
Cyricus ( el, Κήρυκος, am, ቂርቆስ, arc, ܡܪܝ ܩܘܪܝܩܘܣ ܣܗܕܐ ''Mar Quriaqos Sahada''; also Cyriacus, Quiriac, Quiricus, Cyr), and his mother, Julitta ( el, Ἰουλίττα, am, እየሉጣ arc, ܝܘܠܝܛܐ, ''Yulitha''; also Julietta) are venerated as early
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...
martyr
A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external ...
s. According to tradition, they were put to death at
Tarsus in AD 304.
Cyricus
Some evidence exists for an otherwise unknown child-martyr named Cyricus at
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...
. It is believed that the legends about Cyricus and Julitta refer to him. There are places named after Cyricus in Europe and the Middle East, but without the name Julitta attached. Cyricus is the
Saint-Cyr found in many French
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' ( proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name o ...
s, as well as in several named San Quirico in Italy. The cult of these saints was strong in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
after
Amator,
Bishop of Auxerre
The diocese of Auxerre ( la, dioecesis Antissiodorensis) is a former French Roman Catholic diocese. Its historical episcopal see was in the city of Auxerre in Burgundy, now part of eastern France. Currently the non-metropolitan Archbishop of Sens, ...
, brought relics back from Antioch in the 4th century. It is said that
Constantine I discovered their relics originally and built a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...
near
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth ( Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya (Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
, and a church not far off from
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
. In the 6th century the ''Acts'' of Cyricus and Julitta were rejected in a list of
apocryphal
Apocrypha are works, usually written, of unknown authorship or of doubtful origin. The word ''apocryphal'' (ἀπόκρυφος) was first applied to writings which were kept secret because they were the vehicles of esoteric knowledge considered ...
documents by the
Decretum Gelasianum
The Gelasian Decree ( la, Decretum Gelasianum) is a Latin text traditionally thought to be a Decretal of the prolific Pope Gelasius I, bishop of Rome from 492–496. The work reached its final form in a five-chapter text written by an anonymous s ...
, called as such since the list was erroneously attributed to
Pope Gelasius I
Pope Gelasius I was the bishop of Rome from 1 March 492 to his death on 19 November 496. Gelasius was a prolific author whose style placed him on the cusp between Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages.The title of his biography by Walter Ullma ...
.
History
According to one version of their martyrdom, Julitta and her three-year-old son Cyricus had fled to
Tarsus and were identified as
Christians
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
. Julitta was tortured and Cyricus, being held by the governor of Tarsus, scratched the governor's face and was killed by being thrown down some stairs. Julitta did not weep but celebrated the fact that her son had earned the crown of martyrdom. In anger, the governor then decreed that Julitta's sides should be ripped apart with
hooks, and then she was beheaded. Her body, along with that of Cyricus, was flung outside the city, on the heap of bodies belonging to
criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
s, but two maids rescued the corpses of the mother and child and buried them in a nearby field. This version is recorded in a letter from
Theodore of Mopsuestia
Theodore of Mopsuestia (c. 350 – 428) was a Christian theologian, and Bishop of Mopsuestia (as Theodore II) from 392 to 428 AD. He is also known as Theodore of Antioch, from the place of his birth and presbyterate. He is the best known ...
to
Pope Zosimus
Pope Zosimus was the bishop of Rome from 18 March 417 to his death on 26 December 418. He was born in Mesoraca, Calabria. Zosimus took a decided part in the protracted dispute in Gaul as to the jurisdiction of the See of Arles over that of Vienn ...
and in the ''Acta Graece Sincera''.
An alternative version of the story is found in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power ...
,
Syriac, and
Arabic
Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walte ...
. In this version, Julitta was captured without Cyricus and brought before the governor. She refused to sacrifice to idols and tells him to find a child, so that they can ask him if he thinks it is right to worship one god or many. Cyricus was found and he declared himself to be a Christian. The governor inflicted many tortures on them, all of which they miraculously survive. Satan entered Julitta's heart, causing her to be afraid of death, but Cyricus emboldens her with encouragement and prayers. The mother and child are finally
decapitated.
Cyricus and Charlemagne
A story from
Nevers
Nevers ( , ; la, Noviodunum, later ''Nevirnum'' and ''Nebirnum'') is the prefecture of the Nièvre department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in central France. It was the principal city of the former province of Nivernais. It is ...
states that one night
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( , ) or Charles the Great ( la, Carolus Magnus; german: Karl der Große; 2 April 747 – 28 January 814), a member of the Carolingian dynasty, was King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and the first Em ...
dream
A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around 5 to 20 minutes, al ...
ed he was saved from being killed by a
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
during a
hunt
Hunting is the human activity, human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, or killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to harvest food (i.e. meat) and useful animal products (fur/hide (skin), hide, ...
. He was saved by the appearance of a nude child, who had promised to save the Emperor from
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
if he would give him clothes to cover his nakedness.
The
bishop of Nevers interpreted this dream to mean that he wanted the Emperor to repair the roof of the
Cathédrale Saint-Cyr-et-Sainte-Julitte de Nevers.
Veneration
Croatia
In Croatia, in the Town of Visnjan, there is a 17th-century loggia and the church of Saint Cyricis (Kvirik) and Julitta (Julita).
Georgia
Cyricus (''Kvirike'') and Julitta (''Ivlita'') are venerated as patron saints of the Kala community in the highland province of
Svaneti
Svaneti or Svanetia (Suania in ancient sources; ka, სვანეთი ) is a historic province in the northwestern part of Georgia. It is inhabited by the Svans, an ethnic subgroup of Georgians.
Geography
Situated on the southern sl ...
. While the saints were relatively unknown in the rest of Georgia, the Svan mountaineers held them in high esteem. The 11th-century
Lagurka church, located at 2200 metres above sea and known for its wall paintings, is the scene of an all-Svan festival and pilgrimage, ''kvirikoba'' ("the day of Cyricus"), held annually on July 28. In the words of the historian
Ekvtime Taqaishvili
Ekvtime Takaishvili (also spelled Taqaishvili) () (January 5, 1862 – February 21, 1953) was a Georgian historian, archaeologist and public benefactor.
Born in the village of Likhauri in the western Georgian province of Guria to a local nobleman ...
, for the Svans Lagurka is what for the ancient Greeks was
Delphi
Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracl ...
—the symbol of their unity.
Italy
In Italy, where they are known as Quirico (or Quilico, or Chirico) and Giulitta (or Giuletta or Giulietta ),
[Santi Quirico e Giullita : I lori nomi]
the place most commonly linked with the saints is the village of
San Quirico d’Orcia
San Quirico d'Orcia is a ''comune'' (municipality) of about 2,500 inhabitants in the Province of Siena in the Italian region Tuscany, located about southeast of Florence and about southeast of Siena inside the Valdorcia landscape. It is named in ...
in the
Val d’Orcia
The Val d'Orcia or Valdorcia () is a region of Tuscany, central Italy, which extends from the hills south of Siena to Monte Amiata. Its gentle, cultivated hills are occasionally broken by gullies and by picturesque towns and villages such as P ...
of the
Province of Siena, region of
Tuscany
it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman)
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. There a twelfth- or thirteenth-century church (pictured right), based on an eighth-century baptistery, is dedicated to them. The cult, however, is common in many parts of country and more than 200 churches, monasteries, localities, etc. with signs of devotion to one or both of the saints have been identified. Other communes named after them are
Corvino San Quirico
Corvino San Quirico is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pavia in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 50 km south of Milan and about 20 km south of Pavia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 1,084 and an are ...
(
Province of Pavia
The province of Pavia ( it, Provincia di Pavia) is a province in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy; its capital is Pavia. , the province has a population of 548,722 inhabitants and an area of ; the town of Pavia has a population of 72,205 ...
),
San Chirico Nuovo (
Province of Potenza
The Province of Potenza ( it, Provincia di Potenza; Potentino: ) is a province in the Basilicata region of southern Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.
Geography
It has an area of and a total population of 369,538 (as of 2017). There ar ...
),
San Chirico Raparo (Province of Potenza),
Serra San Quirico
Serra San Quirico is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ancona in the Italian region Marche, located about southwest of Ancona
Ancona (, also , ) is a city and a seaport in the Marche region in central Italy, with a population ...
(
Province of Ancona), and
Santa Giuletta (Province of Pavia). Communes of whom they are patron saints include
Borgo San Martino
Borgo San Martino is a '' comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Alessandria.
Borgo San Martino borders the following municipalities: Casale M ...
(
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria ( it, Provincia di Alessandria; pms, Provincia ëd Lissandria; in Piedmontese of Alessandria: ''Provinsa ëd Lissändria'') is an Italian province, with a population of some 425,000, which forms the southeastern part o ...
),
Cavaria in the municipality of
Cavaria con Premezzo
Cavaria con Premezzo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italy, Italian region Lombardy, located about northwest of Milan and about south of Varese.
Cavaria con Premezzo borders the following municipalities: Besnate, ...
(
Province of Varese
The province of Varese ( it, provincia di Varese) is a province in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese (population of 80,857 inhabitants), but its largest city is Busto Arsizio. The headquarters of the Agus ...
),
Cisternino
Cisternino is a ''comune'' in the province of Brindisi in Apulia, on the coast of south-eastern Italy, approximately north-west of the city of Brindisi. Its main economic activities are tourism, the growing of olives and grapes, and dairy farmin ...
(
Province of Brindisi
The Province of Brindisi ( it, Provincia di Brindisi) is a province in the Apulia region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Brindisi. It has an area of and a total population of 401,652 (2013).
Geography
The Province of Brindisi is situated ...
),
Collesalvetti (
Province of Livorno
The province of Livorno or, traditionally, province of Leghorn ( it, provincia di Livorno) is a province in the Tuscany region of Italy. It includes several islands of the Tuscan Archipelago, including Elba and Capraia. Its capital is the city o ...
), and
Trofarello
Trofarello is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Turin in the Italian region Piedmont, located about southeast of Turin.
Trofarello borders the following municipalities: Pecetto Torinese, Moncalieri, Cambiano, and Santena.
T ...
(
Province of Turin
The former Province of Turin ( it, Provincia di Torino; pms, Provinsa ëd Turin; french: Province de Turin) was a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Turin. The province existed until 31 December 2014, when it wa ...
. San Quirico Province of Pistoia
In parts of
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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, including
Centallo,
Asti
Asti ( , , ; pms, Ast ) is a '' comune'' of 74,348 inhabitants (1-1-2021) located in the Piedmont region of northwestern Italy, about east of Turin in the plain of the Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and it is deeme ...
and
Murisengo
Murisengo is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about east of Turin and about northwest of Alessandria
Alessandria (; pms, Lissandria ) is a city and ''comune'' in Piedmont, Ital ...
, an unconnected Saint Quirico is venerated, regarded as a member of the
Theban Legion
The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Egypt—"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men"—who converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together in 286, a ...
.
British Isles
There are a few churches in
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
dedicated to Saints Cyricus and Julitta, including
Newton St. Cyres
Newton St Cyres is a village, civil parish former manor and former ecclesiastical parish in Mid Devon, in the English county of Devon, located between Crediton and Exeter. It had a population of 562 at the 2011 Census. The village is part ...
in Devon,
Tickenham in Somerset, and
Swaffham Prior in Cambridgeshire. In
Cornwall
Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlan ...
, they can be found in the villages of
Luxulyan and
St Veep, and there was also once a chapel at
Calstock dedicated to these two saints. In Wales there is a least one church dedicated to the saints, in
Llanilid, but named as St. Ilid and St. Curig.
The cult of "St. Giric" was formerly much more widespread in Celtic Britain, however. His feast day was one of the principal Welsh holidays, as codified by the
laws of Hywel Dda.

St Cyriac's Church, Lacock, Wiltshire, has a framed print of a similar story depicting St Cyricus boxing a governor's ears because the governor had blasphemed. The embittered governor stabs the child dead and the mother is crucified. This print appears to be based on panels from the
predella of a 15th-century Italian
altarpiece
An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting ...
dedicated to Cyricus.
Middle East
Cyricus in particular is mentioned numerous times in the
daily office of the
Church of the East
The Church of the East ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ, ''ʿĒḏtā d-Maḏenḥā'') or the East Syriac Church, also called the Church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon, the Persian Church, the Assyrian Church, the Babylonian Church or the Nestorian C ...
as attested in the large collection of prayers and services known as the Hudra. The mention of a saint from Tarsus in such
East Syriac traditions suggests that there was considerable early sharing of martyrological traditions despite doctrinal differences between churches.
India
Cyriacus is one of the saints venerated by the
Saint Thomas Christians
The Saint Thomas Christians, also called Syrian Christians of India, ''Marthoma Suriyani Nasrani'', ''Malankara Nasrani'', or ''Nasrani Mappila'', are an ethno-religious community of Indian Christians in the state of Kerala ( Malabar region) ...
of
India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...
. Some of their important churches were dedicated to the saint. A document written in 1301 mentions the church at
Kodungallur
Kodungallur (; also Cranganore, Portuguese: Cranganor; formerly known as Mahodayapuram, Shingly, Vanchi, Muchiri, Muyirikkode, and Muziris) is a historically significant town situated on the banks of river Periyar on the Malabar Coast in ...
which was dedicated the saint. The
Pālūr Church, one of the
seven churches
The Seven Churches of Revelation, also known as the Seven Churches of the Apocalypse and the Seven Churches of Asia, are seven major Churches of Early Christianity, as mentioned in the New Testament Book of Revelation. All of them are located in ...
associated with the mission of
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle ( arc, 𐡀𐡌𐡅𐡕𐡌, hbo, תוֹמא הקדוש or תוֹמָא שליחא (''Toma HaKadosh'' "Thomas the Holy" or ''Toma Shlikha'' "Thomas the Messenger/Apostle" in Hebrew-Aramaic), syc, ܬܐܘܡܐ, , meaning "twi ...
, was originally dedicated to Cyriacus.
There is a small piece of St. Cyricus / Kuriakose's finger at St. Peter's and St. Paul's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church in
Puthencruz
Puthenkurish is a town in Ernakulam district in the Indian state of Kerala near Kolenchery town en route to Muvattupuzha. It is a part of the Greater Cochin area. Puthencruz is one of the fastest developing villages in Ernakulam district. Puthenc ...
(
Ernakulam
Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation ...
) They celebrate his Perunnal (feast) on July 27, 28 and the anniversary of the relocation of his bone on Nov 13, 14 of every year. Also, a piece of his other finger can be found in
St. George Dayro in Malecruze in Ernakulam.
Footnotes
External links
"St. Julitta, Martyr" ''Butler's Lives of the Saints''
Church of St Quiricus and St Julietta,
Tickenham,
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
Cyriac Family History Project - Saints Cyr & Julitta pageOrthodox Church of AmericaOnline Chapel - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Americaat th
Christian Iconographyweb site
"Saint Quiricus and His Mother Saint Julitta"from the ''Golden Legend''
Full text
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cyricus and Julitta
Persian saints
304 deaths
Saints duos
Christian child saints
4th-century Christian martyrs
4th-century Romans
Year of birth unknown
Late Ancient Christian female saints
Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era