Seven Apostolic Men

Infobox Saint
name= Seven Apostolic Men
birth_date=
death_date=~47 AD
feast_day= May 1, May 15 (general); but each saint also has his own particular feast day
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church


imagesize= 150px
caption= St. Hesychius, one of the Seven Apostolic Men
birth_place= Uncertain, perhaps Spain, or some other part of the Roman Empire
death_place=Spain
titles= Martyrs
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issues= According to Christian tradition, the Seven Apostolic Men ("siete varones apostólicos") were seven Christian clerics ordained in Rome by Saints Peter and Paul and sent to evangelize Spain. This group includes Torquatus, Caecilius, Ctesiphon, Euphrasius, Indaletius, Hesychius, and Secundius ("Torcuato, Cecilio, Tesifonte, Eufrasio, Indalecio Hesiquio y Segundo").

It is not clear whether the seven men were Romans, Greeks, or natives of Hispania. cite web|url=http://www.aciprensa.com/santos/santo.php?id=491|author=?|title= San Torcuato y los 7 Varones Apostólicos|date=?|publisher=Aciprensa|accessdate=September 5|accessyear=2008]

The "Martyrology of Lyon" (806 AD) incorporated text from a fifth century source, and the seven saints are mentioned in the Mozarabic liturgy.

According to manuscripts of the 10th century, which in turn recorded information from the eighth or ninth centuries, these seven clerics arrived at "Acci" (Guadix) during the celebrations in honor of Jupiter, Mercury, and Juno. The pagans chased them to the river, but the bridge collapsed miraculously and the seven men were saved. A noblewoman named Luparia, interested in their mission, hid them and converted to Christianity after building an altar in honor of John the Baptist.

The Dominican writer Rodrigo de Cerrato also wrote about the Seven Apostolic Men during the 13th century.

The seven cities

The seven missionaries decided to evangelize various parts of the region of Baetica: Torquatus remained in Acci (Guadix), Ctesiphon went to "Vergium" or "Bergi" (Berja), Hesychius to "Carcere" (Cazorla), Indalecius went to "Urci" (Pechina), Secundius to "Abula" (Abla), Euphrasius to "Iliturgi" (Andújar), and Caecilius to "Iliberri" or "Iliberis" (Elvira/Granada).

The identification of these places is imprecise: other sources state that "Carcere" or "Carcesi" is not Cazorla but Cieza, and that Urci is Torre de Villaricos, and Iliturgis is Cuevas de Lituergo. [Lecciones de la cátedra de Teología (archimadrid.es): "Los orígenes históricos del cristianismo. Lección XVII: La difusión del cristianismo fuera de Palestina" [http://www.archimadrid.es/dpuniversitaria/C%C3%A1tedra%20Teolog%C3%ADa_Lecciones/Los%20or%C3%ADgenes%20hist%C3%B3ricos%20del%20Cristianismo/Or%C3%ADgenes%20hist%C3%B3ricos%20del%20Xmo._17.doc] . Cita como fuente a García Villoslada, "Historia Eclesiástica de España", pg. 168] The only identification considered certain is that of Iliberis with Elvira, seat of the Synod of Elvira, whose first bishop, according to the "Glosas Emilianenses", was Caecilius.

Associations with Saint James the Great (Santiago)

Traditions attributed to them actions other say were carried out James the Great. An author of the ninth century linked this tradition of the Seven Apostolic Men with that of Saint James the Great in a text known as "Translatio S. Iacobi in Hispaniam". According to this text, seven disciples of James brought his body to the Roman province of Hispania after his martyrdom at Jerusalem. The seven disciples, pursued by a pagan king in Spain, hid in a fountain protected by a crypt; when the pagan soldiers entered the crypt, it collapsed, killing them all. A woman, named Luparia, converted to Christianity and had James’ body placed in a building previously dedicated to the Roman gods. This tradition also states that three of these disciples, Torquatus, Athanasius (a name that does not correspond to the usual list of names of these seven name), and Ctesiphon, were buried with James.

Veneration

There are statues of all seven saints, in addition one of Saint Peter, at the cathedral of Guadix. [http://www.a-guil.com/varones_apostolicos.html]

Pope John Paul II, during his first trip to Spain in 1982, remarked that Spain “was conquered for the faith by the missionary zeal of the Seven Apostolic Men.”

Saint Euphrasius’ relics were taken to Santa María de Mao in the diocese of Lugo.

Torquatus' relics

Torquatus' relics were rediscovered in the eighth century during the Moorish invasion of Spain, in a church built in his honor, near the Limia River.

Torquatus' relics and those of Euphrasius were translated to Galicia. Torquatus’ relics remained for a long time in the Visigothic church of Santa Comba de Baños.

In the 10th century, Torquatus' relics were translated to San Salvador de Celanova (in Celanova, Orense) . cite web|url=http://santiebeati.it/search/jump.cgi?ID=53250|title=San Torquato Vescovo di Guadix|date=6-Feb-2003|publisher=Santi e Beati|accessdate=September 5|accessyear=2008 ]

In 1592, the sepulcher was opened and part of Torquatus’ relics were distributed to Guadix, Compostella, and Orense, and also to El Escorial, and to the Jesuit college at Guadix, and in 1627, to Granada. The relics that remained in San Salvador de Celanova were placed in the main chapel of the church of the monastery, together with those of Saint Rudesind, the monastery’s founder.

The cathedral of Guadix conserves three relics associated with Saint Torquatus: his arm, his jawbone, and his calcaneus (this last relic is not on display).

References

ources

*"Diccionario de Historia de España". Madrid: Istmo, 2003.

External links

*it icon [http://santiebeati.it/search/jump.cgi?ID=53250 San Torquato Vescovo di Guadix]
*es icon [http://www.aciprensa.com/santos/santo.php?id=491 San Torcuato y los 7 Varones Apostólicos (año 47)]