ON SS. THE MAIDENS, VIRGINS AND MARTYRS, AT THE TOWN OF SAINT-PAPOUL IN OCCITANIA,
2ND CENTURY OR AFTER THE MIDDLE OF THE 3RD CENTURY.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.
The arena of the holy virgins, their Acts, the time of their death.
The Maidens, virgins and martyrs, at Saint-Papoul in Occitania. (SS.)
J. V. H.
Mas-Saintes-Puelles, by the birth There is in Occitania a place, formerly belonging to the diocese of Saint-Papoul, today to that of Carcassonne, called Mansus Sanctarum Puellarum (Mas-Saintes-Puelles). This village is also distinguished by the birth of St. Peter Nolasco; since many writers relate that he first saw the light there Acta Sanctorum, volume II of January, p. 982, note a.. But the Roman Breviary, on the 31st day of January, in the saint's Legend, has him born of a noble family at Recaudum near Carcassonne. Now Recaudum is even today a village with a chapel-of-ease, distant about five kilometres from Mas-Saintes-Puelles: wherefore the birthplace of St. Peter may seem so far doubtful. But the ambiguity is resolved by the Office of the Holy Maidens, formerly, as Pierre Poussines wrote back to our predecessors, customarily recited throughout the whole diocese, in which it is expressly said that, the name of Recaudum having become obsolete at least in part, the name of Mansus Sanctarum Puellarum was given to the place: here are the words of the Office: "Fleeing the persecution of impiety, they came from Toulouse to the town which at that time was called Recaudum, and today from their name is called Mansus Sanctarum Puellarum; which place some centuries ago was made more illustrious by the birth of St. Peter Nolasco, founder of the Order of Blessed Mary of Mercy for the redemption of captives."
[2] illustrious for St. Peter Nolasco. And that the name of Recaudum was not in fact wholly abolished is shown not only from present-day topography, but also from an ancient one contemporary with St. Peter Nolasco: for when, Alphonse, count of Poitiers and duke of Aquitaine, under whom the county of Toulouse was comprised, having died without children, Philip III, called the Bold, king of France, had claimed the inheritance for himself by right of devolution in the year 1271, a recognition of the fiefs which belonged to the king was made by public instrument, which is commonly called the Saisimentum of the county of Toulouse. Now in this instrument, where Castrum Novum de Harrio (Castelnaudary) of the diocese of Toulouse and its bailiwick is treated, I find mention of the Castrum de Manso Sanctarum Puellarum and a little below of the Villa de Ricauta Rozoi, Annales de Toulouse, volume I, Instruments, p. 81.: and assuredly in all the territory of Castelnaudary no other place can be found which suits Ricauta than the village of Ricaud or Recaud, which, as we have seen, lies next to Mas-Saintes-Puelles. If therefore St. Peter is said to have been born at Recaudum, this is to be understood thus: that, since Recaudum is a name common to both places, we hold that he first saw the light there, although, designating the birthplace more closely, we hold that he properly had his birth at Mas-Saintes-Puelles. Let so much be said, since our predecessors in the place cited promised that they would treat more fully on this day of the birthplace of St. Peter Nolasco. Now we return to our saints.
[3] and it was distinguished by the cult of our saints: From the silence of most Martyrologies one may judge that the cult of the Holy Maidens was confined within very narrow bounds: for not only the classical Martyrologies but also their Auctaria are silent about them: and to find any mention of the saints we must have recourse to the more recent martyrologists, Castellanus in the Universal Martyrology, Arthur du Moustier in the Sacred Gynaeceum, and Saussay in the Supplement to the Gallican Martyrology on this day, who reports this: "In the territory of Toulouse, the passion of the Holy Maidens, who, having cared for the funeral of St. Saturninus, bishop and martyr, were slain at his tomb out of hatred of piety: wherefore they are honoured as martyrs by the tradition of our forefathers." And by these very words the cult of our saints is shown, which, however, scarcely ever leapt beyond the borders of the people of Toulouse. Nevertheless, since the cult of the Holy Maidens is certain both in the diocese of Toulouse Histoire de Languedoc, volume I, p. 133. and in that of Saint-Papoul, we do not hesitate to bring their memory into our Acta.
[4] their Acts, from the Acts of St. Saturninus As regards the Acts of the Holy Maidens, these, excerpted from the Acts of St. Saturninus, bishop of Toulouse, and brought into the Legend of the Saints, we shall exhibit below. We hold those Acts true and authentic insofar as they present to us St. Saturninus preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ at Toulouse and there
was presented with the crown of martyrdom. But since they are said to have been written about the year of Christ 300 Ruinart, Acta sincera martyrum, p. 130, Amsterdam edition of 1713., the things which are contained there about the church built in honour of St. Saturninus by St. Exuperius, bishop of Toulouse, are of a more recent hand, inasmuch as he flourished at the beginning of the fifth century, as is established from the letter of St. Innocent I given to him on the eighth day before the Kalends of March, Stilicho for the second time and Anthemius being consuls, that is, in the year of Christ 405. Hence the reading is to be preferred which Thierry Ruinart subjoins in his notes in these words: "In one of our manuscript codices there is placed here" (that is, after the narration of the passion of St. Saturninus and of his burial through the help of the Holy Maidens) "the clause, 'Thanks be to God almighty, who crowned his martyr in peace, to whom be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.' Then, under the title 'Of his translation.' What follows seems to have been added later to the earlier Acts." From this it is clear that a more recent hand was employed to narrate the solicitude of St. Exuperius about the burial of St. Saturninus.
[5] taken, the time The time at which the Holy Maidens lived must be taken from the epoch of St. Saturninus, which the Acts present in the following manner Place cited.: "Fifty years before, as in the public records, that is, when Decius and Gratus were consuls" (or the year of Christ 250), "as is retained in faithful remembrance, the city of Toulouse had begun to have holy Saturninus as its first and highest priest of Christ." St. Gregory of Tours cites the same text in his History, book I, chapter XXVIII Dom Bouquet, volume II, p. 147., from which he derives the origins of the chief Churches in Gaul: "In the time of this man" (namely Decius) "seven men ordained bishops were sent into Gaul to preach, as the history of the passion of the holy martyr Saturninus relates: 'Under Decius,' it says, 'and Gratus as consuls, as is retained in faithful remembrance, the city of Toulouse had begun to have St. Saturninus as its first and highest priest.' These, then, were sent: to the people of Tours, Gatianus as bishop; to the people of Arles, Trophimus as bishop; to Narbonne, Paul as bishop; to Toulouse, Saturninus as bishop; to the people of Paris, Dionysius as bishop; to the Arverni, Stremonius as bishop; to the Limousins Martial was appointed bishop."
[6] of their death in some measure But in these matters Gregory is consistent neither with himself nor with history: he himself, indeed, in his book On the Glory of the Martyrs, chapter XLVIII Bibliotheca Patrum, volume XI, p. 844., treating of St. Saturninus, says: "Saturninus the martyr, as is reported, ordained by the disciples of the Apostles, was sent to the city of the people of Toulouse." Wherefore Tillemont remarks Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire ecclésiastique, volume III, p. 298. that the authority of the Acts is so great and so express that the words cited a little above seem to need softening: with us too the Acts, insofar as they are more ancient, prevail, and there is no leisure here to inquire more laboriously into their value; since we shall do so a little below in the Commentary on St. Florentinus, bishop of Trier; meanwhile we do not here wholly reject the epoch supplied by the Acts, and accordingly we refer it to the passion of St. Saturninus; from which, further, the time of the death of the Holy Maidens is to be fixed a little after. Nor have we anything else for determining the time of the saints more closely; wherefore at the head of this Commentary I have written "2nd century or after the middle of the third century." If anything can be worked out more accurately in treating the deeds of St. Saturninus, the time of the Holy Maidens will have to be either retained or corrected accordingly.
[7] indicate, For the rest, besides the contradiction between the two writings of Gregory, this too weakens his credit, that among the bishops who established Churches in Gaul in the time of Decius St. Trophimus of Arles is numbered. For St. Zosimus the Pope, in a letter to the bishops of Gaul in the year 417, says of St. Trophimus, sent by the Apostolic See Labbe, Concilia, volume II, column 1567.: "From whose fountain all Gaul received the streams of the faith." By which words it is insinuated that a bishop was established at Arles before the others. This indeed the bishops of the province of Arles declare more openly in the year 450 in a letter to St. Leo the Pope Ibid., volume III, column 1440.: "It is known to all the regions of Gaul, nor is it held unknown to the holy Roman Church, that the city of Arles first within Gaul merited to have as its priest St. Trophimus, sent by the most blessed Apostle Peter, and that from thence the good of faith and religion was poured little by little into the other regions of Gaul, etc." The brothers Ballerini, in their Observations on the Dissertations of Quesnel among the Works of St. Leo the Great Works of St. Leo, volume II, p. 999, Venice edition of 1756., censure these words as having been falsely suggested both to Zosimus and to the bishops. This is not the place to investigate the question more deeply, which will at length be done when our successors come to the 29th of December, the day sacred to St. Trophimus Cf. Histoire de l'Église gallicane, volume I, preliminary Dissertation.. Let these things be said, therefore, so that we may not lean too much on the authority of St. Gregory of Tours in those matters which pertain to the Origins of the Gallic Churches.
[8] which seems to have been consummated by martyrdom. Venantius Fortunatus, who in his short poem, book II, chapter VIII Bibliotheca Patrum, volume X, p. 536., narrates the same things which the Acts of St. Saturninus relate, has this peculiarity, however, that he treats the Holy Maidens more explicitly, saying that they were a mistress and a maidservant:
Then a woman, rejoicing, gathered and buried the limbs, one single handmaid alone sharing the task with her.
There are Spanish historians who make the Holy Maidens daughters of a certain petty king of Osca (Huesca) Rozoi, Annales de Toulouse, volume I, p. 40.; but this fact does not seem to rest on any ancient testimony; especially since, on the witness of Venantius cited, our saints were of unequal condition. Whether, however, they suffered martyrdom the often-praised Acts of St. Saturninus are silent, but tradition affirms it; wherefore the ecclesiastical Office, to be published below, is from the common of Virgin Martyrs, whence the prayer is: "Grant us, we beseech thee, O Lord our God, to venerate with unceasing devotion the palms of the holy virgins and martyrs the Maidens, etc." The bodies of the Holy Maidens rested honourably in their Mas, until, as the Legend of Saint-Papoul has it, they were either burned or dispersed by the followers of the Calvinist heresy, who occupied that place.
ACTS OF THE HOLY MAIDENS,
From the Breviary of Saint-Papoul.
The Maidens, virgins and martyrs, at Saint-Papoul in Occitania. (SS.)
When St. Saturninus, first bishop of the people of Toulouse and martyr a, bound to a bull, was being hurled headlong down the steps of the Capitol of Toulouse, scarcely any one of the Christians, who in those times were very few, was found who dared to bury the holy man's body. Only two maidens, overcoming the weakness of their sex by the strength of faith, braver than all the men, animated by the example of their priest, did not fail in this so pious office; and him to whom they had clung while living, as to a master of the faith, they did not desert when dead until he had been buried. These maidens, therefore, kindled with zeal for the Christian religion, openly and before the eyes of the impious populace anxiously gathered the brain and the blood of the holy prelate; the lifeless body too, placed in a wooden bier, they buried in as deep a place as possible, so that they might seem not so much to bury as to hide the venerable and holy relics: lest perhaps men of sacrilegious mind, if they saw any honour being paid to the tomb of the buried body, should at once tear the sacred body to pieces and snatch it away b. When this was done, the Gentiles, aroused, seize the holy virgins, consign them to prison, hold them up to mockery, bloody them most cruelly with scourges, and, after they had more than once experienced various kinds of torments for the Christian faith, cast them out of the city c. Thence, fleeing the persecution of impiety, they came from Toulouse to the town which at that time was called Recaudum, and today, having obtained its name from theirs, is called Mansus Sanctarum Puellarum d; which place some centuries ago was made more illustrious by the birth of St. Peter Nolasco, founder of the Order of Blessed Mary of Mercy for the redemption of captives e. There the brides of Christ, made exiles for his love, and spending the remaining time of their life in the highest holiness, fell asleep in the Lord f, and were buried in a country place near the said town in a little chapel dedicated to the Archangel Michael. Their bodies, found after some years, were held in honour, until they were either burned or dispersed by the followers of the Calvinist heresy, who occupied that place g. And their memory is celebrated on the sixteenth day before the Kalends of November.