Flora and María were the first two of nine female

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Martyrs of Córdoba. After denouncing

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

before an

Islamic judge A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a ''Sharia, sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans a ...

, they were imprisoned. Though threatened "with being thrown upon the streets as

prostitute Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

s", they were eventually

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

. They are commemorated on 24 November.

Flora

Flora was born to a Christian mother and a Muslim father. Her father died when she was still very young, and Flora was brought up as a Christian. Her Muslim older brother tried in vain to convert Flora to Islam, eventually surrendering his sister to the authorities. Flora was imprisoned and a Muslim scholar was appointed to teach her about Islam, but she managed to escape and fled towards the Christian settlements.

María

María was born to a Christian father and

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

mother. Her mother was baptised some time after she got married. Fearing charges of

apostasy Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that i ...

, the couple and their two children left their home in the town of

Elche Elche ( ca-valencia, Elx) is a city and municipality of Spain, belonging to the province of Alicante, in the Valencian Community. According to 2014 data, Elche has a population of 228,647 inhabitants,convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

in Cuteclara. The convent's

abbess An abbess (Latin: ''abbatissa''), also known as a mother superior, is the female superior of a community of Catholic nuns in an abbey. Description In the Catholic Church (both the Latin Church and Eastern Catholic), Eastern Orthodox, Coptic ...

, Artemia, told María how she witnessed the execution of her two sons by the Muslim rulers thirty years prior. The story had a long-lasting impression on the girl. María's older brother, Walabonsus, also received a religious education at the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

of Saint Felix. The siblings, who were separated when María was sent to the convent and Walabonsus to the monastery, met again when Walabonsus was appointed one of the supervisors of María's convent. Walabonsus was executed by Muslim authorities on 16 July 851, and his martyrdom along with Artemia's story drove María to follow in her brother's footsteps.

Imprisonment and martyrdom

Flora and María met at the church of Saint

Acisclus Saint Acisclus (also Ascylus, Ocysellus; es, Acisclo; french: Aciscle) (died 304) was a martyr of Córdoba, in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula, i.e., modern Portugal and Spain). His life is mentioned by Eulogius of Cordoba. He suffered marty ...

. and decided to denounce

together. They did so before a ''

Qadi A qāḍī ( ar, قاضي, Qāḍī; otherwise transliterated as qazi, cadi, kadi, or kazi) is the magistrate or judge of a '' sharīʿa'' court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and mino ...

'' (Islamic judge) and were subsequently imprisoned. In jail, Flora was offered a full

pardon A pardon is a government decision to allow a person to be relieved of some or all of the legal consequences resulting from a criminal conviction. A pardon may be granted before or after conviction for the crime, depending on the laws of the ju ...

if she "returned" to Islam, but she explained that the only beliefs she had ever held were Christian. This explanation was not accepted because according to Islamic law, a child born to even one Muslim parent should have adopted Islam as their religion. Sabigotho used to visit Flora and María in jail and once spent a night in their cell "as if she herself were shackled, not only to console the two soldiers, but to confide in them her own intention to die". In accordance with Shari'a law, Flora and María were found guilty of two different crimes: Flora was executed for

, and María for

blasphemy Blasphemy is a speech crime and religious crime usually defined as an utterance that shows contempt, disrespects or insults a deity, an object considered sacred or something considered inviolable. Some religions regard blasphemy as a religiou ...

. Before the executions, the young women were threatened "with being thrown upon the streets as prostitutes", which was an unbearable punishment for

virgin Virginity is the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. The term ''virgin'' originally only referred to sexually inexperienced women, but has evolved to encompass a range of definitions, as found in traditional, modern ...

s. They were

on 24 November 851. There bodies were left in the open for a day then thrown into the river. The body of Mary was recovered and taken to the convent, that of Flora was never recovered. Their heads were buried at the church of St Acisilus in Cordoba.

Legacy

Flora and María were the first two of nine female Martyrs of Córdoba described by

Eulogius of Córdoba Saint Eulogius of Córdoba ( es, San Eulogio de Córdoba (died 11 March 857) was one of the Martyrs of Córdoba. He flourished during the reigns of the Cordovan emirs Abd-er-Rahman II and Muhammad I (mid-9th century). Background In the ninth ...

in his ''Memorial of the Saints''. Their example inspired other Christians to become martyrs.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Flora and Maria Groups of Christian martyrs of the Middle Ages Spanish Roman Catholic saints 9th-century people from al-Andalus People from Córdoba, Spain Cordoba Christian saints killed by Muslims Christians executed for refusing to convert to Islam Christians from al-Andalus