Maternus () was

Archbishop of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan (; ) 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 long maintained its own Latin liturgical rite usage, the Amb ...

from c. 316 to c. 328. He is honoured as a

Saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

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 Fel ...

, who had been

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, 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 external party. In ...

ed during the reign of Emperor

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

in 303, and then relocated these relics to

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

, where a church known as the (''Basilica Naboriana'') was built in their honor. Maternus also completed the construction of the Basilica vetus, 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 ( ; ), or Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Nativity of Saint Mary (), is the cathedral church of Milan, Lombardy, Italy. Dedicated to the Nativity of St. Mary (), it is the seat of the Archbishop of Milan, currently Archbi ...

. He was beloved even by the Pagans; he encouraged and comforted his flock during the persecution under Diocletian. There are three versions of the "Martyrdom of

Alexander Alexander () is a male name of Greek origin. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here ar ...

". The longest recounts conversions performed by Maternus, including that of

Fidelis of Como Fidelis of Como () (died ) was an Italian soldier-saint, according to Christian tradition. Legends Fidelis' cult is associated with Carpophorus and Exanthus, two soldier-saints. Variations on their legend are applied to Fidelis. The first says ...

. Maternus and Fidelis purportedly visited Alexander in prison. He built the chapel of ''San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro'' to house the relics of Saint Victor just outside the city walls. It became part of Ambrose's ''Basilica Martyrum'', (later named after Ambrose)."Saint Victor", ''Daily Compass'', August 5, 2024
/ref> Maternus died c. 328 on July 18, which was later set as his feast day by the Catholic Church. His body was buried in the Basilica Naboriana, that in

1258 Year 1258 ( MCCLVIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. Events By place Mongol Empire * February 10 – Siege of Baghdad: Mongol forces (some 150,000 men), led by Hulagu Khan, besiege and conquer Bag ...

was enlarged and dedicated to

Saint Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone ( 1181 – 3 October 1226), known as Francis of Assisi, was an Italian mystic, poet and Catholic friar who founded the religious order of the Franciscans. Inspired to lead a Christian life of poverty, he ...

. On April 14, 1798, shortly before the demolition of the church, his body was moved to the

Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio The Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, officially known as ''Basilica romana minore collegiata abbaziale prepositurale di Sant'Ambrogio'', is an ancient Romanesque-style, Roman Catholic church located in the center of Milan, in the region of Lombardy, ...

, located a few hundred meters to the south. They reside there today in an ancient

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

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