Sabinus of Spoleto
Saint Sabinus | |
|---|---|
 Saint Sabinus before Venustian, preaching the gospel.Pietro Lorenzetti. | |
| Bishop and Martyr | |
| Born | 3rd centuryAD |
| Died | c. 303 AD Spoletium,Roman Umbria(modern-daySpoleto,Umbria,Italy) |
| Venerated in | Catholicism;Eastern Orthodoxy |
| Canonized | Pre-congregation |
| Feast | 30 December in both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches[1] |
Sabinus of Spoleto(died c. 303) was abishopin the earlyChristianchurch who resisted theDiocletianic Persecutionand wasmartyred.
Traditional narrative
[edit]According to legend, Venustian, governor ofEtruriaandUmbria,had Sabinus and hisdeaconsarrested inAssisi.Diocletian's order required all Christians to sacrifice to theRoman godsor be put to death; their estates were then to be seized for the state.
Venustian mocked Sabinus's faith, accusing him of leading the people to the worship of a dead man. When Sabinus said thatChristrose on the third day, Venustian invited him to do the same thing. The deacons were in great fear, but Sabinus encouraged them to hold to their faith, and they died after being torn apart by iron hooks. Venustian had Sabinus's hands cut off.
In prison after the martyrdom of his deacons, he was tended by a woman named Serena. While in prison, he healed a man born blind. Venustian heard of the cure and sought a cure for his own eyes from Sabinus. Sabinus healed the governor and converted him to Christianity. Venustian then sheltered Sabinus.Maximianus Herculius,hearing of this, ordered thetribuneLucius to address the matter. Lucius had Venustian, his wife, and his two sons beheaded at Assisi, and he had Sabinus beaten to death atSpoleto.
Veneration
[edit]Sabinus's feast day is 30 December in theEastern Orthodox Churchand in theRoman Martyrologyof theCatholic Church.[a][3][4]
He is depicted in theMaestàofDuccio.
The church ofSan Sabino,dedicated to the saint, is outside Spoleto.
Other saints of the name
[edit]TheRoman Martyrologylists six saints called Sabinus, three of whom were bishops. The other two areSabinus of Canosa(diedc. 566;feast day, 9 February) and Sabinus of Piacenza (died late 4th century; feast day, 11 December).
Notes
[edit]- ^Catholics may commemorate the saint on another day in some communities or locations, according to specific needs or customs ofparticular churchesornational calendars of the Roman Rite.[2]
References
[edit]- ^Hutchison-Hall, John (Ellsworth) (2012),"30th December – Sabinus, Exuperantius, Marcellus, Venustian and Companions",Orthodox Saints of the Pre-Schism See of Rome,Eastern Orthodox Christian theologian, historian, philosopher, and cultural commentator,retrieved18 January2023
- ^Second Vatican Council, Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops in the ChurchChristus Dominus,11
- ^Martyrologium Romanum(Editio typica ed.). Città del Vaticano: Typis Vaticanis. 2004.ISBN88-209-7210-7.
- ^See:
- "Saint Sabinus of Spoleto and Companions".Catholic Current.Washington, DC: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. 2021.Retrieved18 January2023.United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
- "St. Sabinus - Saints & Angels".Catholic Online.Retrieved18 January2023.
Bibliography
[edit]- Englebert, Omer. "The Lives of the Saints." Anne and Christopher Fremantle, trans.Nihil obstat1954. New York: Barnes & Noble, 1994, p. 494-495
External links
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