Monica

For other uses, see (disambiguation).

Saint Monica[1] (AD 331[2] – 387), also known as Mon- ica of Hippo,(Be. Timaniket) was an early Christian saint and the mother of St. . She is remembered and honoured in most Christian denom- inations, albeit on different feast days, for her outstand- ing Christian virtues, particularly the suffering caused by her husband’s adultery, and her prayerful life dedicated to the reformation of her son, who wrote extensively of her pious acts and life with her in his . Popu- lar Christian legends recall Saint Monica weeping every night for her son Augustine.

1 Life

Because of her name and place of birth, Monica is as- sumed to have been of Berber origin.[3] She was married early in life to Patricius, a pagan, who held an official position in Tagaste (present-day , ). Patricius had a violent temper and appears to have been of dissolute habits; apparently his mother was the same way. Monica’s alms deeds and prayer habits annoyed Patricius, Saint Augustine and his mother, Saint Monica (painting from 1846) but it is said that he always held her in respect.[4] Monica had three children who survived infancy: sons Augustine and Navigius and daughter Perpetua. Unable vert to after 17 years of resistance. to secure baptism for them, she grieved heavily when Au- In his book Confessions, Augustine wrote of a peculiar gustine fell ill. In her distress she asked Patricius to allow practice of his mother in which she “brought to certain Augustine to be baptized; he agreed, then withdrew this oratories, erected in the memory of the , offerings of consent when the boy recovered. porridge, bread, water and wine.”[5] When she moved to But Monica’s joy and relief at Augustine’s recovery , the bishop forbade her to use the offering turned to anxiety as he misspent his renewed life being of wine, since “it might be an occasion of gluttony for wayward and, as he himself tells us, lazy. He was fi- those who were already given to drink”. So, Augustine nally sent to school at Madaurus. He was 17 and studying wrote of her: rhetoric in when Patricius died. [4] In place of a basket filled with fruits of the Augustine had become a Manichaean at Carthage; when earth, she had learned to bring to the oratories upon his return home he shared his views regarding of the martyrs a heart full of purer petitions, , Monica drove him away from her table. and to give all that she could to the poor--so However, she is said to have experienced a vision that that the communion of the Lord’s body might [4] convinced her to reconcile with him. be rightly celebrated in those places where, af- At this time she visited a certain (unnamed) holy bishop ter the example of his passion, the martyrs had who consoled her with the now famous words, “the child been sacrificed and crowned. of those tears shall never perish.” Monica followed her — Confessions 6.2.2 wayward son to , where he had gone secretly; when she arrived he had already gone to Milan, but she fol- Mother and son spent 6 months of true peace at Rus Cas- lowed him. Here she found St. Ambrose and through siciacum (present-day Cassago Brianza) after which Au- him she ultimately had the joy of seeing Augustine con- gustine was baptized in the church of St. John the Bap-

1 2 5 REFERENCES

tist at Milan. Africa claimed them, however, and they Monica in a chapel to the left of the high altar. The Office set out on their journey, stopping at Civitavecchia and at of St. Monica, however, does not seem to have found a . Here death overtook Monica and Augustine’s grief place in the before the 16th century. inspired the finest pages of his Confessions. The city of Santa Monica, California, is named after Monica. A legend states that in the 18th century Father Juan Crespí named a local dripping spring Las Lagrimas 2 Veneration de Santa Monica (“Saint Monica’s Tears”) (today known as the Serra Springs) that was reminiscent of the tears that Saint Monica shed over her son’s early impiety.[8] As recorded in his diary, however, Crespí actually named the place San Gregorio.[8] What is known for certain is that by the 1820s, the name Santa Monica was in use and its first official mention occurred in 1827 in the form of a grazing permit.[8] There is a statue of this saint in Santa Monica’s Palisades Park by sculptor Eugene Morahan; it was completed in 1934.[9]

3 In popular culture

The “weeping” springs outside Santa Monica, California were named for the saint. Saint Monica’s tomb, Basilica di Sant'Agostino, Rome In the 2012 film Restless Heart: The Confessions of Saint Augustine, Saint Monica is portrayed by Italian actress Saint Monica was buried at Ostia, and at first seems to Monica Guerritore. have been almost forgotten, though her body was removed during the 6th century to a hidden crypt in the church of in Osta. Monica was buried near the tomb 4 Gallery of St. Aurea of Ostia.[6] It was later transferred to the Augustinian Basilica of Sant'Agostino in Rome. • Marriage of Saint Monica by Antonio Vivarini, 1441 Anicius Bassus wrote Monica’s funerary epitaph, which survived in ancient manuscripts.[6] The actual stone on • Statue of St. Monica on the facade of a former which it was written was rediscovered in the summer of Augustinian church in Tábor, , ca. 1945 in the church of Santa Aurea. The fragment was 1700 discovered after two boys were digging a hole to plant a • The Angel Appears to Saint Monica by Pietro Maggi, football post in the courtyard beside Santa Aurea.[7] 1714 A translation from the Latin, by Douglas Boin, reads as: • Fresco by Simon Benedikt Faistenberger, 1749 Here the most virtuous mother of a young man set her ashes, a second light to your mer- its, Augustine. As a priest, serving the heav- 5 References enly laws of peace, you taught [or, you teach] the people entrusted to you with your charac- [1] extquotedbl...Augustine’s mother’s name, Monica, is ter. A glory greater than the praise of your Berber ... the names Monnica and Nonnica are found accomplishments crowns you both - Mother on tombstones in the Libyan language - as such Mon- of the Virtues, more fortunate because of her nica is the only Berber name commonly used in English”, offspring.[6] Michael Brett and Elizabeth Fentress, The , Wiley- Blackwell, 1997, p.71, 293

About the 13th century, however, the cult of St. Monica [2] The Liturgy of the Hours, Volume IV. Proper of Saints, began to spread and a feast in her honour was kept on August 27. 4 May. In 1430 ordered the relics to be brought to Rome. Many miracles occurred on the way, [3] Michael Brett and Elizabeth Fentress, The Berbers, Wiley- Blackwell, 1997, p.71. and the cultus of St. Monica was definitely established. Later the Archbishop of Rouen, Cardinal d'Estouteville, [4] Foley O.F.M., Leonard. Saint of the Day, Lives, Lessons, built a church at Rome in honour of St. Augustine, the and Feast, (revised by Pat McCloskey O.F.M.) Franciscan Basilica di Sant'Agostino, and deposited the relics of St. Media 3

[5] Confessions 6.2.2

[6] “Church of Sant'Aurea”. Ostia-Antica.org. Retrieved March 15, 2011.

[7] Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo: A Biography, Revised Edition with a New Epilogue (University of California Press, 2000), 124.

[8] Paula A. Scott, Santa Monica: a history on the edge. Mak- ing of America series (Arcadia Publishing, 2004), 17-18.

[9] “Santa Monica Sculpture”. You Are Here.com. ?. Re- trieved March 14, 2011. Check date values in: |date= (help)

6 Bibliography

• Peter Brown, Augustine of Hippo: A Biography. New edition with an epilogue, Berkeley, University of California Press, c2000 • Everett Ferguson, Encyclopedia of Early Christian- ity, Taylor & Francis, 1998, p. 776 • John J. O'Meara, The Young Augustine:the growth of St. Augustine’s mind up to his conversion, London, Longmans, Green and Co, 1954

7 External links

• extquotedblSt. Monica extquotedbl. Catholic Ency- clopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. 1913.

• Saint Monica at EWTN • Saint Monica at Sacred Texts 4 8 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

8 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

8.1 Text

• Saint Monica Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Monica?oldid=629772652 Contributors: Michael Hardy, Abou Ben Adhem, JASpencer, Tom Peters, DonPaolo, Topbanana, Nnh, Owen, Dimadick, Robbot, JustinHall, Geogre, Puffy jacket, GreatWhiteNortherner, TOO, Andycjp, Mustafaa, MisfitToys, DNewhall, Oneiros, Jpg, Discospinster, User2004, ChristophDemmer, Hapsiainen, Lima, Man vyi, Polylerus, Larry Grossman, LtNOWIS, Arthena, Ricky81682, Splat, Velella, Dabbler, Spartacus007, Woohookitty, FeanorStar7, Miaow Miaow, Chochopk, Mandarax, Wbeek, Cuchullain, Bunchofgrapes, Rjwilmsi, Eubot, Gurch, Jaraalbe, Red Slash, Briaboru, CambridgeBayWeather, Vancouveriensis, Zagalejo, Blkgardner, Evrik, Cinik, JLaTondre, Allens, Katieh5584, LakeHMM, SmackBot, Brian1979, Piccadilly, Portillo, Hmains, Carl.bunderson, DHN-bot, KaiserbBot, Poposhka, Cybercobra, Iblardi, Er Komandante, Will Beback, Ekm02001, DA3N, InsaneZeroG, Ospinad, Minna Sora no Shita, Neddyseagoon, Bwpach, KJS77, Norm mit, Peadarx, Tura- bianNights, Ewulp, Angeldeb82, Jorgito0246, Fetofsbot2, Tanthalas39, Eric, CWY2190, ShelfSkewed, Iphthime, Jordan Brown, Cyde- bot, Stlukeprmoody, Nasugbu batangas, Kingstowngalway, Thijs!bot, Epbr123, Roger Pearse, Missvain, Deschreiber, Nezzadar, Antique Rose, JAnDbot, PubliusFL, VoABot II, TonyStarks, Mikemagan, Enternickname, BrianGV, STBot, BONGU SEAN, Bmrbarre, Tgeairn, Stationary, Riverfield, AisuBurakku, Katharineamy, Bewareofdog, Ahuskay, Idioma-bot, Rick570, VolkovBot, Rpetit, Philip Trueman, TXiKiBoT, Martyparty, Sandra moriarty, John Carter, Drappel, Enigmaman, Geekagirl, Spugmeister, Insanity Incarnate, EmergentBe- havior, Biscuittin, Pare Mo, SieBot, Bede735, Vanished user ewfisn2348tui2f8n2fio2utjfeoi210r39jf, ClueBot, The Thing That Should Not Be, Keeper76, Sassf, Arakunem, Catfish Jim and the soapdish, Estirabot, ProudPapa5, Riccardo Riccioni, Heyimaghost, Joncaire, AMC0712, For An Angel, WikHead, Celiallirae, Addbot, Some jerk on the Internet, Andrew K. Zimmerman, TutterMouse, Vincen- zoMc, Morning277, ShepBot, Organic Cabbage, Lightbot, Ivancurtisivancurtis, Rojypala, HerculeBot, Luckas-bot, Alektryon, Yobot, Fraggle81, Mmxx, Gongshow, AnakngAraw, Roltz, AnomieBOT, Cgarbarino, Frenchman17, ArthurBot, LilHelpa, Lily20, Jayarathina, -LucienBOT, Framarais, Wikipe-tan, Ferrariguy90, Intelli ,جمال بركات ,Sionus, Monkeybanana, Btburke, Coretheapple, Omnipaedista gentsium, A.hakim.chami, Boobarkee, Crusoe8181, Jelson25, Rpkemp, Lotje, Estrelly, Daniel the Monk, Gigogag, TjBot, BCtl, Emaus- Bot, Wayne Slam, Willthacheerleader18, ClueBot NG, Delusion23, Fraytel, Mannanan51, Go Phightins!, Widr, Rylinrocks, Strike Eagle, Wbm1058, Hannibalianus, Emayv, City of Tragedy, Jweaver28, Monica Santa, Riley Huntley, Mogism, QvisDevs, Eyesnore, Executive MCEO, Coolperson5432 and Anonymous: 213

8.2 Images

• File:Commons-logo.svg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg License: ? Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:MonicaSAgostino.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/MonicaSAgostino.jpg License: Public do- main Contributors: http://immagini.iccd.beniculturali.it/TOGGFOTOWEB/SDW?W%3DMTRLEG%3D12876 Original artist: Isaia da Pisa • File:Saint_Augustine_and_Saint_Monica.jpg Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/98/Saint_Augustine_and_ Saint_Monica.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZapSEtnMong/TyPCE7g3z2I/AAAAAAAAHL8/ G-w2bcPXG0I/s1600/Saint+Augustin+et+ste+Monique.jpg Original artist: Ary Scheffer

8.3 Content license

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