Saint Hermes, born in
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, died in
Rome
Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
as a
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 ...
in 120, is venerated 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 ...
by 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 the
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, and also called the Greek Orthodox Church or simply the Orthodox Church, is List of Christian denominations by number of members, one of the three major doctrinal and ...
. His name appears in the ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' as well as entries in the ''Depositio Martyrum'' (354). There was a large
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...
over his tomb that was built around 600 by
Pope Pelagius I
Pope Pelagius I (died 3 March 561) was the bishop of Rome from 556 to his death on 3 March 561. A former '' apocrisiarius'' to Constantinople, Pelagius I was elected pope as the candidate of Emperor Justinian I, a designation not well received i ...
and restored by
Pope Adrian I
Pope Adrian I (; 700 – 25 December 795) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 772 until his death on 25 December 795. Descended from a family of the military aristocracy of Rome known as ''domini de via Lata'', h ...
. The
Catacomb of Sant'Ermete The Catacomb of Sant' Ermete or Catacomb of Bassilla is a catacomb on the former via Salaria in Rome, now sited in the Pinciano district on via Berolini. It originated some time between 200 and 250.
It was one of the first catacombs to be redisc ...
on the
Salarian Way is named after him.
Background
In the
Roman Rite
The Roman Rite () is the most common ritual family for performing the ecclesiastical services of the Latin Church, the largest of the ''sui iuris'' particular churches that comprise the Catholic Church. The Roman Rite governs Rite (Christianity) ...
, his feast is on 28 August. Under that date, he appears in the
Roman Martyrology
The ''Roman Martyrology'' () 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 approved appendices to it. It provid ...
, the official but professedly incomplete list of saints recognized by the Catholic Church. The entry is as follows: "In the Cemetery of Basilia on the Old Salarian Way, Saint Hermes, Martyr, whom, as reported by
Saint Damasus,
Greece
Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
sent forth, but Rome kept as its citizen when he died for the holy name."
His existence is attested by his early cult. However, his ''Acts'', included in those of
Pope Alexander I
Pope Alexander I (, died 115) was the bishop of Rome from about 108/109 to 116/119 (according to the 2012 ''Annuario Pontificio''). Some believe he suffered martyrdom under the Roman emperor Trajan or Hadrian.
Life and legend
According to the ...
, are legendary. They depict Hermes as a wealthy freedman who with his companions was martyred in Rome, being killed on the orders of a judge named Aurelian.
Veneration
Some of his
relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
were given to
Spoleto
Spoleto (, also , , ; ) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is south of Trevi, north of Terni, southeast of Perugia; southeast of Florence; and north of Rome.
H ...
by
Pope Gregory the Great. Other relics went to
Lothair I
Lothair I (9th. C. Frankish: ''Ludher'' and Medieval Latin: ''Lodharius''; Dutch and Medieval Latin: ''Lotharius''; German: ''Lothar''; French: ''Lothaire''; Italian: ''Lotario''; 795 – 29 September 855) was a 9th-century emperor of the ...
by
Pope Leo IV
Pope Leo IV (died 17 July 855) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 10 April 847 to his death in 855. He is remembered for repairing Roman churches that had been damaged during the Arab raid against Rome, and for building the ...
; Lothair brought them first to
Cornelismünster, near
Aachen
Aachen is the List of cities in North Rhine-Westphalia by population, 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, 27th-largest city of Germany, with around 261,000 inhabitants.
Aachen is locat ...
. The relics later came to
Ronse
Ronse (; ) is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only encompasses the city of Ronse proper.
History
Early settlements to 14th century
The hills around Ronse show clues of human a ...
in the 9th century. During those times,
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
raids forced the monks to flee the town more than once, and the monastery was burnt by the
Normans
The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...
in 880. The relics were recovered in 940 and housed in a
Romanesque-style
crypt
A crypt (from Greek κρύπτη (kryptē) ''wikt:crypta#Latin, crypta'' "Burial vault (tomb), vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, Sarcophagus, sarcophagi, or Relic, religiou ...
in 1083. The ''Fiertelommegang'' (Fiertel Procession) that has been held here since 1090, a procession with the relics throughout the city.
The church of Saint Hermes, which was later built on top of the crypt, was
consecrated
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...
in 1129. A pilgrimage in honour of the saint, who had by then become known for curing mental illnesses, sustained the local economy. There is still a
French saying today which translates as "Saint Hermes cures the area's madmen but keeps the Ronse dwellers as they are". Hermes is the patron saint of Ronse.
Although he is recognized as a saint of the Catholic Church, the commemoration of Saint Hermes in the
General Roman Calendar
The General Roman Calendar (GRC) is the liturgy, liturgical calendar that indicates the dates of celebrations of saints and Sacred mysteries, mysteries of the Lord (Jesus Christ) in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, wherever this liturgic ...
was removed in 1969 because of the paucity of information about him.
Gallery
Ronse - Sint-Hermeskerk 3.jpg , Church of Saint Hermes (Sint-Hirmes) in Ronse, Belgium.
See also
*
Hermas of Dalmatia
References
External links
Hermesat Patron Saints Index
at Enrosadira
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hermes
120 deaths
2nd-century Christian martyrs
Saints from Roman Greece
Year of birth unknown