Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/249

237 ST. SYRA 287 At last she was thrown into the river with a stone tied to her neck. After her death, her sons were tied to seven posts and killed with varieties of hmtality, in front of the temple of Hercules. The Acts of St. Symphorosa, says Baillet, are the only authentic part remaining of the work of Julius Africanus, who wrote one huiidred years before Eusebius. RM, AA.SS. Villegas. Butler, " Getu- lius." Baillet. Oahier. St. Symphorosa (2). (See Maboia (3)0 St. Syncitica, May 8, M. at Byzan- tium with St. Acacius. (5ee Agatha (2).) St. Syncletica (l), a rich, noble widow of Spoleto, who, like Pbaxbdes and Pudentiana, ministered to the per- secuted Christians in their life, and buried them when put to death for the faith. Jacobilli, SS. delV Umhrta. St. Syncletica (2), May 8, M. pro- bably at Byzantium. Stadler. St. Syncletica (3), Jan. 5, V. Sup- posed 4th centiiry. She was born at Alexandria, of Macedonian descent, and was possessed of great wealth, which she distributed to the poor. She lived in a tomb and presided over several reb'gious young women. After continued ill- health, which she endured with great patience, she was afficted with a cancer in her mouth, and although she would take no means to lessen her own suffer- ings, she consented, for the sake of others, to submit to some necessary medical treatment. B.M. AA,SS. Butler. Baillet. GrcBCO'Slav. Calendar. St. Syncletica (4), Syndetica, Synslitioa, Encletia, or Enclxtica, Dec. 11, called ** the Younger " and ** the Deaconess," 5th century. She and her younger married sister, St. Pebpetua (6), are praised by their contemporary, Sedulius the priest. Qynecseum, Smith and Wace. St. Syncletica (5), Apollinabis (2). St. Synclitica, Sinclita. St. Syndetica, Syncletica. St. Syneca, Sinoba. Cnhier, Syncletica. iYNTYCHE. St.Syntyche or Synticbn, July 22. Mentioned with St. Euodias by St. Paul, PhiL iv. 2. Said in the Floriarian MS. to have received the disciples of Christ in her house, to have converted many persons to Christianity and had them baptized by St. Paul and to have died full of days at Philippi, in the year 78. She is also mentioned in a sermon of St. Chrysostom, who calls her and St. Euodias two of the chief persons and chief workers in the church of Philippi, and says St. Paul commended them to the care of his friend and fellow-labourer, not on account of his personal friendship for them, but because of their good works. The Martyrology of Salisbury calls her "St. Syntioen, V. whomo S. Paulo remembreth in his epystles and she lyeth buryed at phylypes." AA,SS. St. Syra (l) Sibia, or Sybia, June 8. 4th or 5th century, or according to Butler, 3rd century. A woman at Troyes in France, who had been blind for forty years, hearing of the holiness and martyrdom of St. Savinian, begged to be taken to the place where he was buried. Her parents would not take her, but a little boy led her by the band. They did not know where the saint was buried, but when they came to the place their feet became immovably fixed in the ground. There Syra kneeled down and prayed, " O God of the Christians and St. Savinian who didst obtain a crown for thyself, show thy power on me a]so." In the same hour, ker eyes were opened. She built a church in honour of the holy martyr, and exhorted all her friends to become Christians. She is confounded by Bucelinus and others with Syba of Meaux. AA.SS. St. Syra (2) or Sybia, June 8, Oct. 23, Y. of Meaux. 7th century. Patron against stone and gravel and hernia. Sister of St. Fiaker. Some Scotch histo- rians say that these saints were the son and daughter of Eugenius IV. king of Scotland ; but they are more generally supposed to have been of noble but not royal Irish family. When Fiaker was living as a hermit under the guidance of St. Faro, bishop of Meaux, his sister joined him, and was by these two holy men committed to the care of St. Faba, sister of St. Faro, and abbess of Brie. The said Scotch writers say that Syra took many holy women with her to