St. Martha of Bethany

St. Martha is best known for her appearance in the gospels of Luke and John, where she and her sister Mary were entertaining Jesus for a meal. Additionally, Martha and Mary are the sisters of St. Lazarus, the recipient of Christ's first resurrection miracle, and with whom they share a feast day.

But Martha is also known for something that doesn't occur in Scripture, that occurred in a small town in modern France known as Tarascon. According to legend, after Pentecost when the apostles spread around to share the gospel message, Martha ended up in Tarascon, where the locals were being terrorized by a fearsome beast--part dragon, part fish, built like an ox but with swordlike teeth. The called this monster the Tarasque.

The Tarasque lived in the river, sinking their boats and eating people who tried to cross it. They begged Martha to help, and she agreed. She caught the beast in the midst of devouring a man. Martha lifted her crucifix and sprinkled it with holy water, and the Tarasque immediately become docile, so Martha tied it up and led it to town, where they rescued the man from its gullet and then killed the creature.

The taming of the Tarasque is still celebrated today in Tarascon by a parade wherein a woman dressed as Martha leads a Tarasque effigy around town. It also lives on in the Dungeons & Dragons roleplaying game as one of the most fearsome monsters, the Tarrasque.


Lifetime: First century
Region: Roman Empire
Patronages: Homemakers; Travelers; Servants
Iconograpy: Tarasque beast; Broom; Keys
Feast Day: July 29 (Western); June 4 (Eastern)

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