Marina of Aguas Santas
Encyclopedia
Saint Mariña of Augas Santas (Mariña of Ourense) (119–139 AD) is a Spanish
saint
. She is a virgin martyr
associated with the town of Augas Santas, in the province of Ourense
. The story of her life as it has been preserved is a mixture of fact and fiction. She is venerated
as one of nine sisters, one of whom is Saint Liberata
(Santa Librada).
) to Lucius Castelius Severus, Roman
governor of Gallaecia
and Lusitania
, and Calsia, his wife. Marina was one of nine daughters. Calsia, frightened that her husband would interpret this multiple birth
as a sign of infidelity
, ordered her servant Sila to drown the girls in the Miñor River
.
Disobeying her mistress, Sila, secretly a Christian
, left Calsia's daughters in the care of several families. Marina and her sisters were baptized
by the bishop
Saint Ovidius
(Ovid, Ovidio) and brought up in the Christian faith. When they were twenty, they were accused of being Christians and brought before their father the governor. He recognized them as his own daughters, and asked them to renounce their faith, promising them luxuries.
The sisters refused and were imprisoned. They managed to escape and were ultimately martyred for their faith. A spring of water gushed out of the spot where they were beheaded
; the spot was called Aguas Santas ("Holy Waters").
. Her legend was sometimes also confused with that of Margaret of Antioch, who was sometimes also called Marina.
Due to a confusion with the popular figure of Wilgefortis, Liberata is sometimes represented as martyred on a cross
.
The saint is no longer included in the Roman Martyrology
, but previous versions —Baronius introduced her in the second edition—describe her as: Gallaeciae in Hispania sanctue Marinae virginis et martyris.
The spread of her cult is attested by the fact that many churches were dedicated to her not only in Galicia and Astorga, but also at Córdoba
and Seville
. The friar and historian Juan Muñoz de la Cueva was an ardent protector of the cult of Marina of Aguas Santas.
Popular devotion traditionally places the date of death for Mariña and Liberata (one of her sisters) on January 18, 139. The feast of Marina is celebrated on July 18. Liberata's feast day is celebrated on July 20, which is the date for the translation of her relic
s from the city of Sigüenza
to Baiona
in 1515. Liberata (in Spanish
Librada) is the patron saint
of Sigüenza
, after bishop Bernard of Toledo
brought her relic from his native Aquitaine
. The chapel dedicated to her in the transept of the city's cathedral
, with a splendid reredos and the relics of the saint, was constructed at the expense of Bishop Fadrique de Portugal.
Santa Marina di Orense
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
saint
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...
. She is a 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:...
associated with the town of Augas Santas, in the province of Ourense
Ourense (province)
Ourense is a province of northwestern Spain, in the southeastern part of the Autonomous Community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Pontevedra in the west, Lugo in the north, León and Zamora in the east, and by Portugal in the south. With an area of 7,278 square km it is the only...
. The story of her life as it has been preserved is a mixture of fact and fiction. She is venerated
Veneration
Veneration , or veneration of saints, is a special act of honoring a saint: an angel, or a dead person who has been identified by a church committee as singular in the traditions of the religion. It is practiced by the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic, and Eastern Catholic Churches...
as one of nine sisters, one of whom is Saint Liberata
Saint Liberata
Saint Liberata may refer to:*The French name for Saint Wilgefortis*One of the sisters of St. Marina of Aguas Santas*Saint Liberata , the sister of Saint Faustina, 6th century foundress of that town's convent...
(Santa Librada).
Legend
She is said to have been born in Balcagia (today BaionaBaiona, Pontevedra
Baiona is a municipality in Galicia, Spain, in the province of Pontevedra.Baiona is a tourist town with a medieval historical center situated by the outlet of the Vigo Bay. Its population of just over 11,000 rises to around 45,000 in the summer, if one includes tourists...
) to Lucius Castelius Severus, Roman
Hispania
Another theory holds that the name derives from Ezpanna, the Basque word for "border" or "edge", thus meaning the farthest area or place. Isidore of Sevilla considered Hispania derived from Hispalis....
governor of Gallaecia
Gallaecia
Gallaecia or Callaecia, also known as Hispania Gallaecia, was the name of a Roman province and an early Mediaeval kingdom that comprised a territory in the north-west of Hispania...
and Lusitania
Lusitania
Lusitania or Hispania Lusitania was an ancient Roman province including approximately all of modern Portugal south of the Douro river and part of modern Spain . It was named after the Lusitani or Lusitanian people...
, and Calsia, his wife. Marina was one of nine daughters. Calsia, frightened that her husband would interpret this multiple birth
Multiple birth
A multiple birth occurs when more than one fetus is carried to term in a single pregnancy. Different names for multiple births are used, depending on the number of offspring. Common multiples are two and three, known as twins and triplets...
as a sign of infidelity
Infidelity
In many intimate relationships in many cultures there is usually an express or implied expectation of exclusivity, especially in sexual matters. Infidelity most commonly refers to a breach of the expectation of sexual exclusivity.Infidelity can occur in relation to physical intimacy and/or...
, ordered her servant Sila to drown the girls in the Miñor River
Miñor
The River Miñor is a river of Galicia, Spain. It is 9.9 miles long, and stretches from Or Galiñeiro to the places of Ramallosa and Sabarís....
.
Disobeying her mistress, Sila, secretly a Christian
Early Christianity
Early Christianity is generally considered as Christianity before 325. The New Testament's Book of Acts and Epistle to the Galatians records that the first Christian community was centered in Jerusalem and its leaders included James, Peter and John....
, left Calsia's daughters in the care of several families. Marina and her sisters were baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
by the bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
Saint Ovidius
Saint Ovidius
Saint Ovidius , also Saint Auditus, is a Portuguese saint. According to hagiographies of the 16th century, Ovidius was a Roman citizen of Sicilian origin. Tradition states that he was sent to Braga by Pope Clement I, where he served as the city's third bishop around 95...
(Ovid, Ovidio) and brought up in the Christian faith. When they were twenty, they were accused of being Christians and brought before their father the governor. He recognized them as his own daughters, and asked them to renounce their faith, promising them luxuries.
The sisters refused and were imprisoned. They managed to escape and were ultimately martyred for their faith. A spring of water gushed out of the spot where they were beheaded
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...
; the spot was called Aguas Santas ("Holy Waters").
Veneration
Marina's legend is similar to that told of another Spanish saint, the virgin martyr QuiteriaQuiteria
Saint Quiteria was a 5th century virgin martyr and saint. Nothing is certain about Quiteria except her name and her cult. Her name appears in the Roman Martyrology, but not in any other ancient calendars...
. Her legend was sometimes also confused with that of Margaret of Antioch, who was sometimes also called Marina.
Due to a confusion with the popular figure of Wilgefortis, Liberata is sometimes represented as martyred on a cross
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
.
The saint is no longer included in the Roman Martyrology
Roman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
, but previous versions —Baronius introduced her in the second edition—describe her as: Gallaeciae in Hispania sanctue Marinae virginis et martyris.
The spread of her cult is attested by the fact that many churches were dedicated to her not only in Galicia and Astorga, but also at Córdoba
Córdoba, Spain
-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...
and Seville
Seville
Seville is the artistic, historic, cultural, and financial capital of southern Spain. It is the capital of the autonomous community of Andalusia and of the province of Seville. It is situated on the plain of the River Guadalquivir, with an average elevation of above sea level...
. The friar and historian Juan Muñoz de la Cueva was an ardent protector of the cult of Marina of Aguas Santas.
Popular devotion traditionally places the date of death for Mariña and Liberata (one of her sisters) on January 18, 139. The feast of Marina is celebrated on July 18. Liberata's feast day is celebrated on July 20, which is the date for the translation of her relic
Relic
In religion, a relic is a part of the body of a saint or a venerated person, or else another type of ancient religious object, carefully preserved for purposes of veneration or as a tangible memorial...
s from the city of Sigüenza
Sigüenza
Sigüenza is a city in the province of Guadalajara in Spain.-History:The site of the ancient Segontia of the Celtiberian Arevaci, now called Villavieja , is half a league distant from the present Sigüenza...
to Baiona
Baiona, Pontevedra
Baiona is a municipality in Galicia, Spain, in the province of Pontevedra.Baiona is a tourist town with a medieval historical center situated by the outlet of the Vigo Bay. Its population of just over 11,000 rises to around 45,000 in the summer, if one includes tourists...
in 1515. Liberata (in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
Librada) 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 Sigüenza
Sigüenza
Sigüenza is a city in the province of Guadalajara in Spain.-History:The site of the ancient Segontia of the Celtiberian Arevaci, now called Villavieja , is half a league distant from the present Sigüenza...
, after bishop Bernard of Toledo
Bernard of Toledo
Bernard de Sedirac, sometimes called Bernard of Agen or Bernard d'Agen, was the metropolitan archbishop of Toledo from 1086 and first primate of Spain from 1088 to his death...
brought her relic from his native Aquitaine
Aquitaine
Aquitaine , archaic Guyenne/Guienne , is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It comprises the 5 departments of Dordogne, :Lot et Garonne, :Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes...
. The chapel dedicated to her in the transept of the city's cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
, with a splendid reredos and the relics of the saint, was constructed at the expense of Bishop Fadrique de Portugal.
External links
Santa Marina at the Spanish WikipediaSpanish Wikipedia
The Spanish Wikipedia is a Spanish-language edition of Wikipedia, a free, online encyclopedia. It currently has articles. Started in May 2001, it reached 100,000 articles on March 8, 2006. Currently, it is the 6th largest Wikipedia as measured by the number of articles, having surpassed Polish...
Santa Marina di Orense