St. Reparata

  Posted on November 9, 2020  by admin  No comments

Born: Caesarea Maritima, Palestine

Died: beheaded in the 3rd century, relics translated to the Nice Cathedral in 1690 

Venerated: in Roman Catholic Church

Feast: 8 October

Patronage: Nice, France; Florence, Italy

Saint Reparata (Italian: Santa Reparata, French: Sainte Réparate) was a Catholic virgin and martyr of the 3rd century AD, of Caesarea, Roman Province of Palestine. Sources record her age as being from 11 to 20 years old, though Sainte-Réparate Cathedrale in Nice gives it as 15 years. She was arrested for her faith and tortured during the persecution of Roman Emperor Decius.

Her persecutors tried to burn her alive, but she was saved by a shower of rain. She was then compelled to drink boiling pitch. When she again refused to apostatize, she was decapitated. Her legend states that immediately upon dying a dove appeared to symbolize the departure of her spirit therefrom to Heaven. Later elaborations of her legend state that her body was laid in a boat and blown by the breath of angels to the bay presently denominated the “Baie des Anges” in Nice. A similar tale is associated with the legends of Saint Restituta; Saint Devota, patroness of Monaco and Corsica; and Saint Torpes.