Martyr 4th century

Virgin Martyr Lucy of Syracuse

c. 283 – c. 304

Also known as Lucia

A Christian virgin of Syracuse who gave her wealth to the poor, refused an unwanted marriage, and was martyred during Diocletian's persecution.

Feast Day

December 13

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Commemorated as

The Holy Virgin Martyr Lucy of Syracuse

Come to them for

Healing

Life

Lucy of Syracuse was a Christian virgin of Sicily who, according to tradition, was born about 283 to a wealthy family and was martyred during the persecution of the emperor Diocletian around 304. Her name derives from the Latin lux, meaning light.

Her life is remembered for her early vow of virginity, the distribution of her family's wealth to the poor, and her steadfast refusal to renounce Christ when denounced to the Roman authorities. She is venerated as a martyr on December 13 across the Orthodox, Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran traditions.

She became widely known as a patroness of eyesight and of the blind, and is among the small number of female saints named in the canon of the early Roman liturgy.

Timeline 4 moments Read Hide

c. 283 Birth in Syracuse Lucy is born in Syracuse, Sicily, to wealthy parents. Tradition records that her father, of Roman origin, died while she was still a child, leaving her in the care of her mother, Eutychia.
Early life Vow of virginity Lucy privately consecrated her virginity to God and wished to give her dowry and wealth to the poor. Unaware of this vow, her mother arranged her betrothal to a young man of a wealthy pagan family.
Before her martyrdom Pilgrimage to Catania Lucy and her ailing mother traveled to the tomb of Saint Agatha at Catania. By tradition, Saint Agatha appeared to Lucy in a vision, and Eutychia was healed of a long illness. After the cure, Lucy persuaded her mother to permit the distribution of their wealth to the needy.
c. 304 Denunciation and martyrdom When Lucy refused the marriage, her rejected betrothed denounced her as a Christian to the governor Paschasius. Ordered to sacrifice to the emperor's image, she refused, endured torture, and was put to death by the sword during Diocletian's persecution.

Contributions & Legacy

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Life and Martyrdom

According to her tradition, Lucy was born about 283 in Syracuse to wealthy parents. Her father died early in her childhood, and she was raised by her mother, Eutychia, who suffered from a prolonged illness described in the sources as a bleeding disorder or dysentery.

Having heard the gospel account of a woman healed by touching the garment of Christ, Lucy urged her mother to pray at the tomb of Saint Agatha in nearby Catania. During an all-night vigil there, tradition relates that Saint Agatha appeared to Lucy in a vision, telling her that she would become the glory of Syracuse as Agatha was of Catania, and Eutychia was restored to health.

After her mother's recovery, Lucy obtained permission to give away her wealth to the poor, having already consecrated her virginity to God. Her betrothed, discovering that the family's assets were being distributed, denounced her as a Christian to the governor Paschasius during the persecution of Diocletian.

When she was ordered to offer sacrifice to the emperor's image, Lucy refused. The synaxarion relates that she was sentenced to be defiled in a brothel, but could not be moved from where she stood, even when the guards attempted to drag her away; an attempt to burn her likewise failed. She was finally killed by a sword thrust to the throat, around the year 304.

Veneration

Lucy is commemorated as a virgin martyr on December 13. Her veneration spread widely from an early date, and she is one of the few female saints named in the canon of the early Roman Mass attributed to Pope Gregory the Great.

Her name, drawn from the Latin word for light, contributed to the symbolism surrounding her, and she came to be honored particularly as a patroness of eyesight and of those who are blind. Later accounts associate this patronage with traditions that her eyes were removed during her sufferings and miraculously restored.

Relics & Shrines

Lucy's relics were widely dispersed over the centuries. Tradition records that in 1039 the Byzantine general George Maniakes removed her relics to Constantinople, and that after the Fourth Crusade in 1204 portions were carried to Venice, where they are kept at the church of San Geremia.

Other relics came to be venerated in Rome, Naples, Verona, and additional cities of western Europe. By one account, in 1513 the Venetians gave her head to King Louis XII of France for the cathedral of Bourges.

Notes

Pre-schism Western saint.

Sources: OCA Synaxarion (oca.org), Lives of the Saints