Anthimus of Rome
Encyclopedia
Saint Anthimus of Rome (died 303) is a Christian
saint. His life is largely composed of legend. He is said to have been born in Bithynia
. A Christian priest
, he was imprisoned for his beliefs at the time of the Emperors Diocletian
and Maximian
. His feast day is May 11.
governor of Bithynia, Pinianus, fell ill, his Christian wife Lucina (Lycinia), well-known for her charity to imprisoned Christians and niece of the Emperor Gallienus
, found Anthimus in prison. Anthimus converted Pinianus, and the governor was cured. Gratefully, Pinianus liberated all of the Christian prisoners in his province and allowed Anthimus to hide himself in the governor's villa on the Via Salaria
.
Now based in Italy
, Anthimus converted many to the Christian faith and countless miracles were attributed to him. He converted a priest of the god Silvanus
and the pagan priest's entire family. Accused of having destroyed the simulacrum
of Silvanus, he was thrown into the Tiber
with a stone around his neck. His legend states that he was miraculously rescued by an angel
, later recaptured, and then beheaded
by order of the consul
Priscus. He was buried in the oratory
where he habitually prayed.
and was the object of pilgrimage
and veneration. His body, during the time of Charlemagne
, was transferred to Tuscany
, near Montalcino
, where St. Antimo's Abbey
currently stands. A Bollandist
historian of the 17th century speculated that Pope Hadrian I gave the relics of Saint Sebastian and Anthimus to Charlemagne, who then donated the relics to the abbey when it was founded. But this theory has not yet been verified.http://www.antimo.it/pagine_en/00FRAME.html
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...
saint. His life is largely composed of legend. He is said to have been born in Bithynia
Bithynia
Bithynia was an ancient region, kingdom and Roman province in the northwest of Asia Minor, adjoining the Propontis, the Thracian Bosporus and the Euxine .-Description:...
. A Christian priest
Priest
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...
, he was imprisoned for his beliefs at the time of the Emperors Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
and Maximian
Maximian
Maximian was Roman Emperor from 286 to 305. He was Caesar from 285 to 286, then Augustus from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his co-emperor and superior, Diocletian, whose political brain complemented Maximian's military brawn. Maximian established his residence at Trier but spent...
. His feast day is May 11.
Legend
When the RomanAncient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
governor of Bithynia, Pinianus, fell ill, his Christian wife Lucina (Lycinia), well-known for her charity to imprisoned Christians and niece of the Emperor Gallienus
Gallienus
Gallienus was Roman Emperor with his father Valerian from 253 to 260, and alone from 260 to 268. He took control of the Empire at a time when it was undergoing great crisis...
, found Anthimus in prison. Anthimus converted Pinianus, and the governor was cured. Gratefully, Pinianus liberated all of the Christian prisoners in his province and allowed Anthimus to hide himself in the governor's villa on the Via Salaria
Via Salaria
The Via Salaria was an ancient Roman road in Italy.It eventually ran from Rome to Castrum Truentinum on the Adriatic coast - a distance of 242 km. The road also passed through Reate and Asculum...
.
Now based in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Anthimus converted many to the Christian faith and countless miracles were attributed to him. He converted a priest of the god Silvanus
Silvanus (mythology)
Silvanus was a Roman tutelary deity of woods and fields. As protector of forests , he especially presided over plantations and delighted in trees growing wild. He is also described as a god watching over the fields and husbandmen, protecting in particular the boundaries of fields...
and the pagan priest's entire family. Accused of having destroyed the simulacrum
Simulacrum
Simulacrum , from the Latin simulacrum which means "likeness, similarity", was first recorded in the English language in the late 16th century, used to describe a representation, such as a statue or a painting, especially of a god...
of Silvanus, he was thrown into the Tiber
Tiber
The Tiber is the third-longest river in Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Umbria and Lazio to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It drains a basin estimated at...
with a stone around his neck. His legend states that he was miraculously rescued by an angel
Angel
Angels are mythical beings often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles along with the Quran. The English word angel is derived from the Greek ἄγγελος, a translation of in the Hebrew Bible ; a similar term, ملائكة , is used in the Qur'an...
, later recaptured, and then 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...
by order of the consul
Consul
Consul was the highest elected office of the Roman Republic and an appointive office under the Empire. The title was also used in other city states and also revived in modern states, notably in the First French Republic...
Priscus. He was buried in the oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...
where he habitually prayed.
Veneration
His tomb was first situated at MontemaggioreMontemaggiore al Metauro
Montemaggiore al Metauro is a comune in the Province of Pesaro e Urbino in the Italian region Marche, located about 50 km northwest of Ancona and about 15 km south of Pesaro.-References:...
and was the object of pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
and veneration. His body, during the time of Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
, was transferred to Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, near Montalcino
Montalcino
Montalcino is a hilltown and comune in Tuscany, Italy. It is famous for its Brunello di Montalcino wine.The town is located to the west of Pienza, close to the Crete Senesi in Val d'Orcia. It is 42 km from Siena, 110 km from Florence and 150 km from Pisa...
, where St. Antimo's Abbey
St. Antimo's Abbey
St. Antimo Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery, now inhabited by Canons Regular, situated in the province of Siena, near Montalcino, Tuscany, central Italy. A tributary of the river Orcia, the Starcia, runs near the abbey....
currently stands. A Bollandist
Bollandist
The Bollandists are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians who since the early seventeenth century have studied hagiography and the cult of the saints in Christianity. Their most important publication has been the Acta Sanctorum...
historian of the 17th century speculated that Pope Hadrian I gave the relics of Saint Sebastian and Anthimus to Charlemagne, who then donated the relics to the abbey when it was founded. But this theory has not yet been verified.http://www.antimo.it/pagine_en/00FRAME.html