Mammes of Caesarea
| Saint Mammes of Caesarea | |
|---|---|
Saint Mammes and Duke Alexander. Tapestry by Jean Cousin the Elder, ca. 1541.
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| Born | ~259 |
| Died | ~275 |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 17 August in the Roman Catholic calendar and 2 September in the Eastern Orthodox calendar; August 7 (Spain) |
| Attributes | lion |
| Patronage | Langres; babies who are breastfeeding; protector of sufferers from broken bones and hernias (the latter in Murero, in Zaragoza). |
Saint Mammes (Mamas, Mammas, Mammet) of Caesarea (Greek: Μάμας; French: Mammès; Italian: Mamante; Spanish: Mamés; Portuguese: São Mamede) is a semi-legendary child-martyr of the 3rd century. He was martyred at Caesarea. His parents, Theodotus and Rufina, were also martyred.
Born in prison to parents who had been jailed because they were Christian, Mammes became an orphan when his parents were executed. After his parents' death, Mammes was raised by a rich widow named Ammia, who died when Mammes was 15 years old.
According to legend, Mammes was tortured for his faith by the governor of Caesarea and was then sent before the Roman Emperor Aurelian, who tortured him again. The Mammes legend states that an angel then liberated him and ordered him to hide himself on a mountain near Caesarea.
Mammes was later thrown to the lions, but managed to make the beasts docile. He preached to animals in the fields, and a lion remained with him as companion. Accompanied by the lion, he visited Duke Alexander, who condemned him to death. He was struck in the stomach with a trident. Bleeding, Mammes dragged himself to a spot near a theater before his soul was carried into heaven by angels.
The center of his cult was situated at Caesarea before shifting to Langres when his relics were brought there. The Cathédrale Saint-Mammès, in Langres, is dedicated to him. Mammes is the chief patron of the diocese.
Saint Mammes is also a popular saint in Lebanon with many churches and convents named in his honor. He is the patron saint of Deir Mimas in Lebanon, where the town celebrates the feast of Saint Mamas on September 15. Grand festivities are organized each year to honor the town's patron saint. The town has an orthodox monastery overlooking the Litani valley of Deirmimas named after the saint in addition to a Melkite catholic church located inside the village also named after Saint Mammes.
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