Sophia

ON ST. SOPHIA, VIRGIN AND MARTYR,

AT SORTINO IN SICILY.

Sophia, Virgin and Martyr, at Sortino in Sicily (S.)

BY J. S.

The Saint's cult at Sortino: Sortino, a large town of Sicily in the Val di Noto, venerates today as its patroness St. Sophia the virgin, as Ferrari in the General Catalogue, Gaetani in the Sicilian Martyrology, and Pirri in the Sicilia sacra bear witness. The last, in his Notice of the church of Syracuse, of whose diocese Sortino is, tome 2, page 252, has thus concerning the town: Sortino, a town of new name, watered on every side by streams, which, together with a great spring bursting forth from the summit, at once make an immense river, … in the year MDCII was augmented with the title of a marquisate, and now with 1868 hearths and 6835 citizens. And presently, having enumerated the churches of the town, he subjoins concerning the Patroness: Of S. Sophia, virgin and martyr, tutelary and patroness of the people of Sortino, the celebrated memory is on the XXIII of September, by permission of Pope Paul III. Ferrari has thus: At Sortino in Sicily, S. Sophia, virgin and martyr. In the Annotations he adds: She is venerated there as patroness of the place by the concession of Paul III. Gaetani, from whom others have drawn, announces her thus: In the town of Sortino, S. Sophia, virgin and martyr. In the margin he likewise observes that the cult was permitted by Pope Paul III. The aforesaid Pirri, after a summary of the Acts which does not hang well together, subjoins concerning the benefits of St. Sophia toward the people of Sortino: At Sortino near the temple there is a well under her name, whose water having refreshed them, many sick persons daily receive health. The people of Sortino glory that by the patronage of Sophia their tutelary they have always been free from every infection of plague.

[2] Her Acts not only depraved, The Life of St. Sophia from a manuscript codex of the church of Sortino is recited by Gaetani in the Lives of the Sicilian Saints, tome 1, page 137. But in the Animadversions which he then gives, page III, he confesses that it is without doubt depraved, and entangled with insuperable difficulties. Besides, on page 113 he implies that that Life does not seem ancient, because in it there is named the city of Pantalica, to which Sophia is said to have come, writing thus: Thomas Fazello thinks the name of the city of Pantalica ancient, being deceived by this History, which relates that Sophia came to Pantalica. But as it is uncertain at what time this History was written, so it is certain in my judgment that the word Pantalica is not ancient. By this argument Gaetani abundantly implies that the Acts are not ancient, especially since he nowhere praises the manuscript codex which he used for its antiquity. Now the Life itself seems to me so plainly fabulous that I do not judge it necessary to use a prolix dissertation to demonstrate this. She is said to have been the only daughter of an emperor of Constantinople, who was a heathen and a most savage persecutor of the Christians, such as none of the emperors of Constantinople was. Sophia is said to have been grievously beaten with bull's sinews at her father's command, and cast into prison; but, freed from prison, to have fled into Sicily; whence she was sent back to her father, and at his order placed on a gridiron to be roasted, and, being divinely delivered, beheaded at the command of the same emperor her father. She is said, her head being cut off, to have poured forth milk instead of blood, and to have appeared to the emperor her father, and to have converted him to the faith. Gaetani shows at length that of a true

they cannot be true of any emperor of Constantinople, and therefore he says that he has substituted for the emperor a prince of the emperor's family, whose daughter she was.

[3] But such a correction is applied in vain, since the whole Life seems equally fabulous. but fabulous. For even before her conversion, shut up in her chamber, she uses the words of sacred Scripture; and a certain Timothy, who was to convert her, is improbably said to have been brought in to her thus shut away; being converted, she at once enjoys heavenly visions, and is presented by Christ with a betrothal ring: delivered to prison, she baptizes the keepers of the prison converted by those divine visions, and is let go by them. Carried by ship into Sicily, she gives sight to a blind man, and heals all the sick brought to her. Then, the governor of the city seeking her, she flees into a cave, and being found by the information of a shepherd, who is struck by a thunderbolt, she is brought back to the city of Pantalica, which is not so ancient, and thence to Constantinople. Her father, having received his daughter back, orders her to be placed on a gridiron to be roasted, and, being divinely delivered, to be beheaded; but he marvels at her pouring forth milk, and at her appearing is converted, nay even builds a church for her. All these things are improbable, especially as they are set forth in their connection and clothed with other circumstances by an unlearned writer and one not sufficiently ancient. Passing over therefore the fabulous Acts, I only subjoin what Gaetani gave at the end concerning the cult. Her feast day is kept among the people of Sortino on the IX Kalends of October, who venerate Sophia as patroness of the town. And the town is not far from the cave where Sophia lay hid, which is the cause of the townsmen's cult toward S. Sophia. Indeed, by a privilege of Paul III written back at Rome in the year of the Lord MCXXXVIII (MDXXXVIII, I suppose) on the V Ides of March, there was granted to the people of Sortino at their request a day of supplications, and that the image of S. Sophia should be led through the town for the increase of the people's piety.