View source for Perfectus

{{Short description|Martyr and Catholic Saint}}
{{Infobox saint
|name= Saint Perfectus
|birth_date=
|death_date=18 April 850
|feast_day= 18 April
|venerated_in= [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], [[Roman Catholic Church]]
|image=
|imagesize= 250px
|caption=
|birth_place= [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]], [[Al-Andalus]]
|death_place=[[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] [[Al-Andalus]]
|titles= Martyr
|beatified_date=
|beatified_place=
|beatified_by=
|canonized_date=
|canonized_place=
|canonized_by=
|attributes=
|patronage=
|major_shrine=
|suppressed_date=
|issues=
}}
{{History of al-Andalus}}

'''Saint Perfectus (Santo Perfecto)''' (died 18 April 850) was one of the [[Martyrs of Córdoba]] whose martyrdom was recorded by [[Eulogius of Cordoba|Saint Eulogius]] in the ''[[Memoriale sanctorum]]''.

He was born in [[Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba]] when the area was under the control of the [[Moors]] (the [[Umayyad Caliphate]]). Perfecto was a [[monk]] and ordained priest.  He served at the basilica of [[Acisclus|St. Acisclus]] in Córdoba.  Christians were tolerated in the area, but not uniformly. According to his legend, in 850, Perfecto was challenged by two [[Muslim]] men to say who was the greater prophet: [[Jesus]] or [[Mohammed]].

At first he refrained from responding, so as not to provoke them; but they insisted that he give them an answer, promising to protect him from reprisals.  He then told them in [[Arabic language|Arabic]] that Muhammed was a false prophet and that he was an immoral man for supposedly seducing his adopted son's wife.  The Muslims kept their promise and let him go, but several days later some of them changed their mind and had him arrested.

They had friends seize Perfecto (so as to not be forsworn) and tried. Perfecto was found guilty of [[blasphemy]] by the Islamic court and was executed. The legend says that Perfecto's final words were to bless Christ and condemn Muhammad and his [[Qur'an]].

He was beheaded on 18 April 850.

His martyrdom was one of the first in a period of Muslim persecution of the [[Christians]] in [[Al-Andalus]], which began in 850 under [[Abd ar-Rahman II]], continued under his successor [[Muhammad I of Córdoba|Muhammad I]], and went on intermittently until 960 [http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11703a.htm].

His [[Roman Catholic|Catholic]] [[feast day]] is 18 April.

==References==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070928031709/http://www.breviary.net/martyrology/mart04/mart0418.htm Entry for St. Perfectus in the Roman Martyrology]
*[http://libro.uca.edu/martyrs/cm2.htm The Martyrs of Córdoba] - Chapter 2 of "Christian Martyrs in Muslim Spain" by [[Kenneth Baxter Wolf]]
*[http://es.catholic.net/santoral/articulo.php?id=682 Santo Perfecto] ([[Spanish language|Spanish]])

{{Portal|Saints}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Medieval Spanish saints]]
[[Category:850 deaths]]
[[Category:9th-century Christian saints]]
[[Category:9th-century Christian martyrs]]
[[Category:Christian critics of Islam]]
[[Category:People executed for blasphemy]]
[[Category:People from Córdoba, Spain]]
[[Category:Christian saints killed by Muslims]]
[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]
[[Category:9th-century people from al-Andalus]]
[[Category:Christians from al-Andalus]]