Saints and Martyrs

October 21 – St. Ursula and companions (Św. Urszula i towarzyszki)

The Legend of St. Ursula: Apotheosis of St. Ursula by Vittore Carpaccio

Dozwól nam wszechmogący Boże obchodzić uroczyście dzień tryumfu i narodzin dla nieba św. Urszuli i jej towarzyszek, a jeżeli godnie naśladować jej nie możemy, abyśmy cnotę jej należycie czcili. Przez Chrystusa Pana naszego. Amen.

Per Wikipedia regarding the Virgin Islands: Christopher Columbus named the islands Santa Ursula y las Once Mil Vírgenes (shortened to Las Vírgenes), after Saint Ursula and her 11,000 virgins. The number of 11,000 is acknowledged to be in error. While there was a tradition of virgin martyrs in Cologne by the 5th century, this was limited to a small number between two and eleven according to different sources. The 11,000 were first mentioned in the 9th century; suggestions as to where this came from have included reading the name “Undecimillia” or “Ximillia” as a number, or reading the abbreviation “XI. M. V.” as eleven thousand (in Roman numerals) virgins rather than eleven martyred virgins.