Maternus ( it, Materno) was

Archbishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has lon ...

from c. 316 to c. 328. He is honoured as a Saint in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and his feast day is on July 18.

Life

Almost nothing is known about the life of Maternus. In 316, he was elected bishop of Milan by acclamation, both clergy and people insisting on having him for their Pastor; and reigned until about 328. Maternus is believed to have discovered at

Lodi Vecchio Lodi Vecchio ( Ludesan: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lodi in the Italian region Lombardy, which is located about southeast of Milan and about west of Lodi. It received the honorary title of city with a presidential decree ...

the remains of saints

Nabor and Felix Nabor and Felix ( ) were Christian martyrs thought to have been killed during the Great Persecution under the Roman emperor Diocletian. A tomb in Milan is believed to contain their relics. Legend In the apocryphal ''"Acts of Saints Nabor and Fe ...

, who had been

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

ed during the reign of Emperor Diocletian in 303, and then relocated these relics to

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, where a church known as the (''Basilica Naboriana'') was built in their honor. Maternus also completed the construction of the

Basilica vetus Santa Maria Maggiore, called the ''basilica vetus'' (old basilica) or ''basilica minor'' (minor basilica), was a church in Milan, established in 313, which served as co-cathedral alongside Santa Tecla until it was torn down after 1386 to make ro ...

, which had been started in 313 and was the first cathedral of Milan, located in the area now occupied by the present

Cathedral of Milan Milan Cathedral ( it, Duomo di Milano ; lmo, Domm de Milan ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary ( it, Basilica cattedrale metropolitana di Santa Maria Nascente, links=no), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombar ...

. He was beloved even by the Pagans; he encouraged and comforted his flock during the persecution under Diocletian.Monks of Ramsgate. "Maternus". ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 7 December 2014
/ref> Maternus died c. 328 on July 18, which was later set as his feast day by the Catholic Church. His body was also buried in the Basilica Naboriana, but in 1258 it was moved to the church of Saint Francis of Assisi which replaced it. On April 14, 1798, shortly before the demolition of the church, they were again moved to the

Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio (official name: ''Basilica romana minore collegiata abbaziale prepositurale di Sant'Ambrogio'') is a church in the center of Milan, northern Italy. History One of the most ancient churches in Milan, it was built by ...

, located a few hundred meters to the south. They reside there today in an ancient sarcophagus within the right-hand nave of the church, along with the relics of Saints Nabor and Felix, as well as Saint Valeria.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maternus 01 Of Milan, Archbishop Archbishops of Milan 320s deaths 4th-century Christian saints Italian saints Year of birth unknown