Justin of Siponto
Encyclopedia
Saint Justin of Siponto, as well as Saints Florentius, Felix, and Justa, are venerated as Christian
martyr
s by the Catholic Church. Information about them is fragmentary but their names were inserted into various martyrologies. Tradition states that Justin was a priest
and bishop
, that Florentius and Felix were his siblings, and that Justa was his niece. The earliest document about them dates from the 15th century; this is their legendary passio.
at the beginning of the fourth century. Justin as the most erudite and eloquent of the three brothers. He was appointed bishop of Siponto. Florentius, meanwhile, married and had a daughter named Justa, named after Justin, who had baptized
her. After a decade or so, the four left Siponto and went to Chieti
, where they preached and performed miracles. Pagan priests, alarmed by this, contacted Maximian
; the authorities ordered the four to sacrifice to Jove
. Justin escaped to a mountain named Tubernium while Florentius, Felix, and Justa were arrested and taken to Forconium (Furci
). Florentius and Felix were decapitated
immediately, on July 25, 310. Justa was thrown into a burning furnace
, but after emerging unharmed, was shot with arrow
s on August 1 of that year. She was buried in a place two miles from Furci where a basilica
would later be built.
Justin, meanwhile, buried the bodies of his brothers beside that of his niece and died of natural causes at the age of eighty-four. He was buried near Offida
(province of Ascoli Piceno
), where a basilica was also built.
, probably through confusion with Felix of Nola
. Of Justa it is known that there was a crypt
dedicated to her at Bazzano
, where her body was conserved. The church there was expanded in the 13th century. Her cult, with a feast day of August 1, was centered in the Abruzzo
and Campania
regions. There were three churches dedicated to her in Penne, Sulmona
, and Chieti. The four saints all had their own feast day of July 25 in previous Roman Martyrologies; currently they are not mentioned in this martyrology.
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 by the Catholic Church. Information about them is fragmentary but their names were inserted into various martyrologies. Tradition states that Justin was a 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...
and bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
, that Florentius and Felix were his siblings, and that Justa was his niece. The earliest document about them dates from the 15th century; this is their legendary passio.
Legend
They lived in SipontoSiponto
Siponto was an ancient port town of Apulia in southern Italy. The town was abandoned after earthquakes in the 13th century; today the area is administered as a frazione of the comune of Manfredonia, in the province of Foggia...
at the beginning of the fourth century. Justin as the most erudite and eloquent of the three brothers. He was appointed bishop of Siponto. Florentius, meanwhile, married and had a daughter named Justa, named after Justin, who had baptized
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
her. After a decade or so, the four left Siponto and went to Chieti
Chieti
Chieti is a city and comune in Central Italy, 200 km northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region...
, where they preached and performed miracles. Pagan priests, alarmed by this, contacted 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...
; the authorities ordered the four to sacrifice to Jove
JOVE
JOVE is an open-source, Emacs-like text editor, primarily intended for Unix-like operating systems. It also supports MS-DOS and Microsoft Windows. JOVE was inspired by Gosling Emacs but is much smaller and simpler, lacking Mocklisp...
. Justin escaped to a mountain named Tubernium while Florentius, Felix, and Justa were arrested and taken to Forconium (Furci
Furci
Furci is a comune and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region of Italy....
). Florentius and Felix were decapitated
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...
immediately, on July 25, 310. Justa was thrown into a burning furnace
Furnace
A furnace is a device used for heating. The name derives from Latin fornax, oven.In American English and Canadian English, the term furnace on its own is generally used to describe household heating systems based on a central furnace , and sometimes as a synonym for kiln, a device used in the...
, but after emerging unharmed, was shot with arrow
Arrow
An arrow is a shafted projectile that is shot with a bow. It predates recorded history and is common to most cultures.An arrow usually consists of a shaft with an arrowhead attached to the front end, with fletchings and a nock at the other.- History:...
s on August 1 of that year. She was buried in a place two miles from Furci where a basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
would later be built.
Justin, meanwhile, buried the bodies of his brothers beside that of his niece and died of natural causes at the age of eighty-four. He was buried near Offida
Offida
Offida is a comune in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about 80 km south of Ancona and about 12 km northeast of Ascoli Piceno, on a rocky spur between the valleys of the Tesino and Tronto rivers.-History:The origins of Offida are debated...
(province of Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno
Ascoli Piceno is a town and comune in the Marche region of Italy, capital of the province of the same name. Its population is c. 51,400.-Geography:...
), where a basilica was also built.
Veneration
The varying dates of celebration and places with which they were associated has led scholars to believe that they are purely legendary. Justin was confused with the cult of Saint Justin of Chieti, whose feast day falls on January 1, and May 11 locally. Florentius and Felix were sometimes identified as soldier saintsMilitary saint
The military saints or warrior saints of the Early Christian Church are prominent in the history of Christianity...
, probably through confusion with Felix of Nola
Felix of Nola
Saint Felix of Nola was a priest of Nola in Italy, who though once listed in the General Roman Calendar as a martyr, was instead a confessor of the faith.-Legend:Felix was the elder son of Hermias, a Syrian soldier who had retired to Nola, Italy...
. Of Justa it is known that there was a crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
dedicated to her at Bazzano
Bazzano
Bazzano is a comune in the Province of Bologna in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about 20 km west of Bologna. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 6,386 and an area of 14.0 km²....
, where her body was conserved. The church there was expanded in the 13th century. Her cult, with a feast day of August 1, was centered in the Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
and Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
regions. There were three churches dedicated to her in Penne, Sulmona
Sulmona
thumb|150px|Celestine V's hermitage and the remains of the Shrine of Hercules Curinus.thumb|150px|Palazzo SS. Annunziata and Museo Civicothumb|150px|Church of SS...
, and Chieti. The four saints all had their own feast day of July 25 in previous Roman Martyrologies; currently they are not mentioned in this martyrology.