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225 ST. SILVIA RUFINA 22S SoissonB and was honoured there as a saint. AA.8S. Guerin. Chastelain says she was a nun of Notre Dame de Soissons whom St. Leger regarded as his spiritual mother, lie adds that there is a village of her name in the diocese of Autun, two leagues from Thye-en-Auxois (Thyle in Alexi- ensi-Pago). St. Sila or Cyta, Nov. 1, V. M. Nurse of the holy Queen Calfia and her nine children. (5ee Quitkria). Their names were : Genebba, Vittoria, EuFEMiA, Marinha, Marciana (2), Ger- MANA (4), Bazilia, Quiteria, Libbbata or UvniGEFORTE. Nohody need doubt, says the Portuguese Life of St. Quiteria, that Calfia had nine children at a birth, because there was once a German woman named Dorothea, who had twenty-one children at two births, eleven and ten ; also a Portuguese woman named Branca da Kocha had fourteen at once ; all alive. Immediately after the expulsion of the Moors from Spain, a church of St. Cyta was found at Thomar, where this saint's body was preserved with veneration. St. Silissa, Oct. 25, V. commemorated annually at Toulouse. Unknown to the Bollandists. Oyneeesum. AA.SS. St. Silla, V. M. Henschenius thinks she is the same as Zita of Lucca. St. Sillesia, June 1, M. with St. AUCEGA. St. Sillica, June 1, M. with St. AuCEGA. St. Silvana (l), June 1, M. with St. Aucbga. St. Silvana (2), June 3, Roman Martyr. AA,8S, . St. Silvana (3), Feb. 28, M. with many others. AAJSS. St. Silvania, Silvia. St. Silvia (1) Rufina, Dec. 15, March 10 (Salvia, Silvania, Sylvia), + between 395 and 409. Eepresented with a little earthen dish beside her, probably in allusion to her wonderful parsimony in the use of water. She was sister of Eufinus, the clever, unscrupu- lous, favoured minister of Theodosius and Aroadius, to the latter of whom he was also guardian, but was murdered in 395, by the soldiers. No doubt his rank and power had something to do with the VOL. u. great consideration with which Silvia was everywhere treated on her travels. Silvia was born at Elusa (modern Eauze) in Gktscony ; she spent some years of her life in the Thebaid and journey- ing in Egypt and Palestine. She was probably consecrated to the religious life from her birth, as she speaks of never having used any of the luxuries or conveniences in which the ladies of her time so lavishly indulged ; but al- though consecrated, she was not clois- tered: she seems to have had entire liberty to go where and when she chose, and to stay as long as she chose. Palladius, Historia Lauaiaca, ''Vita Sanctsd SilvanisB," says, " We went from ^lia [Jerusalem] to Egypt, taking with us B. Silvania, Y., sister of Rufinus, who was 'ex PrsBfectds.' " The pious and learned Jubinus, afterwards bishop of .Ascalon, was with them. It was exces- sively hot. He washed his feet and hands with very cold water, and then spread a skin on the ground and reposed. Silvania reprehended him for his effemi- nacy. She said she was in her sixtieth year and had never washed but the tips of her fingers, and that only when about to receive the Holy Communion, and that although she had had serious ill- nesses and physicdans had prescribed baths as absolutely necessary, water had never touched her face or her feet, neither had she ever gone about in a litter nor slept on a bed. Palladius further says that she was very learned and spent her nights in reading the Holy Scripture, the best commentaries, or Origen, Gre- gory, Basil, and others, not superficially, but reading each book several times, and some as many as seven or eight times. In 1883, part of an eleventh century MS., a copy of Silvia's account of her travels in the Holy Land, was discovered in a library at Arezzo ; it is bound with part of a book by St. Hilary and is ex- tremely interesting. Her story is re- produced in EngUsh by Mr. Bernard (Palestine Pilgrims' Society). Mart, of Salisbury, Blommaert. Smith and Wace. Le Beau. Mrs. Lewis, Hmo the Codex teas found (1893), testifies to the accuracy of Silvia's description, and says that, ''the whole diary throws a Q