Saints Justa and Rufina (Ruffina) ( es, Santa Justa y Santa Rufina) are venerated as
martyrs. They are said to have been martyred at
Hispalis (
Seville) during the 3rd century.
Only St. Justa (sometimes "Justus" in early manuscripts) is mentioned in the ''
Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' (93), but in the historical martyrologies. Rufina is also mentioned, following the legendary ''Acts''.
[Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Sts. Rufina." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 28 October 2021 The two saints are highly honored in the
Mozarabic Liturgy.
Legend
Their legend states that they were sisters and natives of Seville who are said to have lived in the neighborhood of
Triana. Justa was born in 268 AD, Rufina in 270 AD, of a poor but pious Christian family. They made fine
earthenware
Earthenware is glazed or unglazed nonvitreous pottery that has normally been fired below . Basic earthenware, often called terracotta, absorbs liquids such as water. However, earthenware can be made impervious to liquids by coating it with a ce ...
pottery for a living, with which they supported themselves and helped many of the city's poor. Like many other merchants, they sold their pottery from booths set up out of doors where people could see their wares. During a
pagan
Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...
festival, they refused to sell their wares for use in these celebrations. In anger, locals broke all of their dishes and pots. Justa and Rufina retaliated by smashing an image of
Venus. They were immediately arrested.
[
The city's prefect, Diogenianus, ordered them to be imprisoned. Failing to convince them to renounce their faith, he had them tortured on the rack and with iron hooks.
They were then forced to walk barefoot to the Sierra Morena; when this did not break their resolve, they were imprisoned without water or food. Justa died first. Her body, thrown into a well, was later recovered by the Bishop Sabinus. Diogenianus believed that the death of Justa would break the resolve of Rufina. Rufina refused to renounce her faith and was thus thrown to the lions. However the lions in the amphitheatre refused to attack Rufina, remaining as docile as house cats. Infuriated, Diogenianus had Rufina's neck broken and her body burned. Her remains were recovered by Sabinus and buried alongside her sister.][
]
Veneration
Their cult in Seville was ancient and strong, and soon spread elsewhere in Spain.
La Seo Cathedral
The Cathedral of the Savior ( es, Catedral del Salvador) or La Seo de Zaragoza is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Zaragoza, in Aragon, Spain. It is part of the World Heritage Site ''Mudéjar Architecture of Aragon''.
The cathedral is located on th ...
( Zaragoza) contains a chapel dedicated to Justa and Rufina. Agost, in Valencia province
Valencia ( ca-valencia, València) is a province of Spain, in the central part of the autonomous Valencian Community. Of the province's over 2.5 million people (2018), one-third live in the capital, Valencia, which is also the capital of the au ...
, is the location of a hermitage dedicated to these saints (''Ermita de Santa Justa y Rufina''), built in 1821. Toledo
Toledo most commonly refers to:
* Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain
* Province of Toledo, Spain
* Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States
Toledo may also refer to:
Places Belize
* Toledo District
* Toledo Settlement
Bolivia
* Toledo, Orur ...
also has a church dedicated to them.
There is a shrine to the saints in Alicante
Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in th ...
where a three-day fiesta is held in their honor in July.
Patronage
Justa and Rufina are the patron saints of the cities SevilleCathedral of Seville
The Cathedral of Saint Mary of the See ( es, Catedral de Santa María de la Sede), better known as Seville Cathedral, is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Seville, Andalusia, Spain. It was registered in 1987 by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, along ...
, and are said to have protected both during the Lisbon earthquake of 1755.
Feast day
Their feast day is 19 July.[ During the Middle Ages their feast was celebrated in the Iberian Peninsula on 17 July, as attested by calendars of the time, such as for example by that in the Antiphonary of León.
]
Iconography
They are often depicted as young women with their heads uncovered (indicating their status as unmarried), with clay pots, palms (representing martyrdom), and a lion licking Rufina's bare foot.[ As patrons of Seville, they are often pictured flanking the "Giralda".]
In art
Justa and Rufina were a popular subject for Spanish artists.
A 1540 retable is the earliest known piece of artwork depicting these two saints. A painting of the saints was done by Francisco Camilo in 1644. Goya,[ Murillo, and Zurbarán also painted these saints.
A 1989 painting is a modern interpretation of these saints.]Diego Velázquez
Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptized June 6, 1599August 6, 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the court of King Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He was an individualistic artist of th ...
Image:Francisco de Zurbarán 049.jpg, Saint Rufina, by Zurbarán
References
External links
Altar of SS. Justa and Rufina in the Cathedral of Seville
{{authority control
Ante-Nicene Christian female saints
History of Seville
Sibling duos
Spanish potters
3rd-century Christian martyrs
Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era
Saints from Hispania
268 births
270 births
287 deaths