Saint Titian of Oderzo () was a 7th-century bishop of Opitergium (

Oderzo Oderzo (; ) is a ''comune'', with a population of 20,003, in the province of Treviso, in the Italian region of Veneto. It lies in the heart of the Venetian plain, about to the northeast of Venice. Oderzo is crossed by the Monticano river, a tri ...

), in the

Province of Treviso The province of Treviso () is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Veneto region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Treviso. The province is surrounded by Province of Belluno, Belluno in the north, Province of Vicenza, Vicenza in the west, Pro ...

. Titian was born to a noble family of

Eraclea Eraclea () is a small city and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, northern Italy. It is located on the Adriatic coast between the towns of Caorle and Jesolo. History From its founding until 742 AD, the Republic of Ven ...

(Grisolera) in the Veneto region, and served as a

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 ...

and priest to Florian (Florianus), bishop of Opitergium (Oderzo). Titian devoted himself to serving the poor, and when Florian stepped down from his episcopal office to work as a missionary, Titian was declared his successor. Titian devoted himself to his diocese, and was an opponent of

Arianism Arianism (, ) is a Christology, Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is co ...

. Titian died in 632, traditionally on January 16, and was buried in the cathedral of Oderzo.

Veneration

Many miracles are said to have occurred at Titian's tomb in Oderzo, and Titian's cult spread as a result. Evidence of his cult exists from the 8th century, with documents referring to his cult dating from 743 and 794, and his name appears in Usuard's martyrology of 875. His name appears in the ''Roman Martyrology'' of 1584. His relics are now in the crypt of the cathedral of Ceneda, in a bronze urn fashioned in neo-Byzantine style in the form of a

sarcophagus A sarcophagus (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek language, Greek wikt:σάρξ, σάρξ ...

. He is depicted in various paintings in the cathedrals of Oderzo and Ceneda, and there are ten parishes dedicated in his name. The

translation Translation is the communication of the semantics, meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The English la ...

of Titian's relics from Oderzo to Ceneda occurred in 665 AD, when Oderzo was destroyed by the

Lombards The Lombards () or Longobards () were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who conquered most of the Italian Peninsula between 568 and 774. The medieval Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the ''History of the Lombards'' (written betwee ...

under

Grimoald I of Benevento Grimoald or Grimwald (†671) was a 7th-century King of Italy, ruling as Duke of Benevento from 647 to 662, and then as King of the Lombards from 662 until his death in 671. Life Grimoald was born as the youngest son of Duke Gisulf II of Friu ...

. A tradition states that Titian's relics were moved from Oderzo when inhabitants of the saint's native Eraclea attempted to steal the relics. After a fierce battle between the inhabitants of Oderzo and Eraclea, it was decided that Titian's relics should be placed in a wagon pulled by oxen. Wherever the oxen stopped would be where the relics would be housed. The oxen stopped at Ceneda, and this is where the relics have remained to this day. An ancestor of the famous painter

Titian Tiziano Vecellio (; 27 August 1576), Latinized as Titianus, hence known in English as Titian ( ), was an Italian Renaissance painter, the most important artist of Renaissance Venetian painting. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near Belluno. Ti ...

had received a chapel dedicated to St. Titian of Oderzo as part of the dowry of the lady he married, and therefore the name ''Titian'' or ''Tiziano'' became common in the painter's family.Moses Forster Sweetser, ''Artist Biographies: Titian, Guido Reni, Claude Lorraine''. Volume 2 of Artist Biographies (Houghton, Osgood, and Company, 1880), 9.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Titian of Oderzo 632 deaths Italian saints Bishops in Veneto 7th-century Christian saints 6th-century Italo-Roman people 7th-century Italian clergy Year of birth unknown