Quiteria
Encyclopedia
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 (such as the Martyrologium Hieronymianum
). Her name is a title that the Phoenicians gave to the goddess Astarte
: Kythere, Kyteria, or Kuteria, which means "the red one.", which some take to mean that she might be a fictional saint. She may also have been named after the pagan goddess.
prince. Her father wanted her to marry and renounce Christianity
. Quiteria fled and her father's men found her at Aire-sur-l'Adour
, in Gascony
. She was beheaded
on the spot. Her sister Saint Libérate also suffered the same fate, was beheaded in the forest of Montus and lies in a 14th century sarcophagus in the fortified church of Saint Jean Baptiste, Mazéres 32 km from her sister Quiteria in Aire-sur-l'Adour.
religious traditions state that Saint Quiteria was the leader of the "Nine Nonuplet Sisters," who were named Eumelia (Euphemia); Liberata (Virgeforte); Gema (Marinha, Margarida); Genebra; Germana; Basilissa; Marica; and Vitoria (Victoria). These were born in Minho
to an important Roman
military official. Their mother, disgusted at the fact that she had given birth to nine daughters all at once as if she were a common peasant (or an animal), ordered a maid to take them to a river to drown them. Their father was unaware of their birth.
Disobeying her mistress, however, the maid gave the girls over to some local women who brought them up. As adult women, they opposed the worship of Roman gods and were brought before their father, who recognized them as his daughters. Their father wanted them to marry Roman officers or other suitors. The nonuplets refused and were imprisoned in a tower
. However, they escaped and liberated all of their other prisoners. They subsequently waged a guerrilla war in the mountains against the Roman Empire
.
Quiteria was caught and beheaded. Her sister Euphemia, unable to escape from the soldiers who pursued her, threw herself from a cliff
situated today in the Peneda-Gerês National Park
(it is called today Penedo da Santa, Cliff of the Saint). A rock opened up and swallowed her and on the spot there sprang up a hot spring
.
This is a legend that closely follows that of the Galician Saint Marina
, who is said to have been one of nine sisters.
) who was decapitated and thrown into the sea. This legend states that she emerged from the water with her head in her hands, and is thus sometimes represented as such. However, she is not considered one of the Cephalophores because there is no written record to support this. Her patronage against rabies
stems from the fact that her legend states that she held two rabid dogs at bay with the power of her saintly voice. A festival in her honor was first held at Tui, Galicia
in 1688 after a proclamation was made by its bishop.
route called the Way of St. James
. Quiteria was especially venerated in the border region shared by France
and Spain
, which includes Navarre
. However, her cult spread and there were many churches dedicated to her in France (such as at Lilhac
), Spain, Portugal, India (Manakarai, Tuticorin District, Tamil Nadu and also at Kuthankuzhi, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu) and thus also in Brazil
. In Tamil Nadu, India she is known in Tamil as Archista (saint) Kitheriammal. Her relics were situated at Aire-sur-l'Adour, but were scattered by the Huguenots.
The city of Santa Quitéria in Brazil is named after her.
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...
. Nothing is certain about Quiteria except her name and her cult. Her name appears in the Roman Martyrology
Martyrology
A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs , arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by names borrowed from neighbouring churches...
, but not in any other ancient calendars (such as 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...
). Her name is a title that the Phoenicians gave to the goddess Astarte
Astarte
Astarte is the Greek name of a goddess known throughout the Eastern Mediterranean from the Bronze Age to Classical times...
: Kythere, Kyteria, or Kuteria, which means "the red one.", which some take to mean that she might be a fictional saint. She may also have been named after the pagan goddess.
Legend
Her legend states that she was the daughter of a GalicianSuebic Kingdom of Galicia
The Suebic Kingdom of Galicia was the first independent barbarian Christian kingdom of Western Europe and the first to separate from the Roman Empire, as well as the first one to mint coins. Based in Gallaecia, it was established in 410 and lasted as independent state until 584, after a century of...
prince. Her father wanted her to marry and renounce Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. Quiteria fled and her father's men found her at Aire-sur-l'Adour
Aire-sur-l'Adour
Aire-sur-l'Adour is a commune in the Landes département in Aquitaine in south-western France.It lies on the river Adour in the wine area of southwest France. It is an episcopal see of the Diocese of Aire and Dax. The nearest large towns are Mont-de-Marsan to the north and Pau to the...
, in Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
. She was 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...
on the spot. Her sister Saint Libérate also suffered the same fate, was beheaded in the forest of Montus and lies in a 14th century sarcophagus in the fortified church of Saint Jean Baptiste, Mazéres 32 km from her sister Quiteria in Aire-sur-l'Adour.
Quiteria and the nine nonuplet sisters
PortuguesePortugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
religious traditions state that Saint Quiteria was the leader of the "Nine Nonuplet Sisters," who were named Eumelia (Euphemia); Liberata (Virgeforte); Gema (Marinha, Margarida); Genebra; Germana; Basilissa; Marica; and Vitoria (Victoria). These were born in Minho
Entre Douro e Minho
Entre Douro e Minho is one of the historical provinces of Portugal which encompassed the country's northern Atlantic seaboard between the Douro and Minho rivers. Contemporaries often referred to the province as simply "Minho"...
to an important Roman
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
military official. Their mother, disgusted at the fact that she had given birth to nine daughters all at once as if she were a common peasant (or an animal), ordered a maid to take them to a river to drown them. Their father was unaware of their birth.
Disobeying her mistress, however, the maid gave the girls over to some local women who brought them up. As adult women, they opposed the worship of Roman gods and were brought before their father, who recognized them as his daughters. Their father wanted them to marry Roman officers or other suitors. The nonuplets refused and were imprisoned in a tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
. However, they escaped and liberated all of their other prisoners. They subsequently waged a guerrilla war in the mountains against the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
.
Quiteria was caught and beheaded. Her sister Euphemia, unable to escape from the soldiers who pursued her, threw herself from a cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
situated today in the Peneda-Gerês National Park
Peneda-Gerês National Park
The Peneda-Gerês National Park , also known simply as Gerês, is the only national park in Portugal...
(it is called today Penedo da Santa, Cliff of the Saint). A rock opened up and swallowed her and on the spot there sprang up a hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
.
This is a legend that closely follows that of the Galician Saint Marina
Marina of Aguas Santas
Saint Mariña of Augas Santas 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...
, who is said to have been one of nine sisters.
Alternate legend
Other Portuguese traditions make her a native of Balcagia (Baiona, PontevedraBaiona, 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...
) who was decapitated and thrown into the sea. This legend states that she emerged from the water with her head in her hands, and is thus sometimes represented as such. However, she is not considered one of the Cephalophores because there is no written record to support this. Her patronage against rabies
Rabies
Rabies is a viral disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal. For a human, rabies is almost invariably fatal if post-exposure prophylaxis is not administered prior to the onset of severe symptoms...
stems from the fact that her legend states that she held two rabid dogs at bay with the power of her saintly voice. A festival in her honor was first held at Tui, Galicia
Tui, Galicia
Tui , in Spanish Tuy, is a town in Galicia , in the province of Pontevedra. It is located on the left bank of the Minho River, facing the Portuguese town of Valença....
in 1688 after a proclamation was made by its bishop.
Veneration
The Church of Sainte-Quitterie in Aire-sur-l'Adour is dedicated to her. This church was on the 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...
route called the Way of St. James
Way of St. James
The Way of St. James or St. James' Way is the pilgrimage route to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia in northwestern Spain, where tradition has it that the remains of the apostle Saint James are buried....
. Quiteria was especially venerated in the border region shared by 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...
and Spain
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...
, which includes Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
. However, her cult spread and there were many churches dedicated to her in France (such as at Lilhac
Lilhac
Lilhac is a commune in the Haute Garonne department in southwestern France.-Population:Local inhabitants are called Lilhacais.-Geography:Lilhac lies roughly 65 km southwest from Toulouse...
), Spain, Portugal, India (Manakarai, Tuticorin District, Tamil Nadu and also at Kuthankuzhi, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu) and thus also in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. In Tamil Nadu, India she is known in Tamil as Archista (saint) Kitheriammal. Her relics were situated at Aire-sur-l'Adour, but were scattered by the Huguenots.
The city of Santa Quitéria in Brazil is named after her.