Columba and Her Sister

ON SS. COLUMBA AND HER SISTER,

MARTYRS AT TURAGIUM IN LUSITANIA.

A.D. 303

Columba Martyr at Tugurium in Lusitania (S.)

Her Sister, Martyr at Tugurium in Lusitania. (S.)

G. H.

[1] From Évora a temple of the Mother of God is distant by the space of a league, they call it Turagium: not far off are seen old ruined walls and an aqueduct, in which place the report is, that many for the faith of Christ shed their blood: among whom a Bishop with two sisters happily breathed forth their souls; of whom one was called Columba. But where the other steeped the ground with her gore, a fountain at once leaped forth, by our countrymen called the Holy Fountain: wherefore many tried with adverse health are washed in it. Thus Antonius Vasconcellius in the Description of the kingdom of Lusitania num. 14, and from him Ludovicus dos Anios in the Lusitanian Garden chapter 17, and Tamayus Salazar on the day August XX, at the Acts of St. Columba Virgin and Martyr of Coimbra. The day of veneration of St. Columba and her Sister commonly called Anominata, as if called Anonyma, assigns George Cardoso in the Lusitanian Hagiology this first of May: but the brother Bishop he calls Jordan and asserts that he is wont to be venerated on the day August VI, and the time of martyrdom he adds to have been the year 303 in the reign of Diocletian.

[2] There is extant, the same George Cardoso attesting, an ancient Lectionary with Antonius Mendez Prior of the Church of Turagium, in which these words concerning them are read: Through the preaching of Vincent, in the three days of his arrest, he acquired many souls for God. Wherefore it seems certain that many others at that time under Dacian at Évora suffered martyrdom, among whom Columba and the Bishop her brother &c. especially where was called the Cave of the Martyrs. Hence therefore is to be sought the reckoning of the time, indicated above: which if it is true, the name of Jordan is rendered vehemently suspect to me, lest gratuitously by it the brother of St. Columba be feigned called a Bishop. For this I find no one ever named, except one who was of the Teutonic nation and tongue: it certainly is either Teutonic by origin, or formed from the Latin name Gordian by Teutonic contraction. But such would not have penetrated into Lusitania except some centuries after heathenism was extinguished. Which we propose to the Lusitanians to be examined, that something certain may be brought forth on the day August VI. Finally Cardoso adds that a brief Relation of the martyrdom of these was printed at Lisbon, in the year 1644, which we have not seen. The aforerelated St. Vincent Martyr of Évora is venerated on October XXVII.