Saint Sossius or Sosius (Italian: ''Sosso'', ''Sossio'' or ''Sosio''; 275 – 305 AD) was Deacon of Misenum, an important naval base of the Roman Empire in the

Bay of Naples A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

. He was martyred along with Saint Januarius at Pozzuoli during the

Diocletian Persecution The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rights ...

s. His feast day is September 23, the date, three days after his death, on which his corpse was translated to Misenum.Franco Zullo
San Sosso
Santi e Beati.

Legend

The legend conserved in the ''Atti Bolognesi'' states that during the

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

persecutions, Januarius, bishop of

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

, escaped from his see and traveled to Pozzuoli "incognito." However, his presence became known to Christians in the area, and Januarius maintained contact with Sossius, who was a deacon of Miseno, as well as the deacon Festus and the lector Desiderius. Legend says Januarius, with whom he studied to become a priest, predicted the martyrdom of Sossius when he saw a luminous red light and a dove hover over his head while he read the gospel at mass. Sossius was soon discovered to be a Christian by the local authorities and he was condemned by the judge Dragontius, who condemned him to be killed by wild

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

s in the local amphitheatre. Januarius, Festus, and Desiderius, on hearing of Sossius’ arrest, took a risk and visited him in prison at the

sulphur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formula ...

mines of Pozzuoli, near the volcano of Solfatara. The authorities discovered that these men were also Christians and they were thrown to the wild beasts as well, but as one modern account states, "...when the animals came near the Saints, they fell affectionately at their feet and refused to harm them.". They were then condemned to be beheaded, along with Sossius. The deacon Proculus of Pozzuoli and the laymen Eutyches and Acutius protested this sentence while the other men were being led to their execution. As a result, these three were also decapitated with the others near the Solfatara, on September 19, 305.

Veneration

His remains were first preserved at Misenum (today Miseno). After the destruction of the town by the

Saracens file:Erhard Reuwich Sarazenen 1486.png, upright 1.5, Late 15th-century Germany in the Middle Ages, German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek language, Greek and Latin writings, to refer ...

, its population transferred to the newly founded town of Frattamaggiore. They brought the saint's

cult In modern English, ''cult'' is usually a pejorative term for a social group that is defined by its unusual religious, spiritual, or philosophical beliefs and rituals, or its common interest in a particular personality, object, or goal. This ...

with them, making Sossius patron saint of the town; his relics, however, they left behind. The

Benedictines , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

recovered the relics from Miseno and preserved them at the convent of Santi Severino e Sossio, Naples in 910. John the Deacon wrote a history of St. Januarius and his companions, in which as an eyewitness he describes the aforesaid transfer.''Acta Sanctorum'', September, VI, 874 sqq.; the text of the "Translatio" alone is found in Waitz, loc. cit., 459-63. From here his veneration spread through various parts of Campania and Lazio, and even to Africa. Following the Napoleonic suppression of the convent, the remains were translated to Frattamaggiore where they are still preserved in the basilica dedicated to him. A village in the province of Avellino was established in his name as San Sossio Baronia.

Notes and references

{{Reflist 3rd-century births 305 deaths 4th-century Christian martyrs 3rd-century Romans 4th-century Romans Sosii Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian