Lucy and Geminian

Infobox Saint
name= Saints Lucy and Geminian
birth_date=
death_date=circa 290
feast_day=General Roman Calendar of 1962: September 16
Eastern Christianity: September 17
venerated_in= Roman Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church


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death_place=Rome
titles=Martyrs
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suppressed_date= Cult suppressed in 1969 [ [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4339 St. Lucy & Geminian - Catholic Online ] ]
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Saints Lucy and Geminian (d. ca. 290 AD) [sometimes 300 AD or 304 AD is given as the date of their death.] were venerated as saints and martyrs of Rome during the persecution of Diocletian. Veneration for them was ancient but their story is “only known from fabulous acts.” [Agnes Baillie Cunninghame Dunbar, "A Dictionary of Saintly Women" (Bell, 1904), 469.] They should not be confused with the better-known Lucy of Syracuse or Geminianus.

Biography

According to their legend, Lucy was a 75-year old widow and Geminian a young catechist. Lucy was accused by her son Eutropius (or Euprepius) of being a Christian. She was brought before Diocletian, who at first attempted to dissuade her and then placed her in a cauldron of burning pitch; Lucy lived for three days in the cauldron. When Diocletian heard that she was still alive, he ordered her to be carried around the city, with weights loaded on her body. [Agnes Baillie Cunninghame Dunbar, "A Dictionary of Saintly Women" (Bell, 1904), 469.]

When Lucy was paraded by Geminian’s house, the statues of Roman gods in his home shattered miraculously and a dove made the sign of the cross over Geminian’s head. He followed Lucy, asking for instruction in the Christian religion as well as baptism. A priest named Protasius helped him with his request. 75 people were converted to Christianity by the example of Geminian. The judge presiding at their trial was thrown from his horse on a stone bridge; his body was never found. Lucy and Geminian were ultimately beheaded. [Agnes Baillie Cunninghame Dunbar, "A Dictionary of Saintly Women" (Bell, 1904), 469.] They were buried by a woman named Maxima.

Notes

External links

*it icon [http://www.carasantalucia.it/altre/altre.htm le altre Lucie sante: Lucia e Geminiano]