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Saint Romulus of Fiesole | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Saint Romulus in the Fiesole Cathedral by Giovanni della Robbia | |
| Died | c. 90 AD |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Fiesole Cathedral |
| Feast | 6 July (Catholic Church), 6 June (Orthodox Church) |
| Attributes | depicted with a wolf due to confusion with the legend of Romulus and Remus;[1] bishop with an arrow broken above his breast; depicted at martyrdom of 4 companions or enthroned among four martyrs[2] |
| Patronage | Fiesole |
Saint Romulus of Fiesole (Italian: San Romolo, died c. AD 90) was bishop of Fiesole during the 1st century. He is venerated as the patron saint of Fiesole, Italy. Romulus was probably a local deacon, priest, or bishop of the 1st century.[1][3]
According to tradition, he was a disciple of Saint Peter and had been converted to Christianity by the apostle.[2][3] This tradition states that Romulus became the first bishop of Fiesole and was martyred during the reign of Domitian along with four companions: Carissimus, Dulcissimus, Marchis(i)anus, and Crescentius.[2]
He was not named as a bishop or martyr in documents dating from 966; however, a document from 1028 names him as such.[1] From then on, Romulus was considered a martyred bishop of Fiesole, and his companions were named as Carissimus, Dulcissimus, Marchis(i)anus (Marchiziano), and Crescentius.[1] Their feast day was listed as 6 July in the 1468 Florentine edition of the Martyrology of Usuard, and in the 16th century, his name began to appear in the Roman Martyrology, where he was named as a disciple of Saint Peter.[1]
As Antonio Borrelli remarks, sometime between the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the eleventh, Romulus was "upgraded" from being considered a Confessor of the Faith to a martyr, possibly by a local abbot named Teuzo.[1]
An 11th-century legend associated with him, considered "worthless",[2] makes him an illegitimate son of a woman named Lucerna, who had a child with her father's slave, who was named Cyrus.[2] Like the Romulus of ancient Roman legend, this Romulus was also abandoned and suckled by a she-wolf. He was captured, baptized and raised by Saint Peter and Peter's companion Justin.[2] Romulus then evangelized much of central Italy and was put to death by the governor Repertian.[2]
The most ancient image depicting Romulus is a 1440 triptych in Fiesole Cathedral by Bicci di Lorenzo, where he is represented with Saints Alexander, Peter and Donatus.[4] Also in the cathedral is a collection of frescoes by Nicodemo Ferrucci adorning the vault of the apse which depict scenes from the life of Saint Romulus.[4]
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- ^ a b c d e f Borrelli, Antonio (2002-12-28). "San Romolo di Fiesole". Santiebeati.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-10-26.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ a b Benigni, Umberto (1913). . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
- ^ a b Tribe, Shawn. "The Duomo of Fiesole in Tuscany". Liturgical Arts Journal. Retrieved 2023-10-26.