Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 1.djvu/234

220 ST. DARIA into a deep sleep and oonld molest him no more. As soon as they wore remoTed from his room, they awoke. The same thing happened again and again. Then the senator compelled his son to marry, and gave him for a wife Daria, a beau- tiful and very learned young lady of Athens, of suitable rank and wealth. Her beauty and her jewels shone like the sun, and her philosophy was directed to his conversion ; but soon she was converted by him, and was baptized. They agreed to live an angelic and ascetic life, and to devote themselves to the conversion of others. The heathen who were not con- verted by them were displeased at their teaching concerning chastity and sobriety, and accused them of disloyalty to the Emperor and the gods. They were put in separate prisons— Ohrysan thus in the Tullian prison, and Daria in one of the places called " fornices," under the amphi- theatre. There she was defended by a lion. Ohrysanthus and Daria, after being subjected to many tortures, were thrown into a pit, earth and stones were heaped upon them, and thus they were buried alive. Claudius the tribune, who had ordered their torture and execution, was soon afterwards converted with his wife, Hi- LABiA, and their two sons. All were martyrs, and are commemorated with Ohrysanthus and Dana, Aug. 12. A beautiful tomb was erected on the Via Salaria in honour of SS. Ohrysanthus and Daria, and a crowd having assembled there on their festival, the entrance was walled up, and they also were buried alive. In Christian times the tomb was restored, a separation was made between the grave of the two earliest martyrs and the others, and through a window in it their bodies could be seen, and also some silver vessels which were placed beside them. A subdeacon got through the window at night to steal the silver, but could not find his way out in the dark. Fearing detection if he came out by day, night after night he attempted in vain to make his escape, until starvation compelled him to confess. Ohrysanthus and Daria are commemo- rated in the Boman Martyrology, Oct. 25 ; in the Menology of Bcunly Oct. 17 ; with other saints on other days, Aug. 12, Nov. 29, 30, Dec. 1. Legenda Aurea. Villegas. Butler. Baillet. Surius. Smith and Waoe, Dictionary of Christian Biography. Acta Sanctorum Bollandi, and all collectionB of the lives and legends of the saints and martyrs of the first ages of Christianity. St. Daria (3), or Daretia, July 1 9, M. at Constantinople. AA,SS, St. Daria (4), mother of St. Ursula St. Daria (5), Feb. 1, V. One of St. Bbidoid's nuns, blind from her birth. One evening she and St. Bridgid sat talk- ing, and never knew when it got dark, because the Sun of Bighteousness was present to their minds. At last Daria said, " O Bridgid, open my eyes, that I may for once see Uie world I have so often desired to see." Then Bridgid made the sign of the cross on her eyes, and she saw the world, and then she said, '* Now shut my eyes again, for eyes that are blind to the things of this life shall be the more steadfastly fixed on Jesus Christ.*' Then Bridgid closed her eyes again. AA,SS., in St. Bridgid, Feb. 1. St. Daria (0), sister of St. Euadhan, abbot of Lothra, in Ireland, middle of 6th century. Gammack, in Smith and Wace. St. Daria (7), Oct. 26. 6th or 7th century. Also called Soidhealbh, i.e, the Fair, daughter of Cathirius, con- temporary with St. Corbmac, who blessed her monastery so that the land became very fertile, and was thence called Magh- gainnach, now Moygawnagh, in county Mayo. J. Gkunmack, in Smith and Wace. She is honoured with St. Derbilia. AA,SS. St. Darinnill, V. Sister of Darbelin. St. Dariugdacha, Daludarca, Dar- DULACHA, or Dardalucha (iu French Dorlaie), Feb. 1. •!■ about 524, One of St. Bridoid's nuns at Eildare. One day, not having kept guard over her eyes, she fell in love with a soldier, and he with her. She thought it a horrible sin, and so she filled her wooden shoes with hot coals and thrust her feet into them, and by the violence of the pain extinguished the '* hellish flames with which Satan tried to bum her soul." Next day she confessed her sin. St.