According to
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 ...
tradition, the Seven Apostolic Men (''siete varones apostólicos'') were seven Christian clerics ordained in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
by Saints
Peter
Peter may refer to:
People
* List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name
* Peter (given name)
** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church
* Peter (surname), a sur ...
and
Paul
Paul may refer to:
*Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name)
*Paul (surname), a list of people
People
Christianity
*Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...
and sent to evangelize Spain. This group includes
Torquatus
Torquatus, masculine (''torquata'', feminine; ''torquatum'', neuter), is a Latin word meaning "adorned with a neck chain or collar" and may refer to:
People
*Lucius Manlius Torquatus
* Titus Manlius Torquatus (235 BC)
* Silanus
** Marcus Jun ...
,
Caecilius,
Ctesiphon
Ctesiphon ( ; Middle Persian: 𐭲𐭩𐭮𐭯𐭥𐭭 ''tyspwn'' or ''tysfwn''; fa, تیسفون; grc-gre, Κτησιφῶν, ; syr, ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢThomas A. Carlson et al., “Ctesiphon — ܩܛܝܣܦܘܢ ” in The Syriac Gazetteer last modi ...
,
Euphrasius,
Indaletius
Saint Indaletius ( es, San Indalecio) is venerated as the patron saint of Almería, Spain. Tradition makes him a Christian missionary of the 1st century, during the Apostolic Age. He evangelized the town of Urci (today Pechina), near the present ...
,
Hesychius, and
Secundius (''Torcuato, Cecilio, Tesifonte, Eufrasio, Indalecio, Hesiquio y Segundo'').
It is not clear whether the seven men were
Romans
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 lette ...
,
Greeks
The Greeks or Hellenes (; el, Έλληνες, ''Éllines'' ) are an ethnic group and nation indigenous to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea regions, namely Greece, Cyprus, Albania, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, and, to a lesser extent, oth ...
, or natives of
Hispania
Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...
.
The legend probably dates from the 8th century.
["Ctesiphon von Vergium", ''Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon'']
/ref> The ''Martyrology of Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
'' (806 AD) incorporated text from a fifth-century source, and the seven saints are mentioned in the Mozarabic
Mozarabic, also called Andalusi Romance, refers to the medieval Romance varieties spoken in the Iberian Peninsula in territories controlled by the Islamic Emirate of Córdoba and its successors. They were the common tongue for the majority of ...
liturgy.
According to manuscripts of the 10th century, which in turn recorded information from the 8th or 9th centuries, these seven clerics arrived at ''Acci'' (Guadix
Guadix (; Local pronunciation: aˈðih is a city and municipality in southern Spain, in the province of Granada.
The city lies at an altitude of 913 metres, on the centre of the Hoya of Guadix, a high plain at the northern foothills of the Sie ...
) during the celebrations in honor of Jupiter
Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the List of Solar System objects by size, largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but ...
, Mercury
Mercury commonly refers to:
* Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun
* Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg
* Mercury (mythology), a Roman god
Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to:
Companies
* Merc ...
, and Juno
Juno commonly refers to:
*Juno (mythology), the Roman goddess of marriage and queen of the gods
*Juno (film), ''Juno'' (film), 2007
Juno may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Fictional characters
*Juno, in the film ''Jenny, Juno''
*Ju ...
. The pagans chased them to the river, but the bridge collapsed miraculously and the seven men were saved. A noblewoman named Luparia, interested in their mission, hid them and converted to Christianity after building an altar in honor of John the Baptist
John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...
.
The Dominican writer Rodrigo de Cerrato also wrote about the Seven Apostolic Men during the 13th century.
The seven cities
The seven missionaries decided to evangelize various parts of the region of Baetica
Hispania Baetica, often abbreviated Baetica, was one of three Roman provinces in Hispania (the Iberian Peninsula). Baetica was bordered to the west by Lusitania, and to the northeast by Hispania Tarraconensis. Baetica remained one of the basic di ...
: Torquatus remained in Acci (Guadix), Ctesiphon went to ''Vergium'' or ''Bergi'' (Berja
Berja () is a municipality, former bishopric and Latin titular see in Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain.
It is located on the south-eastern slope of the Sierra de Gádor, 10 miles north-east of Adra.
...
), Hesychius to ''Carcere'' (Cazorla
Cazorla is a municipality of Spain located in the province of Jaén, Andalusia. According to the 2006 census (INE), it had a population of 8,173 inhabitants.
Description
Cazorla lies at an elevation of 836 metres on the western slope of the Si ...
), Indalecius went to ''Urci Urci was an ancient settlement in southeastern Roman Hispania mentioned by Pomponius Mela, Pliny the Elder, and Claudius Ptolemy. The writings of these historians indicate that the city was located in the hinterland of what is now Villaricos, Spain ...
'' (Pechina
Pechina is a municipality of Province of Almería, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is on the site of the ancient town of Urci.
Pechina, called ''Bajjāna'' in Arabic, was the centre of a Yemeni colony during the period of the ...
), Secundius to ''Abula'' (identified as Ávila
Ávila (, , ) is a city of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Ávila.
It lies on the right bank of the Adaja river. Located more than 1,130 m abov ...
or Abla
Abla is a municipality, former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see in Almería province, in Andalusia, southeast Spain.
History
It is considered to be the Abula mentioned by Ptolemy in his ''Geographia'' (II 6, 60) as located in the Iber ...
), Euphrasius to '' Iliturgis'' (a site near Andújar
Andújar () is a Spanish municipality of 38,539 people (2005) in the province of Jaén, in Andalusia. The municipality is divided by the Guadalquivir River. The northern part of the municipality is where the Natural Park of the Sierra de Andú ...
), and Caecilius to ''Iliberri'' or ''Iliberis'' (Elvira
Elvira is a female given name. First recorded in medieval Spain, it is likely of Germanic (Gothic) origin.
Elvira may refer to:
People Nobility
* Elvira Menéndez (died 921), daughter of Hermenegildo Gutiérrez and wife of Ordoño II of León ...
/Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
).
The identification of these places is imprecise: other sources state that ''Carcere'' or ''Carcesi'' is not Cazorla but Cieza, and that Urci is Torre de Villaricos, and Iliturgis is Cuevas de Lituergo. The only identification considered certain is that of Iliberis with Elvira
Elvira is a female given name. First recorded in medieval Spain, it is likely of Germanic (Gothic) origin.
Elvira may refer to:
People Nobility
* Elvira Menéndez (died 921), daughter of Hermenegildo Gutiérrez and wife of Ordoño II of León ...
, seat of the Synod of Elvira
The Synod of Elvira ( la, Concilium Eliberritanum, es, Concilio de Elvira) was an ecclesiastical synod held at Elvira in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica, now Granada in southern Spain.. Its date has not been exactly determined but is belie ...
, whose first bishop, according to the ''Glosas Emilianenses
The Glosas Emilianenses (Spanish for "glosses of he monastery of SaintMillán/Emilianus") are glosses written in the 10th or 11th century to a 9th-century Latin codex. These marginalia are important as early examples of writing in a form of Ro ...
'', was Caecilius.
Associations with Saint James the Great (Santiago)
Traditions attributed to them actions other say were carried out James the Great. An author of the ninth century linked this tradition of the Seven Apostolic Men with that of Saint James the Great
James the Great, also known as James, son of Zebedee, Saint James the Great, Saint James the Greater, Saint James the Elder, or Saint Jacob (Aramaic ܝܥܩܘܒ ܒܪ ܙܒܕܝ, Arabic يعقوب, Hebrew בן זבדי , '' Yaʿăqōḇ'', Latin '' ...
in a text known as ''Translatio S. Iacobi in Hispaniam''. According to this text, seven disciples of James brought his body to the Roman province of Hispania
Hispania ( la, Hispānia , ; nearly identically pronounced in Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, and Italian) was the Roman name for the Iberian Peninsula and its provinces. Under the Roman Republic, Hispania was divided into two provinces: Hispania ...
after his martyrdom at Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. The seven disciples, pursued by a pagan king in Spain, hid in a fountain protected by a crypt; when the pagan soldiers entered the crypt, it collapsed, killing them all. A woman, named Luparia, converted to Christianity and had James' body placed in a building previously dedicated to the Roman gods. This tradition also states that three of these disciples, Torquatus, Athanasius (a name that does not correspond to the usual list of names of these seven name), and Ctesiphon, were buried with James.
Veneration
There are statues of all seven saints, in addition one of Saint Peter, at the Cathedral of Guadix.
Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II ( la, Ioannes Paulus II; it, Giovanni Paolo II; pl, Jan Paweł II; born Karol Józef Wojtyła ; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 1978 until his ...
, during his first trip to Spain in 1982, remarked that Spain "was conquered for the faith by the missionary zeal of the Seven Apostolic Men."
Saint Euphrasius' relics were taken to Santa María de Mao in the diocese of Lugo
Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population ...
.
Ctesiphon
Saint Ctesiphon ( es, San Tesifonte, Tesifón) or Ctesiphon of Vergium is venerated as patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
(besides Mary, Virgen de Gádor) of Berja
Berja () is a municipality, former bishopric and Latin titular see in Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain.
It is located on the south-eastern slope of the Sierra de Gádor, 10 miles north-east of Adra.
...
, Andalusia
Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a ...
, southern Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
. Tradition makes him a 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 ...
missionary of the 1st century, during the Apostolic Age
Christianity in the 1st century covers the formative history of Christianity from the start of the ministry of Jesus (–29 AD) to the death of the last of the Twelve Apostles () and is thus also known as the Apostolic Age. Early Christianity ...
. He evangelized the town of ''Bergi'', ''Vergi(s)'', or ''Vergium'', identified as Berja
Berja () is a municipality, former bishopric and Latin titular see in Almería province, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, southern Spain.
It is located on the south-eastern slope of the Sierra de Gádor, 10 miles north-east of Adra.
...
, and is said to have become its first bishop, but the Diocese of Vergi was probably only founded around 500.
Ctesiphon's relics purportedly lie in the catacombs of Sacromonte Abbey in Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
, along with those of Hesychius of Cazorla
Saint Hesychius ( es, San Isicio, San Hesiquio, San Exiquio; french: Saint Hisque) is venerated as the patron saint of Cazorla, Spain.
He is one of the group of Seven Apostolic Men (''siete varones apostólicos''), seven Christian clerics orda ...
and Caecilius of Elvira.[
]
Torquatus' relics
Torquatus' relics were rediscovered in the eighth century during the Moorish invasion of Spain
The Umayyad conquest of Hispania, also known as the Umayyad conquest of the Visigothic Kingdom, was the initial expansion of the Umayyad Caliphate over Hispania (in the Iberian Peninsula) from 711 to 718. The conquest resulted in the decline of t ...
, in a church built in his honor, near the Limia
''Limia'' is a genus of livebearing fishes belonging to the Cyprinodontiform family Poeciliidae, which includes other livebearers such as platys, swordtails (genus ''Xiphophorous''), guppies and mollies (genus ''Poecilia''). They are found i ...
River.
Torquatus' relics and those of Euphrasius were translated
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
to Galicia. Torquatus' relics remained for a long time in the Visigothic
The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is kno ...
church of Santa Comba de Bande.
In the 10th century, Torquatus' relics were translated to San Salvador de Celanova (in Celanova
Celanova is a town and municipality located in the province of Ourense, Galicia, Northern Spain. Situated near the border with Portugal, the municipality is bordered by Ramirás, Cartelle, A Merca, A Bola, Verea and Quintela de Leirado.
The A ...
, Ourense
Ourense (; es, Orense ) is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path of the Way of St ...
).
In 1592, the sepulcher was opened and part of Torquatus' relics were distributed to Guadix, Compostela, and Ourense
Ourense (; es, Orense ) is a city and capital of the province of Ourense, located in the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, northwestern Spain. It is on the Camino Sanabrés path of the Way of St ...
, and also to El Escorial
El Escorial, or the Royal Site of San Lorenzo de El Escorial ( es, Monasterio y Sitio de El Escorial en Madrid), or Monasterio del Escorial (), is a historical residence of the King of Spain located in the town of San Lorenzo de El Escorial, u ...
, and to the Jesuit
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders ...
college at Guadix, and in 1627, to Granada
Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...
. The relics that remained in San Salvador de Celanova were placed in the main chapel of the church of the monastery, together with those of Saint Rudesind
Saint Rudesind ( gl, San Rosendo, Rudesindo; pt, São Rosendo lat, Rudesindus) (November 26, 907 – March 1, 977) was a Galician people, Galician bishop and abbot. He was also a regional administrator and military leader under his kinsmen, the ...
, the monastery's founder.
The Cathedral of Guadix conserves three relics associated with Saint Torquatus: his arm, his jawbone, and his calcaneus
In humans and many other primates, the calcaneus (; from the Latin ''calcaneus'' or ''calcaneum'', meaning heel) or heel bone is a bone of the tarsus of the foot which constitutes the heel. In some other animals, it is the point of the hock.
S ...
(this last relic is not on display).
References
Sources
*''Diccionario de Historia de España''. Madrid: Istmo, 2003.
External links
San Torquato Vescovo di Guadix
San Torcuato y los 7 Varones Apostólicos (año 47)
Οἱ Ἅγιοι Τορκουάτος, Κτησιφῶν, Σεκοῦνδος, Ἰνδαλέτιος, Καικίλιος, Ἡσύχιος καὶ Εὐφράσιος οἱ Μάρτυρες
ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seven Apostolic Men
1st-century Christian martyrs
1st-century Christian clergy
Spanish Christian missionaries
Saints from Hispania