Symphorosa
Encyclopedia
Saint Symphorosa (died ca. 138 AD) is venerated as a Christian
saint
. According to tradition, she was martyr
ed with her seven sons at Tibur (Tivoli
) towards the end of the reign of Emperor Hadrian
(117–138).
The story of their martyrdom is told in an old Passio, the reliability of which is seriously questioned by many modern hagiologists. According to this Passio, Symphorosa was a lady living at Tibur, the widow of the tribune
, St. Getulius, who had previously been martyred by Emperor Hadrian at Gabii
, now Torri
, a town of the Sabines.
When Hadrian had completed his costly palace at Tibur and began its dedication by offering sacrifices, he received the following response from the gods: "The widow Symphorosa and her sons torment us daily by invoking their God. If she and her sons offer sacrifice, we promise to give you all that you ask for."
When all the emperor's attempts to induce Symphorosa and her sons to sacrifice to the gods were unsuccessful, he ordered her to be brought to the Temple of Hercules
, where, after various torture
s, she was thrown into the river Anio, with a heavy rock fastened to her neck.
Her brother Eugenius, who was a member of the council of Tibur, buried her in the outskirts of the city.
were disjointed with windlass
es.
Then, each of them suffered a different kind of martyrdom. Crescens was pierced through the throat
, Julian through the breast
, Nemesius through the heart
, Primitivus was wounded at the navel
, Justinus was pierced through the back
, Stracteus (Stacteus, Estacteus) was wounded at the side, and Eugenius was cleft in two parts from top to bottom.
Their bodies were thrown into a deep ditch
at a place the pagan priests afterwards called Ad septem Biothanatos. (The Greek word biodanatos, or rather biaiodanatos, was employed for self-murderers and, by the pagans, applied to Christians who suffered martyrdom). Hereupon the persecution ceased for one year and six months, (during which period the bodies of the martyrs were buried on the Via Tiburtina
, eight or nine miles (14 km) from Rome
.
(third century) has been almost universally rejected, since neither Eusebius nor any other historian of that period makes the least allusion to any Acts of Roman or Italian martyrs composed by this African writer.
The "Hieronymian Martyrology," which was compiled by an unknown author in the second half of the fifth century, commemorates St. Symphorosa and her sons on 18 July, but here the names of her sons are entirely different from those given in the Acts. One of the manuscripts (codex Bernensis) of this martyrology states that the Acts of these martyrs are extant: "quorum gesta habentur" ("Martyrologium Hieronymianum," edited by De Rossi and Duchesne in Acta SS. Novembris II, I, 93).
Since here the names of Symphorosa's sons are different from those of the Acts we possess, there must have existed some other "Gesta" to which the author of the martyrology refers. In the same martyrology, on 27 June, are commemorated seven brother- martyrs, whose names are identical with those our Acts assign to the sons of Symphorosa. It is probable that the author of the Acts, guided by the tradition that Symphorosa had seven sons who were martyred, made her the mother of the seven martyrs, whom he found mentioned in the martyrology on 27 June. If this is the case, we may infer, provided Symphorosa had seven sons at all, that their names were not those mentioned in the Acts. Whether they were those assigned to them in the "Hieronymian Martyrology" will also remain doubtful as long as we have no certainty that the "Gesta" to which the author refers are authentic. Paul Allard
dealt with her story uncritically in his work.
Some hagiologists consider the seven sons of Symphorosa, like those of Felicitas of Rome
a mere adaptation of the seven sons of the Maccabean Mother
. In the seventeenth century, Bosio
discovered the ruins of a basilica
at the place popularly called "le sette fratte" (the seven brothers), on the Via Tiburtina, nine miles (14 km) from Rome. (Bosio, "Roma Sotteranea," 105-9).
The Acts and the "Hieronymian Martyrology" agree in designating this spot as the tomb of Symphorosa and her sons. Further discoveries, that leave no room for doubt that the basilica was built over their tomb, were made by Stevenson. The remains were transferred to the Church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria
at Rome by Pope Stephen II
in 752. A sarcophagus
was found here in 1610, bearing the inscription: Hic requiescunt corpora SS. Martyrum Simforosae, viri sui Zotici (Getulii) et Filiorum ejus a Stephano Papa translata.
on 18 July. However, they are no longer included in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints
who must be commemorated wherever the Roman Rite
is celebrated. The reason given for their removal was that the information given in their Acts, which are thought to be an imitation of the Passio of Saint Felicitas of Rome
and her seven sons, are not trustworthy.
In medieval times Settecamini
was called "Field of Seven Brothers" in relation to the legend of Saint Symphorosa and her seven children.
There is a St Symphorosa Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois.
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...
saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. According to tradition, she was martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
ed with her seven sons at Tibur (Tivoli
Tivoli, Italy
Tivoli , the classical Tibur, is an ancient Italian town in Lazio, about 30 km east-north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills...
) towards the end of the reign of Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
(117–138).
The story of their martyrdom is told in an old Passio, the reliability of which is seriously questioned by many modern hagiologists. According to this Passio, Symphorosa was a lady living at Tibur, the widow of the tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
, St. Getulius, who had previously been martyred by Emperor Hadrian at Gabii
Gabii
Gabii was an ancient city of Latium, located due east of Rome along the Via Praenestina, which was in early times known as the Via Gabina....
, now Torri
Torri in Sabina
Torri in Sabina is a comune in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Latium, located about 50 km north of Rome and about 20 km southwest of Rieti. It is part of the Sabina traditional region....
, a town of the Sabines.
When Hadrian had completed his costly palace at Tibur and began its dedication by offering sacrifices, he received the following response from the gods: "The widow Symphorosa and her sons torment us daily by invoking their God. If she and her sons offer sacrifice, we promise to give you all that you ask for."
When all the emperor's attempts to induce Symphorosa and her sons to sacrifice to the gods were unsuccessful, he ordered her to be brought to the Temple of Hercules
Hercules
Hercules is the Roman name for Greek demigod Heracles, son of Zeus , and the mortal Alcmene...
, where, after various torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
s, she was thrown into the river Anio, with a heavy rock fastened to her neck.
Her brother Eugenius, who was a member of the council of Tibur, buried her in the outskirts of the city.
Symphorosa's seven sons
The next day, the emperor summoned her seven sons, and being equally unsuccessful in his attempts to make them sacrifice to the gods, he ordered them to be tied to seven stakes erected for the purpose round the Temple of Hercules. Their membersPenis
The penis is a biological feature of male animals including both vertebrates and invertebrates...
were disjointed with windlass
Windlass
The windlass is an apparatus for moving heavy weights. Typically, a windlass consists of a horizontal cylinder , which is rotated by the turn of a crank or belt...
es.
Then, each of them suffered a different kind of martyrdom. Crescens was pierced through the throat
Throat
In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the anterior part of the neck, in front of the vertebral column. It consists of the pharynx and larynx...
, Julian through the breast
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
, Nemesius through the heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
, Primitivus was wounded at the navel
Navel
The navel is a scar on the abdomen caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby...
, Justinus was pierced through the back
Human back
The human back is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck and the shoulders. It is the surface opposite to the chest, its height being defined by the vertebral column and its breadth being supported by the ribcage and shoulders...
, Stracteus (Stacteus, Estacteus) was wounded at the side, and Eugenius was cleft in two parts from top to bottom.
Their bodies were thrown into a deep ditch
Ditch
A ditch is usually defined as a small to moderate depression created to channel water.In Anglo-Saxon, the word dïc already existed and was pronounced 'deek' in northern England and 'deetch' in the south. The origins of the word lie in digging a trench and forming the upcast soil into a bank...
at a place the pagan priests afterwards called Ad septem Biothanatos. (The Greek word biodanatos, or rather biaiodanatos, was employed for self-murderers and, by the pagans, applied to Christians who suffered martyrdom). Hereupon the persecution ceased for one year and six months, (during which period the bodies of the martyrs were buried on the Via Tiburtina
Via Tiburtina
Via Tiburtina is an ancient road in Italy leading east-northeast from Rome to Tivoli . It was built by the Roman consul Marcus Valerius Maximus around 286 BC and later lengthened to the territories of the Marsi and the Equi, in the Abruzzo, as Via Valeria. Its total length was approximately...
, eight or nine miles (14 km) from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Authenticity
It is difficult to ascertain how much reliability these Acts possess. The opinion that they were written by Julius AfricanusJulius Africanus
Julius Africanus was a celebrated orator in the reign of Nero, and seems to have been the son of the Julius Africanus, of the Gallic state of the Santoni, who was condemned by Tiberius in 32 AD. Quintilian, who had heard Julius Africanus, spoke of him and Domitius Afer as the best orators of their...
(third century) has been almost universally rejected, since neither Eusebius nor any other historian of that period makes the least allusion to any Acts of Roman or Italian martyrs composed by this African writer.
The "Hieronymian Martyrology," which was compiled by an unknown author in the second half of the fifth century, commemorates St. Symphorosa and her sons on 18 July, but here the names of her sons are entirely different from those given in the Acts. One of the manuscripts (codex Bernensis) of this martyrology states that the Acts of these martyrs are extant: "quorum gesta habentur" ("Martyrologium Hieronymianum," edited by De Rossi and Duchesne in Acta SS. Novembris II, I, 93).
Since here the names of Symphorosa's sons are different from those of the Acts we possess, there must have existed some other "Gesta" to which the author of the martyrology refers. In the same martyrology, on 27 June, are commemorated seven brother- martyrs, whose names are identical with those our Acts assign to the sons of Symphorosa. It is probable that the author of the Acts, guided by the tradition that Symphorosa had seven sons who were martyred, made her the mother of the seven martyrs, whom he found mentioned in the martyrology on 27 June. If this is the case, we may infer, provided Symphorosa had seven sons at all, that their names were not those mentioned in the Acts. Whether they were those assigned to them in the "Hieronymian Martyrology" will also remain doubtful as long as we have no certainty that the "Gesta" to which the author refers are authentic. Paul Allard
Paul Allard
Paul Allard was a French archaeologist, historian and jurist.He was admitted to the bar and practised law for a short time in his native city, where he became a judge of the civil court...
dealt with her story uncritically in his work.
Some hagiologists consider the seven sons of Symphorosa, like those of Felicitas of Rome
Felicitas of Rome
Felicitas of Rome is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about this martyr is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus, on the Via Salaria on a 23 November. However, a legend presents her as the mother of the seven martyrs whose...
a mere adaptation of the seven sons of the Maccabean Mother
Woman with seven sons
The woman with seven sons was a Jewish martyr described in 2 Maccabees 7 and other sources. Although unnamed in 2 Maccabees, she is known variously as Hannah, Miriam and Solomonia.-2 Maccabees:...
. In the seventeenth century, Bosio
Bosio
Bosio is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km southeast of Turin and about 35 km southeast of Alessandria....
discovered the ruins of a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
at the place popularly called "le sette fratte" (the seven brothers), on the Via Tiburtina, nine miles (14 km) from Rome. (Bosio, "Roma Sotteranea," 105-9).
The Acts and the "Hieronymian Martyrology" agree in designating this spot as the tomb of Symphorosa and her sons. Further discoveries, that leave no room for doubt that the basilica was built over their tomb, were made by Stevenson. The remains were transferred to the Church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria
Sant'Angelo in Pescheria
Sant'Angelo in Pescheria or in Piscaria is a church in Rome. It dates from the 8th century. "In Pescheria" refers to its location close to the fish market built in the ruins of the ancient Porticus Octaviae....
at Rome by Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II was Pope from 752 to 757, succeeding Pope Zachary following the death of Pope-elect Stephen. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzantine Papacy and the Frankish Papacy.-Allegiance to Constantinople:...
in 752. A sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
was found here in 1610, bearing the inscription: Hic requiescunt corpora SS. Martyrum Simforosae, viri sui Zotici (Getulii) et Filiorum ejus a Stephano Papa translata.
Veneration
The Diocese of Tivoli honours them as patron saints and they are mentioned in the Roman MartyrologyRoman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
on 18 July. However, they are no longer included in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints
Roman Catholic calendar of saints
The General Roman Calendar indicates the days of the year to which are assigned the liturgical celebrations of saints and of the mysteries of the Lord that are to be observed wherever the Roman Rite is used...
who must be commemorated wherever the Roman Rite
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite is the liturgical rite used in the Diocese of Rome in the Catholic Church. It is by far the most widespread of the Latin liturgical rites used within the Western or Latin autonomous particular Church, the particular Church that itself is also called the Latin Rite, and that is one of...
is celebrated. The reason given for their removal was that the information given in their Acts, which are thought to be an imitation of the Passio of Saint Felicitas of Rome
Felicitas of Rome
Felicitas of Rome is a saint numbered among the Christian martyrs. Apart from her name, the only thing known for certain about this martyr is that she was buried in the Cemetery of Maximus, on the Via Salaria on a 23 November. However, a legend presents her as the mother of the seven martyrs whose...
and her seven sons, are not trustworthy.
In medieval times Settecamini
Settecamini
Settecamini is a quarter of Rome, and is the name of the sixth area of the town of Rome in the Agro Romano indicated by Z. VI. It is located in the east of the town near the Grande Raccordo Anulare and it borders the town of Guidonia Montecelio.It is part of the Municipio V.-History:The first...
was called "Field of Seven Brothers" in relation to the legend of Saint Symphorosa and her seven children.
There is a St Symphorosa Elementary School in Chicago, Illinois.
External links
- Symphorosa at the Catholic EncyclopediaCatholic EncyclopediaThe Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia and the Original Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language encyclopedia published in the United States. The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index...
- Catholic Culture: St. Symphorosa Santa Sinforosa e sette figli Sinforosa y sus siete hijos, mártires (s. II)