Castritian ( la, Castritianus, it, Castriziano) was
Bishop 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 ha ...
in mid 3rd-century. 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 December 1.
Life
Almost nothing is known about the life and the episcopate of Castritian, except that he was bishop of Milan in mid 3rd-century, and that his corpse was allegedly buried in a cemetery in the area of
Porta Romana, not far from the present
Basilica of Saint Calimerius. His relics were later
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 ...
into the church of
San Giovanni in Conca
San Giovanni in Conca is a crypt of a former basilica church in Milan, northern Italy. It is now located in the centre of Piazza Missori.
History
The basilica of San Giovanni in Conca dates from the 4th century, and was located in a residential q ...
, which was demolished between the 19th and 20th century.
Middle age texts, such as the ''Historia Dataria'' dated 11th-century, add biographic details which are to be considered legendary. Among these legendary traditions, is the length of his episcopate (41 years), the start of his reign shortly after the Emperor
Domitian
Domitian (; la, Domitianus; 24 October 51 – 18 September 96) was a Roman emperor who reigned from 81 to 96. The son of Vespasian and the younger brother of Titus, his two predecessors on the throne, he was the last member of the Flavi ...
in 97 and the consequent date of death in 138. Also legendary is his consecration as church of a house donated by a certain Philips, even if modern scholars, supported by 4th-century documents, deem as likely the early existence of a
house church
A house church or home church is a label used to describe a group of Christians who regularly gather for worship in private homes. The group may be part of a larger Christian body, such as a parish, but some have been independent groups that see ...
with a garden in an area between
Porta Ticinese
Porta Ticinese (formerly known as Porta Cicca, and during Napoleonic rule as Porta Marengo)Porta Cicca' (in Italian) is a former city gate of Milan, Italy. The gate, facing south-west, was first created with the Spanish walls of the city, in the ...
and
Porta Magenta
Porta Magenta, formerly known as Porta Vercellina, was one of the city gates of Milan, Italy. The gate was established in the 9th century, with the Roman walls of the city; it was moved with the medieval and Spanish walls, and was finally demolis ...
.
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castritian 01 Of Milan, Bishop
Archbishops of Milan
3rd-century Christian saints
Saints from Roman Italy