According to legend, Rufinus of Assisi (Italian ''Rufino''), was the first bishop of this city and a martyr. Sources concerning the life of Saint Rufino are a sermon of eleventh century

Peter Damian Peter Damian ( la, Petrus Damianus; it, Pietro or '; – 21 or 22 February 1072 or 1073) was a reforming Benedictine monk and cardinal in the circle of Pope Leo IX. Dante placed him in one of the highest circles of '' Paradiso'' ...

, (''Miracula Sancti Rufini Martyris''), and a ''Passio Sancti Rufini'' of the 14th century. The Acts of the martyrdom of this Rufinus are purely legendary. He is probably identical with the "episcopus Marsorum" (bishop of the

Marsi The Marsi were an Italic people of ancient Italy, whose chief centre was Marruvium, on the eastern shore of Lake Fucinus (which was drained for agricultural land in the late 19th century). The area in which they lived is now called Marsica. D ...

) noted in the

Roman Martyrology The ''Roman Martyrology'' ( la, Martyrologium Romanum) is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approve ...

under 11 August.Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Sts. Rufinus." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 13. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. 18 November 2021

Legend

Rufinus was responsible for converting Assisi to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

, but at what date is disputed. He and his son came from

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

to preach the Gospel. At some point, the Roman proconsul, Aspasius, had him arrested, tortured, and drowned in the

Chiascio The Chiascio is a river of Umbria, central Italy. It is a left tributary of the Tiber The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emili ...

River near

Costano Costano is a '' frazione'' of the '' comune'' of Bastia Umbra in the Province of Perugia, Umbria, central Italy. It stands at an elevation of 191 metres above sea level. At the time of the Istat The Italian National Institute of Statistics ( i ...

. His body was recovered and buried near where he was found. A church was built on that spotSchäfer, Joachim. "Rufinus von Assisi",''Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon''
/ref> from whence, according to

Petrus Damiani Peter Damian ( la, Petrus Damianus; it, Pietro or '; – 21 or 22 February 1072 or 1073) was a reforming Benedictine monk and cardinal in the circle of Pope Leo IX. Dante placed him in one of the highest circles of '' Paradiso ...

, his relics were

translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

to Assisi in the 8th century. His remains were put to rest in a Roman

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Gre ...

. The front is sculpted in low relief with the myth of

Selene In ancient Greek mythology and religion, Selene (; grc-gre, Σελήνη , meaning "Moon"''A Greek–English Lexicon's.v. σελήνη) is the goddess and the personification of the Moon. Also known as Mene, she is traditionally the daughter of ...

and

Endymion Endymion primarily refers to: * Endymion (mythology), an Ancient Greek shepherd * ''Endymion'' (poem), by John Keats Endymion may also refer to: Fictional characters * Prince Endymion, a character in the ''Sailor Moon'' anime franchise * Raul ...

. It is now located under the main altar of the Cathedral of San Rufino, which is the third church to have been erected over his remains. Rufinus is the patron saint of Assisi. Each year, the "Palio of St. Rufinus (Palio Di San Rufino)" is held on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the last week of August. It's a traditional competition in the bow to win the Palio (pennant).

References

Sources

* Ekkart Sauser, ''Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon'', vol. XXI (2003) pp 1284f Year of birth missing 3rd-century deaths Bishops in Umbria 3rd-century Italian bishops People from Assisi 3rd-century Christian saints {{Italy-RC-bishop-stub