Saint Venera (''Veneranda, Veneria, Venerina, Parasceve'') is venerated as 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 ...
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 ...
of the 2nd century.
Little is known of this saint.
The date of her death is traditionally given as July 26, 143 AD.
In the ''Catalogo Sanctorum'', composed by
Petrus de Natalibus
Pietro Ungarello di Marco de' Natali, better known as Petrus de Natalibus ( 1400 1406), was an Italian bishop and the author of a collection of lives of the saints.
No details of the early life of this hagiographer have been handed dow ...
between 1369 and 1372, he cites in Chapter 61 the name of a virgin martyr named ''Veneranda''.
According to de Natalibus, Veneranda was born in
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
in the 2nd century and martyred 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 ...
during the time of Emperor
Antoninus Pius
Antoninus Pius (Latin: ''Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Pius''; 19 September 86 – 7 March 161) was Roman emperor from 138 to 161. He was the fourth of the Five Good Emperors from the Nerva–Antonine dynasty.
Born into a senatoria ...
(138-161 AD).
Background
A version of her legend states that Venera, as a girl, studied the Gospel with zeal, and left her home in
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
to become a missionary.
She travelled to
Grotte, in
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
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, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
, and preached there, and lived in a cave, near the present-day Corso Garibaldi.
She became well loved amongst the local populace, and she tended to the sick. It is said that her visits would leave behind a scent of roses.
She was kidnapped and taken to
Acireale
Acireale (; scn, Jaciriali, locally shortened to ''Jaci'' or ''Aci'') is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the north-east of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. ...
, and was subjected to tortures there, including being boiled in hot oil, from which she emerged even more beautiful than before.
Ultimately, she was decapitated. Her body was placed in the
catacomb
Catacombs are man-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place is a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman Empire.
Etymology and history
The first place to be referred ...
of Santa Domitilla.
According to one version of her legend,
her parents were two noble Christians named Agatho (Agatone) and Hippolyte (Ippolita). When their daughter was born, the mother wanted to call her ''Venera'', but the father, not wanting to create associations with the goddess
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is sometimes called Earth's "sister" or "twin" planet as it is almost as large and has a similar composition. As an interior planet to Earth, Venus (like Mercury) appears in Earth's sky never fa ...
, changed his daughter's name to ''Veneranda'', a rough Latin translation of the Greek name Paraskevi ("Friday," literally "Preparation"). Venera or Veneranda studied the Scriptures and lives of the martyrs as a child, and when her parents died, she dedicated herself to helping the poor and the sick. She distributed her wealth across
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
, population_note =
, population_blank1_title =
, population_blank1 =
, demographics_type1 = Ethnicity
, demographics1_footnotes =
, demographi ...
. She preached on the Italian mainland as well, such as at
Calabria
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and
Campania
Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
.
She was on her way to Rome when she was arrested by the Roman
prefect
Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area.
A prefect's ...
Antonius, who attempted to force her to renounce her faith with temptations and an offer of marriage, and then by torture. Antonius had her wear a helmet of red-hot iron, had her nailed on a cross, and placed on her chest a large block of sandstone. However, Venera survived all of these tortures and converted the men who were assigned to torture her. The prefect had her placed in a hot cauldron of oil and sulfur for seven days, but Venera was unharmed. The prefect, after seeing that Venera was unharmed, asked the saint if it was magic that was keeping her unharmed. When Venera asked the prefect to approach the cauldron to determine this, he refused. Venera then scooped up some of the burning sulfur and oil in her hand, and threw it in the prefect's face, blinding him. Subsequently, Antonius freed her and converted to Christianity.
Venera then converted many across
Magna Graecia
Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; these re ...
, and drew the attention of a ruler named Themius or Theotimus (Temio, Teotimo), who also subjects Venera to tortures, including the ones that
Saint Agatha
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 ...
is said to have suffered –the slicing off of a breast. Venera also vanquished a
dragon
A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...
. Themius was also subsequently converted. Venera then traveled to Gaul, and was ultimately decapitated after once again enduring tortures under the prefect Asclepius. Before dying, Venera demolished a temple dedicated to
Apollo
Apollo, grc, Ἀπόλλωνος, Apóllōnos, label=genitive , ; , grc-dor, Ἀπέλλων, Apéllōn, ; grc, Ἀπείλων, Apeílōn, label=Arcadocypriot Greek, ; grc-aeo, Ἄπλουν, Áploun, la, Apollō, la, Apollinis, label= ...
by reciting a prayer. Her body was left exposed to the elements but remained miraculously
intact
Intact can refer to:
* An entire building, generally in good condition not dilapidated or ruins
*Intact (group of companies), a Romanian media trust
*''Intact'' (album) and "Intact" (song) by Ned's Atomic Dustbin
*''Intacto'', a film
*Entire (anima ...
.
Veneration
![Old Parish Church, Santa Venera 001](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b2/Old_Parish_Church%2C_Santa_Venera_001.jpg)
After her martyrdom in Gaul, Christians are said to have transported her body to
Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno (; la, Asculum; dialetto ascolano: Ascule) is a town and ''comune'' in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is around 46,000 but the urban area of the city has more than 93,000.
Geo ...
,
where it was venerated until the 4th century, and then taken by a priest named Anthimus (Antimo) to Rome on November 14. At the end of 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 ...
, the relics were reclaimed by
Acireale
Acireale (; scn, Jaciriali, locally shortened to ''Jaci'' or ''Aci'') is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the north-east of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Sicily, southern Italy, at the foot of Mount Etna, on the coast facing the Ionian Sea. ...
, but relics associated with Venera were distributed across Sicily and Italy.
At the beginning of the 17th century, Venera's cult flourished, when the relics of the saint were transferred from the Church of Jesus and Mary to the
Cathedral of Acireale.
In 1668, the
Sacred Congregation of Rites
The Sacred Congregation of Rites was a congregation of the Roman Curia, erected on 22 January 1588 by Pope Sixtus V by '' Immensa Aeterni Dei''; it had its functions reassigned by Pope Paul VI on 8 May 1969.
The Congregation was charged with the ...
officially approved her cult.
Records from the basilica of Santa Maria a Pugliano in
Ercolano
Ercolano () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania of Southern Italy. It lies at the western foot of Mount Vesuvius, on the Bay of Naples, just southeast of the city of Naples. The medieval town of Resina () was bui ...
state that
Pope Alexander VII
Pope Alexander VII ( it, Alessandro VII; 13 February 159922 May 1667), born Fabio Chigi, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 7 April 1655 to his death in May 1667.
He began his career as a vice- papal legate, an ...
donated relics associated with Veneranda and a
Saint Maximus in the 17th century to the Procurator General of the
Carmelites
, image =
, caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites
, abbreviation = OCarm
, formation = Late 12th century
, founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel
, founding_location = Mount Car ...
in Rome.
These were then given to Father Simone dello Spirito Santo, of the Carmelite convent of
Torre del Greco
Torre del Greco (; nap, Torre d' 'o Grieco; "Greek man's Tower") is a ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy, with a population of c. 85,000 . The locals are sometimes called ''Corallini'' because of the once plentiful cora ...
, near Ercolano, establishing Veneranda's popularity and the diffusion of her cult in the area of Ercolano.
The city of Ercolano has two churches dedicated to Veneranda, and a painting dedicated to her in the city shows her name in Greek as ''Aghia Paraskebe'' (Saint Paraskevi), which attests to an identification of Veneranda with the martyr
Paraskevi of Rome
Saint Paraskevi of Rome (also Parasceva) is venerated as a Christian martyr of the 2nd century. She was arrested and tortured under the reign of the Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius for her refusal to worship idols. Though he eventually released her ...
, celebrated on July 26.
Venera or Veneranda is the patroness of the
Maltese town of
Santa Venera
Santa Venera is a town in the Central Region of Malta, with a population of 8,834 (2021). It is located between the towns of Birkirkara and Ħamrun, and it also borders Qormi and Msida.
History
The Old Church of Santa Venera was built in 14 ...
. The saint's connection to this town is in doubt.
[Paulist Fathers, ''Catholic World'', Volume 101 (Paulist Fathers, 1915). Original from Harvard University. Digitized Nov 1, 2007, p. 577.] As one source states: "Santa Venera is a very old place, much older than its name, unless they are right who declare that no such Christian saint ever existed as Venera, and that the name is simply a variant of ''venere'', and nothing more nor less than the Italian form of the name of the goddess of love. These people maintain that the hill-town of Aphrodisia stood on this site, and the church of Santa Venera, in the
Naumachia
The naumachia (in Latin , from the Ancient Greek /, literally "naval combat") in the Ancient Roman world referred to both the staging of naval battles as mass entertainment, and the basin or building in which this took place.
Early
The first ...
, was a temple of
Aphrodite
Aphrodite ( ; grc-gre, Ἀφροδίτη, Aphrodítē; , , ) is an ancient Greek goddess associated with love, lust, beauty, pleasure, passion, and procreation. She was syncretized with the Roman goddess . Aphrodite's major symbols include ...
seven hundred years before
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
had any martyrs."
[
Santa Veneranda is the patron Saint of the Arbëresh Town of ]Carfizzi
Carfizzi ( aae, Karfici) is an Arbëreshë ''comune'' in the Province of Crotone, Calabria, Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the midd ...
in Calabria
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, 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 ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Venera
143 deaths
2nd-century Christian martyrs
2nd-century Romans
2nd-century Roman women
Year of birth unknown
Ancient Sicily
Ante-Nicene Christian female saints
Dragonslayers
Executed ancient Roman women
Gallo-Roman saints
Magna Graecians
People executed by decapitation
People from Acireale
Religious leaders from the Province of Agrigento