Restituta
Encyclopedia
Saint Restituta is a saint
and martyr
of the Roman Catholic
and Eastern Orthodox
Churches.
or at Hippo Diarrhytus (today known as Bizerte, Tunisia
) and became a martyr under Diocletian
. The exact place and time of her martyrdom lacks precise historical data. She is sometimes considered one of the Martyrs of Abitina
, a group of North African martyrs that incluyes Dativus, Saturninus, and others.
, Reparata
, and Torpes of Pisa
, states that after being horribly tortured, Restituta was placed in a blazing boat loaded with oakum
and resin
. Restituta was unharmed by the fire, and asked for aid from God. God sent an angel
to guide her boat to the island of Aenaria (present-day Ischia
), and she landed at the present-day site of San Montano. The legend further states that a local Christian woman named Lucina had dreamt of the angel and the boat. When she walked to the beach, she found the resplendent and incorrupt body of Restituta, who was now dead. Lucina gathered the population together and the saint was solemnly buried at the foot of Monte Vico in Lacco Ameno
, where a paleochristian basilica
was dedicated to her, and is now the site of a sanctuary dedicated to her.
is historically associated with the expulsion of Catholics from North Africa by Genseric
, king of the Vandals
, who followed the Arian
sect. Her relics may have been brought to Naples in the fifth century by Gaudiosus of Naples
when he was exiled from North Africa.
A church, Santa Restituta
, was built in her honour in Naples
in the sixth century.
The church was then incorporated into the Cathedral of Naples
built on the same site in the 13th century.
She is the patron saint
of Lacco Ameno. She is especially venerated on the island of Ischia and at Lacco Ameno, where she is celebrated in a three-day celebration running from May 16 to May 18.
A crypt
associated with Restituta can be found at Cagliari
, in the neighborhood of Stampace.
Lamartine, inspired by the legend of the saint, composed in 1842 “Le lis du golfe de Santa Restituta dans l’ìle d’Ischia.”
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
and martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
of the Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
and Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
Churches.
Biography
She was said to be born at CarthageCarthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
or at Hippo Diarrhytus (today known as Bizerte, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
) and became a martyr under Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
. The exact place and time of her martyrdom lacks precise historical data. She is sometimes considered one of the Martyrs of Abitina
Martyrs of Abitina
The Martyrs of Abitina were a group of 49 Christians found guilty, in 304, during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian, of having illegally celebrated Sunday worship at Abitina, a town in the Roman province of Africa....
, a group of North African martyrs that incluyes Dativus, Saturninus, and others.
Legend
A later medieval legend, recounted by Pietro Suddiacono in the 10th century and similar to legends associated with Saints DevotaDevota
Saint Devota is the patron saint of Corsica and Monaco. She was killed during the persecutions of Diocletian and Maximian. She is sometimes identified with another Corsican saint named Julia, who was described in Latin as Deo devota . The description was misinterpreted as a proper name...
, Reparata
Saint Reparata
Saint Reparata was a third century Christian virgin and martyr, possibly mythical, of Caesarea in Palestine. Sources vary as to her age - from 11 to 20-years old - though the Sainte-Réparte cathedral in Nice gives it as 15 . She was arrested for her faith and tortured during the persecution of...
, and Torpes of Pisa
Torpes of Pisa
Saint Torpes of Pisa is venerated as an early Christian martyr. He is the namesake of Saint-Tropez. His legend states that he was martyred during the persecutions of Nero....
, states that after being horribly tortured, Restituta was placed in a blazing boat loaded with oakum
Oakum
Oakum is a preparation of tarred fiber used in shipbuilding, for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships, as well as cast iron plumbing applications...
and resin
Resin
Resin in the most specific use of the term is a hydrocarbon secretion of many plants, particularly coniferous trees. Resins are valued for their chemical properties and associated uses, such as the production of varnishes, adhesives, and food glazing agents; as an important source of raw materials...
. Restituta was unharmed by the fire, and asked for aid from God. God sent an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
to guide her boat to the island of Aenaria (present-day Ischia
Ischia
Ischia is a volcanic island in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Naples, about 30 km from the city of Naples. It is the largest of the Phlegrean Islands. Roughly trapezoidal in shape, it measures around 10 km east to west and 7 km north to south and has...
), and she landed at the present-day site of San Montano. The legend further states that a local Christian woman named Lucina had dreamt of the angel and the boat. When she walked to the beach, she found the resplendent and incorrupt body of Restituta, who was now dead. Lucina gathered the population together and the saint was solemnly buried at the foot of Monte Vico in Lacco Ameno
Lacco Ameno
Lacco Ameno is a town and comune situated in the northwest of the island of Ischia, in the Gulf of Naples off the west coast of Italy. The town has a population of around 4,600 inhabitants....
, where a paleochristian basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
was dedicated to her, and is now the site of a sanctuary dedicated to her.
Veneration
However, the spread of her cult from North Africa to ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
is historically associated with the expulsion of Catholics from North Africa by Genseric
Genseric
Genseric , also spelled as Geiseric or Gaiseric, was King of the Vandals and Alans and was one of the key players in the troubles of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century...
, king of the Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
, who followed the Arian
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
sect. Her relics may have been brought to Naples in the fifth century by Gaudiosus of Naples
Gaudiosus of Naples
Saint Gaudiosus of Naples was a bishop of Abitina in Africa Province during the 5th century. Abitina was a village near Carthage in present-day western Tunisia....
when he was exiled from North Africa.
A church, Santa Restituta
Santa Restituta
Santa Restituta is a church in Naples, southern Italy, dedicated to Saint Restituta.It is the original 6th-century paleo-Christian church on the site where the Cathedral of Naples now stands, and was rebuilt and incorporated into the cathedral when it built in the 13th century.Santa Restituta has a...
, was built in her honour in Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
in the sixth century.
The church was then incorporated into the Cathedral of Naples
Cathedral of Naples
Naples Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral, the main church of Naples, southern Italy, and the seat of the Archbishop of Naples. It is widely known as the Cattedrale di San Gennaro, in honour of Saint Januarius, the city's patron saint, but is actually dedicated to the Assumption of the...
built on the same site in the 13th century.
She is the patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Lacco Ameno. She is especially venerated on the island of Ischia and at Lacco Ameno, where she is celebrated in a three-day celebration running from May 16 to May 18.
A crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
associated with Restituta can be found at Cagliari
Cagliari
Cagliari is the capital of the island of Sardinia, a region of Italy. Cagliari's Sardinian name Casteddu literally means castle. It has about 156,000 inhabitants, or about 480,000 including the outlying townships : Elmas, Assemini, Capoterra, Selargius, Sestu, Monserrato, Quartucciu, Quartu...
, in the neighborhood of Stampace.
Lamartine, inspired by the legend of the saint, composed in 1842 “Le lis du golfe de Santa Restituta dans l’ìle d’Ischia.”
See also
- Martyrs of AbitinaMartyrs of AbitinaThe Martyrs of Abitina were a group of 49 Christians found guilty, in 304, during the reign of the Emperor Diocletian, of having illegally celebrated Sunday worship at Abitina, a town in the Roman province of Africa....
- Avigliano UmbroAvigliano UmbroAvigliano Umbro is a comune in the Province of Terni in the Italian region Umbria, located about 50 km south of Perugia and about 20 km northwest of Terni.-External links:* *...
in Umbria has a frazioneFrazioneA frazione , in Italy, is the name given in administrative law to a type of territorial subdivision of a comune; for other administrative divisions, see municipio, circoscrizione, quartiere...
called Santa Restituta.