SAINT CHARALAMPIUS was priest at Magnesia, in the reign of Severus. He was brought before the governor, Lucianus, and was flayed with iron scrapers; the governor himself, in his rage, assisting the executioners in their barbarous work. With him suffered two soldiers and three women.

S. SOTERIS, V. M.
(4TH CENT.)

[Modern Roman Martyrology, and those of Usuardus and Ado. But the ancient Roman Martyrology, bearing the name of S. Jerome, and those of Notker Bede (so-called), Rabanus, and others, on Feb.6th. Nor are the Martyrologies agreed as to where she suffered, some saying, "in the East," others "at Rome." Authority:—S. Ambrose, who was of her family, gives an account of her martyrdom in his Exhort. Virginit. lib. iii.]

S. Ambrose boasts of this saint as the greatest honour of his family. She was descended from a long series of consuls and prefects; but her greatest glory was in despising, for Christ's sake, her wealth, birth, and beauty. When the edicts of persecution were issued under Diocletian and Maximian, against the Christians, she was summoned before the judge, and her face was beaten because she would not deny Christ. She, however, counted it all joy to suffer in the like manner of her Master, and, though cruelly beaten, shed not a tear. At length, overcome by her constancy, the judge ordered her head to be struck off.

One of the Roman catacombs on the Appian way, bears the name of S. Soteris. This catacomb was restored by Pope Stephen III., when the roof had fallen in. It has been erroneously supposed, by some, that this catacomb was called after Pope S. Soter; but Anastasius the Librarian, in recording the restoration of the cemetery, calls it "Cemeterium SanctÆ Soteris." Stephen III. (II.) reigned from 752 to 757. The body was removed from this catacomb by Pope Symmachus, (498-514,) to the church of S. Sylvester, in the city of Rome. A portion of the relics were given to the church of Sezanne, in the modern department of Marne, in France. One of her bones is preserved in the Jesuit Church at Luxembourg. A body of S. Soteris is preserved in the Cistercian Church at Madrid; but as the history of the Acts of this S. Soteris cannot be adapted to the saint of Rome, it is probable that she is some local Spanish saint, of whom nothing authentic is known.

S. ZENO, H.
(ABOUT A.D. 419.)

[Theodoret in his Philotheus, c.12, gives an account of this venerable monk, whom he had visited, and knew personally.]

This venerable hermit lived in an old tomb cut out of the rocks in the neighbourhood of Antioch, in Syria. He observed the monastic rule for forty years, living on bread and water, and on Sunday visiting a church, that he might partake of the divine mysteries, and listen to sermons. Theodoret makes a quaint little remark about him: "That he used to borrow one book at a time from his friends, read it through, and return it when read, and then borrow another."

S. SCHOLASTICA, V.
(A.D. 543.)

[Famous wherever the name of S. Benedict, her brother, is known. Authorities for her life, the same as those for his. The following sketch of her life is extracted from Montalembert's Monks of the West.]

In the history of most saints who have exercised a reformatory and lasting influence upon monastic institutions, the name and influence of some holy woman is almost invariably found associated with their work and devotedness. These bold combatants in the war of the Spirit against the flesh seemed to have drawn strength and consolation from a chaste and fervent community of sacrifices, prayers, and virtues, with a mother or a sister, by blood or choice, whose sanctity shed upon one corner of their glorious lives a ray of sweeter and more familiar light. To instance only the greatest: Macrina is seen by the side of S. Basil, and the names of Monica and Augustine are inseparable; as in later ages are those of S. Francis of Assisi and S. Clara, S. Francis of Sales and S. Jeanne Chantal. S. Benedict had also a sister, born on the same day with himself, named Scholastica; they loved each other as twins often love, with fraternal regard, elevated into a passion. But both loved God above all. Still earlier than her brother, Scholastica had consecrated herself to God from her infancy; and, in becoming a nun, she made herself the patroness and model of the innumerable family of virgins who were to acknowledge, adopt, and follow the code of her brother. She rejoined him at Monte Cassino, and established herself in a monastery, in the depths of a valley near the holy mountain. Benedict directed her from afar, as he did many other nuns in the neighbourhood. But they met only once a year, and then it was Scholastica who left her cloister, and sought her brother. He, on his side, went to meet her: they met upon the side of the mountain, not far from the door of the monastery, in a spot which has long been venerated. There, at their last meeting, occurred that struggle of fraternal love, and the austerity of the rule, recorded by S. Gregory,[31] which is the only known episode in the life of Scholastica, and which has insured an imperishable remembrance to her name. They had passed the entire day in pious conversation, mingled with praises of God. Towards the evening they ate together. While they were still at table, and the night approached, Scholastica said to her brother, "I pray thee, do not leave me to-night, but let us speak of the joys of heaven till the morning." "What sayest thou, my sister?" answered Benedict; "on no account can I remain out of the monastery." Upon the refusal of her brother, Scholastica bent her head between her clasped hands on the table, but prayed to God, shedding torrents of tears, to such an extent, that the table was flooded with them. The weather was very serene: there was not a cloud in the air. But scarcely had she raised her head when thunder was heard, and a violent storm began; the rain, lightning, and thunder were such, that neither Benedict, nor any of his brethren, who accompanied him, could take a step beyond the roof that sheltered them. Then he said to Scholastica, "May God pardon thee, my sister, but what hast thou done?" "Ah, yes," she answered him, "I prayed thee, and thou would'st not listen to me; then I prayed God, and he heard me. Go now, if thou canst, and send me away, to return to thy monastery." He resigned himself, against his will, to remain, and they passed the rest of the night in spiritual converse. S. Gregory, who has preserved the tale to us, adds that it is not to be wondered at, that God granted the desire of the sister rather than that of the brother, because, of the two, it was the sister who loved most, and that those who love most have the greatest power with God.

In the morning they parted, to see each other no more in this life. Three days after, Benedict, being at the window of his cell, had a vision, in which he saw his sister entering heaven under the form of a dove. Overpowered with joy, his gratitude burst forth in songs and hymns to the glory of God.

Her body was translated to Le Mans, in France, of which city she is patroness, but her relics were dispersed by the Huguenots, in 1562. However, some portions have been preserved, some in the Jesuit Church at Antwerp, and a bone in the Carthusian Church at Cologne.

S. SURA, V. M.
(DATE UNKNOWN.)

This Saint, called in Dutch, Zuwardt, is said to have built the first Christian Church at Dordrecht. She was murdered by some ruffians, who hoped to possess themselves of her money, wherewith she paid for the edification of the house of God, but found only three pennies in her purse, whence arose the tradition that she had only that sum the whole time, and that as often as she paid it away, the same sum remained in her purse.

S. WILLIAM OF MALEVAL, H.
(A.D. 1157.)

[Roman Martyrology. Authority:—His Life, by his friend and disciple, Albert, in whose arms he died. Several modern writers have confused S. William of Maleval with S. William of Mariemont, and even with S. William I., Duke of Aquitaine, and S. William IX., Duke of Guienne, who died 1137.]

Nothing is known of the birth of this saint, or of his early life, on which he preserved an impenetrable secrecy. It is said that he made a pilgrimage to S. Jago of Compostella, but even this is uncertain, as S. William of Guienne, his contemporary, is known to have made this expedition, and it is quite possible that the act of one S. William has been transferred to the other.

In the year 1153, there appeared in Tuscany a man, who sought to hide himself from the eyes of his fellow-men. The islet of Lupocavio, in the district of Pisa, seemed to him to answer his desire; there he constructed a small habitation, and remained there. His edifying example attracted several persons to him, who settled near his cell, and undertook to follow his rule of life. But their fervour soon cooled down, and their undisciplined manners obliged him to withdraw from his solitude, and retire to Monte Prunio, where he hoped to be alone with his God, and where he erected in a dense wood, a hut of boughs, and thatched it with leaves and fern. He was soon joined by idle vagrants, who, under the pretence of a religious life, attempted to impose on the charity of pious persons. S. William soon discovered that these men were actuated by no religious vocation, and their hypocrisy drove him again from his resting-place. He was, indeed, compulsorily ejected by these miscreants, who could ill bear his sanctity subsisting as a reproach upon their irregularities. He then returned to the island of Lupocavio, but not finding his former associates there disposed to receive him, he fixed his habitation in a desert valley, called at that time "The stable of Rhodes," but since known as "the bad valley," Maleval. It was situated in the territory of Sienna, about a league distant from Castigline, Pescara, and Buriano. It was in 1155, that he hid himself in this solitude, having at first only a hole in the earth, in which he could shelter from the inclemency of the weather, till the Lord of Buriano, taking compassion on him, built a little cell for his lodging. For four months he lived only on roots and herbs, having no other companions than the wild beasts; but, in the beginning of the year 1156, he received a disciple, named Albert, who wrote the account of the close of his life. The saint practised surprising austerities; thrice in the week he took only very little bread, and wine much diluted; on the other days he took bread, and herbs and water. He wore sackcloth next his skin, and slept on the bare ground. He was endowed with the gift of prophecy, of which Albert had himself experience, for when the saint was dying, and his disciple was lamenting that he should be left alone, S. William bade him be of good cheer, for God would give him a companion shortly. This seemed so improbable, that Albert could not trust it; but going forth from the cell shortly after, he met a man, named Raynald, a physician, who had come to renounce the world and place himself under the direction of the pious hermit. Albert, fearing that the death of the saint might make him change his purpose, cast himself at his feet, and implored him to come and make his profession before the dying saint at once. Raynald did so, and Albert submitted himself to the direction of his new companion on the death of his first master. S. William died in the arms of Albert, after having received the last sacraments from a priest of Castigline, who had been warned of the illness of the hermit. Raynald and Albert buried S. William in his little garden. After his death they preserved the spirit of penitence and mortification with which he had inspired them during his life, and they endeavoured to follow his maxims as their rule of life; and thus originated the Order of the Guillemites, which rapidly spread from Italy, through France, the Low Countries, and Germany. At first they followed the institutes of S. William only, and fasted almost perpetually, and walked barefoot. But Pope Gregory IX. moderated their great austerities, allowed them to be shod, and required them to follow the rule of S. Benedict.

S. JOHN-WILLIAM, H.
(A.D. 1241.)

[Day unfixed for his commemoration, but locally, he is commemorated on the same day as his namesake. He is called Saint in Belgium, but is of local canonization only. Authorities:—Life by an anonymous Cistercian monk, of undecided date, published by Bollandus, and another life in the annals of Jacobus Guisius.]

This venerable hermit of Brabant was the founder of the ancient abbey "of the Olive," whose ruins may still be seen at some little distance from the ancient castle of Mariemont, near Binche in Hainault.

Having lived a life of great irregularity during his youth, John-William retired, in a moment of remorse, to the abbey of ChÉrailles, near Vervins; but he shortly afterwards quitted it, being drawn into the world again by his passions. But God, says the legend, gave him a warning which brought him once more to his senses, and he retired to a lonely place near Morlanwelz, where he built a little hermitage of branches, and lived for some time, unknown, exercising himself in prayer and vigil, and living on roots and wild fruit. If we may believe a popular legend, to punish himself for having yielded to his animal passions so long, he would not stand upright, but walked about like a beast, on all fours. Later on, Dame Bertha, the widow of Eustace de RÆulz, having heard of his piety, offered him the choice of any spot on her lands, where he might cultivate the soil to supply his necessities. He accepted her offer, and began diligently to till the ground. John of BÉthune, Bishop of Cambrai, informed of the perfection of the hermit, conferred upon him priest's orders; after which, John-William undertook the construction of a stone church on the ground given him by the lady Bertha. When this was complete, the hermit asked the abbess of Fontenelle to send some of her nuns to establish themselves there. She complied with his request, but the place not suiting them, they returned to their convent. At his request, seven nuns from Monstres-sur-Sambre were then sent to him, and they placed themselves under his direction; the institution was incorporated in the order of Citeaux, an abbess was elected, and the place which had formerly borne the designation of "The Hermitage," was now called "The Olive." There are many hypotheses to account for the origin of this name. One is, that it was derived from the number of cures wrought by olive oil, from the lamp burnt before the image of the Holy Virgin in the church. The founder died in 1240, on the 10th February, at the age of sixty-six, and was buried in the monastery church.

S. CLARA OF RIMINI, MATR.
(A.D. 1346.)

[Roman Martyrology. Authority:—Life by Cardinal Joseph Garampi.]

Clara was born at Rimini, her father's name was Chiarello, and her mother's Gaudiana; they belonged to a noble family, and were very wealthy. Clara was married early, but shortly after lost her husband. Having been exiled on account of a civil war, she returned to Rimini, to see her father and one of her brothers perish on the scaffold.

She was married again, but after a while, with the consent of her husband, devoted her life to the practice of self-mortification. She slept on a hard board, and encircled her neck and wrists with iron rings to punish herself for her extravagance in jewelry when young. Her food was bread and water, and a little oil on Sundays.

Not content with these austerities, and the rigorous fasts she imposed on herself from the feast of S. Martin till Christmas, and from Epiphany till Easter, she spent the greater part of many nights in prayer, and during Lent she retired into an old look-out box on the town walls, where, exposed to the cold and rain, she spent the time in confessing her faults, and reciting the Lord's Prayer, a hundred times a day. Her close communing with God made her heart overflow with charity towards all men. Hearing that her brother had been banished a second time from his native town, and was sick at Urbino, she flew to his bedside, and nursed him with the utmost tenderness, escaping occasionally into an ancient ruined tower, near the cathedral at Urbino, to refresh her spirit with prayer. On the restoration of tranquillity, she returned to Rimini with her brother, where she became shortly the solace of all the afflicted. One day, hearing that the poor Clares were without fuel, she ran into the country, and getting a large log of wood, laid it on her shoulder, and carried it through the streets to their door. A noble kinsman, not liking to see her thus demean herself, as he considered it, sent a servant to relieve her of the load, but she refused to surrender it, saying that her Lord was not ashamed to bear His cross for the sake of sinners, and that, therefore, it was no dishonour for her to carry wood for the use of His servants.

Once, hearing that a man was sentenced to pay a heavy fine, or have his hand chopped off, and that he was unable to ransom his hand, she sold herself as a slave, and with the money would have redeemed the hand from amputation, had not the magistrates, touched by her charity, pardoned the man. Having once given way to intemperate speech towards someone who had annoyed her, she punished herself by nipping her tongue with a pair of pincers, so that she was unable to speak for two or three days after.=She built a convent for those women who had placed themselves under her direction, near the old watch-box on the walls, and gave it the name of "The Annunciation," but the title was changed afterwards to that of "Our Lady of the Angels."

Towards the end of her life she lost her sight. She died on Feb.10th, 1346, and was buried in the church of her convent, where her relics are still preserved. The cult of her was approved in 1784 by Pope Pius VI., and her commemoration was fixed for the 10th February.

[31] Dialog. ii., c.12, 23, 33.