Saint Honorina | |
|---|---|
 Statue of St Honorina at a church inCorbeil-Cerf | |
| Born | 3rd century |
| Died | c. 303 Northern France |
| Venerated in | |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Majorshrine | Chapelle Sainte-Honorine in theChurch of Saint Maclou at Conflans-Sainte-Honorine [fr] |
| Feast | 27 February |
| Attributes | Palm of martyrdom; chain or shackle held in the hand |
| Patronage | Boatmen and sailors, prisoners and captives; thecommune ofConflans-Sainte-Honorine |
Saint Honorina (French:Sainte Honorine) was a 3rd-centuryvirgin martyr ofGallo-Roman northern France, venerated as asaint in theCatholic andEastern Orthodox Churches.[1][2] Believed to have been killed in the first years of the 4th century during thepersecutions of Diocletian, very little is known of her life, apart from her reputed martyrdom for maintaining her Christian faith.[2][3]
She is one of the earliestmartyrs of Gaul, still revered in northern France, especially inNormandy andÎle-de-France, where there are a number ofcommunes, chapels and churches named for her.[2][4] Thecommune ofConflans-Sainte-Honorine, where her relics are kept in the parish church of Saint Maclou, claims her as their patron saint. She is also the patron saint of sailors andboatmen of inland waterways.[4] Prisoners and captives traditionally invoke her name in praying for aid. Her feast day falls on 27 February.[5]
In the traditional account, Honorina belonged to the Gallic tribe ofCalates from thePays de Caux region. Martyred during the persecutions ofDiocletian, near the modern farming town ofMélamare, betweenLillebonne andHarfleur, her body was thrown into theSeine by the pagans.[3] It drifted to Graville, later called Graville-Sainte-Honorine, which is now a district of the modern city ofLe Havre. Reputedly, local Christians recovered Honorina's remains, first burying them at the foot of a cliff nearby; later, monks reinterred her remains in a reliquary, housed in a church they built to honour her.[4] Other traditions hold that she was martyred atCoulonces, Calvados, or in thePays d'Auge, where several villages bear her name.[3]
A community of monks established a priory in the 5th century at Graville-Sainte-Honorine, where they built a church dedicated to Saint Honorina, moving her relics there.[4] In 876, with the coast threatened by theNormans, the monks moved the relics for safekeeping. The reliquary was transported inland, to a fortress at the confluence of the Seine and theOise, and placed them in the chapel of the fortress.[4]
In 1080, the priory of Conflans was founded at the site by Benedictine monks fromBec Abbey, probably to provide for pilgrims visiting the relics. During the course of a dynastic struggle for succession to the lordship of Conflans, its wooden castle was destroyed in a siege on 21 June 1082. It was decided that a new church, further from the castle, should be built to house the rescued relics. In 1086, the new church, dedicated to Honorina, was completed. Her relics were solemnly translated there, in the presence of thebishop of Paris andAnselm, the Abbot of Bec Abbey, later the Archbishop of Canterbury andDoctor of the Church. It is from these events thatConflans become known asConflans-Sainte-Honorine.[4][3]
Aconfraternity was founded in her honour in later years, and specialindulgences associated with her cult were also approved. Saint Honorina is thepatron saint of boatmen, since Conflans-Sainte-Honorine became a port of arrival for thetugs that travel on the rivers and canals of northern France.[3]
Prisoners who were liberated thanks to the divine intercession of Saint Honorina brought their chains as anex-voto.[6][5]
A regional pilgrimage, onAscension Day, developed thanks to the monks of the priory of Conflans, who were associated withBec Abbey.[4]
There are several French towns that are namedSainte-Honorine.
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