Theonistus
Encyclopedia
Saint Theonistus is a saint venerated by the Catholic Church. Theonistus is venerated with two companions, Tabra and Tabratha (also Tabraham and Tubraham). Medieval documents give accounts of his life, which are contradictory and confused.
His legend is very confused and complex. He may have been a martyr of the end of the 4th or end of the 5th century. His legend is presented in a shorter, older version of the 10th century, which calls him a bishop of an island called Namsia or Namsis, and a longer version of the 11th century, which calls him a bishop of Philippi
.
According to the 11th century account, Theonistus, along with Alban of Mainz
, Tabra, Tabratha, and Ursus
, attended a council in Carthage
(the Council of Carthage of 670, but the chronology is confused), and then went on a pilgrimage
to Rome
. They then met Saint Ambrose at Milan
, and were sent to serve as missionaries to Gallia
. Ursus was killed either at Aosta
(according to the older account) or Augsburg
(according to the 11th century account). Albinus was beheaded by the Arians
at Mainz
and was a cephalophore
. A miracle allowed Theonistus, Tabra, and Tabratha to escape from Mainz, and they managed to reach either Gothia
(10th century version) or Gallia (11th century version), and then reached Otranto
(10th century version) or Sicily
(11th century version). Finally, they were martyred at Roncade
or Altino
by beheading, and were also said to have been cephalophores.
The chronological information in the sources is contradictory. Bede
dates their martyrdom to the time of Diocletian
(ca. 303), while Rabanus and Notker the Stammerer date their martyrdom to the time of Theodosius II
. However, their martyrdom may also date to the time of Hunneric (477-484).
As evidenced by their African names, Tabra and Tabratha may have been African martyrs whose relics arrived at Altino or Treviso
during the persecutions of the Arian Vandals
. Theonistus' cultus in Italy is attested by the foundation of a monastery dedicated to him in 710 (San Teonesto); the monastery’s privileges were confirmed by Conrad II
.
At Treviso, Theonistus and his companions are first mentioned in a local calendar of 1184; Theonistus is venerated and depicted in local towns such as Possagno
and Trevignano
.
Their association with Saint Alban may have come from confusion with Theonistus (or Theomastus, Thaumaustus), an early fifth century bishop of Mainz (feast day: January 1). This figure is mentioned by Gregory of Tours
: "Theomastus was noted for his holiness in accordance with the meaning of his name, and he is said to have been bishop of Mainz. For some unknown reason, he was expelled from Mainz and went to Poitiers
. There he ended his present life by remaining in a pure confession.” The grave of this Theonistus was attested to in 791 AD. According to one scholar, “Albanus of Mentz, martyred at Mentz no one knows when, according to Baeda
under Diocletian also, according to Sigebert
(in Chron.), who says he had been driven from Philippi with Theonistus its bishop, in 425.” This scholar goes on to write that Rabanus Maurus “goes so far abroad as to call [Alban] an African bishop flying from Hunneric...”
There is another martyr by this name, Theonistus of Vercelli (feast day: November 20) (Vercelli has a church named Santi Tommaso e Teonesto in S. Paolo). All three figures’ histories may have been confused.
The relics of Theonistus and his two companions may also have been enshrined with those associated with Liberalis of Treviso at the cathedral of Torcello
after 639 AD.
Theonistus' cultus remained strong. In the early 19th century, inhabitants of Trevignano hung a picture depicting St. Jerome at the feet of St. Theonistus. Villagers of Falzé
, whose patron saint was St. Jerome, protested to the bishop about this "insolent picture."
His legend is very confused and complex. He may have been a martyr of the end of the 4th or end of the 5th century. His legend is presented in a shorter, older version of the 10th century, which calls him a bishop of an island called Namsia or Namsis, and a longer version of the 11th century, which calls him a bishop of Philippi
Philippi
Philippi was a city in eastern Macedonia, established by Philip II in 356 BC and abandoned in the 14th century after the Ottoman conquest...
.
According to the 11th century account, Theonistus, along with Alban of Mainz
Alban of Mainz
Saint Alban of Mainz was a priest, missionary, and martyr.Rabanus Maurus wrote in his Martyrology about Alban, who was sent to Gallia as a missionary by Ambrose of Milan. In Mainz, Alban helped bishop Aureus of Mainz to regain his bishopric...
, Tabra, Tabratha, and Ursus
Ursus of Aosta
Saint Ursus of Aosta is an Italian saint of the 6th century. His feast day is February 1 . The collegiate church of Saint Ursus in Aosta is dedicated to him....
, attended a council in Carthage
Carthage
Carthage , implying it was a 'new Tyre') is a major urban centre that has existed for nearly 3,000 years on the Gulf of Tunis, developing from a Phoenician colony of the 1st millennium BC...
(the Council of Carthage of 670, but the chronology is confused), and then went on a 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...
to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. They then met Saint Ambrose at Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, and were sent to serve as missionaries to Gallia
Gallia
Gallia may refer to:*Gaul , the region of Western Europe occupied by present-day France, Belgium and other neighbouring countries...
. Ursus was killed either at Aosta
Aosta
Aosta is the principal city of the bilingual Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps, north-northwest of Turin. It is situated near the Italian entrance of the Mont Blanc Tunnel, at the confluence of the Buthier and the Dora Baltea, and at the junction of the Great and Little St. Bernard routes...
(according to the older account) or Augsburg
Augsburg
Augsburg is a city in the south-west of Bavaria, Germany. It is a university town and home of the Regierungsbezirk Schwaben and the Bezirk Schwaben. Augsburg is an urban district and home to the institutions of the Landkreis Augsburg. It is, as of 2008, the third-largest city in Bavaria with a...
(according to the 11th century account). Albinus was beheaded by the Arians
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
at Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
and was a cephalophore
Cephalophore
A cephalophore is a saint who is generally depicted carrying his or her own head; in art, this was usually meant to signify that the subject in question had been martyred by beheading....
. A miracle allowed Theonistus, Tabra, and Tabratha to escape from Mainz, and they managed to reach either Gothia
Gothia
Gothia is a name given to various places where the Goths lived during their migrations:* Götaland, the traditional original homeland of the Goths.* Dacia was referred to as Gothia during the fourth century, when it was settled by Goths....
(10th century version) or Gallia (11th century version), and then reached Otranto
Otranto
Otranto is a town and comune in the province of Lecce , in a fertile region once famous for its breed of horses.It is located on the east coast of the Salento peninsula. The Strait of Otranto, to which the city gives its name, connects the Adriatic Sea with the Ionian Sea and Italy with Albania...
(10th century version) or Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
(11th century version). Finally, they were martyred at Roncade
Roncade
Roncade is a comune in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about 25 km north of Venice and about 10 km southeast of Treviso...
or Altino
Altinum
260px|thumb|Remains of the Roman [[decumanus]].Altinum is the name of an ancient coastal town of the Veneti 15 km SE of the modern Treviso, northern Italy, on the edge of the lagoons...
by beheading, and were also said to have been cephalophores.
The chronological information in the sources is contradictory. Bede
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
dates their martyrdom to the time of Diocletian
Diocletian
Diocletian |latinized]] upon his accession to Diocletian . c. 22 December 244 – 3 December 311), was a Roman Emperor from 284 to 305....
(ca. 303), while Rabanus and Notker the Stammerer date their martyrdom to the time of Theodosius II
Theodosius II
Theodosius II , commonly surnamed Theodosius the Younger, or Theodosius the Calligrapher, was Byzantine Emperor from 408 to 450. He is mostly known for promulgating the Theodosian law code, and for the construction of the Theodosian Walls of Constantinople...
. However, their martyrdom may also date to the time of Hunneric (477-484).
As evidenced by their African names, Tabra and Tabratha may have been African martyrs whose relics arrived at Altino or Treviso
Treviso
Treviso is a city and comune in Veneto, northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Treviso and the municipality has 82,854 inhabitants : some 3,000 live within the Venetian walls or in the historical and monumental center, some 80,000 live in the urban center proper, while the city...
during the persecutions of the Arian Vandals
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe that entered the late Roman Empire during the 5th century. The Vandals under king Genseric entered Africa in 429 and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia and the Balearics....
. Theonistus' cultus in Italy is attested by the foundation of a monastery dedicated to him in 710 (San Teonesto); the monastery’s privileges were confirmed by Conrad II
Conrad II
Conrad II may refer to:*Conrad II, Holy Roman Emperor *Conrad II, Duke of Transjurane Burgundy *Conrad II of Znojmo*Conrad II of Bohemia *Conrad II of Dachau *Conrad II of Italy...
.
At Treviso, Theonistus and his companions are first mentioned in a local calendar of 1184; Theonistus is venerated and depicted in local towns such as Possagno
Possagno
Possagno is a comune in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about 60 km northwest of Venice and about 35 km northwest of Treviso...
and Trevignano
Trevignano
Trevignano is a town and comune in the province of Treviso, Veneto, Italy.The commune of Trevignano contains the towns of Trevignano, Signoressa, Musano & Falzé ....
.
Their association with Saint Alban may have come from confusion with Theonistus (or Theomastus, Thaumaustus), an early fifth century bishop of Mainz (feast day: January 1). This figure is mentioned by Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
: "Theomastus was noted for his holiness in accordance with the meaning of his name, and he is said to have been bishop of Mainz. For some unknown reason, he was expelled from Mainz and went to Poitiers
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque...
. There he ended his present life by remaining in a pure confession.” The grave of this Theonistus was attested to in 791 AD. According to one scholar, “Albanus of Mentz, martyred at Mentz no one knows when, according to Baeda
Bede
Bede , also referred to as Saint Bede or the Venerable Bede , was a monk at the Northumbrian monastery of Saint Peter at Monkwearmouth, today part of Sunderland, England, and of its companion monastery, Saint Paul's, in modern Jarrow , both in the Kingdom of Northumbria...
under Diocletian also, according to Sigebert
Sigebert of Gembloux
Sigebert of Gembloux was a medieval author, known mainly as a pro-Imperial historian of a universal chronicle, opposed to the expansive papacy of Gregory VII and Pascal II...
(in Chron.), who says he had been driven from Philippi with Theonistus its bishop, in 425.” This scholar goes on to write that Rabanus Maurus “goes so far abroad as to call [Alban] an African bishop flying from Hunneric...”
There is another martyr by this name, Theonistus of Vercelli (feast day: November 20) (Vercelli has a church named Santi Tommaso e Teonesto in S. Paolo). All three figures’ histories may have been confused.
The relics of Theonistus and his two companions may also have been enshrined with those associated with Liberalis of Treviso at the cathedral of Torcello
Torcello
Torcello is a quiet and sparsely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon. It is considered the oldest continuously populated region of Venice, and once held the largest population of the Republic of Venice.-History:...
after 639 AD.
Theonistus' cultus remained strong. In the early 19th century, inhabitants of Trevignano hung a picture depicting St. Jerome at the feet of St. Theonistus. Villagers of Falzé
Trevignano
Trevignano is a town and comune in the province of Treviso, Veneto, Italy.The commune of Trevignano contains the towns of Trevignano, Signoressa, Musano & Falzé ....
, whose patron saint was St. Jerome, protested to the bishop about this "insolent picture."