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Silvia, or Sylvia, (c. 515 – c. 592) was the mother of Gregory the Great. She is venerated as a
The veneration of Silvia is of early date. She was honoured by the Romans as a type of a Christian widow. Silvia had built a chapel in her house. In 645, the monks from the
Santa Silvia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silvia 515 births 592 deaths 6th-century Italo-Roman people 6th-century Byzantine people 6th-century Christian saints Italian Roman Catholic saints Female saints of medieval Italy 6th-century Italian women Pope Gregory I Medieval Italian saints
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 ...
by the Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church, which names her a patroness of pregnant women.
Life
Little biographical information about her exists. Her native place is sometimes given as Sicily, sometimes as Rome. Apparently she was of a distinguished family as her husband, the Roman ''regionarius'', Gordianus. She had, besides Gregory, a second son, whose name did not survive through the ages. Silvia was noted for her greatpiety
Piety is a virtue which may include religious devotion or spirituality. A common element in most conceptions of piety is a duty of respect. In a religious context piety may be expressed through pious activities or devotions, which may vary among ...
, and she gave her sons an excellent education. After the death of her husband, around 573, she devoted herself entirely to religion in the "new cell by the gate of blessed Paul" (''cella nova juxta portam beati Pauli''). Gregory the Great had a mosaic portrait of his parents executed at the monastery of Saint Andrew; it is minutely described by Johannes Diaconus.
Veneration
The veneration of Silvia is of early date. She was honoured by the Romans as a type of a Christian widow. Silvia had built a chapel in her house. In 645, the monks from the monastery of Mar Saba
The Holy Lavra of Saint Sabbas, known in Arabic and Syriac as Mar Saba ( syr, ܕܝܪܐ ܕܡܪܝ ܣܒܐ, ar, دير مار سابا; he, מנזר מר סבא; el, Ἱερὰ Λαύρα τοῦ Ὁσίου Σάββα τοῦ Ἡγιασμέ ...
(Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
) settled in this house, and devoted it to the celebration of Saint Sabas.
Pope Clement VIII (1592–1605) inserted her name under 3 November in the Roman Martyrology. She is invoked by pregnant women for a safe delivery.
Two of her relatives, sisters-in-law Trasilla and Emiliana
Trasilla (Tarsilla, Tharsilla, Thrasilla) and Emiliana were aunts of Gregory the Great, and venerated as virgin saints of the sixth century. They appear in the ''Roman Martyrology'', the former on 24 December, the latter on 5 January.
History
T ...
, are also venerated as saints, as well as her other sister-in-law Gordiana, and her husband Gordianus.
References
External links
Santa Silvia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Silvia 515 births 592 deaths 6th-century Italo-Roman people 6th-century Byzantine people 6th-century Christian saints Italian Roman Catholic saints Female saints of medieval Italy 6th-century Italian women Pope Gregory I Medieval Italian saints