A virgin of the early centuries honored in Troyes, Saint Mastidia (or Mathie) is described as a royal virgin. Her relics, lost during the Norman invasions of 892, were found intact in 992 beneath the cathedral. She is famous for the numerous healing miracles performed during her ostensions in the 11th century.
Contemporaries
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Guided reading
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SAINT MASTIDIA OR MATHIE, VIRGIN.
Origins and rediscovery of the relics
A virgin of the early centuries in Troyes, Mastidia saw her relics disappear during the Norman invasions of 892 before being found intact by Bishop Milon in 992.
Ma stidia, of Tr oyes, was a virgin of extraordinary virtue. Her Acts have perished; it is concluded that she flourished in the first centuries of the Christian faith. But the few monuments that remain to us of her life are sufficient to glimpse at least the brilliance of her holiness. In the year 343 of our saint, she rested under the altar, as was practiced for the ancient Martyrs. The inhabitants of the city of Troyes, and in particular Saint Maura, virgin, honored her very devoutly and very piously. Now, the city of Troyes having been sacked and burned with all its churches, in 892, by the Normans, the relics of our Saint disappeared for a long time under the accumulated ruins. About a century later, in 992, Milon, Bishop of Troy es, f ound the body of Saint Mastidia while having the ground of the cathedral excavated; it wa s entirely whole and wrapped in a purple shroud. Deposited in the church with honor, it shone with numerous miracles, especially in the year 1067, when it was carried, for a station, to the suburban church of Saint-Remy, for th e Easter s eason, and restored health to a very great number of the sick, according to what is read in the history of her invention. Subsequently, as a great multitude of people flocked to Troyes to honor the holy relics, May 8 was designated for the celebration of the feast.
Miracles and influence
In 1067, numerous healing miracles were reported during a procession, attracting a huge crowd and establishing her renown as a 'royal virgin'.
« Here are some of the miracles performed by the Saint in the year 1067: She healed a woman from the town of Tonnerre, whose left hand was withered; she healed a three-year-old child from the town of Sens, w ho w as sick and weak in the legs. She restored sight to a blind man. She straightened a woman who was hunchbacked; she made a paralytic, who had been ill for thirty years, healthy and fit; she restored hearing to a woman from Sens, and sight to another woman. She made a child who crawled like a beast walk upright; she healed two little girls aged five; a man from Toul, of a facial contraction; and a young man whose left side of the body was paralyzed. These miracles made Saint Mastidia very famous and very dear to all the neighboring populations. The author who composed the account of her invention calls her a royal virgin, incomparable, and devoted to God ».
Cult and distribution of relics
The relics were formally recognized in 1821 and fragments were distributed to several parishes in the diocese of Troyes, where they are the object of great devotion.
There are relics of Saint Mathie at the cathedral of Troyes, which were recognized on April 25, 1821. Saint-Remy of Troyes, Le Chêne, Maizières-la-Grande-Pavoisse, Jolly-sur-Sarce, and La Maison-des-Champs possess fragments that are everywhere the object of great veneration.
The ancient constitutions of the diocese of Troyes, renewed in 1371, forbade field work on the feast day of Saint Mathie.
Annuaire propre de Troyes, local notes.
Iconography
Signs and attributes
Entities
Narrative network
The names, places, and concepts most present in the entry, weighted by centrality in the text.
The supernatural in their life
The miracles of Saint Mastidia (Mathie)
Frequently asked questions about Saint Mastidia (Mathie)
Who was Saint Mastidia (Mathie)?
A virgin of the early centuries honored in Troyes, Saint Mastidia (or Mathie) is described as a royal virgin. Her relics, lost during the Norman invasions of 892, were found intact in 992 beneath the cathedral. She is famous for the numerous healing miracles performed during her ostensions in the 11th century.
What is Saint Mastidia (Mathie) the patron saint of?
Patronage of Saint Mastidia (Mathie): Troyes.
What is Saint Mastidia (Mathie) invoked for?
Saint Mastidia (Mathie) is invoked for: healing of withered limbs, healing of paralysis, recovering sight, recovering hearing and feeble or infirm children.
How is Saint Mastidia (Mathie) depicted in Christian art?
In iconography, Saint Mastidia (Mathie) is recognizable by: purple shroud.
What miracles are attributed to Saint Mastidia (Mathie)?
5 miracles are attributed to this saint, notably: Healing.
Which saints were contemporaries of Saint Mastidia (Mathie)?
Contemporaries include: Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, Saint Ausonius of Angoulême, Saint Firmin of Pamplona and Saint Baudilus.
What are the other names of Saint Mastidia (Mathie)?
Other forms of the name: Mathie and Mastidie.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Resting under the altar in the year 343
- Disappearance of relics during the sack of Troyes by the Normans in 892
- Discovery of the body by Bishop Milon in 992 in the cathedral of Troyes
- Translation and miracles at Saint-Remy church in 1067
- Recognition of relics on April 25, 1821
Quotes
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Royal virgin, incomparable, dedicated to God
Author of the account of her discovery