The Book of Saint Cyprian

The Sorcerer 

The Devil, Witches, and other Superstitions

Two versions of the São Cipriano book

I first heard of this book here in Portugal when students of mine told of a girl who had committed suicide in Vila Real by throwing herself off the iron bridge that crosses the Corgo River.  According to  stories, but believed by my students,  the book of Saint Cyprian was found near the body.  What connection could there possibly be between a teenage girl's death and a book of magic spells?

Asking other students about the book I confirmed that there was a genuine fear surrounding the book.  I was counseled not even to open it.  

Quickly I went to the nearest bookshop and purchased my own copy, O Antigo Livro de São Cipriano:  O Gigante e Verdadeiro Capa de Aço, by N. A. Molina.  Sadly there was nothing inside that could possibly be terrifying enough to frighten any person in his right mind--certainly nothing that could lead a teenage girl to suicide.  I found the version that I looked at--and there are several books purporting to be the real book of Saint Cyprian--to be childish and badly written.   It is full of run on sentences and fragments, perhaps more a reflection of the so-called Mr Molina's writing (if that is his real name) that anything written by the mythical São Cipriano.   Repetitive would be a better word to describe it rather than sinister.  Most of the book seemed to consist of corny prayers and even sillier magic spells.  In some parts it is even comical.  Read what "Saint" Cyprian has to say about hunchbacks and women who are tired of their husbands.

Despite the silliness--at least to me--The Book of Saint Cyprian (São Cipriano in Portuguese and San Cipriano in Spanish) can be found in any bookshop in Portugal.    It is also very popular in Spain (especially in Galicia where there is a tradition of witchcraft--See Los Mouros y el Libro de San Cipriano)  In Asturias the book is called El Ciprianillo and is well known in rural legends.  

In Portuguese there are at least three versions of the book:  Capa de Aço, Capa Preta, and Antigo e Verdadeiro.  It can even be purchased on the Internet at the well known Lojas Americans department store in Brazil.

Four versions of the Livro de San Cipriano

There are also several authors:  Joaquim Sabugosa, N. A. Molina, and Pierre Dumont, just to name a few.  Apparently the "true" book of São Cipriano has been "written" by several followers.

The name in the variations of  Cipriano, Ciprián, Cibrao, Cibrau, or Cebrián is very popular in names of villages in Spain, attesting to the saint's popularity. A quick look at the map found 14 villages with variations of the name.  I suspect though that most of these names, if not all, are derived from the San Cipriano of Carthage, who was not noted for his magic.

São Cipriano is also well known  in many countries in Latin American, where it is an essential part of Macumba, Umbanda, or Candomblé in Brazil and Santeria in the Caribbean.  In Afro-Brazilian or Afro-Caribbean Spiritualist cults the book is a very important element as can be attested by the many sites on the Internet selling not only the book but also potions, candles, bath oils and even a complete kit.

Brazilians, who are quite sophisticated in their love of the spiritual and the occult, even have a "virtual altar" where you can pray and light a "virtual" candle to São Cipriano, among many other "saints" of course.  

A virtual candle lit for São Cipriano and thanks offered by Ana.

From: Ana 

São Cipriano, thanks for helping me get better !!!! I need to stop losing things and wasting time with the wrong people!! Help me

A Prayer against Spells and Witchcraft

SÃO CIPRIANO - PRAYER AGAINST SPELLS AND WITCHCRAFT
SÃO CIPRIANO, WHO BY DIVINE GRACE WAS CONVERTED TO THE FAITH OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST; YOU WHO POSSESSED THE HIGHEST SECRETS OF MAGIC, BUILD NOW A REFUGE FOR ME AGAINST MY ENEMIES AND THEIR EVIL DEEDS.  FOR THE MERIT THAT YOU OBTAINED BEFORE GOD, CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH, CANCEL OUT EVIL SPELLS, PRODUCTS OF HATE, THE SPELLS THAT HARDENED HEARTS HAVE CAST OR WILL COME TO CAST AGAINST MY PERSON AND AGAINST MY HOME.  WITH THE PERMISSION OF GOD ALMIGHTY, ANSWER MY PRAYER AND COME TO MY ASSISTANCE, FOR THE BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.  SO SHALL IT BE. AMEN.
See more on this interesting site that comes complete with musical accompaniment while you pray 

San Cipriano kit

I was surprised to learn that even in Mexico San Cipriano is known and part of magical practices.   

The prototype, or the archetype of these practices, I should say, is San Cipriano, who was at the same time a Bishop and Sorcerer, and whose martyrdom was his being burned at the stake as a witch, and later exonerated, probably at the behest of some later pope or bishop who was a sorcerer also. I am not sure how all that came about, but I intend to find out. The most famous grimorio of them all, the "Libro de San Cipriano", also known as the "Tesoro del Hechicero", is alleged to have been written by him, but it was actually produced by way of automatic writing at the hand of a German monk named Jones Sulfurino in the year 1000 AD. Most of this was the recreation of a book or set of books that Cipriano had penned and then had later burned, during his lifetime. The spirits who operated the hand of Jones Sulfurino retrieved it and reproduced it in this way. The best known edition was printed in Spain in the 16th century, and original copies still exist, that have been passed down for generations in families throughout the Spanish speaking world, including here in Mexico. I have a friend who has an original copy. I have a couple of books that have reprinted sections of this.  Mexican Herbal Magic 

There is even a miraculous chain letter (uma corrente milagrosa) connected to Saint Cyprian (or should I say São Cipriano), with a model that must be glued on the cover of the book that is given as a present.  

Miraculous chain of São Cipriano
Write your wishes on the bottom of page 7 of this book.  Bury it at the foot of a cross, at midnight, at the next half moon.  On the following Friday send 1 copy of this book to 5 different persons,  with the explanation of how the chain letter glued to the cover of the book works.  Wait for 7 moons.  Surely, if you have faith, you wishes will come true.  Keep the faith:  remember that this chain can not be broken.

São Cipriano in Northern Portugal

Despite our urban skepticism,  in the rural villages of northern Portugal, especially in the Barroso region near Montalegre, the veracity of the book, or at least knowledge of it, is a proven fact of life.  What is surprising is how this superstition of an illiterate, isolated, rural society spread to the small towns of the region.  One explanation would be the visits that urban children make to their grandparents in the villages and the stories they hear.  The villages, although almost deserted now, still attract children on the weekends who come to pay their respects to granny who often lives in a completely different Portugal from that of the towns with with their Pizza Huts and McDonald's.

According to Padre Lourenço Fontes, still the parish priest of Vilar de Perdizes and author of several books on rural customs, the most well known book of exorcisms in the Barroso and Galicia is The Great Book of San Cyprian or Treasure of the Wizard.  Despite the war that Catholicism waged on these and other superstitions and magical arts, until recently all the villages of the Barroso were aware of this book, which was kept by families with great respect.  Those who possessed it considered themselves the owners of great treasure and power.  Even today all the old people know the book; some have even read it, in the hope of finding treasure or to learn spells.  

The book is divided into 3 parts.  The first part tells the life of Saint Cyprian, gives prayers for midday, the afternoon, and midnight, ways to predict the future, 148 places where enchantments can be found, and ends with ways to deal cards.  The second part, or second book, shows the true treasure of black and white magic, secrets of witchcraft for good and evil, several recipes to get married, explanations of dreams, recipes to be loved by women, recipes to be loved by men, etc.  The third part mentions all the treasures that can be found, mainly in the region of Galicia.    

According to Padre Fontes, it is not easy to identify the places where these treasures can be found, but most of them are in pre-Roman ruins (castros), castles, dolmens and other places with remnants of history or pre-history.  Padre Fontes continues:  Many men and women, deceived by the magical references in this pagan ritual, went blindly, to such and such a place, reading the book, protected from the Devil by holy plants, until they stopped and began to dig, patiently, until they gave up and returned to their village, without the so-desired treasure.  In all of the villages there are cases of people who have been victims of this deceit.  Today there are many people who believe in bars of gold and things like this, in such and such a place, pointed out by the book.

In my own reading of one version of the book--by N.A. Molina--I was surprised at how infantile and repetitive everything was, hardly the sinister work that would put fear into the hearts of villagers, at least modern ones who live a short drive from the nearest McDonald's.  Certainly not a book that would require a warning in the preface--but then only a very naive person would not see that the aura surrounding the book lends to its sales.  There are several editors and authors claiming that theirs is the true San Cipriano so I guess there is an industry surrounding the whole thing--a niche in the market that brings in a not unsubstantial sum when the day is over.

Some samples from the book can be found below.  

• Magic and Potions  (now translated from Portuguese)

• The Prayers (in Portuguese)

• Oracle of the Secrets ( translated)

(all of the above are taken from the Antigo Livro de São Cipriano, by N.A. Molina, 5 Edition in Portugal, 1993, Editora Espiritualista, Ltda. Rio de Janeiro)

a candle and bath oils

Other Sites:

Prayer of the Black Goat (Portuguese) 

History of Sao Cipriano and assorted spells (Portuguese) 

Text extracted from the preface of the 20th edition of the book (Portuguese)

Secrets of Witchcraft (Portuguese) 

But who was Saint Cyprian?  Did he really exist and did he write the famous book of sorcery?

Most books relating the lives of the saints have two entries for St. Cyprian:

There is no record that he himself wrote it, especially since he never set foot in Iberia and would have known  nothing about treasures buried there, especially ones that would later be buried by the Romans and the Moors. 

When the book was first written is still a mystery.  The facts are meaningless because those who use the book  or who believe in St. Cyprian do not worry about such discrepancies.   

Like many of the martyrs during the early years of Christianity Cyprian's life is clouded in legend.  The following is from the New Advent Encyclopedia:  Sts. Cyprian and Justina , which although an exhaustive work, is now out of date and more valuable for its dated prejudice than its historical veracity.  

  See biography of Cyprian and Justina from Wikipedia