Page:A Dictionary of Saintly Women Volume 2.djvu/185

ST. QUITERIA 173 St. Quintilla or Quintillus, March 19, M. at Sorrento with Quabtilla. B,M, St Ouintula, May 10, M. at Tar- 8U8, in Cilicia. AA,SS, St. Quiriaca (l) or Quiriacus, April 2, M. AA,SS. B. Quiriaca (2), widow. (See Sotbris (2).) St. Quirica, April 6, M. at Nico- media, in Bithynia. AA.SS. St. Quirilla, May 15, V. M. Her body was preserved at Rome with that of St. Sophia. AA,SS. St Quiteria or QuraERE, May 22. 2nd century. Patron of Aire in Gascony ; of Gimont ; of dogs and against hydro- phobia in Spain. Represented (!) carrying her head in her hands, angels holding a crown oyer it, and blood spouting up from her throat; (2) holding a dog on a leash, his tongue hanging out to denote hydro- phobia. She was the eldest of nine daughters (all SS. and W.) of Lucius Caius Attilius, governor of Lusitania and Galicia, under the Romans, — more com- monly called, in the popular legends, '* King," and the daughters called " In- fantas." His wife's name was Calfia and they lived at Braga in Portugal. Calfia expected to have a son, and she and her husband were already proud and glad in anticipation of the child's birth ; but to the horror of the mother, instead of one son, she gave birth to nine daughters. She thought her husband^ would be angry and all the people would laugh at her, so she confided the babes to her faithful maid St. Sila, and bade her take them away quickly and drown them before the king or any one else could discover what had happened. Meantime she caused it to be understood that she had given birth to a dead child. Sila was a Christian, though secretly for fear of the Romans, and she thought it a great pity that nine little human lives should be extinguished on the threshold of the world, and a still greater sin that nine little souls should perish for want of baptism, so she gave them to a Christian woman of her acquaint- ance, and they were brought up piously and christened in due time. When they were ten years old, they were told who they were, whereupon they left their foster-mother and lived together in one house, and made a vow of celibacy. As they were very pretty, they were continually besieged by lovers and offers of marriage, which they could not accept on account of their vow. This soon drew attention to them, and on a perse- cution arising against the Christians, it was reported that the nine sisters, who would not be tempted by riches or any other inducement to marry, must belong to this despised sect. They were ar- rested and brought before Lucius Caius, and on being asked in the usual form who they were, St. Ginevra, speaking for them all, answered, '^ We are your daughters." The king believing that he had only had one child, which did not survive its birth, was quite astonished to be told that he had nine beautiful daughters, and at first could hardly believe it ; but they related the whole story of their birth and life, and appealed to their mother, who confessed that she had had nine daughters at a birth, and for fear of ridicule had commissioned St. Sila to drown them all. Lucius and Calfia now offered to adopt their own children and to give them a little time to abandon their religion, previous to their reception at court. Meantime they were set at liberty. When they were out of sight of their parents, they took an affectionate leave of each other and all went off in different directions. After a time, Quiteria was captured by some of her father's people and . brought back. She lived like a nun in her father's house and he allowed her to exercise her religion without moles- tation, in the hope that she would re- nounce it, or at least her vow of chastity. Meantime, she was guarded and directed by an angel, who took her every day up to Mount Oria to pray. Her daily re- sort to this mountain was made the subject of a scandal against her to which her father never would listen. At last two princes who were for a time rival suitors for the hand of the princess, united to persecute her. She fled to the valley of Aufragia or Eufrasia, and thence, still guided by her guardian