocletian, killed with a sword
. Fourth century. African."
Saints Juliana and Semproniana are still venerated at Mataró on July 27. They appear with Cucuphas in the facade
of the church of Santa Maria de Mataró.
venerated Cucuphas as their patron saint
, as well as those who committed petty thefts. The origins of this patronage are not known.
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. His feast day
Calendar of saints
The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint...
is July 25, but in some areas it is celebrated on July 27 to avoid conflict with the important feast day of Santiago
Saint James the Great
James, son of Zebedee was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He was a son of Zebedee and Salome, and brother of John the Apostle...
, the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Spain. His name is said to be of Phoenician
Phoenician languages
Phoenician was a language originally spoken in the coastal region then called "Canaan" in Phoenician, Arabic, Hebrew, and Aramaic, "Phoenicia" in Greek and Latin, and "Pūt" in Ancient Egyptian. Phoenician is a Semitic language of the Canaanite subgroup; its closest living relative is Hebrew, to...
origin with the meaning of "he who jokes, he who likes to joke."
Life
He was born into a noble Christian family in Scillis. He and Saint FelixFelix of Girona
Saint Feliu of Girona is a Catalan saint. He was martyred at Girona after traveling from Carthage with Saint Cucuphas to Spain as a missionary....
, later martyred at Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
, were said to have been deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
s of the Catholic Church in Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
who arrived at Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
to evangelize the area. According to his legend, he functioned as a merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
in Barcelona while preaching the Christian faith, baptizing converts, and aiding the Christian community there. According to Christian accounts of his life, he was generous with the poor and a worker of miracle
Miracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s.
He was martyred near Barcelona
Barcelona
Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...
during the persecution of Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
. Under the Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
governor, he suffered many torments and was imprisoned somewhere near Barcelona, along the twenty-mile stretch between ancient Barcino (Barcelona) and Egara (Terrassa
Terrassa
Terrassa is a city in the east central region of Catalonia, Spain, in the comarca of Vallès Occidental, of which it is the co-capital along with Sabadell, the historic capital....
). His throat was finally cut in 304. Tradition holds that two Christian women from Illuro (Mataró
Mataró
Mataró is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Community, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, to the north-east of Barcelona. , it...
), Juliana and Semproniana, buried his body and were consequently martyred as well.
The Benedictine abbey of St. Cugat de Valles is considered to be situated on the site of his martyrdom, which was once the Roman site of Castrum Octavianum.
The legendary details of his martyrdom state that he was handed over to twelve strong soldiers, who were ordered to whip him and tear his skin with iron nails and scorpion
Scorpion
Scorpions are predatory arthropod animals of the order Scorpiones within the class Arachnida. They have eight legs and are easily recognized by the pair of grasping claws and the narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back, ending with a venomous stinger...
s. Cucuphas is then roasted alive after being covered in vinegar
Vinegar
Vinegar is a liquid substance consisting mainly of acetic acid and water, the acetic acid being produced through the fermentation of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria. Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. Slow methods generally are used with traditional...
and pepper
Black pepper
Black pepper is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is approximately in diameter, dark red when fully mature, and, like all drupes, contains a single seed...
, though heavenly intervention saves him from death and injury. A great bonfire
Bonfire
A bonfire is a controlled outdoor fire used for informal disposal of burnable waste material or as part of a celebration. Celebratory bonfires are typically designed to burn quickly and may be very large...
also fails to kill the saint and instead kills his would-be executioners. His jailers are subsequently converted to Christianity after they find Cucuphas in his cell illuminated with heavenly light. The next day, he is flagellated with iron whips. By means of heavenly intervention, the prefect Maximianus is killed when his carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
catches on fire. Rufus, the new prefect, prudently decides to not practice torture of any kind on the saint and instead orders an immediate execution by sword.
Textual references
The poet PrudentiusPrudentius
Aurelius Prudentius Clemens was a Roman Christian poet, born in the Roman province of Tarraconensis in 348. He probably died in Spain, as well, some time after 405, possibly around 413...
honored him in a hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
. Cucuphas is mentioned in the Hieronymian Martyrology; the Prayer Book of Verona (7th century AD); in a hymn
Hymn
A hymn is a type of song, usually religious, specifically written for the purpose of praise, adoration or prayer, and typically addressed to a deity or deities, or to a prominent figure or personification...
called Barcino laeto Cucufate vernans (7th century, recorded in manuscripts in Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
and Silos
Monastery of Santo Domingo de Silos
Santo Domingo de Silos Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the village of Santo Domingo de Silos in the southern part of Burgos Province in northern Spain...
, 10th-11th centuries), which has been attributed to Quiricus, Bishop of Toledo
Quiricus, Bishop of Toledo
Quiricus was Bishop of Barcelona from 648 until 667 and Bishop of Toledo thereafter until his death.While bishop of Barcelona, Quiricus wrote a hymn in honour of Saint Eulalia. The hymn Barchinon laete Cucufate vernans, in honour of Saint Cucuphas , was probably also composed by Quiricus at...
; the Liber Sacramentorum (Toledo, 9th century, Mozarabic mass dedicated to Cucuphas); Martyrology of Ado
Ado (archbishop)
Ado , archbishop of Vienne in Lotharingia, belonged to a famous Frankish house, and spent much of his middle life in Italy. He held his archiepiscopal seat from 850 till his death on the 16 December 874. Several of his letters are extant and reveal their writer as an energetic man of wide...
; Martyrology of Usuard
Martyrology of Usuard
Usuard was a Benedictine monk of the Abbey of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, Paris. He seems to have died about the year 875, and the prologue in which he offers to Charles the Bald his most important work, the Martyrology, which he had undertaken at that monarch's instigation, was apparently written very...
(9th century); and the Martyrology of Saint Peter of Cardeña (10th century, presumed copy of 7th century manuscript).
The early medieval hymn Barcino laeto Cucufate vernans runs as follows:
- Barchinon laeto Cucufate vernans,
- corporis sancti tumulum honorans,
- et locum sacri venerans sepulchri,
- sparge ligustris.
Relics
When the first Benedictine community gathered at Sant Cugat in the 9th century, the monastery dedicated itself to the pre-existing veneration of Cucuphas. Since the eighth century, Sant Cugat has claimed Cucuphas' relics. In the eighth century, Saint Fulrad took a relic of Cucuphas from Sant Cugat to Saint-DenisSaint Denis Basilica
The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Denis is a large medieval abbey church in the commune of Saint-Denis, now a northern suburb of Paris. The abbey church was created a cathedral in 1966 and is the seat of the Bishop of Saint-Denis, Pascal Michel Ghislain Delannoy...
. The relics of Cucuphas occupy a place of honor in the apse
Apse
In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
to the right of Saint Denis to this day.
From the 14th century onwards, Sant Cugat kept the martyr's remains in a small chest, decorated with scenes of the saint's life. This chest was taken to the parish of Sant Cugat del Rec (or "del Forn") in Barcelona after the monasteries were freed from mortmain
Mortmain
Mortmain is a legal term that means ownership of real estate by a corporation or legal institution that can be transferred or sold in perpetuity; the term is usually used in the context of its prohibition...
.
In 1950, Sant Cugat commemorated a relic proceeding from this chest of Sant Cugat del Rec. The relics are now in the crypt of the basilica of Santa Maria del Mar.
Many churches in Europe, from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
onwards, claimed his relics, including Reichenau
Reichenau Island
Reichenau Island lies in Lake Constance in southern Germany, at approximately . It lies between Gnadensee and Untersee, two parts of Lake Constance, almost due west of the city of Konstanz. The island is connected to the mainland by a causeway that was completed in 1838...
; the cathedrals of Braga
Braga Cathedral
The Cathedral of Braga is one of the most important monuments in the city of Braga, in Northern Portugal. Due to its long history and artistic significance it is also one of the most important buildings in the country.-History:...
, Oviedo
Cathedral of San Salvador (Oviedo)
The Metropolitan Cathedral Basilica of the Holy Saviour is a Roman Catholic cathedral and minor basilica in the centre of Oviedo, in the Asturias region of northern Spain....
; and Lièpvre
Lièpvre
Lièpvre is a commune in the Haut-Rhin department in Alsace in north-eastern France.In the 8th century saint and abbot, Fulrad, built a monastery and filled it with relics of Saint Cucuphas.-Geography:...
, whose monastery had been founded by Fulrad, who had already brought some of the saint's relics to Saint-Denis.
Veneration in France
He is venerated at ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, since some of his relics are enshrined at the church of Saint-Denis, in the Chapelle Saint-Cucuphas. Near Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison
Rueil-Malmaison is a commune in the western suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of France. It is located 12.6 kilometers from the center of Paris.-Name:...
, there is a forest named Bois de St-Cucufa, as well as a tiny lake that carries the saint's name. Property of the state since 1871, the forest was called Bois Béranger (Nemus/Boscus Berengerii) until the Benedictines built a chapel dedicated to the saint in the 13th century. Pilgrimages to the shrine of "Saint Quiquenfat" were practiced until the eighteenth century.
Other place-names that may point to a diffusion in France of Cucuphas' cult include Guinelat, Conat, and Coplian.
Veneration in Spain
The diocese of GironaGirona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
has several parochial churches dedicated to him.
San Cucao de Llanera
San Cucufate de Llanera
San Cucufate de Llanera is a parish of the municipality of Llanera, Asturias. Its name refers to Saint Cucuphas....
is situated in the municipality of Llanera, Asturias
Llanera, Asturias
Llanera is a municipality in the Autonomous Community of the Principality of Asturias, Spain. It is bordered on the north by Gijón and Corvera de Asturias, on the south by Oviedo, on the east by Gijón and Siero, and on the west by Illas and Las Regueras...
.
Concern amongst Catalan
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
devotees of the saint was raised when it was discovered in 2001 that the name of Saint Cucuphas had been removed from the latest version of the Roman Martyrology. However, the saint had been included –under his Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
(and English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) name of "Cucuphas" rather than "Cugat." In the martyrology
Martyrology
A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs , arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by names borrowed from neighbouring churches...
, he was described as a "martyr of the persecution of Diocletian, killed with a sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
. Fourth century. African."
Saints Juliana and Semproniana are still venerated at Mataró on July 27. They appear with Cucuphas in the facade
Facade
A facade or façade is generally one exterior side of a building, usually, but not always, the front. The word comes from the French language, literally meaning "frontage" or "face"....
of the church of Santa Maria de Mataró.
Patronage
He is not generally associated with any special patronage, although Ángel Rodríguez Vilagrán writes that Joan Amades' Costumari Català mentions that anciently, hunchbacksKyphosis
Kyphosis , also called roundback or Kelso's hunchback, is a condition of over-curvature of the thoracic vertebrae...
venerated Cucuphas as their patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
, as well as those who committed petty thefts. The origins of this patronage are not known.