Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/483

469 ST. LUCY 469 St. Luesa. Lucusa (l). St. Lucy (1), April 22, 2nd century. A poor widow of Lyons, in whose house SS. Epipodius and Alexander were con- cealed during the persecution of the Christians in that city, in 177. When they were discoyered and hurried away to their trial and martyrdom, Epipodius, in his haste, left one of his dices, which Lucy preserved as a sacred treasure and which was afterwards found very useful as a cure for the plague. AAJSS.^ Preeter. St. Lucy (2) of Campo Yaccino, Aug. 25, Oct. 26, V. M. Mas Latrie. St. Lucy (3), June 3, M. at Borne. AA.SS. St Lucy (4), June 26, M. in Egypt. Ouerin. St. Lucy (5) of Campania, July 6. Taken and tortured in one of the persecutions. The prefect seeing that she was miraculously defended against all harm, released her and gave her a house and women to attend upon her. Here she lived in peace, praying for her benefiEustor. After twenty years she and her maids desired martyrdom, so they went and gave themselves up at the tribunal where Christians were con- demned. They were aU beheaded. B.M, Mendagy of BcmL St. Lucy (6) of Eome and St. deminian, Sept. 16, MM. under Dio- cletian, in 290. Their worship is very ancient, but their history is only known from fkbulous acts. Lucy had been a widow thirty-six years and was •seventy- five years old, when she was accused by her son, Euprcpius or Eutropius, of being a Christian. Diocletian sent for her and, after some attempts at per- suasion, he ordered her to be plunged in a caldron of boiling pitch, where she lived for three days, singing praises. He sent a messenger to see whether she was yet reduced to cinders, and hearing that she was unhurt and singing, he ordered her to be carried round the city loaded with great weights. As she came opposite the house of Geminian his numerous idols fell down and broke ; a dove from heaven made the sign of the cross three times over the head of Geminian, and looking up, he saw heaven open. He immediately followed Lucy. While she was undergoing torture he entreated for instruction and baptism. A priest, named Protasius, who had dreamt of him, came in haste, taught him the first lessons of Christianity, and baptized him. Seventy-five persons were converted by seeing the courage and hearing the answers of the new convert. Their judge threw himself with his horse from the stone bridge into the river ; his body was never found. Lucy and Geminian were beheaded, and were buried by Maxima. AA,SS. Flos Sanctorum, St. Lucy (7), LucBJA. St. Lucy (8) of Syracuse, Dec. 13, + 303. Her name is in the Canon of the Mass. She is one of the four great patronesses of the Western Church, and patron of Syracuse, of Mantua, of the labouring poor, of tillers of the ground, of sight and the eyes, against dysentery and hemorrhage of all sorts. Bepresented carrying her eyes in a dish. There are three different accounts of this saint. First, that given by Mrs. Jameson, apparently the oldest : — Lucy lived at Syracuse with her mother Eutychia, who betrothed her at the age of fourteen to a young pagan nobleman. Eutychia suffered from a painful disease. Lucy persuaded her to make a pilgrimage to the tomb of AoATHA, who appeared to Lucy, assured her of her mother's cure, and promised that as Catania had been defended by Agatha, so Syracuse should evermoro be protected by Heaven for the sake of Lucy. Eutychia being healed, was per- suaded to allow her daughter to romain unmarried and to give her dowry to the poor. The young man to whom she was betrothed denounced her as a Chris-* tian before the governor, Pascasius, who spoke insultingly to her. As she openly defied him, he ordered her to be dragged away, but it was found that neither strong men with ropes nor magicians with their spells could move her an inch ; so Pasca- sius had a fire lighted to bum her where she stood ; but as the flames had no power against her, one of the servants killed her by plunging a dagger into her throat. The Christians buried her on the