Secundus of Asti () (died c. 119) is venerated 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 ...

and

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 ...

. 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 ...

is generally celebrated on 29 March. Until the 15th century it was celebrated at

Asti Asti ( , ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) of 74,348 inhabitants (1–1–2021) located in the Italy, Italian region of Piedmont, about east of Turin, in the plain of the Tanaro, Tanaro River. It is the capital of the province of Asti and ...

on 30 March, but it is now celebrated there on the first Tuesday in May. He was a historical figure who was

beheaded 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 c ...

at Asti under

Hadrian Hadrian ( ; ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian was born in Italica, close to modern Seville in Spain, an Italic peoples, Italic settlement in Hispania Baetica; his branch of the Aelia gens, Aelia '' ...

. He is said to have been a patrician of Asti and a subaltern officer in the imperial army. It is known that a church was dedicated to him in the area as early as the 9th century.

Legend

Later legends made Secundus a member of the

Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christianity, Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Roman Egypt, Egypt —"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men" — consisting of Christian soldiers who were marty ...

. A more elaborate legend states that he was a young man of noble lineage who visited the jails of Asti. Secundus was a friend of Sapricius (Saprizio),

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect' ...

of the city. They traveled together to the city of

Tortona Tortona (; , ; ) is a ''comune'' of Piemonte, in the Province of Alessandria, Italy. Tortona is sited on the right bank of the Scrivia between the plain of Spinetta Marengo, Marengo and the foothills of the Ligurian Apennines. Its ''frazione'' of ...

, where Secundus met the city's first bishop,

Marcian Marcian (; ; ; 392 – 27 January 457) was Roman emperor of the Byzantine Empire, East from 450 to 457. Very little is known of his life before becoming emperor, other than that he was a (personal assistant) who served under the commanders ...

, who was later martyred under Hadrian. Secundus' meeting with Marcian influenced his decision to become a Christian; his meeting with

Faustinus and Jovita Jovita and Faustinus were said to be Christian martyrs under Hadrian, traditionally held to have died in 120 AD. Together, they are patron saints of the Italian city of Brescia. Faustinus is the patron saint of Pietradefusi. Traditional vita T ...

further influenced his conversion. His friend Sapricius attempted to make him abjure his newfound faith. Secundus refused, and was tortured and decapitated.

Veneration

The

codex The codex (: codices ) was the historical ancestor format of the modern book. Technically, the vast majority of modern books use the codex format of a stack of pages bound at one edge, along the side of the text. But the term ''codex'' is now r ...

called the ''Codice della Catena'' depicts Octavius, Adventor, Solutor,

Maximus of Turin Maximus of Turin (; c. 380 – c. 465)
Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 20 November 2021 was a

John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...

, and Secundus of Asti.

Bernardo Strozzi Bernardo Strozzi, named il Cappuccino and il Prete Genovese (c. 1581 – 2 August 1644), was an Italian Baroque painter and engraver. A canvas and fresco artist, his wide subject range included History painting, history, Allegory, allegorica ...

painted his ''St Secundus and Angel'' around 1640.

Notes

External links

Saints of March 29: Secundus of AstiSan Secondo di Asti
{{DEFAULTSORT:Secundus of Asti 110s deaths Year of death uncertain Saints from Roman Egypt 2nd-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown