Saturnina
Encyclopedia
Saint Saturnina is venerated as a Christian
virgin martyr
, “now believed to most likely be purely legendary.”
at the age of twelve. When her parents forced her into marriage when she turned twenty, she fled from Germany
into France
. The man to whom she had been promised, a Saxon
lord, pursued her into France after receiving approval to do so from Saturnina's parents. He found her hiding with some shepherds at Arras
; she had been working as a maidservant. He attempted to rape
her, and when she resisted him, he decapitated
her.
The lord miraculously drowned in a fountain, and Saturnina then carried her own head in her hands
, and as witnessed by the townspeople, carried her head to the church of St. Remi, which was in the next village: Sains-Les-Marquion. She was then buried there. Another tradition states that Saturnina placed her head on a stone at Sains-lès-Marquion
, proclaiming herself to be the last human sacrifice the town would ever suffer.
Some of her relics were translated
to Saxony
from Sains-lès-Marquion. They were translated to Neuenheerse in Bad Driburg
, Saxony. The nuns there gathered many relics, including those of Saint Saturnina.
The Stiftskirche St. Saturnina ("Convent church of St. Saturnina") in Neuenheerse (Eggedom), Bad Driburg, was built from 1100 to 1130, but was heavily damaged in a fire due to lightning in 1965.
Writers compiling the lives of Saints Romana and Benedicta copied Saturnina’s legend, according to Adrien Baillet
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
virgin martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
, “now believed to most likely be purely legendary.”
Legend
Her legend states that she came from a noble German family (her father was a king), and that she took a vow of celibacyCelibacy
Celibacy is a personal commitment to avoiding sexual relations, in particular a vow from marriage. Typically celibacy involves avoiding all romantic relationships of any kind. An individual may choose celibacy for religious reasons, such as is the case for priests in some religions, for reasons of...
at the age of twelve. When her parents forced her into marriage when she turned twenty, she fled from Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
into France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The man to whom she had been promised, a Saxon
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
lord, pursued her into France after receiving approval to do so from Saturnina's parents. He found her hiding with some shepherds at Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
; she had been working as a maidservant. He attempted to rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
her, and when she resisted him, he decapitated
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
her.
The lord miraculously drowned in a fountain, and Saturnina then carried her own head in her hands
Cephalophore
A cephalophore is a saint who is generally depicted carrying his or her own head; in art, this was usually meant to signify that the subject in question had been martyred by beheading....
, and as witnessed by the townspeople, carried her head to the church of St. Remi, which was in the next village: Sains-Les-Marquion. She was then buried there. Another tradition states that Saturnina placed her head on a stone at Sains-lès-Marquion
Sains-lès-Marquion
Sains-lès-Marquion is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Sains-lès-Marquion lies about southeast of Arras, at the junction of the D15 and D16 roads.-Population:-Places of interest:...
, proclaiming herself to be the last human sacrifice the town would ever suffer.
Veneration
At Sains-lès-Marquion, the local townspeople planted a tree next to the stone that represented the shepherd’s crook that she had carried, and a local tradition concerning Saturnina and her tree still exists.Some of her relics were translated
Translation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
to Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
from Sains-lès-Marquion. They were translated to Neuenheerse in Bad Driburg
Bad Driburg
Bad Driburg is a town and spa in Höxter district in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, pleasantly situated on the Aa and the historic railway Soest-Höxter-Berlin....
, Saxony. The nuns there gathered many relics, including those of Saint Saturnina.
The Stiftskirche St. Saturnina ("Convent church of St. Saturnina") in Neuenheerse (Eggedom), Bad Driburg, was built from 1100 to 1130, but was heavily damaged in a fire due to lightning in 1965.
Writers compiling the lives of Saints Romana and Benedicta copied Saturnina’s legend, according to Adrien Baillet
Adrien Baillet
Adrien Baillet was a French scholar and critic. He is now best known as a biographer of René Descartes.-Life:He was born in the village of Neuville near Beauvais, in Picardie...
.