Saint Abra
Virgin
Born12 December 339
Died360
Venerated inCatholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
BeatifiedPre-congregation
Feast12 December

Abra of Poitiers/ˈæbrə/ (c. 343 – c. 360), Afra or Apra is a Christian saint who would have lived in the 4th century.[1]

Her existence is historically uncertain, but she would have been the daughter of Hilary of Poitiers.

Biography

Hilary of Poitiers was married; however, the existence of Abra is uncertain,[2] as it is attested by hagiographical accounts that date two centuries after the life of Hilary.[2] In particular, a letter that Hilary is said to have sent to her is considered a medieval forgery.[2][3] In this letter, he expressed concern about her fate and engaged in a conversation with her about the health of his mother.[4]

In the surviving manuscripts containing pseudonymous hymns of Hilary, she is named Abra, Afra, or Apra.[5]

She would have died shortly after his return in 360, supposedly at the age of seventeen or eighteen.[6] According to medieval legendary accounts, her father would have witnessed her death.[7]

Her existence itself is controversial; some scholars argue that she may not be the daughter of Hilary of Poitiers or that she may never have existed.[8]

She is remembered for her work among the poor and spreading of Christianity in the area around Poitiers, France.[9]

Her feast day is celebrated on 12 December in Poitiers.

Legacy

Literature

She was compared to the biblical figure of Sarah by some medieval authors.[10]

Montaigne mentioned the event of her death, which he knew through medieval sources, to apply the situation to his own time.[7]

References

  1. ^ Holweck, F. G., A Biographical Dictionary of the Saints. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co. 1924.
  2. ^ a b c Bardy, Gustave (1941). "Un humaniste chrétien : saint Hilaire de Poitiers". Revue d'histoire de l'Église de France. 27 (111): 5–25. doi:10.3406/rhef.1941.2911. Archived from the original on 2024-01-14. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  3. ^ Image, Isabella (2017-07-25). The Human Condition in Hilary of Poitiers: The Will and Original Sin between Origen and Augustine. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-252934-3.
  4. ^ Cazenove, John Gibson (1883). St. Hilary of Poitiers and St. Martin of Tours. SPCK. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  5. ^ Walpole, A. S. (1905). "Hymns Attributed to Hilary of Poitiers". The Journal of Theological Studies. 6 (24): 599–603. ISSN 0022-5185. JSTOR 23947062. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  6. ^ "Saint Abra". thesacredheart.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-26. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  7. ^ a b Polachek, Dora E. (2006). "Of Fathers, Saints, and Dying Virgins: The Crisis of Exemplarity in "De fuir les voluptez au pris de la vie" (I, 33)". L'Esprit Créateur. 46 (1): 64–74. ISSN 0014-0767. JSTOR 26289240. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  8. ^ Beckwith, Carl Laurence (2004-06-04). The Certainty of Faith in God's Word: The Theological Method and Structure of Hilary of Poitiers' De Trinitate (Thesis). University Of Notre Dame. doi:10.7274/c821gh95k8c. Archived from the original on 2022-09-26. Retrieved 2024-01-20.
  9. ^ "Hilary of Poitiers" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-05-13. Retrieved 2015-10-19.
  10. ^ Gussen, P. J. G. (1956). "Hilaire de Poitiers, Tractatus Mysteriorum I, 15-19". Vigiliae Christianae. 10 (1): 14–24. doi:10.2307/1582174. ISSN 0042-6032. JSTOR 1582174. Archived from the original on 2024-01-20. Retrieved 2024-01-20.


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