Venantius of Camerino
Encyclopedia
Venantius of Camerino (died 18 May 251 or 253) is the patron saint
of Camerino
, Italy
. Christian
tradition holds that he was a 15-year old who was tortured, and martyred by decapitation
at Camerino during the persecutions of Decius
. Martyred with him were 10 other Christians, including the priest Porphyrius, Venantius' tutor; and Leontius, bishop of Camerino.
Before Venantius was killed, he was scourged, burned with flaming torches, hanged upside-down over a fire, had his teeth knocked out and his jaw broken, thrown to the lion
s, and tossed over a high cliff
. His 11th century Acts state additionally that he managed to briefly escape from Camerino and hide at Raiano
, where a church was later dedicated to him.
was built in the fifth century, and later rebuilt many times in succeeding centuries. The cult of Venantius became popular: his image appeared on coins
and in litanies
; springs near the basilica, which were associated with the saint, were used by lepers and people with peptic ulcer
s to cure their afflictions. Venantius subsequently replaced Saint Ansovinus as the city's patron saint.
In 1259, during the destruction and sacking of Camerino by the troops of Manfred of Sicily
, the relics of Venantius were transported to safety to the Castel dell'Ovo
at Naples
. They were restored to Camerino in 1269 by order of Pope Clement IV
, an opponent of Manfred.
In the 17th century, Pope Clement X
, who was a former bishop of Camerino, further contributed to the spread of his cult: he raised the saint's feast to the level of a double rite and composed hymns for Venantius' office.
In the General Roman Calendar of 1670–1969 he has a third-class feast on 18 May.
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Camerino
Camerino
Camerino is a small town of 7.135 inhabitants in the Marches , in the province of Macerata, Italy. It is located in the Apennines bordering Umbria, between the valleys of the rivers Potenza and Chienti, about 40 miles from Ancona....
, 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...
. Christian
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...
tradition holds that he was a 15-year old who was tortured, and martyred by decapitation
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...
at Camerino during the persecutions of Decius
Decius
Trajan Decius , was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until they were both killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
. Martyred with him were 10 other Christians, including the priest Porphyrius, Venantius' tutor; and Leontius, bishop of Camerino.
Before Venantius was killed, he was scourged, burned with flaming torches, hanged upside-down over a fire, had his teeth knocked out and his jaw broken, thrown to the lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, and tossed over a high cliff
Cliff
In geography and geology, a cliff is a significant vertical, or near vertical, rock exposure. Cliffs are formed as erosion landforms due to the processes of erosion and weathering that produce them. Cliffs are common on coasts, in mountainous areas, escarpments and along rivers. Cliffs are usually...
. His 11th century Acts state additionally that he managed to briefly escape from Camerino and hide at Raiano
Raiano
Raiano is a town and comune of the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy.-Geography:Raiano is located at 390 m above sea level, on the western side of the Peligna Valley. In his Naturalis Historia, Pliny the Elder subdivided the Peligna region and its people into three...
, where a church was later dedicated to him.
Veneration
Venantius was buried outside the city walls of Camerino, where a basilicaBasilica
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...
was built in the fifth century, and later rebuilt many times in succeeding centuries. The cult of Venantius became popular: his image appeared on coins
COinS
ContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method to embed bibliographic metadata in the HTML code of web pages. This allows bibliographic software to publish machine-readable bibliographic items and client reference management software to retrieve bibliographic metadata. The...
and in litanies
Litany
A litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions...
; springs near the basilica, which were associated with the saint, were used by lepers and people with peptic ulcer
Peptic ulcer
A peptic ulcer, also known as PUD or peptic ulcer disease, is the most common ulcer of an area of the gastrointestinal tract that is usually acidic and thus extremely painful. It is defined as mucosal erosions equal to or greater than 0.5 cm...
s to cure their afflictions. Venantius subsequently replaced Saint Ansovinus as the city's patron saint.
In 1259, during the destruction and sacking of Camerino by the troops of Manfred of Sicily
Manfred of Sicily
Manfred was the King of Sicily from 1258 to 1266. He was a natural son of the emperor Frederick II of Hohenstaufen but his mother, Bianca Lancia , is reported by Matthew of Paris to have been married to the emperor while on her deathbed.-Background:Manfred was born in Venosa...
, the relics of Venantius were transported to safety to the Castel dell'Ovo
Castel dell'Ovo
Castel dell'Ovo is a castle located on the former island of Megaride, now a peninsula, on the gulf of Naples...
at Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. They were restored to Camerino in 1269 by order of Pope Clement IV
Pope Clement IV
Pope Clement IV , born Gui Faucoi called in later life le Gros , was elected Pope February 5, 1265, in a conclave held at Perugia that took four months, while cardinals argued over whether to call in Charles of Anjou, the youngest brother of Louis IX of France...
, an opponent of Manfred.
In the 17th century, Pope Clement X
Pope Clement X
Pope Clement X , born Emilio Bonaventura Altieri, was Pope from 29 April 1670 to 22 July 1676.-Early life:Emilio Altieri was born in Rome, the son of Lorenzo Altieri and Victoria Delphini, a Venetian lady...
, who was a former bishop of Camerino, further contributed to the spread of his cult: he raised the saint's feast to the level of a double rite and composed hymns for Venantius' office.
In the General Roman Calendar of 1670–1969 he has a third-class feast on 18 May.