Saint Dalmatius of Pavia | |
|---|---|
| Born | possibly San Damiano Macra, Italy |
| Died | 254 or 304 AD |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 5 December |
| Patronage | Borgo San Dalmazzo |
Dalmatius of Pavia (Italian: San Dalmazzo, Dalmazio) (died 254 or 304 AD) is venerated as a saint by the Roman Catholic Church. It is possible that Dalmatius was simply a local preacher of northern Italy, but the century in which he lived or the manner in which he died is unknown.[1]
He was venerated at what was called Pedona (present-day Borgo San Dalmazzo). His biography was composed in the 7th or 8th centuries, its author perhaps a Lombard monk of the monastery of Pedona who was drawing from oral tradition.[1]
His biography states that Dalmatius was born at Forum Germarzorum (present-day San Damiano Macra) and became a churchman and evangelizer in Pedona.[1] In the 10th century, when the area of Pedona was devastated during Muslim raids, Dalmatius’ relics were carried to Quargnento, where an inscription on his tomb read: [H]ic requiescit corpus sancti Dalmatii repositum ab Audace episcopo Astensi.[1]
In France, a tradition dating from the 9th century held that he died a martyr. Later legends state that he evangelized many cities of Piedmont, Emilia, and Gaul, and was killed for his faith in 254 or 304 AD.[2]
The Roman Martyrology, based on erroneous episcopal lists, considers Dalmatius a bishop of Pavia and lists his feast day as 5 December.[2]