Prosdocimus (Prosdecimus) of Padua (, ) (d. November 7, ca. 100 AD) is venerated as the first

bishop of Padua The Diocese of Padua (; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in Veneto, northern Italy. It was erected in the 3rd century.Isola Vicentina Isola Vicentina is a small town and ''comune'' in the Italian province of Vicenza in the Veneto region. Its population is around 9,319. Twin towns Isola Vicentina is twinned with: * Mühlhausen, Upper Palatinate, Germany, since 1998 * Marau ...

. Prosdocimus baptized

Justina of Padua Justina of Padua (; ) is a Christian saint and a patroness of the city of Padua. Her feast day is October 7. She was devoted to religion from her earliest years and took the vow of perpetual virginity. When she was brought before Maximian the pr ...

. His tomb is situated at the basilica of

Santa Giustina Santa Giustina is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Belluno in the Italian region of Veneto, located about northwest of Venice and about southwest of Belluno. Santa Giustina borders the following municipalities: Cesiomaggiore, L ...

at Padua. The chapel dedicated to him there was built over his tomb outside the walls of Padua. The church also once contained the

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 ...

of Prosdocimus's

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian denominations, such as the Cathol ...

Daniel Daniel commonly refers to: * Daniel (given name), a masculine given name and a surname * List of people named Daniel * List of people with surname Daniel * Daniel (biblical figure) * Book of Daniel, a biblical apocalypse, "an account of the acti ...

, though these were moved to the Paduan church of Santa Sofia in the 11th century, and then to

Padua Cathedral Padua Cathedral, or Basilica Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption (), is a Catholic Church, Catholic church and Basilicas in the Catholic Church, minor basilica located on the east end of Piazza Duomo, Padua, Piazza Duomo, adjacent to the b ...

Iconography

He is generally depicted with a mitre and crosier, and sometimes with a can or ewer, referring to his baptism of St. Giustina. Tradition holds that, being of

Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...

origin, he was sent from

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

Peter the Apostle Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the early Christian Church. He appears repe ...

. He is thus often depicted in art with this apostle. The cathedral at

Feltre Feltre (; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the province of Belluno in Veneto, northern Italy. A hill town in the southern reaches of the province, it is located on the Stizzon River, about from its junction with the Piave, and southwest from Bell ...

is dedicated to him and Saint Peter the Apostle, and the artist

Il Pordenone Pordenone, Il Pordenone in Italian, is the byname of Giovanni Antonio de’ Sacchis ( – 14 January 1539), an Italian Mannerist painter, loosely of the Venetian school. Vasari, his main biographer, wrongly identifies him as Giovanni Anton ...

(c. 1483 - 1539) created a work depicting Prosdocimus with Peter. There is a bronze statue of Prosdocimus (c. 1447) by

Donatello Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi ( – 13 December 1466), known mononymously as Donatello (; ), was an Italian Renaissance sculpture, Italian sculptor of the Renaissance period. Born in Republic of Florence, Florence, he studied classical sc ...

in the

Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua The Pontifical Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua () is a Catholic Church, Catholic church and Basilicas in the Catholic Church, minor basilica in Padua, Veneto, Northern Italy, dedicated to Anthony of Padua, St. Anthony of Padua. Although the ...

in Padua. Prosdocimus is depicted in an altarpiece by

Romanino Girolamo Romani, known as Romanino ( – ), was an Italian High Renaissance painter active in the Veneto and Lombardy, near Brescia. His long career brought forth several different styles. Biography Romani was born in Brescia. His early trai ...

, now in the

Musei Civici di Padova The Musei Civici di Padova or degli Eremitani is a complex of museums and historic sites, centered on the former convent of the Eremitani (Augustinian order), and its famous Cappella degli Scrovegni with its Giotto fresco masterpieces. The compl ...

, Padua. He holds the jug a water with which he baptized Justina. A drawing by

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; 5 March 1696 – 27 March 1770), also known as Giambattista (or Gianbattista) Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an import ...

of "St. Prosdocimus baptizing St. Giustina" is held by the

National Gallery of Victoria The National Gallery of Victoria, popularly known as the NGV, is an art museum in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1861, it is Australia's oldest and list of most visited art museums in the world, most visited art mu ...

Pietro Damini Saint Louis, sacred, bishop of Toulouse Sant'Alvise Pietro Damini (1592–1631) was an Italian painter of the late-Renaissance period. He was born in Castelfranco Veneto Castelfranco Veneto () is a town and (municipality) of Veneto, northern ...

painted an image of Saint Prosdocimus.Rosa Giorgi, ''Saints: A Year in Faith and Art'' (Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 2006).

References

External links

Saints of November 7: Prosdocimus of Padua
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prosdocimus 1st-century births 100 deaths Saints from Roman Anatolia Italian saints Bishops of Padua 1st-century Italian bishops 1st-century Christian saints