St Christina of Bolsena ~ A Bi-Ritual Saint

St Christina of Bolsena, known in the East as the Holy Great Martyr Christina, is honoured in both the Byzantine & Latin Churches today. Here is her story from both traditions.

From the East:

The Martyr Christina lived during the third century. She was born into a rich family, and her father was governor of Tyre. By the age of 11 the girl was exceptionally beautiful, and many wanted to marry her. Christina’s father, however, envisioned that his daughter should become a pagan priestess. To this end he placed her in a special dwelling where he had set up many gold and silver idols, and he commanded his daughter to burn incense before them. Two servants attended Christina.

In her solitude, Christina began to wonder who had created this beautiful world. From her room, she was delighted by the stars of the heavens and she constantly came back to the thought about the Creator of all the world. She was convinced, that the voiceless and inanimate idols in her room could not create anything, since they themselves were created by human hands. She began to pray to the One God with tears, entreating Him to reveal Himself. Her soul blazed with love for the Unknown God, and she intensified her prayer all the more and combined it with fasting.

One time Christina was visited by an angel, who instructed her in the true faith in Christ, the Savior of the world. The angel called her a bride of Christ and told her about her future suffering. The holy virgin smashed all the idols standing in her room and threw them out the window. In visiting his daughter Christina’s father, Urban asked her where all the idols had disappeared. Christina was silent. Then, having summoned the servants, Urban learned the truth from them.

In a rage, the father began to slap his daughter’s face. At first, the holy virgin remained quiet, but then she told her father about her faith in the One True God, and that she had destroyed the idols with her own hands. Urban gave orders to kill all the servants in attendance upon his daughter, and he gave Christina a fierce beating and threw her in prison. Having learned about what had happened, Saint Christina’s mother came in tears, imploring her to renounce Christ and to return to her ancestral beliefs. But Christina remained unyielding. On another day, Urban brought his daughter to trial and urged her to offer worship to the gods and to ask forgiveness for her misdeeds. Instead, he saw her firm and steadfast confession of faith in Christ.

The torturers tied her to an iron wheel, beneath which they lit a fire. The body of the martyr, turning round on the wheel, was scorched on all sides. They then threw her into prison.

An angel of God appeared at night, healing her wounds and strengthening her with food. Her father, seeing her unharmed, gave orders to drown her in the sea. An angel sustained the saint while the stone sank down, and Christina miraculously came out of the water and reappeared before her father. In terror, her father imputed this to sorcery and decided to execute her in the morning. That night he himself suddenly died. Another governor, Dion, was sent in his place. He summoned the holy martyr and also tried to persuade her to renounce Christ, but seeing her unyielding firmness, he again subjected her to cruel tortures. The holy martyr was for a long while in prison. People began to flock to her, and she converted them to the true faith in Christ. Thus about 300 were converted.

In place of Dion, a new governor Julian arrived and resumed the torture of the saint. After various torments, Julian gave orders to throw her into a red-hot furnace and lock her in it. After five days they opened the furnace and found the martyr alive and unharmed. Seeing this miracle take place, many believed in Christ the Savior, and the torturers executed Saint Christina with a sword.

Troparion — Tone 4

Your lamb Christina calls out to You, O Jesus, in a loud voice: / I love You, my Bridegroom, and in seeking You I endure suffering. / In baptism I was crucified so that I might reign in You, / and I died so that I might live with You. / Accept me as a pure sacrifice, / for I have offered myself in love. / Through her prayers save our souls, since You are merciful.

Kontakion — Tone 4

You appeared as a radiant dove with golden wings, / and you soared to the height of Heaven. O revered Christina. / Therefore, we celebrate your glorious Feast, / and with faith we venerate the shrine with your relics, / for from it divine healing of souls and bodies flows abundantly for all.

From the West:

From St Christina Parish

July 24th is the feast day of St. Christina. She was a martyr in the early Church. Her death in 300 A.D. is another example of those who selflessly gave their lives to defend the Faith and spread the message of the Gospel. Thirteen years after her death, Constantine the Great legalized Christianity and was Baptized before he died.

Saint Christina was born around the year 290 A.D. The Roman Empire was in increasing disarray with many insurrections and wars. Christianity was not only illegal and forbidden, but Christians were routinely rounded up and physically persecuted and executed.

St. Christina was born in Tyro in the Tuscany region of Italy. The town was built on an island in the lake near Bolsena which has since sunk. Her father, Urban Anicii, was the Roman Prefect for the island. In today’s terms, his position was a combination of governor and judge. Her father was solidly in league with the Roman Empire. The people of the Roman Empire worshipped many gods, much like Greek mythology. Urban was deeply attached to his Roman assortment of deities. It was a way of life before Christianity took hold.

Urban was an enemy to the Christians, and hardly a day passed when he did not call one of the Faithful into his presence and doom them to suffering and death. Christina was just a child, but on seeing this, she was struck by how fearless and happy the Christians were during their torments. She was curious to know what kind of people these were, why they were persecuted and what gave them the strength to bear the sufferings they endured.

Christina sought out someone who could teach her about the Christian faith. In time, she was Baptized as a Christian without her parents’ knowledge. Shortly thereafter, she took her father’s idols, composed of gold and silver, and with the help of others, broke them into pieces and gave them to the poor. Her father was furious and resolved to avenge the dishonor done to the gods with his daughter’s blood. At first he tried to win her over with kindness. He kept encouraging her to forsake Christ and she refused. She is reported as saying: “Do with me whatever you like, my dear father; you can take my life, but the faith of Christ you have no power to tear out of my heart. My Savior will strengthen me to suffer patiently all that you have threatened.”

Her father ordered her to be beaten. She gave no signs of pain in her suffering. Her father had her beaten again but Christina looked to heaven and thanked Almighty God for aiding her to bear her pain. Her father then ordered that she be tied to an iron wheel. A fire was lit beneath it to roast the girl. As she sang a song of praise, she remained unhurt by the flames. Her father then threw her into a dungeon only to begin again the next day.

While in the dungeon, an angel appeared to her and healed her wounds. The angel encouraged her to persevere and gave her assurance of divine assistance. When her father heard of her healing he sent an executioner to the prison to tie a large stone around her neck and cast her into the lake. The same angel who had visited her the day before carried her safely to shore. Her father was beside himself and sent her back to the dungeon. That night her father died. He was found dead the next morning. It is presumed he died from a stroke or apoplexy brought on by his uncontrolled anger.

Dio was Urban’s replacement as Prefect. He was even more cruel towards Christians than Urban. He had Christina brought to him and ordered an iron cradle to be built and filled with boiling oil and tar. Christina was summoned and immersed in the cradle. She made the Sign of the Cross and said to the soldiers, “…you have reason to lay me like a child in a cradle; for it is hardly a year since I was born in Holy Baptism.” She was not harmed or experienced pain through the ordeal.

Dio then had Christina taken to the temple of Apollo. She was directed to make fitting sacrifice to Apollo. When Christina stepped into the temple, she made the Sign of the Cross and the image of Apollo fell from the altar and was broken into a thousand pieces. The soldiers who brought Christina to the temple were terrified and released her saying, “Truly the God of the Christians is the one true God.” Many of those who witnessed this event became Christian.

Julian succeeded Dio as Prefect. He was even more ruthless. He gave Christina a choice: sacrifice to the gods or be thrown into a fiery furnace. She would not do it so they threw her in the furnace. She remained in it for five days unharmed - much like the companions of Daniel in the Old Testament during their exile in Babylon. (See Daniel Chapter 3). Since that did not work, Julian had Christina taken to a cavern with many vicious animals. She made the Sign of the Cross and none of the animals touched her. She sang praises to God and the animals listened. The guards, tired of her songs, tore out her tongue. She was finally tied to a pole and shot with arrows. With that, Christina went to heaven to meet her Maker.

One Sunday in 1263, a German Priest, Peter of Prague, was celebrating Mass above the tomb of St. Christina in the town of Bolsena. When he raised the host, blood started to trickle over his hands and onto the Altar. A year later, after investigation and authentication, the miracle was confirmed. It so moved Pope Urban IV that he instituted the new feast of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). The white, blood-stained linen corporal cloth can still be seen in Orvieto Cathedral north of Rome. St. Christina was a very popular saint in the West and was one of the patron saints of sailors, archers, and millers. Her relics are now in Palermo in Sicily.