Saints Chrysanthus and Daria
Encyclopedia
Saints Chrysanthus and Daria (3rd century – c. 283) are saint
s of the Early Christian period. According to legend, Chrysanthus was the only son of an Egypt
ian patrician, named Polemius or Poleon, who lived during the reign of Numerian
. His father moved from Alexandria
to Rome
. Chrysanthus was educated in the finest manner of the era. Disenchanted with the excess in the Roman world, he began reading the Acts of the Apostles
.
He was then baptized and educated in Christian thinking by a priest named Carpophorus. His father was unhappy with Chrysanthus's conversion and attempted to inculcate secular ways into his son by tempting him with prostitutes, but Chrysanthus retained his virginity.
He objected when his father arranged a marriage to Daria, a Roman Vestal Virgin
. Chrysanthus converted his new bride and convinced her to live with him in a chaste state. Since Vestal Virgins take a vow of chastity during their thirty-year term of service, Daria's agreement to live in a chaste marriage would not be surprising.
They went on to convert a number of Romans. When this illegal act was made known to Claudius, the tribune
, Chrysanthus was arrested and tortured. Chrysanthus's faith and fortitude under torture were so impressive to Claudius that he and his wife, Hilaria, two sons named Maurus and Jason, and seventy of his soldiers became Christians. For this betrayal, the emperor had Claudius drowned, his sons beheaded and his wife went to the gallows. The legend states that Daria was sent to live as a prostitute, but her chastity
was defended by a lioness. She was brought before Numerian
and ordered to be executed. There are many variations to this legend. Some claim that she was subjected to execution by stoning, others say she was beheaded and yet others claim she was buried alive in a deep pit beside her husband. They were entombed in a sand pit near the Via Salaria Nova, the catacombs
in Rome
.
was not in Rome at the time of the martyrdom of Chrysanthus and Daria but that his brother Carinus
was. It is more likely that Carinus was the one who ordered Daria to be executed. A recent documentary by the National Geographic of a study sponsored by the Church has brought forth information that clashes with the legend. The legend claims that Daria was stoned to death before being buried. But her skeleton bears no sign of being stoned. It is believed by scientists that it is more likely that the two were buried alive. Another issue that was brought forward was that the Romans would not send a Vestal virgin, who was supposed to be the keeper of Rome's fortunes and for whom it was imperative to remain a virgin, into a whorehouse.
site for early Christians soon after their death. When several followers, among them Diodorus, a priest, and Marianus, a deacon, were found praying in the catacombs on the anniversary of their martyrdom, they were all entombed within the crypt alive.
Diodorus and Marianus were also canonized as well. A church was later built above the sandpit.
The two martyrs were particularly popular in 4th-century Rome, and their names appear in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum
. In the 9th century, some of the remains of Chrysanthus and Daria were brought to Prüm
in modern-day Rhineland-Palatinate
, but the cult remained largely local. In 1011, Pope Sergius IV
gave Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou, some of the martyrs' relics upon his return from a pilgrimage
to Jerusalem. Fulk gave them to the monastery of Belli Locus which he had recently established.
Chrysanthus is also venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church
. The Troparion
associated with him is: "Let us honor the like-minded pair of Martyrs,/ Chrysanthus scion of purity, and supremely modest Daria./ United in holiness of faith, they shone forth as communicants of God the Word./ They fought lawfully for Him and now save those who sing:/ Glory to Him Who has strengthened you; glory to Him Who has crowned you;/ glory to Him Who through you works healings for all." The Kontakion
associated with Chrysanthus is: "O Chrysanthus, in the sweet fragrance of holiness/ thou didst draw Daria to saving knowledge./ Together in contest you routed the serpent, the author of all evil,/ and were worthily taken up to the heavenly realms." His was a precongregational canonization
. The feast day of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria is celebrated on October 25 within Western Christianity
, and on March 19 in Eastern Christianity
.
The relics of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria are found in the Cathedral in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Legendary Saints Were Real, Buried Alive, Study Hints:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/04/110415-saints-murdered-chrysanthus-daria-science-rome-roman-christians/
Mystery of the Murdered Saints: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/4837/Overview
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...
s of the Early Christian period. According to legend, Chrysanthus was the only son of an Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian patrician, named Polemius or Poleon, who lived during the reign of Numerian
Numerian
Numerian , was a Roman Emperor from 282 to 284 with his older brother Carinus. They were sons of Carus, a general raised to the office of praetorian prefect under Emperor Probus in 282.-Reign:...
. His father moved from Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Chrysanthus was educated in the finest manner of the era. Disenchanted with the excess in the Roman world, he began reading the Acts of the Apostles
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
.
He was then baptized and educated in Christian thinking by a priest named Carpophorus. His father was unhappy with Chrysanthus's conversion and attempted to inculcate secular ways into his son by tempting him with prostitutes, but Chrysanthus retained his virginity.
He objected when his father arranged a marriage to Daria, a Roman Vestal Virgin
Vestal Virgin
In ancient Roman religion, the Vestals or Vestal Virgins , were priestesses of Vesta, goddess of the hearth. The College of the Vestals and its well-being was regarded as fundamental to the continuance and security of Rome, as embodied by their cultivation of the sacred fire that could not be...
. Chrysanthus converted his new bride and convinced her to live with him in a chaste state. Since Vestal Virgins take a vow of chastity during their thirty-year term of service, Daria's agreement to live in a chaste marriage would not be surprising.
They went on to convert a number of Romans. When this illegal act was made known to Claudius, the tribune
Tribune
Tribune was a title shared by elected officials in the Roman Republic. Tribunes had the power to convene the Plebeian Council and to act as its president, which also gave them the right to propose legislation before it. They were sacrosanct, in the sense that any assault on their person was...
, Chrysanthus was arrested and tortured. Chrysanthus's faith and fortitude under torture were so impressive to Claudius that he and his wife, Hilaria, two sons named Maurus and Jason, and seventy of his soldiers became Christians. For this betrayal, the emperor had Claudius drowned, his sons beheaded and his wife went to the gallows. The legend states that Daria was sent to live as a prostitute, but her chastity
Chastity
Chastity refers to the sexual behavior of a man or woman acceptable to the moral standards and guidelines of a culture, civilization, or religion....
was defended by a lioness. She was brought before Numerian
Numerian
Numerian , was a Roman Emperor from 282 to 284 with his older brother Carinus. They were sons of Carus, a general raised to the office of praetorian prefect under Emperor Probus in 282.-Reign:...
and ordered to be executed. There are many variations to this legend. Some claim that she was subjected to execution by stoning, others say she was beheaded and yet others claim she was buried alive in a deep pit beside her husband. They were entombed in a sand pit near the Via Salaria Nova, the catacombs
Catacombs
Catacombs, human-made subterranean passageways for religious practice. Any chamber used as a burial place can be described as a catacomb, although the word is most commonly associated with the Roman empire...
in Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
.
Historical notes
Historians believe NumerianNumerian
Numerian , was a Roman Emperor from 282 to 284 with his older brother Carinus. They were sons of Carus, a general raised to the office of praetorian prefect under Emperor Probus in 282.-Reign:...
was not in Rome at the time of the martyrdom of Chrysanthus and Daria but that his brother Carinus
Carinus
Carinus , was Roman Emperor 282 to 285. The elder son of emperor Carus, he was appointed Caesar and co-emperor of the western portion of the empire upon his father's accession...
was. It is more likely that Carinus was the one who ordered Daria to be executed. A recent documentary by the National Geographic of a study sponsored by the Church has brought forth information that clashes with the legend. The legend claims that Daria was stoned to death before being buried. But her skeleton bears no sign of being stoned. It is believed by scientists that it is more likely that the two were buried alive. Another issue that was brought forward was that the Romans would not send a Vestal virgin, who was supposed to be the keeper of Rome's fortunes and for whom it was imperative to remain a virgin, into a whorehouse.
Veneration
Their tomb became a pilgrimagePilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
site for early Christians soon after their death. When several followers, among them Diodorus, a priest, and Marianus, a deacon, were found praying in the catacombs on the anniversary of their martyrdom, they were all entombed within the crypt alive.
Diodorus and Marianus were also canonized as well. A church was later built above the sandpit.
The two martyrs were particularly popular in 4th-century Rome, and their names appear in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum
Martyrologium Hieronymianum
The Martyrologium Hieronymianum was a medieval list of martyrs, one of the most used and influential of the Middle Ages...
. In the 9th century, some of the remains of Chrysanthus and Daria were brought to Prüm
Prüm
Prüm is a town in the Westeifel , Germany. Formerly a district capital, today it is the administrative seat of the Verbandsgemeinde Prüm.-Geography:...
in modern-day Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate is one of the 16 states of the Federal Republic of Germany. It has an area of and about four million inhabitants. The capital is Mainz. English speakers also commonly refer to the state by its German name, Rheinland-Pfalz ....
, but the cult remained largely local. In 1011, Pope Sergius IV
Pope Sergius IV
Pope Sergius IV , born Pietro Martino Buccaporci, was Pope from July 31, 1009, until his death. The date of his birth is unknown. His birth name is believed to have been Pietro Martino Buccaporci...
gave Fulk Nerra, Count of Anjou, some of the martyrs' relics upon his return from a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to Jerusalem. Fulk gave them to the monastery of Belli Locus which he had recently established.
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,...
. The Troparion
Troparion
A troparion in Byzantine music and in the religious music of Eastern Orthodox Christianity is a short hymn of one stanza, or one of a series of stanzas. The word probably derives from a diminutive of the Greek tropos...
associated with him is: "Let us honor the like-minded pair of Martyrs,/ Chrysanthus scion of purity, and supremely modest Daria./ United in holiness of faith, they shone forth as communicants of God the Word./ They fought lawfully for Him and now save those who sing:/ Glory to Him Who has strengthened you; glory to Him Who has crowned you;/ glory to Him Who through you works healings for all." The Kontakion
Kontakion
Kontakion is a form of hymn performed in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The word derives from the Greek word kontax , meaning pole, specifically the pole around which a scroll is wound. The term describes the way in which the words on a scroll unfurl as it is read...
associated with Chrysanthus is: "O Chrysanthus, in the sweet fragrance of holiness/ thou didst draw Daria to saving knowledge./ Together in contest you routed the serpent, the author of all evil,/ and were worthily taken up to the heavenly realms." His was a precongregational canonization
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
. The feast day of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria is celebrated on October 25 within Western Christianity
Western Christianity
Western Christianity is a term used to include the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church and groups historically derivative thereof, including the churches of the Anglican and Protestant traditions, which share common attributes that can be traced back to their medieval heritage...
, and on March 19 in Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity comprises the Christian traditions and churches that developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Northeastern Africa, India and parts of the Far East over several centuries of religious antiquity. The term is generally used in Western Christianity to...
.
The relics of Saints Chrysanthus and Daria are found in the Cathedral in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
Legendary Saints Were Real, Buried Alive, Study Hints:
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/04/110415-saints-murdered-chrysanthus-daria-science-rome-roman-christians/
Mystery of the Murdered Saints: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/4837/Overview
External links
- Catholic Encyclopedia: Sts. Chrysanthus and Daria
- Patron Saints Index: Sts. Chrysanthus and Daria
- Holy Protection Russian Orthodox Church
- Holy Martyrs Chrysanthus and Daria in Orthodoxy
- Selected Lives of Saints. A drama of early Christian Rome by Pedro Calderón de la BarcaPedro Calderón de la BarcaPedro Calderón de la Barca y Barreda González de Henao Ruiz de Blasco y Riaño usually referred as Pedro Calderón de la Barca , was a dramatist, poet and writer of the Spanish Golden Age. During certain periods of his life he was also a soldier and a Roman Catholic priest...
, translated by Denis Florence MacCarthyDenis Florence MacCarthyDenis Florence MacCarthy was an Irish poet, translator, and biographer, born in Lower O'Connell Street, Dublin.-Life:McCarthy was born in Lower O'Connell Street, Dublin, on 26 May 1817, and educated there and at Maynooth. He acquired an intimate knowledge of Spanish from a learned priest, who had...
.