Patricia of Naples
Encyclopedia
Saint Patricia of Naples (or Patricia of Constantinople) (died ca. 665 AD) is an Italian
virgin martyr
and saint
. Tradition states that she was noble; she may have been related to the Roman Emperor. Some sources say that she was a descendant of Constantine the Great.
Wishing to escape an marriage arranged
by Constans II and become a nun
, she went to Rome
. There she received the veil from Pope Liberius
. Upon the death of her father, she returned to Constantinople and, renouncing any claim to the imperial crown, distributed her wealth to the poor. She then planned to go on pilgrimage
to Jerusalem.
However, a terrible storm shipwreck
ed her on the shores of Naples
. Finding refuge on the tiny island of Megarides (the site of the present-day Castel dell'Ovo
), the site of a small hermitage
, Patricia died shortly after from disease.
of Sante Patrizia contained her relics. During the turbulent events of 1864, they were translated to the monastery of San Gregorio Armeno
. Covered in wax
, her relics were contained in an urn
of gold, gems, and silver, and were placed in the monastery’s chapel. The monastery also preserves her blood. Her blood, like that of Januarius
, the other, more famous patron saint
of Naples, is also said to liquefy periodically. The associated legend states that after Patricia died, a zealous man pulled out one of her teeth, causing the body to hemorrhage. Patricia's followers collected the blood and exposed it. It then liquefied. Her blood is said to turn to liquid on her feast day of August 25, and on every Tuesday morning.
Italy
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...
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:...
and 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...
. Tradition states that she was noble; she may have been related to the Roman Emperor. Some sources say that she was a descendant of Constantine the Great.
Wishing to escape an marriage arranged
Arranged marriage
An arranged marriage is a practice in which someone other than the couple getting married makes the selection of the persons to be wed, meanwhile curtailing or avoiding the process of courtship. Such marriages had deep roots in royal and aristocratic families around the world...
by Constans II and become a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
, she went 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...
. There she received the veil from Pope Liberius
Pope Liberius
Pope Liberius, pope from May 17, 352, to September 24, 366, was consecrated according to the Catalogus Liberianus on May 22, as the successor of Pope Julius I. He was regarded as a saint in the early Church, but his name was later removed from the Roman Martyrology, however, he is once again...
. Upon the death of her father, she returned to Constantinople and, renouncing any claim to the imperial crown, distributed her wealth to the poor. She then planned to go on 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.
However, a terrible storm shipwreck
Shipwreck
A shipwreck is what remains of a ship that has wrecked, either sunk or beached. Whatever the cause, a sunken ship or a wrecked ship is a physical example of the event: this explains why the two concepts are often overlapping in English....
ed her on the shores of 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...
. Finding refuge on the tiny island of Megarides (the site of the present-day Castel dell'Ovo
Castel dell'Ovo
Castel dell'Ovo is a castle located on the former island of Megaride, now a peninsula, on the gulf of Naples...
), the site of a small hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
, Patricia died shortly after from disease.
Veneration
The monasteryMonastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Sante Patrizia contained her relics. During the turbulent events of 1864, they were translated to the monastery of San Gregorio Armeno
San Gregorio Armeno
San Gregorio Armeno is a church and a monastery in Naples, Italy. It is one of the most important Baroque complexes in Naples....
. Covered in wax
Wax
thumb|right|[[Cetyl palmitate]], a typical wax ester.Wax refers to a class of chemical compounds that are plastic near ambient temperatures. Characteristically, they melt above 45 °C to give a low viscosity liquid. Waxes are insoluble in water but soluble in organic, nonpolar solvents...
, her relics were contained in an urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
of gold, gems, and silver, and were placed in the monastery’s chapel. The monastery also preserves her blood. Her blood, like that of Januarius
Januarius
Januarius, Bishop of Naples, is a martyr saint of the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. While no contemporary sources on his life are preserved, later sources and legends claim that he died during the Diocletianic Persecution, which ended with Diocletian's retirement in...
, the other, more famous 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 Naples, is also said to liquefy periodically. The associated legend states that after Patricia died, a zealous man pulled out one of her teeth, causing the body to hemorrhage. Patricia's followers collected the blood and exposed it. It then liquefied. Her blood is said to turn to liquid on her feast day of August 25, and on every Tuesday morning.
External links
Santa Patrizia di Costantinopoli- Saint Patricia of Naples at Patron Saints Index Puppet show in honor of Saint Patricia