Saint Lucy of Syracuse, virgin and martyr for Christ

Summary:

The historical figure of Saint Lucy and her veneration are both ancient. It is certain that she was martyred during the great persecution (303-311 in the western part of the Empire) under Diocletian, in Syracuse, Sicily. The Roman Martyrology, on 13 December, devotes a more detailed entry to her, the historical data for which comes mainly from the fifth-century Acts of the Martyrs. Unfortunately, there are no testimonies to corroborate these Acts . This does not mean, however, that they are not faithful to the truth. Here is the account: Eutychia, the mother of our saint, had been afflicted with a flow of blood for four years. Lucy and her mother went on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Agatha in Catania to pray for a cure. While there, St. Agatha came to Lucy in a dream and told her that because of her faith, her mother would be cured and that Lucy would be the glory of Syracuse, as she was of Catania. Lucy's prayers led to Eutychia's recovery. In gratitude to God, Lucy asked her mother for permission to consecrate her virginity to Jesus Christ and her possessions to the poor. Lucy was subsequently arrested as a Christian, and Paschasius, governor of Sicily, sentenced her to be defiled in a brothel. But when the guards came to take her away, they could not move her even with a team of oxen. They covered her with pitch, resin and boiling oil, to set her on fire, but she would not burn and suffered no harm. Finally, she died by a sword thrust into her throat

Saint Lucy is traditionally prayed to to soothe haemorrhages (due to the healing of her mother reported in the Acts of her martyrdom) and eye ailments. Why eye ailments? One possible reason comes from her name. "Lucia" comes from the Latin word lux, meaning light. The coincidence of the date of her feast day in the Julian calendar, 13 December, contributes to this: at the beginning of the 4th century, 13 December corresponded to the period following the winter solstice, when the days become longer and light seems to prevail over darkness. Isn't the created light of this world a symbol of the uncreated light that is God? On the day of her martyrdom, Saint Lucy saw the eternal light. Her name can be seen as an invitation to desire the supernatural light that is the beatific vision.

The relics of Saint Lucy were first transported to Constantinople by the Byzantines at the end of the 7th or beginning of the 8th century, when they had to flee the Lombard advance. Let's take a step back in time: during the Fourth Crusade, which was diverted from its original aim set by Pope Innocent III - the liberation of the Holy Places - and turned into a self-interested expedition to Constantinople, the city was taken in 1204. Following the sack, the Doge of Venice, Enrico Dandolo, who took part in the expedition, sent the relics of Saint Lucy to Venice, where they were kept in a church that took her name. Since the church was demolished in the 19th century to make way for Venice's railway station, named Stazione Santa Lucia for this reason, the relics are now venerated in the church of San Geremia. Some fragments of the relics were brought back to Syracuse.

The cult of Saint Lucy also developed in Metz after part of her relics were brought to the Abbey Church of Saint Vincent. The Chronique des évêques de Metz (Chronicle of the Bishops of Metz) by Sigebert de Gembloux, a monk from the Benedictine abbey of Saint-Vincent, reports that Faroald, Duke of Spoleto, who had taken control of Sicily from the Byzantines at the beginning of the 8th century, thanks to the Lombard king Luitprand, on whom he depended, had the body of Saint Lucy removed from Syracuse to enrich the town of Corsino in his duchy. Nearly four centuries later, during a trip to Italy with his cousin Emperor Otto I, the Bishop of Metz Thierry I obtained a host of relics through Otto I, which he used to enrich the Abbey of Saint Vincent, which he had founded in 968. In particular, he brought back the body of Saint Lucy, which he deposited in the abbey church of Saint-Vincent, solemnly dedicated in 972.

It would therefore seem that the relics of Saint Lucy were divided into two groups when the Byzantines lost Syracuse. Part of them went to Constantinople: these are the relics that can be venerated today in Venice, in San Geremia. The other part was transported to Corsino, then from there to Metz: you can pray to Saint Lucy in front of these relics in Ottange, in the church of Saint Willibrord, in Moselle.

Going further:

The Life and Prayers of Saint Lucy of Syracuse by Wyatt North, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (January 18, 2014)

More information:

•  Sigibert von Gembloux (2007). Acta Sanctae Luciae. Heidelberg: Ed. Tino Licht. (Editiones Heidelbergenses, vol. 34.)