Lucia of Syracuse (283–304), also called Saint Lucia ( la, Sancta Lucia) better known as Saint Lucy, was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

Christian martyr In Christianity, a martyr is a person considered to have died because of their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at th ...

who died during the

Diocletianic Persecution The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rights ...

. She is venerated as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

in the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

, and

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

churches. She is one of eight women (including

the Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...

) explicitly commemorated by Catholics in the

Canon of the Mass The Canon of the Mass ( la, Canon Missæ), also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name ''Canon Missæ'' was used in ...

. Her traditional feast day, known in Europe as

Saint Lucy's Day Saint Lucy's Day, also called the Feast of Saint Lucy, is a Christian feast day observed on 13 December. The observance commemorates Lucia of Syracuse, an early-fourth-century virgin martyr under the Diocletianic Persecution, who according to l ...

, is observed by

Western Christians Western Christianity is one of two sub-divisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic C ...

on 13 December. Lucia of Syracuse was honored in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

and remained a well-known saint in early modern

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. She is one of the best known

virgin martyrs The title Virgin (Latin ''Virgo'', Greek ) is an honorific bestowed on female saints and Beatification, blesseds in some Christianity, Christian traditions, including the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church. Chastity is one of the sev ...

, along with

Agatha of Sicily Agatha of Sicily () is a Christian saint. Her feast is on 5 February. Agatha was born in Catania, part of the Roman Province of Sicily, and was martyred . She is one of several virgin martyrs who are commemorated by name in the Canon of the Mas ...

Agnes of Rome Agnes of Rome () is a virgin martyr, venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church, Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, as well as the Anglican Communion and Lutheranism, Lutheran Churches. St. Agn ...

, Cecilia of Rome and

Catherine of Alexandria Catherine of Alexandria (also spelled Katherine); grc-gre, ἡ Ἁγία Αἰκατερίνη ἡ Μεγαλομάρτυς ; ar, سانت كاترين; la, Catharina Alexandrina). is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, wh ...

Sources

The oldest record of her story comes from the fifth-century ''Acts of the Martyrs''. The single fact upon which various accounts agree is that a disappointed suitor accused Lucy of being a Christian, and she was executed in Syracuse, Sicily, in the year 304 during the Diocletianic Persecution. Her veneration spread to Rome, and by the sixth century to the whole Church. The oldest archaeological evidence comes from the Greek inscriptions from the Catacombs of St. John in Syracuse.

Jacobus de Voragine Jacobus de Voragine (c. 123013/16 July 1298) was an Italian chronicler and archbishop of Genoa. He was the author, or more accurately the compiler, of the ''Golden Legend'', a collection of the legendary lives of the greater saints of the medie ...

's ''

Legenda Aurea The ''Golden Legend'' (Latin: ''Legenda aurea'' or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in late medieval Europe. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary ...

'' was the most widely read version of the Lucy legend in the

. In medieval accounts, Saint Lucy's eyes were gouged out prior to her execution. The most ancient archaeological traces attributable to the cult of Saint Lucia have been brought back to Sicily, particularly in Syracuse and are preserved in the archaeological museums of the city.

Life

All the details of her life are the conventional ones associated with female martyrs of the early fourth century. John Henry Blunt views her story as a Christian

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

similar to the Acts of other virgin martyrs. According to the traditional story, Lucy was born of rich and noble parents about the year 283 AD. Her father was of Roman origin, but died when she was five years old, leaving Lucy and her mother without a protective guardian. Her mother's name Eutychia seems to indicate that she came from a Greek background. Like many of the early martyrs, Lucy had consecrated her virginity to God, and she hoped to distribute her dowry to the poor. However, Eutychia, not knowing of Lucy's promise, and suffering from a bleeding disorder, feared for Lucy's future. She arranged Lucy's marriage to a young man of a wealthy pagan family. Jacobello del Fiore Santa Lucía en el sepulcro de Santa Agüeda PC Fermo

Jacobello del Fiore Santa Lucía en el sepulcro de Santa Agüeda PC Fermo

Saint Agatha had been martyred 52 years before during the

Decian persecution The Decian persecution of Christians occurred in 250 AD under the Roman Emperor Decius. He had issued an edict ordering everyone in the Empire to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods and the well-being of the emperor. The sacrifices had to ...

. Her shrine at Catania, less than 50 miles from Syracuse, attracted a number of pilgrims; many miracles were reported to have happened through her intercession. Eutychia was persuaded to make a pilgrimage to

Catania Catania (, , Sicilian and ) is the second largest municipality in Sicily, after Palermo. Despite its reputation as the second city of the island, Catania is the largest Sicilian conurbation, among the largest in Italy, as evidenced also by ...

, in hopes of a cure. While there, St. Agatha came to Lucy in a dream and told her that because of her faith her mother would be cured and that Lucy would be the glory of Syracuse, as she was of Catania. With her mother cured, Lucy took the opportunity to persuade her mother to allow her to distribute a great part of her riches among the poor. Eutychia suggested that the sums would make a good bequest, but Lucy countered, "...whatever you give away at death for the Lord's sake you give because you cannot take it with you. Give now to the true Savior, while you are healthy, whatever you intended to give away at your death." News that the patrimony and jewels were being distributed came to Lucy's betrothed, who denounced her to Paschasius, the Governor of Syracuse. Paschasius ordered her to burn a sacrifice to the emperor's image. When she refused, Paschasius sentenced her to be defiled in a brothel. The Christian tradition states that when the guards came to take her away, they could not move her even when they hitched her to a team of oxen. Bundles of wood were then heaped about her and set on fire, but would not burn. Finally, she met her death by the sword thrust into her throat. Lotto, pala di santa lucia 00

Absent in the early narratives and traditions, at least until the fifteenth century, is the story of Lucia tortured by eye-gouging. According to later accounts, before she died she foretold the punishment of Paschasius and the speedy end of the persecution, adding that Diocletian would reign no more, and Maximian would meet his end. This so angered Paschasius that he ordered the guards to remove her eyes. Another version has Lucy taking her own eyes out in order to discourage a persistent suitor who admired them. When her body was prepared for burial in the family mausoleum it was discovered that her eyes had been miraculously restored. This is one of the reasons that Lucy is the patron saint of those with eye illnesses.

Veneration

By the sixth century, her story was sufficiently widespread that she appears in the Sacramentary of

Pope Gregory I Pope Gregory I ( la, Gregorius I; – 12 March 604), commonly known as Saint Gregory the Great, was the bishop of Rome from 3 September 590 to his death. He is known for instigating the first recorded large-scale mission from Rome, the Gregori ...

. She is also commemorated in the ancient Roman Martyrology. St. Aldhelm (English, died in 709) and later the Venerable Bede (English, died in 735) attest that her popularity had already spread to England, where her festival was kept in England until the Protestant Reformation, as a holy day of the second rank in which no work but tillage or the like was allowed. Lucy is honored in the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britain ...

and in the Episcopal Church on 13 December. Monk

Sigebert of Gembloux Sigebert of Gembloux (Sigebertus Gemblacensis; 1030 – 5 October 1112) was a medieval author, known mainly as a pro-Imperial historian of a universal chronicle, opposed to the expansive papacy of Gregory VII and Pascal II. Early in his life h ...

(1030–1112) wrote a mid-eleventh century ''

passio In Christian music, a Passion is a setting of the Passion of Christ. Liturgically, most Passions were intended to be performed as part of church services in the Holy Week. Passion settings developed from Medieval intoned readings of the Gospe ...

'', to support a local cult of Lucy at

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

. The

General Roman Calendar The General Roman Calendar is the liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgical rite is in use. These celebra ...

formerly had a commemoration of Saints Lucy and Geminianus on 16 September. This was removed in 1969, as a duplication of the feast of her '' dies natalis'' on 13 December and because the Geminianus in question, mentioned in the ''Passio'' of Saint Lucy, seems to be a fictitious figure, unrelated to the

Geminianus Saint Geminianus (also known as Saint Geminian, or Saint Gimignano) was a fourth-century deacon who became Bishop of Modena. He is mentioned in the year 390, when he participated in a council called by Saint Ambrose in Milan. From his name, it has ...

whose feast is on 31 January.

Relics

Saint Lucy by Domenico di Pace Beccafumi

Sigebert of Gembloux, in his ''sermo de Sancta Lucia'', chronicled that her body lay undisturbed in Sicily for 400 years, before Faroald II, Duke of Spoleto, captured the island and transferred the body to

Corfinium Corfinium (Greek: ) was a city in ancient Italy, on the eastern side of the Apennines, due east of Rome, near modern Corfinio, in the province of L'Aquila (Abruzzo region). History Corfinium was the chief city of the Paeligni, situated in the v ...

in the

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

, Italy. From there it was removed by the Emperor Otho I in 972 to

and deposited in the church of St. Vincent. It was from this shrine that an arm of the saint was taken to the monastery of Luitburg in the

Diocese of Speyer The Diocese of Speyer (lat. Dioecesis Spirensis) is a diocese of the Catholic Church in Germany. The diocese is located in the South of the Rhineland-Palatinate and comprises also the Saarpfalz Districts of Germany, district in the east of the S ...

– an incident celebrated by Sigebert in verse. The subsequent history of the relics is not clear. According to Umberto Benigni, Stephen II (768) sent the relics of St. Lucy to Constantinople for safety against the Saracen incursions. On their capture of

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis (" ...

in 1204, the French found some relics attributed to Saint Lucy in the city, and

Enrico Dandolo Enrico Dandolo ( anglicised as Henry Dandolo and Latinized as Henricus Dandulus; c. 1107 – May/June 1205) was the Doge of Venice from 1192 until his death. He is remembered for his avowed piety, longevity, and shrewdness, and is known for his ...

Doge of Venice The Doge of Venice ( ; vec, Doxe de Venexia ; it, Doge di Venezia ; all derived from Latin ', "military leader"), sometimes translated as Duke (compare the Italian '), was the chief magistrate and leader of the Republic of Venice between 726 a ...

, secured them for the monastery of St. George at

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 ...

. In 1513 the Venetians presented to

Louis XII of France Louis XII (27 June 14621 January 1515), was King of France from 1498 to 1515 and King of Naples from 1501 to 1504. The son of Charles, Duke of Orléans, and Maria of Cleves, he succeeded his 2nd cousin once removed and brother in law at the tim ...

the saint's head, which he deposited in the cathedral church of

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

. Another account, however, states that the head was brought to Bourges from Rome, where it had been transferred during the time when the relics rested in Corfinium. Parts of the body are present in Sicily in particular in Syracuse, which has preserved them from antiquity. The remainder of the relics remain in Venice: they were transferred to the church of

San Geremia San Geremia is a church in Venice, northern Italy, located in the ''sestiere'' of Cannaregio. The apse of the church faces the Grand Canal (Venice), between the Palazzo Labia and the Palazzo Flangini, Venice, Palazzo Flangini. The edifice is popul ...

when the church of Santa Lucia was demolished in 1861 to make way for the new railway terminus. A century later, on 7 November 1981, thieves stole all her bones, except her head. Police recovered them five weeks later, on her feast day. Other parts of the corpse have found their way to Rome, Naples, Verona, Lisbon, Milan, as well as Germany and France.

Patronage

Lucy's Latin name ''Lucia'' shares a root (''luc-'') with the Latin word for light, ''

lux The lux (symbol: lx) is the unit of illuminance, or luminous flux per unit area, in the International System of Units (SI). It is equal to one lumen per square metre. In photometry, this is used as a measure of the intensity, as perceived by the ...

''. A number of traditions incorporate symbolic meaning of St. Lucy as the bearer of light in the darkness of winter, her feast day being 13 December. Because some versions of her story relate that her eyes were removed, either by herself or by her persecutors, she is the patron saint of the blind. She is also the patron saint of authors, cutlers, glaziers, laborers, martyrs, peasants, saddlers, salesmen, stained glass workers, and of

Perugia Perugia (, , ; lat, Perusia) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber, and of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part o ...

, Italy. She is invoked against hemorraghes, dysentery, diseases of the eye, and throat infections. St. Lucy is the patroness of Syracuse in Sicily, Italy. At the Piazza Duomo in Syracuse, the church of Santa Lucia alla Badia houses the painting '' Burial of St. Lucy'' by

Caravaggio Michelangelo Merisi (Michele Angelo Merigi or Amerighi) da Caravaggio, known as simply Caravaggio (, , ; 29 September 1571 – 18 July 1610), was an Italian painter active in Rome for most of his artistic life. During the final four years of hi ...

. She is also the patron saint of the coastal town of Olón, Ecuador, Colombia, which celebrates with a week-long festival culminating on the feast day 13 December. She is also the patron saint of the town of Guanes, Santander, Colombia. The Caribbean island of

Saint Lucia Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerindian ...

, one of the Windward Islands in the Lesser Antilles, is named after her.

Iconography

The emblem of eyes on a cup or plate apparently reflects popular devotion to her as protector of sight, because of her name, Lucia (from the Latin word "lux" which means "light"). In paintings St. Lucy is frequently shown holding her eyes on a golden plate. Lucy was represented in Gothic art holding a dish with two eyes on it. She also holds the palm branch, symbol of martyrdom and victory over evil. Other symbolic images include a lamp, dagger, sword or two oxen.

In literature

Dante

Lucy first appears in Canto 2 of ''

Inferno Inferno may refer to: * Hell, an afterlife place of suffering * Conflagration, a large uncontrolled fire Film * ''L'Inferno'', a 1911 Italian film * Inferno (1953 film), ''Inferno'' (1953 film), a film noir by Roy Ward Baker * Inferno (1973 fi ...

'', the first canticle of

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

's ''

Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' ( it, Divina Commedia ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun 1308 and completed in around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and ...

'', as the messenger sent to Beatrice from "The blessed Dame" (the Virgin Mary), to rouse Beatrice to send Virgil to Dante's aid.

Henry Fanshawe Tozer The Reverend Henry Fanshawe Tozer, FBA (18 May 1829 – 2 June 1916) was a British writer, teacher, traveller, and geographer. His 1897 ''History of Ancient Geography'' was well-regarded. Biography Tozer was born in Plymouth, Devon, the eldes ...

identifies Lucia as representing "illuminative grace". According to

Robert Pogue Harrison Robert Pogue Harrison (born 1954 in Izmir, Turkey) is a professor of literature at Stanford University, where he is Rosina Pierotti Professor in Italian Literature in the Department of French & Italian. Biography Harrison received his doctorate ...

and Rachel Jacoff, Lucia's appearance in this intermediary role is to reinforce the scene in which Virgil tries to fortify Dante's courage to begin the journey through the inferno. In ''

Purgatorio ''Purgatorio'' (; Italian for "Purgatory") is the second part of Dante's ''Divine Comedy'', following the ''Inferno'' and preceding the '' Paradiso''. The poem was written in the early 14th century. It is an allegory telling of the climb of Da ...

'' 9.52–63, Lucy carries a sleeping Dante to the entrance to purgatory. Since Lucy represents light, her appearance in ''Purgatorio'' 9 mirrors her appearance in ''Inferno'' 2; both times she carries him out of darkness. Lucy's light symbolism also explains why Dante tells this evening scene in ''Purgatorio'' 9 through the lens of the dawn. She carries him both out of the literal darkness to a new day, as well as the figurative darkness to lead him to salvation. Then in '' Paradiso'' 32, Dante places her opposite Adam within the Mystic Rose in Canto XXXII of the ''Paradiso''. Lucy may also be seen as a figure of Illuminating Grace or Mercy or even Justice.See David H. Higgins' commentary in Dante, ''The Divine Comedy,'' trans. C.H. Sisson. NY: Oxford University Press, 1993. . P. 506.

Donne

In the

Late Middle Ages The Late Middle Ages or Late Medieval Period was the Periodization, period of European history lasting from AD 1300 to 1500. The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period (and in much of Eur ...

the shortest day of the year usually fell on her feast day, and the two became associated, as in

John Donne John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a clergy, cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's ...

's poem, "A Nocturnal upon St. Lucie's Day, being the

shortest day The winter solstice, also called the hibernal solstice, occurs when either of Earth's poles reaches its maximum tilt away from the Sun. This happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). For that hemisphere, the winte ...

" (1627). The poem begins with: "'Tis the year's midnight, and it is the day's". Due to the inaccuracy of the

Julian Calendar The Julian calendar, proposed by Roman consul Julius Caesar in 46 BC, was a reform of the Roman calendar. It took effect on , by edict. It was designed with the aid of Greek mathematicians and astronomers such as Sosigenes of Alexandr ...

, the shortest day actually fell a day or two earlier in Donne's time. Lucia is also the protagonist of a Swedish novel: "''Ett ljus i mörkret''" ("A light in the darkness") by Agneta Sjödin.

Popular celebration

Lucy's feast is on 13 December, in

Advent Advent is a Christian season of preparation for the Nativity of Christ at Christmas. It is the beginning of the liturgical year in Western Christianity. The name was adopted from Latin "coming; arrival", translating Greek ''parousia''. In ...

. Her feast once coincided with the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, before calendar reforms, so her feast day has become a festival of light. St. Lucy is the patron saint of the city of Syracuse (

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

). On 13 December a silver statue of St. Lucy containing her relics is paraded through the streets before returning to the

Cathedral of Syracuse The Cathedral of Syracuse (''Duomo di Siracusa''), formally the ''Cattedrale metropolitana della Natività di Maria Santissima'', is an ancient Catholic church in Syracuse, Sicily, the seat of the Catholic Archdiocese of Siracusa. Its structure ...

. Sicilians recall a legend that holds that a famine ended on her feast day when ships loaded with grain entered the harbor. Here, it is traditional to eat whole grains instead of bread on 13 December. This usually takes the form of

cuccìa Cuccìa is a traditional, primarily Sicilian dish containing boiled wheatberries and sugar, which is eaten on December 13, the feast day of Saint Lucy, the patron saint of Syracuse. The dish is consumed in Sicily and in isolated pockets of Sout ...

, a dish of boiled wheat berries often mixed with ricotta and honey, or sometimes served as a savory soup with beans. This is particularly seen in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion#Europe, subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, ...

n countries, with their long dark winters. There, a young girl dressed in a white dress and a red sash (as the symbol of martyrdom) carries palms and wears a crown or wreath of candles on her head. In Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and parts of Finland, girls dressed as Lucy carry

St. Lucia buns __NOTOC__ A saffron bun, Cornish tea treat bun or revel bun, is a rich, spiced yeast-leavened sweet bun that is flavoured with saffron and contains dried fruit including currants and raisins similar to a teacake. The main ingredients are plain ...

in procession as songs are sung. It is said that to vividly celebrate St. Lucy's Day will help one live the long winter days with enough light. A special devotion to St. Lucy is practiced in the Italian regions of

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

Emilia-Romagna egl, Emigliàn (man) egl, Emiglièna (woman) rgn, Rumagnòl (man) rgn, Rumagnòla (woman) it, Emiliano (man) it, Emiliana (woman) or it, Romagnolo (man) it, Romagnola (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title ...

Veneto Veneto (, ; vec, Vèneto ) or Venetia is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about five million, ranking fourth in Italy. The region's capital is Venice while the biggest city is Verona. Veneto was part of the Roman Empire unt ...

Friuli Venezia Giulia (man), it, Friulana (woman), it, Giuliano (man), it, Giuliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_t ...

, Trentino-Alto Adige, in the North of the country, and

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

and

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

, in the South, as well as in the Croatian coastal region of

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

. The feast is a Catholic-celebrated holiday with roots that can be traced to Sicily. On the 13th of every December it is celebrated with large traditional feasts of home-made pasta and various other Italian dishes, with a special dessert called

, made of wheatberries, butter, sugar, chocolate, and milk. The large grains of soft wheat are representative of her eyes and are a treat only to be indulged in once a year. In

North Italy Northern Italy ( it, Italia settentrionale, it, Nord Italia, label=none, it, Alta Italia, label=none or just it, Nord, label=none) is a geographical and cultural region in the northern part of Italy. It consists of eight administrative regions ...

, Saint Lucy brings gift to children between 12 and 13 December. Traditionally a bouquet of hay is put outside of the house for Lucy's Donkey and food in the house for Lucy to refresh them after the long night bringing gifts to every kid. In small towns, a parade with Saint Lucy is held the evening of the 12th when she goes through the main streets of the town munching sweets and candy from her cart, always together with her donkey. A Hungarian custom is to plant wheat in a small pot on St. Lucy's feast. By Christmas green sprouts appear, signs of life coming from death. The wheat is then carried to the manger scene as the symbol of Christ in the Eucharist. In the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, villagers from

Barangay A barangay (; abbreviated as Brgy. or Bgy.), historically referred to as barrio (abbreviated as Bo.), is the smallest administrative division in the Philippines and is the native Filipino term for a village, district, or ward. In metropolitan ...

Sta. Lucia in

Magarao Magarao, officially the Municipality of Magarao ( bcl, Banwaan kan Magarao; tl, Bayan ng Magarao), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,742 people. ...

, Camarines Sur, hold a

novena A novena (from Latin: ''novem'', "nine") is an ancient tradition of devotional praying in Christianity, consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine successive days or weeks. The nine days between the Feast of the Ascension and Pen ...

to St. Lucy nine days before her feast. A

procession A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner. History Processions have in all peoples and at all times been a natural form of public celebration, as forming an orderly and impressive ceremony. Religious ...

of the saint's image is held every morning at the

poblacion ''Poblacion'' (literally "town" or "settlement" in Spanish language in the Philippines, Spanish; ) is the common term used for the administrative center, central, downtown, old town or central business district area of a Philippines, Philippi ...

or village centre during the nine days leading up to St. Lucy's Day, attracting devotees from other parts of the

Bicol Region Bicol, known formally as the Bicol Region or colloquially as Bicolandia ( bcl, Rehiyon kan Bikol; Rinconada Bikol: ''Rehiyon ka Bikol''; Waray Sorsogon, Masbateño: ''Rehiyon san Bikol''; tl, Rehiyon ng Bikol), is an administrative region of ...

. Hymns to the saint, known as the ''Gozos'', as well as the Spanish version of the

Ave Maria The Hail Mary ( la, Ave Maria) is a traditional Christian prayer addressing Mary, the mother of Jesus. The prayer is based on two biblical passages featured in the Gospel of Luke: the Angel Gabriel's visit to Mary (the Annunciation) and Mary's s ...

are chanted during the dawn procession, which is followed by a

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

. The feast day is also commemorated in Barangay Sucad in

Apalit Apalit, officially the Municipality of Apalit ( pam, Balen ning Apalit; tl, Bayan ng Apalit), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 117,160 people. The town is ...

Pampanga after the traditional nine-day novena, where a whole day celebration is observed through Eucharistic Masses, festivals and the procession of the religious sculpture of Sta. Lucia in the evening before the evening Mass.

List of dedications to Saint Lucy

Churches

* Saint Lucy's church, chapel, cathedral, Syracuse, Sicily, Italy * , Naples, Italy * Saint Lucia's Church, Upton Magna, Shropshire, England * Chiesa di Santa Lucia,

Belpasso Belpasso ( scn, Malupassu, Marpassu or Mappassu) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Catania in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about northwest of Catania. Belpasso is the second biggest ...

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

* Saint Lucy's Church, Methuen, Massachusetts, United States * Church of Saint Lucia (Iglesia de Santa Lucía), Mérida, Mexico * St. Lucia Church, Puthoor, India * St. Lucia Church, Erayumanthurai, India * St. Lucia's Cathedral,

Kotahena Kotahena is a suburb part of Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is an area known as ''Colombo 13'' Places of worship Kotahena is the location of some places of worship: *Dipaduttamarama, where in 1885 for the first time the Buddhist flag was shown and where ...

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

* Church of San Geremia and the grave of Saint Lucy,

, Italy * (Church of St. Lucia Outside the Walls),

Syracuse, Sicily Syracuse ( ; it, Siracusa ; scn, Sarausa ), ; grc-att, wikt:Συράκουσαι, Συράκουσαι, Syrákousai, ; grc-dor, wikt:Συράκοσαι, Συράκοσαι, Syrā́kosai, ; grc-x-medieval, Συρακοῦσαι, Syrakoûs ...

, Italy * Chiesa di Santa Lucia alla Badia, also Syracuse, Sicily, Italy * St. Lucy Catholic Church, Highland Beach, Florida, United States * St. Lucie Catholic Church, Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States * Église Sainte-Lucie de Vallières,

Moselle The Moselle ( , ; german: Mosel ; lb, Musel ) is a river that rises in the Vosges mountains and flows through north-eastern France and Luxembourg to western Germany. It is a bank (geography), left bank tributary of the Rhine, which it jo ...

, France * St. Lucy's National Shrine at

Micoud Micoud District is one of 10 districts (formerly called quarters) of the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia The seat of this district is the town of Micoud inside this district. According to the 2002 census, the population of the distric ...

, Saint Lucia * St. Lucy, Virgin and Martyr Parish,

Capalonga, Camarines Norte Capalonga, officially the Municipality of Capalonga ( tl, Bayan ng Capalonga), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Norte, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 36,223 people. History Agtas and Du ...

, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Parish, Barangay Sta. Lucia,

Sasmuan, Pampanga Sasmuan, officially the Municipality of Sasmuan ( pam, Balen ning Sasmuan, tgl, Bayan ng Sasmuan), formerly known by its Spanish name Sexmoán, is a 4th class municipality in the province of Pampanga, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it ...

, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Parish, Barangay Manggahan,

Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the ...

, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Parish, Barangay Sta. Lucia,

Novaliches, Quezon City Novaliches is a place that forms the northern areas of Quezon City, and encompasses the whole area of North Caloocan. Etymology The name Novaliches came from the name of the small village of Novaliches in the town of Jérica, Spain. It was ...

Philippines * Santa Lucia in San Jose Recoletos Parish Church, Cebu City, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sta. Lucia,

Magarao, Camarines Sur Magarao, officially the Municipality of Magarao ( bcl, Banwaan kan Magarao; tl, Bayan ng Magarao), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 26,742 people. Ma ...

, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sta. Lucia,

Samal, Bataan Samal, officially the Municipality of Samal ( tl, Bayan ng Samal), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Bataan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 38,302 people. Samal is from Balanga and from Manila. ...

* Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sta. Lucia,

San Miguel, Bulacan San Miguel, officially the Municipality of San Miguel ( tgl, Bayan ng San Miguel), is a 1st class municipality in the province of Bulacan, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 172,073 people. It is the third larg ...

* Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sta. Lucia, San Juan City,

Metro Manila Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...

, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sta. Lucia, San Luis, Pampanga * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Punturin, Valenzuela City, Metro Manila, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sta. Lucia, Lubao, Pampanga, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sta. Lucia, Masantol, Pampanga, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sta. Lucia, Sta. Ana, Pampanga, Philippines – CPC rj simbillo * Sta. Lucia Cupang, Chapel, Arayat, Pampanga, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Pinulot, Dinalupihan, Bataan * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sucad, Apalit, Pampanga, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Chapel, Valenzuela, Metro Manila, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Mini-Parish, De Castro Subd., Barangay Sta. Lucia, Pasig, Philippines *Sta.Lucia chapel, Calumpit, Bulacan Philippines * Namayan Chapel, Barangay Namayan, City of Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines *Sta.Lucia Holy Mt.Banahaw, Dolores, Quezon Province, Philippines * St. Lucy's Church (Manhattan) (parish established 1900; present church built 1915), New York, United States * St. Lucy's Church (established in 1927), Bronx, New York, United States * Sta. Lucia Catholic Church, El Paso, Texas, United States * National Register of Historic Places listings in Essex County, New Jersey, St. Lucy's Church, Newark, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey, United States * Church of St. Lucija, Santa Luċija, Gozo, Malta * St. Lucy's Chapel, St Lucy Street, Naxxar, Malta * Medieval Chapel of St. Lucy, limits of Mtarfa, Malta, Mtarfa Malta * New Church of St. Lucy, Mtarfa, Malta * Medieval Chapel of Saint Lucija, Gudja, Malta * St. Lucia's Cathedral,

* St. Lucia Church, Poonapity, Kaddaikadu, Puttlam,

* Santa Luzia Church, Viana Do Castelo, Portugal * St. Lucy's Church, North Lanarkshire, Scotland * Cerkev Svete Lucije, Skaručna, Slovenia * Iglesia de Sta. Lucia, Maracaibo, Venezuela *Iglesia de Sta. Lucia, Miranda, Venezuela * St. Lucy's Church, Syracuse, New York, United States * St. Lucy Catholic Church, Houma, Louisiana, United States * Saint Lucia Church, Ruiru Membley, Kiambu, Kenya * Chapel of Saint Lucy, Barcelona Cathedral, Spain * Parroquia Santa Lucía, Paraná, Entre Ríos, Argentina * Sta. Lucia Parish Church, Sta. Lucia, Asturias, Cebu, Philippines * St. Lucy Croatian Catholic Church, Troy, Michigan, Troy, Michigan, United States * St. Lucy's Church, Jurandvor, Baška, Croatia, Baška, Croatia * St. Lucy's Church, Pazin, Croatia * St. Lucy's Church, Kostrena, Croatia * St. Lucy's crypt, inside of Cathedral of Saint Domnius, Split, Croatia, Split, Croatia * Parroquia y Santuario Santa Lucía, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. * Hermitage of Santa Lucía, Valencia, Valencian Community, Spain * St. Lucy's Church, Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States * Santa Lucia Chapel, Barangay, Malandog, Hamtic, Antique, Philippines * Igreja de Santa Luzia Doutor Severiano, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil * Catedral de Santa Luzia Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil * Igreja de Santa Luzia, Rafael Fernandes, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil * Igreja de Santa Luzia, Carnaubais, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil * Igreja de Santa Luzia, Vertentes-Jaguaribe Ceará, Brasil * La Iglesia de Santa Lucía, Santa Lucía de Tirajana, Gran Canaria * Parroquia ni Sta. Lucia in the Municipality of Narvacan, Ilocos Sur

Places

* St. Lucia, a country in the Caribbean * Barangay Sta. Lucia, Novaliches, Quezon City,

* Barangay Sta. Lucia,

* Borgo Santa Lucia, Naples, Italy * Port St. Lucie, Florida, United States * Saint Lucy, Barbados, Caribbean * Sainte-Lucie-de-Beauregard, Quebec, Sainte-Lucie-de-Beauregard, Quebec, Canada * Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Quebec, Sainte-Lucie-des-Laurentides, Quebec, Canada * Santa Lucia Chapel, Barangay Sucad, Apalit, Pampanga (Philippines) * Santa Lucía de Tirajana (Gran Canaria) Canary Islands, Spain * Santa Lucia, Ilocos Sur, Philippines * Santa Lucía, La Rioja Province, Argentina, La Rioja, Argentina * Santa Lucia, Magarao, Camarines Sur,

* Santa Lucia, Malta * Santa Lucia Range, Santa Lucia Mountains, California, United States * Santa Luċija, Gozo * Sta. Lucia, Asturias, Cebu, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Village Phase 4, Punturin, Valenzuela City,

* St. Lucie County, Florida, United States * St. Lucie Village, Florida, St. Lucie Village, Florida, United States * St. Lucia Estuary, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa * St Lucia, Queensland, St Lucia, Queensland, Australia * St. Lucy's Holy Well, Killua Castle, Clonmellon, County Westmeath, Ireland *Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Santa Luzia, Minas Gerais, Brazil *Santa Lucía del Tuy, Miranda, Venezuela * Santa Lucía, Canelones, Uruguay

Schools

* Sta. Lucia Elementary School, Masantol, Pampanga, Philippines * Sta. Lucia Elementary School, De Castro Subd., Barangay Sta. Lucia, Pasig, Philippines * St. Lucy Integrated School of Manila, Malate, Manila, Philippines * St. Lucia's School, Kotahena, Colombo, Sri Lanka * St. Lucy Catholic Elementary School, Brampton, Ontario, Canada * St. Lucy Catholic Elementary School, Toronto, Ontario, Canada (defunct) * St. Lucy Catholic Elementary School, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada * Sta. Lucia High School Novaliches, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines * Santa Lucia Catholic School, Chicago, Illinois, United States * St. Lucy's Priory High School, Glendora, California, Glendora, California, United States * St. Lucy Day School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States * St. Lucy's School of Archdiocese of Pampanga, Sasmuan, Pampanga, Philippines * St. Lucy's School (dedicated in 1955), Bronx, New York, United States *Sta. Lucía del Tuy, Miranda, Venezuela

Other

* Santa Lucía Hill, otherwise known as ''Cerro Huelen'', Santiago, Chile * Venezia Santa Lucia railway station, Venice, Italy * Sta. Lucia Mall, Cainta, Rizal, Philippines

References

External links

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Books

* * *

Celebrations

* * *

Iconography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lucy 283 births 304 deaths Italian saints Sicilian saints 3rd-century Roman women 4th-century Roman women Virgin martyrs 4th-century Christian saints 4th-century Christian martyrs Syracuse, Sicily Late Ancient Christian female saints Christianity in Sicily Anglican saints Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian Christmas gift-bringers

Sources

Life

Veneration

Relics

Patronage

Iconography

In literature

Dante

Donne

Popular celebration

List of dedications to Saint Lucy

Churches

Places

Schools

Other

See also

References

Further reading

External links

Books

Celebrations

Iconography