Getulius
Encyclopedia
Saint Getulius is venerated together with Amantius (Amancius), Cerealus (Caerealis), and Primitivus as a Christian
martyr
and saint
. They are considered to have died at Gabii
. According to tradition, Getulius was the husband of Saint Symphorosa. Getulius is a name meaning “of the Gaetuli
,” which was a tribe of North Africa
.
who resigned when he became a Christian. He retired to his estates near Tivoli
. Caerealis was an imperial legate
sent to arrest him but was converted to Christianity by Getulius. Primitivus was another officer sent to arrest him, but he was also converted. Amantius was Getulius' brother.
According to his Passio, all four men were tied to a stake
and set alight. However, the fire did not harm them, so they were brutally clubbed and then beheaded
.
According to the Roman Martyrology, Getulius was killed on the Via Salaria
and is called the father of the Seven Martyrs and the husband of Symphorosa. His companions are called Caerealis, Amantius, and Primitivus. They were imprisoned, thrown into the flames but emerged unharmed, and then beaten to death with clubs. The legend further states that Saint Symphorosa buried them in an arenarium on her estate.
Their seven sons (not to be confused with the seven sons of Felicity of Rome) are named specifically. According to their legend, each of them suffered a different kind of martyrdom. Crescens was pierced through the throat
, Julian through the breast
, Nemesius through the heart
, Primitivus was wounded at the navel
, Justinus was pierced through the back
, Stracteus (Stacteus, Estacteus) was wounded at the side, and Eugenius was cleft in two parts from top to bottom.
The Martyrology of Ado
states: consumati sunt beati Martyres Gethulii in fundo Capriolis, viam Salariam, ab urbe Romam, plus minus miliario decimotertio, supra flumium Tiberim, in partem Savinensium. By Capriolis, viam Salariam, Ado is referring to a place on the Tiber River later known in the Middle Ages
as the Corte di San Getulio (today part of Montopoli di Sabina
), because a church was built here that originally held some of the saint’s relics. In 867, Abbot Peter of Farfa moved these relics to his abbey in a solemn ceremony. However, Getulius' relics are also considered to lie in Rome.
There was previously a church of San Getulio at Teramo
.
Getulius’ relics are purported to be at Rome, in the principal altar
of the church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria
.
The relics of his purported wife St. Symphorosa and their seven sons were transferred to the Church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria at Rome by Pope Stephen II
in 752. A sarcophagus
was found here in 1610, bearing the inscription: Hic requiescunt corpora SS. Martyrum Simforosae, viri sui Zotici (Getulii) et Filiorum ejus a Stephano Papa translata. They were placed in a glass urn during the pontificate of Pius IV, who placed the relics in an urn
of glass. In 1584, part of his relics were donated by Gregory XIII to the Jesuits, and these relics are found in a chapel near the Villa d'Este
. Some relics were taken to Jesuit colleges in India
and Spain
(June 25, 1572). On September 26, 1587, to prevent further distribution, Mariano Perbenedetti, governor of Rome, enclosed the rest of the relics at Sant'Angelo in a sarcophagus
of marble. This same sarcophagus also holds relics of Cyrus and John
.
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:...
and saint
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...
. They are considered to have died at Gabii
Gabii
Gabii was an ancient city of Latium, located due east of Rome along the Via Praenestina, which was in early times known as the Via Gabina....
. According to tradition, Getulius was the husband of Saint Symphorosa. Getulius is a name meaning “of the Gaetuli
Gaetulia
Gaetuli was the Romanised name of an ancient Berber tribe inhabiting Getulia, covering the desert region south of the Atlas Mountains, bordering the Sahara. Other sources place Getulia in pre-Roman times along the Mediterranean coasts of what is now Algeria and Tunisia, and north of the Atlas...
,” which was a tribe of North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
Legends and burial
According to his legend, Getulius was a native of Gabii in Sabina. Getulius was an officer in the Roman armyRoman army
The Roman army is the generic term for the terrestrial armed forces deployed by the kingdom of Rome , the Roman Republic , the Roman Empire and its successor, the Byzantine empire...
who resigned when he became a Christian. He retired to his estates near Tivoli
Tivoli, Italy
Tivoli , the classical Tibur, is an ancient Italian town in Lazio, about 30 km east-north-east of Rome, at the falls of the Aniene river where it issues from the Sabine hills...
. Caerealis was an imperial legate
Legatus
A legatus was a general in the Roman army, equivalent to a modern general officer. Being of senatorial rank, his immediate superior was the dux, and he outranked all military tribunes...
sent to arrest him but was converted to Christianity by Getulius. Primitivus was another officer sent to arrest him, but he was also converted. Amantius was Getulius' brother.
According to his Passio, all four men were tied to a stake
Stake
Stake may refer to:* @stake, a computer services company* Equity stake, a share or interest in a business or investment* "Stake", a tent peg* Stake -Military:* Sudis , a fortification carried by Roman legionaries...
and set alight. However, the fire did not harm them, so they were brutally clubbed 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...
.
According to the Roman Martyrology, Getulius was killed 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...
and is called the father of the Seven Martyrs and the husband of Symphorosa. His companions are called Caerealis, Amantius, and Primitivus. They were imprisoned, thrown into the flames but emerged unharmed, and then beaten to death with clubs. The legend further states that Saint Symphorosa buried them in an arenarium on her estate.
Their seven sons (not to be confused with the seven sons of Felicity of Rome) are named specifically. According to their legend, each of them suffered a different kind of martyrdom. Crescens was pierced through the throat
Throat
In vertebrate anatomy, the throat is the anterior part of the neck, in front of the vertebral column. It consists of the pharynx and larynx...
, Julian through the breast
Breast
The breast is the upper ventral region of the torso of a primate, in left and right sides, which in a female contains the mammary gland that secretes milk used to feed infants.Both men and women develop breasts from the same embryological tissues...
, Nemesius through the heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
, Primitivus was wounded at the navel
Navel
The navel is a scar on the abdomen caused when the umbilical cord is removed from a newborn baby...
, Justinus was pierced through the back
Human back
The human back is the large posterior area of the human body, rising from the top of the buttocks to the back of the neck and the shoulders. It is the surface opposite to the chest, its height being defined by the vertebral column and its breadth being supported by the ribcage and shoulders...
, Stracteus (Stacteus, Estacteus) was wounded at the side, and Eugenius was cleft in two parts from top to bottom.
The Martyrology of Ado
Ado (archbishop)
Ado , archbishop of Vienne in Lotharingia, belonged to a famous Frankish house, and spent much of his middle life in Italy. He held his archiepiscopal seat from 850 till his death on the 16 December 874. Several of his letters are extant and reveal their writer as an energetic man of wide...
states: consumati sunt beati Martyres Gethulii in fundo Capriolis, viam Salariam, ab urbe Romam, plus minus miliario decimotertio, supra flumium Tiberim, in partem Savinensium. By Capriolis, viam Salariam, Ado is referring to a place on the Tiber River later known in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
as the Corte di San Getulio (today part of Montopoli di Sabina
Montopoli di Sabina
Montopoli di Sabina is a comune in the Province of Rieti in the Italian region Latium, located about 40 km northeast of Rome and about 20 km southwest of Rieti.-External links:*...
), because a church was built here that originally held some of the saint’s relics. In 867, Abbot Peter of Farfa moved these relics to his abbey in a solemn ceremony. However, Getulius' relics are also considered to lie in Rome.
Veneration
Teramo
Teramo is a city and comune in the central Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo.The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines and the Adriatic coast...
.
Getulius’ relics are purported to be at Rome, in the principal 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...
of the church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria
Sant'Angelo in Pescheria
Sant'Angelo in Pescheria or in Piscaria is a church in Rome. It dates from the 8th century. "In Pescheria" refers to its location close to the fish market built in the ruins of the ancient Porticus Octaviae....
.
The relics of his purported wife St. Symphorosa and their seven sons were transferred to the Church of Sant'Angelo in Pescheria at Rome by Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II was Pope from 752 to 757, succeeding Pope Zachary following the death of Pope-elect Stephen. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzantine Papacy and the Frankish Papacy.-Allegiance to Constantinople:...
in 752. A sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
was found here in 1610, bearing the inscription: Hic requiescunt corpora SS. Martyrum Simforosae, viri sui Zotici (Getulii) et Filiorum ejus a Stephano Papa translata. They were placed in a glass urn during the pontificate of Pius IV, who placed the relics in an urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
of glass. In 1584, part of his relics were donated by Gregory XIII to the Jesuits, and these relics are found in a chapel near the Villa d'Este
Villa d'Este
The Villa d'Este is a villa situated at Tivoli, near Rome, Italy. Listed as a UNESCO world heritage site, it is a fine example of Renaissance architecture and the Italian Renaissance garden.-History:...
. Some relics were taken to Jesuit colleges in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
(June 25, 1572). On September 26, 1587, to prevent further distribution, Mariano Perbenedetti, governor of Rome, enclosed the rest of the relics at Sant'Angelo in a sarcophagus
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
of marble. This same sarcophagus also holds relics of Cyrus and John
Cyrus and John
Saints Cyrus and John are venerated as martyrs. They are especially venerated by the Coptic Church and surnamed Wonderworking Unmercenaries because they healed the sick free of charge....
.