Abundius and Abundantius
Encyclopedia
Abundius and Abundantius (died ca. 304) are Christian
martyr
s who were killed during the Diocletian persecution
. Their feast day is celebrated on September 16.
who had earlier resurrected John, the son of Marcianus
. Upon hearing of this, the emperor ordered these three, with Abundantius, a deacon, to be beheaded
. The executions were carried out at the 26th milestone
of the Via Flaminia
.
were found around 1001 and transferred to Civita Castellana
. There, they were elected to be the city's principal patron saints. In 1583, the relics of Abundius and Abundantius were transferred to the SS. Nome di Gesu, where they were placed under the church's high altar
. Aloysius Gonzaga
heard mass
there before becoming a Jesuit.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
s who were killed during the Diocletian persecution
Diocletian Persecution
The Diocletianic Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman empire. In 303, Emperor Diocletian and Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding the legal rights of Christians and demanding that they comply with traditional Roman...
. Their feast day is celebrated on September 16.
Biography
Abundius was a priestPriest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
who had earlier resurrected John, the son of Marcianus
John and Marcianus
John and Marcianus, were Roman martyrs. Marcianus was a Roman Senator, whose son John died of unknown causes. Sts. Abundius and Abundantius, who were Christians condemned to execution, met Marcianus with his dead son on the way to their death. Abundius prayed over John, and he came back to life. At...
. Upon hearing of this, the emperor ordered these three, with Abundantius, a deacon, to be beheaded
Decapitation
Decapitation is the separation of the head from the body. Beheading typically refers to the act of intentional decapitation, e.g., as a means of murder or execution; it may be accomplished, for example, with an axe, sword, knife, wire, or by other more sophisticated means such as a guillotine...
. The executions were carried out at the 26th milestone
Milestone
A milestone is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road or boundary at intervals of one mile or occasionally, parts of a mile. They are typically located at the side of the road or in a median. They are alternatively known as mile markers, mileposts or mile posts...
of the Via Flaminia
Via Flaminia
The Via Flaminia was an ancient Roman road leading from Rome over the Apennine Mountains to Ariminum on the coast of the Adriatic Sea, and due to the ruggedness of the mountains was the major option the Romans had for travel between Etruria, Latium and Campania and the Po Valley...
.
Veneration
Their bodies were later transferred to the church of Cosmas and Damian in Rome. The bodies of Marcianus and JohnJohn and Marcianus
John and Marcianus, were Roman martyrs. Marcianus was a Roman Senator, whose son John died of unknown causes. Sts. Abundius and Abundantius, who were Christians condemned to execution, met Marcianus with his dead son on the way to their death. Abundius prayed over John, and he came back to life. At...
were found around 1001 and transferred to Civita Castellana
Civita Castellana
Civita Castellana is a town and comune in the province of Viterbo, 65 km north of Rome.Mount Soracte lies about 10 km to the south-east.-History:...
. There, they were elected to be the city's principal patron saints. In 1583, the relics of Abundius and Abundantius were transferred to the SS. Nome di Gesu, where they were placed under the church's high altar
Altar
An altar is any structure upon which offerings such as sacrifices are made for religious purposes. Altars are usually found at shrines, and they can be located in temples, churches and other places of worship...
. Aloysius Gonzaga
Aloysius Gonzaga
- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
heard mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...
there before becoming a Jesuit.