E05550: Bede, in his Martyrology, records the feast on 14 May in Syria of *Victor and Corona/Stephanis (martyrs of Damascus, S01630). Written in Latin at Wearmouth-Jarrow (north-east Britain), 725/731.
Creators: name: Bsavill
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2018
Subjects: History

description: Bede, Martyrology<br><br>III Id. Mai. In Syria, natalis Victoris et Coronae, sub Antonino Imperatore, duce Alexandriae Sebastiano. Erat autem Victor miles a Cilicia, cui Sebastianus in confessione fidei confrigi digitos et evelli iussit a cute. Deinde illum iussit in caminum ignis mitti, ubi triduo permanens non est laesus. Deinde venenum bibere iussus non est mortuus, sed veneficium potius ad fidem convertit. Deinde iussum est nervos corporis ipsius tolli, deinde oleum bulliens mitti in pudendis eius. Post haec iussit ardentes lampades suspenso ad latera applicari. Post hoc acetum et calcem simul misceri et dari in ore; deinde oculos erui; deinde triduo iusum capite suspendi; et dum adhuc spiraret, iussit eum excoriari. Tunc Corona, cum esset uxor cuiusdam militis, coepit beatificare sanctum Victorem pro gloria martyrii. Id dum faceret, vidit duas coronas de caelo lapsas, unam Victori et alteram sibi missam. Cumque hoc cunctis audientibus protestaretur, tenta est a iudice, et iussum est duas arbores palmae curvari ad invicem, et cannabinis funibus ligari Coronam in utraque, manibus et pedibus, et sic arbores dimitti. Quod dum fieret divisa est Corona in duas partes: erat autem annorum sexdecim. Tunc quoque Victor decollatus et ipse victoriae perennis triumphum promeruit.<br><br>'14 May. In Syria, the feast of Victor and Corona, under the emperor Antoninus, when Sebastianus was commander at Alexandria. Victor was a soldier from Cilicia, whom Sebastianus had ordered, as a result of his confession of faith, to have his fingers broken and torn from the skin. Then he ordered him to be put in a furnace of fire where, remaining for three days, he was not harmed. Next, having been ordered to drink poison, he did not die, but converted the poisoner to the faith. Then he was ordered to have the sinews of his very body removed, then to have boiling oil placed on his private parts. After these things, [Sebastianus] ordered him to be hung up and have burning torches applied to his sides. After this, for vinegar and lime to be mixed together and given to him in his mouth; for his eyes to be plucked out; for him to be hung from his head downward for three days; and when he was still breathing, [Sebastianus] ordered him to be skinned. Then Corona, although she was the wife of a certain soldier, began to bless Saint Victor for the glory of his martyrdom. While she was doing that, she saw two crowns, which had fallen down from heaven, one sent for Victor and the other for her. And since she was declaring this in public to all who were listening, she was detained by the judge, and it was ordered for two palm trees to be bent toward each other, and for Corona to be tied with hemp ropes by her hands and feet to both of them, and thus for the trees to be released. When this was done, Corona was divided into two parts: she was sixteen years old. Then Victor was also beheaded and himself earned the triumph of everlasting victory.'<br><br>Text: Quentin 1908, 94-5. Translation: Lifshitz 2000, 185, lightly modified.