Pelagius of Cordova
Encyclopedia
Saint Pelagius of Cordova (c. 912–926) (also called San Pelayo Martir) is said to have been a Christian boy left by his uncle at the age of ten as a hostage with the Caliph
Abd-ar-Rahman III
of al-Andalus
, in trade for a clerical relative previously captured by the Moors
, the bishop Hermoygius. The exchange never occurred and Pelagius remained a captive for three years. The modern version of the story is that, according to the testimony of other prisoners, his courage and faith was such that the Caliph was impressed with him when he had attained the age of thirteen. The Caliph offered him his freedom if Pelagius converted to Islam
. The boy, having remained a pious Christian, refused the Caliph's offer.
The original version of the story took into account the beauty of the boy and the homosexual desire of the caliph. This construct "served an obvious polemical purpose for European Christians in their demonizing of the Muslims, who are pictured as prone to same-sex desire." At the same time, the flattery of his beauty by early Christian choirs suggests an awareness on the part of the Christians themselves of the dangers of such attractions, and has prompted modern observers to remark that "That liturgy […] focuses as intently on Pelagius' beauty as did the caliph."
In the eroticized version of the story, his beauty was such that the Caliph fell in love with him when he had attained the age of thirteen. The boy, having remained a pious Christian, refused the Caliph's advances, striking the monarch and insulting him. Enraged, Abd-ar-Rahman had the boy tortured (which he survived for six hours) and dismembered. Other accounts have him flung from a parapet after stripping himself naked, although these alternative accounts uphold his refusal to fulfill the Caliph's wishes.
Pelagius was later enshrined as a Christian martyr
and canonized as "Saint Pelagius." His observation is celebrated on June 26. The cult of Saint Pelagius is thought to have provided spiritual energy for centuries to the Iberian
Reconquista
, and is seen by some modern scholars as part of a pattern of portraying Islamic morality as inferior to other moral theories. He is also the subject of a poem by Rhoswitha of Gandersheim
.
Caliph
The Caliph is the head of state in a Caliphate, and the title for the ruler of the Islamic Ummah, an Islamic community ruled by the Shari'ah. It is a transcribed version of the Arabic word which means "successor" or "representative"...
Abd-ar-Rahman III
Abd-ar-Rahman III
Abd-ar-Rahman III was the Emir and Caliph of Córdoba of the Ummayad dynasty in al-Andalus. Called al-Nasir li-Din Allah , he ascended the throne in his early 20s, and reigned for half a century as the most powerful prince of Iberia...
of al-Andalus
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus was the Arabic name given to a nation and territorial region also commonly referred to as Moorish Iberia. The name describes parts of the Iberian Peninsula and Septimania governed by Muslims , at various times in the period between 711 and 1492, although the territorial boundaries...
, in trade for a clerical relative previously captured by the Moors
Moors
The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...
, the bishop Hermoygius. The exchange never occurred and Pelagius remained a captive for three years. The modern version of the story is that, according to the testimony of other prisoners, his courage and faith was such that the Caliph was impressed with him when he had attained the age of thirteen. The Caliph offered him his freedom if Pelagius converted to Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
. The boy, having remained a pious Christian, refused the Caliph's offer.
The original version of the story took into account the beauty of the boy and the homosexual desire of the caliph. This construct "served an obvious polemical purpose for European Christians in their demonizing of the Muslims, who are pictured as prone to same-sex desire." At the same time, the flattery of his beauty by early Christian choirs suggests an awareness on the part of the Christians themselves of the dangers of such attractions, and has prompted modern observers to remark that "That liturgy […] focuses as intently on Pelagius' beauty as did the caliph."
In the eroticized version of the story, his beauty was such that the Caliph fell in love with him when he had attained the age of thirteen. The boy, having remained a pious Christian, refused the Caliph's advances, striking the monarch and insulting him. Enraged, Abd-ar-Rahman had the boy tortured (which he survived for six hours) and dismembered. Other accounts have him flung from a parapet after stripping himself naked, although these alternative accounts uphold his refusal to fulfill the Caliph's wishes.
Pelagius was later enshrined as a Christian 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 canonized as "Saint Pelagius." His observation is celebrated on June 26. The cult of Saint Pelagius is thought to have provided spiritual energy for centuries to the Iberian
Iberian Peninsula
The Iberian Peninsula , sometimes called Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe and includes the modern-day sovereign states of Spain, Portugal and Andorra, as well as the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar...
Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
, and is seen by some modern scholars as part of a pattern of portraying Islamic morality as inferior to other moral theories. He is also the subject of a poem by Rhoswitha of Gandersheim
Hrosvit
Hrotsvitha , also known as Hroswitha, Hrotsvit, Hrosvit, and Roswitha, was a 10th-century German secular canoness of the Benedictine Order, as well as a dramatist and poet who lived and worked in Gandersheim, in modern-day Lower Saxony...
.