Procession of virgin martyrs bearing both martyr's palms and wreaths as the crown of a virgin (master of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, 6th century)
Chastity is one of the seven virtues in Christian tradition, listed by Pope Gregory I at the end of the 6th century. In 1 Corinthians, Saint Paul suggests a special role for virgins or unmarried women (ἡ γυνὴ καὶ ἡ παρθένος ἡ ἄγαμος) as more suitable for "the things of the Lord" (μεριμνᾷ τὰ τοῦ κυρίου).[1] In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul alludes to the metaphor of the Church as Bride of Christ by addressing the congregation "I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ".
In the hagiography of Christian martyrs of the late 1st to early 4th centuries, virgin martyrs (Latin virgo et martyr (Greek παρθένος-μάρτυρας, Russian дева-мученица) were often persecuted for their refusal to enter a worldly marriage after having vowed to keep their virginity for the sake of heaven. Other virgin martyrs lost their lives in defensum castitatis ("in defense of chastity").[3] A group of virgin martyrs of the early church, namely Saints Catherine of Alexandria, Margaret of Antioch, Barbara of Nicomedia and Dorothea of Caesarea, is called "the four capital virgins", three of them belong to the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
The tradition of the rite of the Consecratio virginum (consecration of a virgin) dates back to the 4th century, the form of life to apostolic times. The first known formal consecration is that of Saint Marcellina, dated AD 353, mentioned in De Virginibus by her brother, Saint Ambrose. Another early consecrated virgin is Saint Genevieve (c. 422 – c. 512).
Canon 922 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that "From apostolic times Christian virgins, called by the Lord to cling only to him with greater freedom of heart, body, and spirit, have decided with the Church's approval to live in a state of virginity 'for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven'."
Virgins are consecrated for the church as a bride of Christ both in the Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholic church. While in the latter one the consecration has been bestowed for centuries only for nuns living in cloistered monasteries, the bestowal for women living in the world has been reintroduced under Pope Paul VI in 1970.[5] The number of consecrated virgins ranges in the thousands. Estimates derived from the diocesan records range at around 5,000 consecrated virgins worldwide as of 2018.[6]
^1 Corinthians 7:34 "There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband." (KJV).
^"To participants in the International Congress of the Ordo Virginum (May 15, 2008) | BENEDICT XVI". w2.vatican.va. Retrieved 2019-11-17.
^Ordo Consecrationis Virginum (31 May 1970), AAS 62 (1970) 650 = EDIL 2082-2092 = DOL 294 no. 3352. English translation: The Rites of the Catholic Church 2 (n. 29, p. 81), 132-164, DOL 395 nos. 3253-3262.
^Bernadette Mary Reis, "Church reproposes Order of Virgins 50 years after its restoration", Vatican News, 4 July 2018.
Karen A. Winstead, Chaste Passions: Medieval English Virgin Martyr Legends, Cornell University Press (2000).
January 24, 2023
virgin, title, title, virgin, latin, virgo, greek, Παρθένος, honorific, bestowed, female, saints, blesseds, some, christian, traditions, including, eastern, orthodox, church, catholic, church, procession, virgin, martyrs, bearing, both, martyr, palms, wreaths,. The title Virgin Latin Virgo Greek Par8enos is an honorific bestowed on female saints and blesseds in some Christian traditions including the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church Procession of virgin martyrs bearing both martyr s palms and wreaths as the crown of a virgin master of Sant Apollinare Nuovo 6th century Chastity is one of the seven virtues in Christian tradition listed by Pope Gregory I at the end of the 6th century In 1 Corinthians Saint Paul suggests a special role for virgins or unmarried women ἡ gynὴ kaὶ ἡ par8enos ἡ ἄgamos as more suitable for the things of the Lord merimnᾷ tὰ toῦ kyrioy 1 In 2 Corinthians 11 2 Paul alludes to the metaphor of the Church as Bride of Christ by addressing the congregation I have espoused you to one husband that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ In the theology of the Church Fathers the prototype of the sacred virgin is Mary the mother of Jesus consecrated by the Holy Spirit at the Annunciation 2 Although not stated in the gospels the perpetual virginity of Mary was widely upheld as a dogma by the Church Fathers from the 4th century Contents 1 Virgin martyrs 2 Consecrated virgins 3 See also 4 ReferencesVirgin martyrs Edit Saint Euphemia with the crown of a virgin a white lily and the martyr s palm Andrea Mantegna 1454 In the hagiography of Christian martyrs of the late 1st to early 4th centuries virgin martyrs Latin virgo et martyr Greek par8enos martyras Russian deva muchenica were often persecuted for their refusal to enter a worldly marriage after having vowed to keep their virginity for the sake of heaven Other virgin martyrs lost their lives in defensum castitatis in defense of chastity 3 A group of virgin martyrs of the early church namely Saints Catherine of Alexandria Margaret of Antioch Barbara of Nicomedia and Dorothea of Caesarea is called the four capital virgins three of them belong to the Fourteen Holy Helpers In the Roman Missal and the Book of Hours virgins and virgin martyrs have their own common Different martyrologies for example the Martyrologium Romanum or the Martyrologium Hieronymianum list early virgin martyrs some of which are also named in the Canon of the Mass Thecla of Iconium 1st century Sandukht of Armenia 1st century Felicula and Petronilla of Rome d c 90 Serapia of Antioch c 119 Balbina of Rome c 130 Quiteria of Aquitaine d 135 Wilgefortis of Lusitany d 139 Marina of Aguas Santas d 139 Cecilia of Rome 2nd c Pudentiana of Rome 2nd c Faith Hope and Charity of Rome 2nd c Melitina of Marcianopolis 4 2nd century Venera of Rome d 143 Praxedes of Rome d 165 Glyceria of Heraclea d 177 Blandina of Lugdunum d 177 Agatha of Sicily early 3rd c Gundenis of Carthage early 3rd c Paraskevi of Iconium 3rd c Estelle of Gaul 3rd c Reparata of Caesarea 3rd c Firmina of Rome 3rd c Amonaria of Alexandria 3rd c Martina of Rome d 228 Tatiana of Rome d 226 or 235 Euthalia of Sicily 3rd c Albina of Caesarea 250 AD Anastasia of Rome 250 AD Regina of Autun c 231 c 251 AD Rufina and Secunda of Rome 257 AD Maxima Donatilla and Secunda of Tuburga 257 AD Eugenia of Rome 258 AD Barbara of Nicomedia 3rd c Denise of Lampsacus 3rd c Christina of Bolsena 3rd c Vibiana 3rd c Apollonia of Alexandria d 249 Messalina of Foligno d 251 Digna and Emerita of Rome d 259 Agrippina of Mineo d 262 Columba of Sens d 273 Pelagia of Antioch late 3rd c Daria of Rome 283 AD Justa and Rufina of Seville d 287 Margaret of Antioch d 289 Theodosia of Tyre d 290 Hripsime of Armenia d 290 Demiana and the 40 Virgins Menodora Metrodora and Nymphodora Pelagia of Tarsus Faith of Conques Kyriaki of Nicomedia d 289 Aquilina of Byblos d 293 Susanna of Rome d 295 Eulalia of Barcelona d 303 Engratia of Zaragoza d 303 Euphemia of Chalcedon d 303 Devota of Corsica d 303 Rais of Tamman d 303 Marciana of Mauretania d 303 Agnes of Rome d 304 Emerentiana of Rome d 304 Anastasia of Sirmium d 304 Charitina of Amisus d 304 Febronia of Nisibis d 304 Justina of Padua d 304 Lucia of Syracuse d 304 Agape Chionia and Irene of Thessalonica d 304 Philomena of Rome d 304 Eulalia of Merida d 304 Juliana of Nicomedia d 304 Afra of Augsburg d 304 Victoria of Albitina d 304 Trofimena of Sicily d 304 Theodora of Alexandria d 304 Justina of Antioch d 304 Anysia of Salonika d 304 Crispina of Numidia d 304 Leocadia of Toledo d 304 Victoria of Cordoba d 304 Catherine of Alexandria d 305 Vasilissa of Nicomedia d 309 Berenice and Prosdoce of Syria d 310 Dorothea of Caesarea d 311 Fausta of Cyzicus d 311 Antonina of Constantinople d 313 Bibiana of Rome d 361 3 Ursula of Cologne and Companions such as Leticia Cordula d 384 various other traditional dates Noyale of Brittany 5th century Ia of Cornwall 5th century Augusta of Treviso 5th century Julia of Corsica d 439 Olivia of Palermo d 448 Eluned of Brecon d 468 Juthwara 6th century Nympha of Palermo 6th century Columba of Cornwall 6th century Christina of Persia 6th century Dymphna of Geel 7th century Alena of Brussels d 640 Irene of Tomar c 653 Winifred of Treffynnon d c 660 Theodosia of Constantinople d 729 Sidwell of Devon c 740 Febronia of Syria d 749 Columba of Cordoba d 853 Belina of Troyes d 1153 canonized in 1203 Margaret of Louvain d 1225 Markella of Chios 14th century Joan of Arc d 1431 canonized in 1920 Irene of Lesbos d 1463 Helen of Sinope 1700s Kyranna of Thessaloniki d 1751 Maria Goretti 1890 1902 canonized in 1950 Edith Stein 1942 canonized in 1998 Laura del Carmen Vicuna Pino beatified in 1988 Karolina Kozka 1914 beatified in 1987 Albertina Berkenbrock 1931 beatified in 2007 Antonia Mesina 1935 beatified in 1987 Nina Kuznetsova Nina Kuznecova martyr of Vologda 1938 canonized in the Russian Orthodox Church Benigna Cardoso da Silva 1941 beatified in 2020 Maria Restituta Kafka 1943 beatified in 1998 Anna Kolesarova 1944 beatified in 2018 Pierina Morosini 1957 beatified in 1987 Veronica Antal 1958 beatified in 2018 Marie Clementine Anuarite Nengapeta 1964 beatified in 1985 Isabel Cristina Mrad Campos 1982 beatified in 2022 Lindalva Justo de Oliveira 1993 beatified in 2007Consecrated virgins EditMain article Consecrated virgin The tradition of the rite of the Consecratio virginum consecration of a virgin dates back to the 4th century the form of life to apostolic times The first known formal consecration is that of Saint Marcellina dated AD 353 mentioned in De Virginibus by her brother Saint Ambrose Another early consecrated virgin is Saint Genevieve c 422 c 512 According to Raymond of Capua Saint Catherine of Siena c 1347 1380 at the age of twenty one c 1368 experienced what she described in her letters as a Mystical marriage with Jesus Christ later a popular subject in art as the Mystic marriage of Saint Catherine Canon 922 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church states that From apostolic times Christian virgins called by the Lord to cling only to him with greater freedom of heart body and spirit have decided with the Church s approval to live in a state of virginity for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven Virgins are consecrated for the church as a bride of Christ both in the Orthodox churches and the Roman Catholic church While in the latter one the consecration has been bestowed for centuries only for nuns living in cloistered monasteries the bestowal for women living in the world has been reintroduced under Pope Paul VI in 1970 5 The number of consecrated virgins ranges in the thousands Estimates derived from the diocesan records range at around 5 000 consecrated virgins worldwide as of 2018 6 See also EditList of Eastern Orthodox saint titles Parable of the Ten VirginsReferences Edit 1 Corinthians 7 34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord that she may be holy both in body and in spirit but she that is married careth for the things of the world how she may please her husband KJV To participants in the International Congress of the Ordo Virginum May 15 2008 BENEDICT XVI w2 vatican va Retrieved 2019 11 17 CatholicSaints Info Died in Slovakia St Melitina Saints amp Angels Ordo Consecrationis Virginum 31 May 1970 AAS 62 1970 650 EDIL 2082 2092 DOL 294 no 3352 English translation The Rites of the Catholic Church 2 n 29 p 81 132 164 DOL 395 nos 3253 3262 Bernadette Mary Reis Church reproposes Order of Virgins 50 years after its restoration Vatican News 4 July 2018 Karen A Winstead Chaste Passions Medieval English Virgin Martyr Legends Cornell University Press 2000 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Virgin title amp oldid 1134203812 Virgin martyrs, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
