A virgin of Portuguese origin and daughter of the prefect of Galicia, Saint Gemme was martyred in 109 for refusing to marry the lord Regulus. After surviving the flames, she was beheaded. Her cult, widespread in Aquitaine and many French provinces, is marked by the translation of her relics by her sisters Quiteria and Liberata.
Guided reading
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SAINT GEMME, VIRGIN AND MARTYR IN SAINTES (109).
Origins and martyrdom
Originally from Portugal and daughter of the prefect Catilius, Gemme refused marriage to dedicate herself to Christ, suffering martyrdom by fire and then decapitation in 109.
This Saint, so famous in Aquitaine and in several provinces of Gaul, was of Portuguese origin; she lived in the first century of the Church, and was, according to her legend, of remarkable beauty; early on, she had dedicated herself to Jesus Christ. Her father Catilius, a persona Catilius Father of Saint Gemma and prefect of Galicia and Lusitania. ge of high distinction, was prefect of Galicia and Lusitania. He did everything in his power to marry her to a young lord of the country, named Regul us; hav Régulus A young nobleman to whom Catilius wished to marry Gemme. ing failed to do so, he ordered the young girl to be locked in a dark dungeon where she was made to endure such torments that she nearly lost her life. Soon she was thrown into the flames which respected her virginal body; finally she had her head severed, and thus consummated her glorious sacrifice on the 15th of the month of August in the year 109.
Translation of the relics
The cult of the saint was established in Saintonge and Aunis after her sisters, Quiteria and Liberata, brought her relics there while fleeing family persecutions.
From the earliest antiquity, the provinces of Saintonge and Aunis devoted a cult of veneration to this young Martyr whose legend and relics were, it is said, brought to Aquitaine by her two sisters, Saint Quiteria and Saint Liberata sainte Quiterie Sister of Saint Gemma. , wh o were fleeing sainte Libérate Sister of Saint Gemma. the cruel persecution of their own family.
Medieval foundations and donations
In the 11th century, Duke Guy-Geoffroi granted the territory of Sainte-Gemme to the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu to found a Benedictine priory there, later supported by other dukes and kings.
By a charter of 1063, the Duke of Aquitaine, Guy-Geoffro Guy-Geoffroi Duke of Aquitaine and founder of the priory of Sainte-Gemme. i, granted to the Abbey of La Chaise-Dieu in Auve abbaye de la Chaise-Dieu d'Auvergne Benedictine abbey that received the territory of Sainte-Gemme. rgne the territory of Sainte-Gemme, in Saintonge, and its dependencies, to establish a Benedictine abbey there. At that time, the small chapel, already dedicated to the Saint, was notably damaged. Here are the terms of this cartulary:
"Duke Guy, through a sentiment of tender piety towards the blessed virgin, founded the conventual priory of Sainte-Gemme in Saintonge, and assured it of fine alms. In 1105, Duke Guilhem, going to Palestine, gave to this abbey the tithe of the forest of Bacône; Edward II, by a subse Édouard II King of England and Duke of Aquitaine, benefactor of the abbey. quent charter of 1322, made new land grants to this religious house."
Traditions and liturgical influences
The establishment of the monks from Auvergne introduced the cult of Saint Didier of Vienne, while a local tradition of crowning a 'rosière' is perpetuated on May 22.
On the anniversary day of May 22, a 'rosière' was solemnly crowned and endowed at Sainte-Gemme, a custom dating back to time immemorial.
The monks of Auvergne, who, under the leadership of the Abbot of La Chaise-Dieu, came to inhabit the monastery of Sainte-Gemme, brought with th em the cult saint Didier Bishop of Vienne and martyr, whose cult was introduced by monks from Auvergne. of Saint Didier, Bishop of Vienne, who had died a martyr a few leagues from their homeland, on the banks of the Chalaronne, a victim of the barbaric orders of Brunhilda. The new chapel erected at that time was therefore placed under the invocation of Saint Didier, a precious memory of their homeland for the exiled monks.
Calendar and expansion of the cult
The feast is celebrated on various dates according to the martyrologies, and the multiplicity of churches under her patronage testifies to a devotion extended across many French provinces.
The feast of Saint Gemme was celebrated, according to the Gallican martyrology, on the 16th of the month of August, on the 15th according to the martyrology of Father Arthur du Moustier, and, in Saintonge, on June 20th, the time of the translation of the young Martyr's relics from the Auvergne region to that of Saintonge.
The church of Brizambourg is under the patronage of the Saint, who also gave her name to a commune in the Gironde department, near Monségur. Two parishes in the Vendée are also under the invocation of the same Saint; another in the Deux-Sèvres; two in the Gers; another in the Lot-et-Garonne department, in the Tarn, the Cher, the Loir-et-Cher, the Maine-et-Loire, the Marne, the Mayenne; this multiplicity of altars proves the singular devotion of our ancestors toward the young Martyr of Portugal.
Rahiquet, *Biographie Saintongeaise*.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Early consecration to Jesus Christ
- Refusal of marriage to the lord Regulus
- Imprisonment and torture in a dungeon
- Trial by fire
- Decapitation
Miracles
- Incombustibility of the body in flames