Saint Geminianus(also known asSaint Geminian,orSaint Gimignano) was a fourth-centurydeaconwho becameBishop of Modena.He is mentioned in the year 390, when he participated in a council called bySaint AmbroseinMilan.From his name, it has been deduced that Geminianus probably belonged to the caste ofRoman senators.[1]
Saint Geminianus | |
|---|---|
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| Died | fourth century |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church |
| Feast | 31 January |
| Attributes | bishop holding a mirror in which theVirgin Maryis reflected; a bishop holding a model of the town of San Gimignano; a man calming a storm at sea; or a man exorcising the daughter of theByzantineemperorJovian. |
Nothing more is directly known about him, and all information regarding his life comes from much later biographies. It is said that whenSaint Athanasiuswas entering exile in France, he passed through Modena and was received kindly by Geminianus.Saint John Chrysostomlater received the same hospitality. Saint Geminianus opposedArianismandJovinianism.He probably died on 31 January 397.
Veneration
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Traces of his veneration have always been present in Modena. As early as the fifth century a church had been erected over his tomb, contiguous with the presentcathedraland outside the center of the original Roman town. In the earlyMiddle Ages,moreover, Modena is often mentioned asCivitas Geminiana.
TheRelatio translationis S. Giminiani,a manuscript of the twelfth century, describes thetranslationand recognition of the body of Saint Geminianus on 30 April 1106 and 7 October 1106, respectively, in the presence ofPaschal II,Matilde di Canossa,and all of theModenesi.[1]A second recognition of therelicswas made byLucius III,on 12 July 1184, while on his way toVerona.[1]
The people of Modena believe his miraculous intercession saved them from the invadingHuns,when he conjured up dense fog that hid the city.
Geminianus rarely appears in art outside of Modena, but when shown is typically depicted as a bishop holding a model of the town of Modena;[2]a man calming a storm at sea; or a man exorcising the daughter of theByzantineemperorJovian.
The saint is also venerated inTuscany,especially in theeponymoustown ofSan Gimignano,and inPontremoli.AChurch of St GeminianusoppositeSt Mark's Basilica,in Venice'sPiazza San Marco,was demolished in 1807 as part of the reorganisation of the west side of the square during the Napoleonic era.
Notes
editExternal links
edit- (in Italian)San Geminiano di Modena
- Ekkart Sauser (1999). "Geminianus von Modena". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.).Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL)(in German). Vol. 16. Herzberg: Bautz. col. 559.ISBN3-88309-079-4.
- (in German)Geminianus
