Saints Justa y Rufina

On July 17 is celebrated in Seville the day of Saints Justa and Rufina, patron saints of Seville.

Justa and Rufina were two sisters born in Seville in 268 and 270 under Roman rule and belonged to a modest family of clandestine Christians dedicated to the craft of pottery.

It was customary to celebrate once a year a feast in honor of Venus. They went through the streets of the city asking for alms for the feast. When the followers of Venus arrived at the house of Justa and Rufina requesting the corresponding money, the sisters refused to pay and smashed the figure of the goddess.

They were imprisoned and martyred in various ways to abandon their Christian beliefs. Justa and Rufina stood firm and were locked up in a dark prison to die of hunger and thirst. Justa died and her body was thrown into a well. Rufina was taken to the antitheater and presented before a lion to be torn to pieces, but the animal behaved like a kitten. Finally, Rufina was beheaded.

For all this, both were the object of popular devotion, and were considered saints. They were named patrons of the guilds of potters and ceramists and are venerated in various places, especially in Seville.

Tradition points to them as protectors of the Giralda and the Cathedral, considering that, through their intercession, they did not fall after the earthquake of 1504. Thus, they are usually represented next to the Giralda, carrying palms as a symbol of martyrdom and with different clay objects alluding to their profession as potters..