ON SS. CENTOLLA AND HELENA, MARTYRS,
AT BURGOS IN SPAIN
Perhaps under Diocletian.
A HISTORICAL COLLECTION.
The lawful cult of these Saints, their Acts, and certain uncertain circumstances of them.
Centolla, Martyr, at Burgos in Spain (St.)
Helena, Martyr, at Burgos in Spain (St.)
BY THE AUTHOR G. C.
First we prove the lawful cult of these Martyrs from the Roman Martyrology, which has it thus today: "At Burgos in Spain, of the holy martyrs Centolla and Helena." Whatever be the case about the exact place in Spain, When thou hearest these Martyrs announced at Burgos, do not straightway conclude from this that they were crowned with martyrdom in that same place: for on the testimony of Thomas of Trujillo, in the Treasury of Preachers, volume 2, column 1487, "Valerius the archpriest writes that these holy women underwent martyrdom in a place called Sierro near the river Ebro; but afterward, in the time of Alphonsus the tenth, Gonsalvus, bishop of Burgos, translated the glorious bodies of these holy women into the cathedral church, and appointed that their feast should be celebrated with great solemnity." The arena of the martyrdom, which is here called in the vernacular Sierro, is in the Breviary of Burgos called Siaria, and elsewhere Seorim, or by kindred names of this sort. But Ambrosio de Morales, in the general Chronicle of Spain, book 10, chapter 17, treating of these same two Martyrs, frankly confesses that this determined place of the martyrdom is unknown to him, although he scarcely doubts that it was situated in the diocese of Burgos. With that learned Spanish writer there seems to agree Jean Vasaeus the Fleming, who in the Chronicle of Spain at the year of Christ 306, in us at page 282, reckons among the many martyrs of Spain these two holy women also, and places their glorious struggle for the faith not far from the city of Burgos, in these words: "Near the city of Burgos (though it is uncertain whether at the same time) there suffered for Christ, under the prefect Eglisius, St. Centolla and St. Helena. The body of St. Centolla, in the reign of Alfonso the tenth, was translated by bishop Gonsalvus into the church of Burgos." What is here reported of the body of St. Centolla alone being translated to the church of Burgos, will afterward be affirmed of the sacred corpse of both Martyrs.
[2] in which these Martyrs suffered, Further, other authors assign to these two Saints the arena of martyrdom in Cantabria, and Juan de Marieta, in the Ecclesiastical History of the Saints of Spain, book 4, chapter 10, asserts on the testimony of the natives that there, not far from the river Ebro, for the preserving of the memory of their glorious struggle, there was built on the summit of a high rock a chapel, to which on the yearly festival of these Martyrs a huge multitude of the inhabitants still piously flocks even today. Besides, the Cantabrians relate that St. Centolla was the daughter of a petty king of Toledo, who fled from her country to this tract of Cantabria to escape the persecution of her father, and that she was there beheaded with St. Helena, a Christian dweller of the same region, by the heathens who pursued her. Whatever be the case about this common tradition of the Cantabrians, we gather the immemorial veneration of those Martyrs in the diocese of Burgos from the most illustrious John the bishop, who in the year of Christ 1436 ascended the see of Chalon, and whom some wrongly call the First of Chalon, when in his Topography of the Saints after the Martyrology of Francesco Maurolico, in us, folio 104, he writes thus of them: "Burgos, a city of Spain in the kingdom of Castile… Hither were translated the bodies of Centollia, virgin and martyr, and of Helena converted by her, slain under the king of the Spains." Below we shall discuss in passing whether St. Centolla, who is here called a virgin, converted St. Helena to the Christian faith. But without doubt the most illustrious John of Chalon errs when he here names a king of the Spains: for at that time Spain obeyed the Romans, and so then lacked a king of its own, such as is indicated by this phrase.
[3] Nevertheless Lucius Marineus Siculus, in the Work on the Affairs of Spain, and concerning which the authors dispute, which was reprinted in volume 1 of Spain Illustrated, book 5, or page 344 of the said second edition, falls into the same error, and narrates the history otherwise in this manner: "Centolla, a Spanish virgin, since she was distinguished by many virtues, and most carefully kept the Christian religion, was led to the king who then held the chief power in Spain; who, seeing her most steadfast in preaching Christ, ordered her to be tortured most cruelly, and afterward delivered her to the prefect Seditius to be afflicted with severer torments if she should not change her mind: on whom Seditius exercised every kind of torment, to see which a great crowd of grieving women was let in, who, comforting Centolla, begged her to change her sentence. To whom she with serene countenance answered that she was most ready to suffer greater things, and endured all the cruelest torments even unto death. Coming to whom, Helena, a noble woman, exhorted her not to fail in the torments: to whom Centolla answered: See thou, my sister, that thou fail not, who art to be slain for Christ together with me. And a little afterward the governor ordered both to be beheaded, whose bodies were translated into the church of Burgos." But Juan Tamayo Salazar himself, otherwise ready to explain anything whatever, in the notes to his Spanish Martyrology on this day thus censures part of that narrative: "Marineus Siculus is altogether mistaken in the title of the governor and the name of the prefect, calling the one a king and naming the other Sedicius; whereas in truth in those times there existed no king in Spain, nor was the name of the prefect to whom the martyrdom of the virgin was committed Sedicius, but Eglisius, as will appear below." Now let us report the Acts of these Martyrs, of whatever sort they be.
[4] In the Breviary of Burgos, which was printed in the year 1502, we exhibit their Acts from the Breviary of Burgos the posthumous glory and the deeds of these same Martyrs are divided into nine short lessons, which are there recited at the fourth day of August in a preposterous and imperfect manner in this way: "Lesson I. And so the Catholic men of that time, worshippers of God and of the name of Christ, seeing the passion of holy Centolla and of Helena her colleague, built a basilica in the city of Siaria, glorifying God in their martyrdom. Lesson II. And it came to pass in those days that Christian men, who at that time were few, throughout the divers regions round about, hearing the miracles which God himself wrought by their merits; Lesson III. The faith of the Christians growing, and the superstition and perfidy of the pagans growing thin, invoked holy Centolla in all their necessities. Lesson IV. And the more the faith of the Christian name shone forth amid the thickest darkness of the idols, the more it obscured the wretched error of the heathen. Lesson V. For so great was in those parts at that time the constancy of the martyrs for the faith of Christ, and the death of the Saints so precious in the sight of the Lord, that the fictions of the devil and the phantoms of images, the Lord co-operating, were banished from all Spain. Lesson VI. The king therefore of this kingdom, whose proper name has perhaps been omitted through the carelessness of the writer, when he heard that holy Centolla worshipped Christ, ordered her to be presented to his sight." Here in place of Lesson VII there is prescribed to be recited the Gospel, "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure," with the first lesson of the exposition. Then the Acts are resumed, and from them follows "Lesson VIII. And when he perceived that she would not depart from the confession of the name of Christ, he ordered her to be tortured with various kinds of torments; Lesson IX. And having been tortured and afflicted with many stripes, he delivered her to Eglisius his prefect, that he might torture her further, unless she should depart from the faith of Christ." Thou seest that here all is narrated in a preposterous order and in an imperfect manner: for first the posthumous cult is treated; and then it comes to the tortures endured for the Christian faith, and meanwhile the consummation of the martyrdom is omitted.
[5] and the same more orderly from the records of the same church Wherefore we here subjoin a more orderly and complete narration of the same history, which has been taken from the records of the church of Burgos, and which in our transcript runs thus: "Centolla, a Spanish virgin, since she was distinguished by many virtues and most carefully kept the Christian religion, was brought to the governor, who then held the chief power in Spain; who, seeing her steadfast in preaching Christ, ordered her to be tortured, and afterward delivered her to the prefect Eglisius to be afflicted with severer torments if she should not change her mind: who omitted no kind of torment which he did not exercise upon Centolla — the rack, the combs, iron rods — and finally cut off her breasts, and thrust her into prison, that she might perish through loss of blood: to whom a huge multitude of women, grieving that so great a butchery had been wrought upon the Virgin, was brought in, that they might comfort her and beg her to change her sentence, so that her wounds might be cured by the application of medicines. To whom she with cheerful and serene countenance says that she is ready and prompt to suffer far greater things; if they themselves knew what rewards await the martyrs of Christ, they would rather envy her than grieve. Which being heard, Eglisius burst into the prison, and cut out the tongue of Centolla, who despised his words and cast reproachful words against the gods , and went away. Then Helena, a noble woman, coming to Centolla, began to praise her virtue, and to exhort her not to fail in the torments. To whom Centolla: I indeed suffer willingly; see thou that thou fail not, who art to be slain for Christ together with me. And when the governor had understood this, and that not only had Centolla not been able to be moved from her sentence, but that she had also drawn Helena to die with her, before their number should grow, he orders both to be beheaded together. Their bodies, long centuries after, in the reign of Alphonsus the eleventh (by most others that Alphonsus is counted the tenth), bishop Gonsalvus translated into the church of Burgos, and was the first to appoint that their solemnities should be performed yearly with famous pomp." From the age of Gonsalvus, bishop of Burgos, and of king Alphonsus X or XI, it is easy
for us to gather that that translation befell after the middle of the thirteenth century. For the rest, this narrative of our transcript agrees entirely (if thou exceptest the style) with the synopsis of the Acts which Juan Maldonado published in Latin among the Lives of the Saints, in us at page 166. Now certain circumstances of these Acts must be discussed.
[6] Pseudo-Dexter, at the year of Christ 300, number 13, brings forth from his new treasury the following: to which pseudo-Dexter and other writers "At Seorium in Cantabria, holy Centolla, a citizen of Toledo, daughter of the consul Lucius Rago Quintianus (at Catania under the father of this man, L. Quintianus, there suffered that most valiant virgin St. Agatha), suffered with Helena the widow in the persecution of Diocletian." The Chronicle of pseudo-Julian, which came forth from the same fabulous pottery, at number 183 imitates that impostor in these words: "In Cantabria, in the city Sero, in the tract of Sedum, which is now commonly called Sedano, famous is the memory of holy Helena the widow, and of holy Centolla of Toledo and martyr, daughter of Lucius Rangonius Quintianus, a man of consular rank, who about the year 300, fleeing the rage of her most severe father, betook herself from Toledo to the Cantabrians, and with Helena the widow suffered in the same persecution of Diocletian." The defenders of these Chronicles cite various inscriptions, that from them they may dig out this Quintianus as consul. But Nicolás Antonio, in his posthumous writings, which were most kindly communicated to us at Madrid in the year 1721 by the most worthy lord Adrian Coninck, a near kinsman of the learned author, evidently demonstrates that these and other inscriptions suit neither this Quintianus, nor the time, nor the place. We do not care to warm up this cabbage again, since the fabrications of pseudo-Dexter and pseudo-Julian have been exploded a hundred times in our Work. Wherefore we go on to other things which are narrated in various ways among the moderns concerning St. Helena, the companion of the same martyrdom.
[7] added various uncertain circumstances. First of all, John of Chalon, praised above, reports that she was converted by the virgin Centolla; but Ambrosio de Morales and other authors hint that St. Helena was never a heathen, since she is by them called a Christian matron who stirred up St. Centolla to die bravely for the faith. Secondly, some say that this same St. Helena was a noble woman or maiden, whereas by Juan de Marieta, in the Ecclesiastical History of the Saints of Spain, book 4, chapter 10, she is in Spanish called "labradora," that is a peasant woman or rustic. Thirdly, some call St. Helena a widow, while others adorn her with the title of virgin. With these Thomas of Trujillo seems to side, when in the Treasury of Preachers, volume 2, column [ ], he prefixes to their Acts this title: "The Life of blessed Centolla and Helena, virgins and martyrs." Then he begins to narrate their deeds in these words: "Many churches celebrate the feast of these glorious martyrs and virgins on the 13th of August, who were arrested and cast into prison because they preached and confessed Christ." Nevertheless the same Spanish writer, in the following column, at the end of the Acts, thus advises us: "Of Helena indeed some authors seem to signify that she was a widow; but concerning Centolla all agree that she was a virgin, and had never been joined in matrimony." We frankly confess that, for want of ancient monuments, we can determine nothing certain concerning these various opinions. Wherefore we leave these and like controversies to be further discussed by the learned inhabitants: for it suffices us that both these holy Martyrs have from immemorial time been publicly honored in the Church of Burgos.
Annotations* read "contemnenti" and "jacienti"