Paternian
Saint Paternian | |
|---|---|
| File:Bisschop uit Fano Divus Paternianus Civitatis Fanensis Episcopus et Protector (titel op object), RP-P-OB-43.337.jpg | |
| Born | ~275 AD? Fano? |
| Died | 13 November ~360 AD Fano? |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Fano |
| Feast | 12 July; 13 November; 23 November |
| Patronage | Cervia; Fano |
Paternian or Paternianus (Italian: San Paterniano) is the name of an Italian saint. A native of Fermo who escaped to the mountains during the persecutions of Christians by Diocletian, he was then appointed bishop of Fano by Pope Sylvester I.[1][2]
(Paternian is often confused with Parthenian (Parteniano), a bishop of Bologna, also commemorated on 12 July.)[3]
Life
[edit | edit source]Historical details about Paternian are scarce. The Vita Sancti Paterniani can be found in a codex of the 12th century, though it dates earlier, and was written by a monk of the 10th or 11th century. But it is legendary and not reliable.
Paternian was born at Fano around 275 AD.[4] An angel told him in a vision to escape this city and hide out in a deserted place near the Metauro River. He became a hermit and the abbot of a monastery.[5] Later, when the persecution of Christians stopped, the citizens of Fano demanded that he become their bishop. Paternian governed the city for many years. He died on 13 November, around 360 AD. Miracles were reported at his tomb and his cult spread rapidly.[4]
Veneration
[edit | edit source]According to one legend, the inhabitants of Fano competed with those of Cervia for the body of the saint. Cervia would be left with a finger, while Fano would possess the rest of the saint's relics.[6]
His cult spread across Marche, Romagna, Veneto, Tuscany, Umbria, and Dalmatia. In the area known as the Camminate di Fano, there is a cave known as the Grotta di San Paterniano, which is said to have been his refuge during the Diocletian persecution.
The Austrian town of Paternion takes its name from him. The name appears in documents for the first time in 1296, and its origin is derived from the fact that the area lay under the influence of the patriarchate of Aquileia.[7]
There was an old proverb from Romagna that ran: "Par San Paternian e' trema la coda a e' can."[6] ("On St. Paternian's day, the dog's tail wags"). This Cervian proverb refers to the fact that the cold began to be felt around the saint's feast day.[6]
References
[edit | edit source]- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
Notes
[edit | edit source]- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Sanctity Pictured: The Art of the Dominican and Franciscan Orders in Renaissance Italy, (Trinita Kennedy, ed.) Philip Wilson Publishers, 2014 Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value). p. 158, n.7]
- ^ a b Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Francesco Lanzoni points out that there were neither hermitages nor monasteries in Italy in the first half of the 4th century. Lanzoni, Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo VII (an. 604) (Faenza: F. Lega, 1927), p. 498: "nella prima metà del iv secolo non vi erano in Italia né monaci né cenobi."
- ^ a b c Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
- ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
External links
[edit | edit source]- Saints of November 23: Paternian of Fermo
- San Paterniano (in Italian)
- Santuario di San Paterniano in Fano Archived 2006-05-11 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)
- Church of San Paterniano presso Cammoro (in Italian)
Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 153: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).