Servandus and Cermanus
Encyclopedia
Saints Servandus and Cermanus (Germanus) (d. 305 AD) were Spanish
martyrs who are venerated as Christian
saints. They were killed at Cádiz
. Tradition states that they were from Mérida
, and sons of Saint Marcellus the Centurion. They joined the Roman Army
and were imprisoned after being identified as Christians. They made new converts in prison. During the persecution of Diocletian
, the vicarius of Mérida, Viator, tortured them and imprisoned them once again. Viator then planned to take them to Mauritania Tingitana and had them walk barefoot and in chains from Mérida to Cádiz. Viator failed to find a boat that could take them and they were decapitated on the spot near Cádiz later known as Cerro de los Mártires. The body of Cermanus was buried at Mérida and Servandus at Cádiz, and then later translated
to Seville
.
, Usuard, Ado
, as well as the Mozarabic Breviary
, and in the Breviaries of Toledo
, Seville
, Salamanca
, among others. They are venerated as patron saints of Cádiz (officially since 1619). On the Sunday closest to October 23 they celebrate in the town of San Fernando the festival of Saints Servandus and Cermanus, carrying statues of the saints in a procession.
The sculptress Luisa Roldán
(1650–1704), called La Roldana, made sculptures of these two saints at Cádiz.
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...
martyrs who are venerated as Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
saints. They were killed at Cádiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
. Tradition states that they were from Mérida
Mérida, Spain
Mérida is the capital of the autonomous community of Extremadura, western central Spain. It has a population of 57,127 . The Archaeological Ensemble of Mérida is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1993.- Climate :...
, and sons of Saint Marcellus the Centurion. They joined the Roman Army
Roman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
and were imprisoned after being identified as Christians. They made new converts in prison. 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....
, the vicarius of Mérida, Viator, tortured them and imprisoned them once again. Viator then planned to take them to Mauritania Tingitana and had them walk barefoot and in chains from Mérida to Cádiz. Viator failed to find a boat that could take them and they were decapitated on the spot near Cádiz later known as Cerro de los Mártires. The body of Cermanus was buried at Mérida and Servandus at Cádiz, and then later translated
Translation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
to Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
.
Veneration
They are mentioned in the martyrologies of BedeBede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
, Usuard, 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...
, as well as the Mozarabic Breviary
Breviary
A breviary is a liturgical book of the Latin liturgical rites of the Catholic Church containing the public or canonical prayers, hymns, the Psalms, readings, and notations for everyday use, especially by bishops, priests, and deacons in the Divine Office...
, and in the Breviaries of 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:...
, Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
, Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
, among others. They are venerated as patron saints of Cádiz (officially since 1619). On the Sunday closest to October 23 they celebrate in the town of San Fernando the festival of Saints Servandus and Cermanus, carrying statues of the saints in a procession.
The sculptress Luisa Roldán
Luisa Roldán
Luisa Ignacia Roldán , called La Roldana, was a Spanish sculptress of the Baroque Era. She is the first woman sculptor documented in Spain....
(1650–1704), called La Roldana, made sculptures of these two saints at Cádiz.