Constantius of Perugia (also known as Costantius, Constance or Costanzo) (died ) is one of the

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

Perugia Perugia ( , ; ; ) is the capital city of Umbria in central Italy, crossed by the River Tiber. The city is located about north of Rome and southeast of Florence. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area. It has 162,467 ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Legend

According to his legend, of which four versions exist, he was arrested during the persecutions of Antoninus (some sources say

Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( ; ; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoicism, Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors ...

) and whipped, and then forced into a stove along with his companions, from which all escaped unharmed. He was jailed and set free by his guards, whom he had converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. He sought refuge in a house owned by a Christian named Anastasius. But he, along with Anastasius, were arrested again and after being tortured in prisons at

Assisi Assisi (, also ; ; from ; Central Italian: ''Ascesi'') is a town and comune of Italy in the Province of Perugia in the Umbria region, on the western flank of Monte Subasio. It is generally regarded as the birthplace of the Latin poet Prope ...

and

Spello Spello (in Antiquity: Hispellum) is an ancient town and ''comune'' (township) of Italy, in the province of Perugia in eastern-central Umbria, on the lower southern flank of Monte Subasio. It is 6 km (4 mi) NNW of Foligno and 10 k ...

, were

decapitated Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common ...

near

Foligno Foligno (; Central Italian, Southern Umbrian: ''Fuligno'') is an ancient town of Italy in the province of Perugia in east central Umbria, on the Topino river where it leaves the Apennine Mountains, Apennines and enters the wide plain of the Clit ...

.San Costanzo di Perugia
/ref> Local tradition makes him the first

bishop of Perugia A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. This tradition states that he became the first bishop of the city at the age of 30. He was active in evangelism and care for the poor.

Veneration

His cult was diffused beyond

Umbria Umbria ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region of central Italy. It includes Lake Trasimeno and Cascata delle Marmore, Marmore Falls, and is crossed by the Tiber. It is the only landlocked region on the Italian Peninsula, Apennine Peninsula. The re ...

. He was listed in the ''

Martyrologium Hieronymianum The ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' (meaning "martyrology of Jerome") or ''Martyrologium sancti Hieronymi'' (meaning "martyrology of Saint Jerome") is an ancient martyrology or list of Christian martyrs in calendar order, one of the most used and ...

'' under the feast day of January 29. The four variations of his legend are consistent in regards to the place of his martyrdom (Foligno). A church in Perugia dedicated to him was demolished in 1527. The accounts of his martyrdom state that his body was carried to Perugia and buried near the site of the present-day

cathedral A cathedral is a church (building), church that contains the of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, Annual conferences within Methodism, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually s ...

there. His relics were

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 ...

in 1825 with great solemnity to a new altar at the present-day church of San Costanzo. On his

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context does n ...

, "torcolo", a ring-shaped cake made of

pine nuts Pine nuts, also called piñón (), pinoli (), or pignoli, are the edible seeds of pines (family Pinaceae, genus ''Pinus''). According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, only 29 species provide edible nuts, while 20 are traded locall ...

raisins A raisin is a dried grape. Raisins are produced in many regions of the world and may be eaten raw or used in cooking, baking, and brewing. In the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa, the word ''raisin'' is reserv ...

, and

dried fruit Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed prior to cooking or being eaten on its own. Drying may occur either naturally, by sun, through the use of industrial dehydrators, or by freeze drying. ...

, is a traditional food in Perugia. In art, Costantius is often represented as a bishop wearing a

mitre The mitre (Commonwealth English) or miter (American English; American and British English spelling differences#-re, -er, see spelling differences; both pronounced ; ) is a type of headgear now known as the traditional, ceremonial headdress of ...

and robe and bearing a

crozier A crozier or crosier (also known as a paterissa, pastoral staff, or bishop's staff) is a stylized staff that is a symbol of the governing office of a bishop or abbot and is carried by high-ranking prelates of Roman Catholic, Eastern Catholi ...

. He frequently appears in the company of another Perugian

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

, Sant'Ercolano (

Herculanus of Perugia Herculanus of Perugia (; died 549 AD) was a bishop of Perugia. He was canonized as a saint by the Catholic Church and is recognised as patron saint of Perugia. His main feast day is November 7; his second feast is celebrated on March 1. Accordi ...

). His

is 29 January.

Notes

References

Patron Saints at Catholic-Forum.com
*''The Book of Saints: A dictionary of persons canonized or beatified by the Catholic Church''. Benedictine Monks of St. Augustine Abbey, Ramsgate. NY: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1966. *"A Reconstruction of Taddeo di Bartolo's Altarpiece for San Francesco al Prato, Perugia," by Gail E. Solberg. ''The Burlington Magazine'', Vol. 134, No. 1075 (October 1992)p. 646–656.

San Costanzo di Perugia

External links

29 January saints at Saint Patrick's Church
{{DEFAULTSORT:Constantius Of Perugia 170 deaths People from Perugia 2nd-century Italian bishops Saints from Roman Italy Bishops in Umbria 2nd-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown

Legend

Veneration

See also

Notes

References

External links