Constantius (born, Antonii de Ripolis;

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

, San Costanzo di Capri) (died 7th or 8th century, near Marina Grande) was a

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ...

of 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 ...

who, after many years wandering, became the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholic Church, Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocacy, advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, ...

Capri Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has bee ...

Biography

Little is known about him except that his body was placed in a barrel: the homilies ''Sermo de virtute Constantii'' (BHL 1931) and the ''Sermo de transito s. Constantii'' date from the end of the 10th century, when the saint's protection was invoked at Capri and

Amalfi Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...

against

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia P ...

raiders. How he came to be on the island is Capri is undocumented and shrouded in legend. In the ''Catalogus'' of monk

Filippo Ferrari Filippo Ferrari (Philippus Ferrarius) (1551 – 1626) was an Italian Servite monk and scholar, known as a geographer, and also noted as a hagiographer. Life He was born at Oviglio in Piedmont. It is near Alessandria, and he was nicknamed ''Al ...

(died 1626), Constantius was described to be "of imperial lineage and

Bishop of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of the ...

". He may have been the

Arian Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by G ...

Constantius II Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germanic ...

who destroyed idols, or a bishop who fled from Africa to Italy. The Chiesa di San Costanzo is located between Marina Grande and

Anacapri Anacapri () is a ''comune'' on the island of Capri, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy. Anacapri is located higher on the island than Capri (about higher on average)http://www.capritourism.com/imgg/download/capri_map_en.pdf —the Anc ...

. The feast day of St Costanzo is celebrated on May 14 and includes commemoration of his arrival on Capri, which according to tradition, occurred c. 739. A reliquary at

Montevergine 250px, The Sanctuary of Montevergine. The Montevergine, also known as Partenio or Monti di Avella, is a limestone massif in Campania, central Italy, part of the Apennine chain. It is located near Avellino, in the ''comune'' of Mercogliano. It ...

contains a bone with the label "Ossa S. Costantio E.C." piscopus ConfessorSanti e beati: "San Costanzo di Capri

References

{{Authority control Medieval Italian saints Capri, Campania 8th-century Italian bishops