Dalmatius of Pavia
Encyclopedia
Dalmatius of Pavia (d. 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.
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.
His biography states that Dalmatius was born at Forum Germarzorum (present-day San Damiano Macra
) and became a churchman and evangelizer in Pedona. In the tenth 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.
In France, a tradition dating from the ninth 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.
The Roman Martyrology
, based on erroneous episcopal lists, considers Dalmatius a bishop of Pavia and lists his feast day as December 5.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
by the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. 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.
He was venerated at what was called Pedona (present-day Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo
Borgo San Dalmazzo is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 80 km south of Turin and about 8 km southwest of Cuneo...
). His biography was composed in the 7th or 8th centuries, its author perhaps a Lombard
Lombards
The Lombards , also referred to as Longobards, were a Germanic tribe of Scandinavian origin, who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy...
monk of the monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of Pedona who was drawing from oral tradition.
His biography states that Dalmatius was born at Forum Germarzorum (present-day San Damiano Macra
San Damiano Macra
San Damiano Macra is a comune in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 70 km southwest of Turin and about 25 km northwest of Cuneo...
) and became a churchman and evangelizer in Pedona. In the tenth century, when the area of Pedona was devastated during Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
raids, Dalmatius’ relics were carried to Quargnento
Quargnento
Quargnento is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 60 km east of Turin and about 11 km northwest of Alessandria....
, where an inscription on his tomb read: [H]ic requiescit corpus sancti Dalmatii repositum ab Audace episcopo Astensi.
In France, a tradition dating from the ninth century held that he died a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
. Later legends state that he evangelized many cities of Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
, Emilia
Emilia (region of Italy)
Emilia is a historical region of northern Italy which approximately corresponds to the western and north-eastern portions of today’s Emilia-Romagna region...
, and Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
, and was killed for his faith in 254 or 304 AD.
The Roman Martyrology
Roman Martyrology
The Roman Martyrology is the official martyrology of the Roman Rite of the Roman Catholic Church. It provides an extensive but not exhaustive list of the saints recognized by the Church.-History:...
, based on erroneous episcopal lists, considers Dalmatius a bishop of Pavia and lists his feast day as December 5.