Saint Cunera of Rhenen, also Kunera (strangled to death in Rhenen, diocese of Utrecht, 28 October 340) was a

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 ...

and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

. Her name is first mentioned in the 11th century. Cunera is the patron saint of the city of

Rhenen Rhenen () is a municipality and a city in the central Netherlands. The municipality also includes the villages of Achterberg, Remmerden, Elst and Laareind. The town lies at a geographically interesting location, namely on the southernmost par ...

in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, and a protector of horses and against animal diseases and sore throat. Her attributes are the key and the scarf.

Life

According to the 14th-century legend only one virgin survived the massacre when

Saint Ursula Saint Ursula (Latin for 'little female bear', german: link=no, Heilige Ursula) is a legendary Romano-British Christian saint who died on 21 October 383. Her feast day in the pre-1970 General Roman Calendar is 21 October. There is little infor ...

and her eleven thousand virgins were martyred in

Cologne, Germany Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 million ...

by the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th century AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was part ...

during the fourth century. Her name was Cunera — a princess from the

Orkney Islands Orkney (; sco, Orkney; on, Orkneyjar; nrn, Orknøjar), also known as the Orkney Islands, is an archipelago in the Northern Isles of Scotland, situated off the north coast of the island of Great Britain. Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north ...

. The King of the Rhine abducted her under his cloak and took her to his palace in Rhenen. Here she became deeply loved by the people for her kindness and care for the poor. She earned the King's support, who entrusted her with the key to his cellars. This aroused the jealousy of the King's wife. While the King went out hunting, Cunera was strangled to death by the Queen, by means of a scarf. Cunera's body was secretly buried in a stable. The crime was miraculously discovered thanks to the horses. The queen committed suicide by jumping off a cliff. Her chamberlain, who had assisted her in the murder, was beheaded. After her death, Cunera brought about many healings and rescues from drowning.

Controversy

The Latin and Dutch versions of legend of Cunera date from the 14th and 15th centuries. The historical events underlying the legend cannot be determined. Just as Ursula's the historicity of Cunera must be doubted. During the late 15th century the king was identified as

Radbod, King of the Frisians Redbad or Radbod (died 719) was the king (or duke) of Frisia from c. 680 until his death. He is often considered the last independent ruler of Frisia before Frankish domination. He defeated Charles Martel at Cologne. Eventually, Charles prevaile ...

(d. 719), who was supposed to have assisted the Huns in the siege of Cologne. In fictional genealogical treatises, his grandson and namesake Radbod was married to Amarra, Princess of the Hungary (the land of the Huns). Recent fiction has given her the name of Adelgonde.

Veneration

The Utrecht bishop Saint

Willibrord Willibrord (; 658 – 7 November AD 739) was an Anglo-Saxon missionary and saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands. He became the first bishop of Utrecht and died at Echternach, Luxembourg. Early life His fathe ...

(d. 739) is said to have announced Cunera's canonization. During the Late Middle Ages a great pilgrimage took place during the annual horse fair at Rhenen. Eventually this led to the consecration of the local St Peter's church to Cunera. The church was later replaced by the present Cunera-Church and the Cunera-Tower (completed in 1531). As a result of the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

in 1580 the Cunera-church was stripped of its images of saints. Cunera's relics were moved to Emmerich in the

Duchy of Cleves The Duchy of Cleves (german: Herzogtum Kleve; nl, Hertogdom Kleef) was a State of the Holy Roman Empire which emerged from the medieval . It was situated in the northern Rhineland on both sides of the Lower Rhine, around its capital Cleves and ...

and to Bedaf in Uden. The scarf, ''wurgdoek'' or ''dwale'' which had her strangled is now hosted by the

Museum Catharijneconvent The Museum Catharijneconvent (St. Catherine's Convent Museum) is a museum of religious art in Utrecht, Netherlands. It is located in the former St. Catharine convent, having been sited there since 1979. Its collections include many artifacts fro ...

. Scientific research has proven that it is a 5th-century cloth, woven of Coptic linen. The feast of Cunera is celebrated on June 12th.

References

*Cunera, Online Dictionary of Netherlands

External links

*http://saints.sqpn.com/12-june/ *http://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienK/Kunera_von_Rhenen.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Cunera, Saint 340 deaths 4th-century Christian martyrs Dutch Roman Catholic saints

Saint Cunera Saint Cunera of Rhenen, also Kunera (strangled to death in Rhenen, diocese of Utrecht, 28 October 340) was a virgin and martyr. Her name is first mentioned in the 11th century. Cunera is the patron saint of the city of Rhenen in the Netherlands, a ...

Year of birth unknown