Marcellinus and Peter 1

Marcellinus and Peter

Saints Marcellinus and Peter

Statue of St. Marcellinus at Seligenstadt.

Martyrs

Died ~304 ADRome

Honored in Roman Catholic Church

Major shrine Church of Santi Marcellino e Pietro, Rome; Seligenstadt, Germany; relics also claimed by cathedral of Cremona

Feast June 2

Attributes depicted as two tonsured men holding crowns; palms of martyrdom; depicted alongside St. Pollio

Saints Marcellinus and Peter (sometimes called Petrus Exorcista;[1] Italian: Marcellino e Pietro) were two 4thcentury Christian martyrs in the city of Rome.

LifeVery little is known about the two martyrs' lives. Marcellinus, a priest, and Peter, an exorcist, died in the year 304,during the Diocletianic Persecution. Pope Damasus I claimed that he heard the story of these two martyrs from theirexecutioner who became a Christian after their deaths. Damasus' account is the oldest source concerning these twomartyrs. Damasus states that they were killed at an out-of-the-way spot by the magistrate Severus or Serenus, so thatother Christians would not have a chance to bury and venerate their bodies. The two saints happily cleared the spotchosen for their death: a thicket overgrown with thorns, brambles, and briers three miles from Rome. They werebeheaded and buried in that spot.Two women, Lucilla and Firmina, assisted by divine revelation, found the bodies, however, and had them properlyburied. They buried their bodies near the body of St. Tiburtius on the Via Labicana in what became known as theCatacombs of Marcellinus and Peter. Alban Butler writes that “it was thought at one time that forty-four othermartyrs died with Marcellinus and Peter, but this is due to a misreading of the Hieronymianum.”Around the 6th century, a passio connected the martyrdom of Marcellinus and Peter with that of the jailer Art(h)emius, who was converted to Christianity by Marcellinus. Artemius’ wife Secunda (or Candida) and daughter Paulina were also converted. Artemius was beheaded; Secunda and Paulina were buried alive under a pile of stones.

Marcellinus and Peter 2

The passio states that they were killed at the 12th milestone on the Via Aurelia in a place called Silva Candida("Whitewood", also called Silva Nigra, "Blackwood", or at Lorium). Their executioner, Dorotheus, was said to havebeen converted by Pope Julius I.

Veneration

Wall painting (4th century) from the catacomb ofMarcellinus and Peter on the Via Labicana,showing Christ between Peter and Paul, andbelow them the martyrs Gorgonius, Peter,

Marcellinus, and Tiburtius

Pope Damasus, who opened their catacombs, also remarks that hewrote a Latin epitaph with the details of their death with which headorned their tomb.

The martyrs were venerated by the early Christian church. Theirsepulcher is mentioned in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum, whichincludes the information that Marcellinus was a priest and that Peterwas an exorcist. In the Martyrologium, their feast day is given as June2, and their sepulcher is described as being located ad duas lauros ("atthe two laurel trees") at the third mile of the Via Labicana. From the7th century onwards, their sepulcher became a site of pilgrimage, andtheir feast day is recorded in local liturgies and hagiographies.According to the Liber Pontificalis, Constantine the Great built abasilica in their honor, since a structure built by Damasus had beendestroyed by the Goths. Constantine had his mother, St. Helena, buriedin a porphyry tomb in this church, and donated to the church a puregold paten weighing thirty-five pounds. Honorius I and Adrian I laterrepaired this church.

The names of Sts. Marcellinus and Peter appeared in the Ambrosian liturgy.Their names are mentioned in the Roman Canon. In 1253 Pope Alexander IV translated their relics to an ancientchurch (its presence was first mentioned in 595 AD) near the present-day Via Merulana that was named after them:Santi Marcellino e Pietro.

Statue of Peter at Seligenstadt

Relics associated with Marcellinus and Peter were translated to Seligenstadt inGermany in the 9th century. They were sent by Pope Gregory IV to Einhard,secretary to Charlemagne. Einhard translated the relics to Strasburg, and then toMichlenstad (Michelstadt); and afterwards to Malinheim or Mulinheim (latercalled Seligenstadt). In 829, Einhard built a church in honor of Marcellinus andPeter, and became its first abbot. Sigebert, Aimoin, and Rabanus Maurus allmention this translation.

A slightly different account states that Einhard had built a basilica at Michelstadtin 827 and then sent a servant, Ratleic, to Rome with an end to find relics for thenew building. Once in Rome, Ratleic, with the help of a Roman deacon with areputation as a relics-swindler and thief named Deusdona, robbed a catacomb ofthe bones of Marcellinus and Peter and had them translated to Michelstadt. Oncethere, the relics made it known they were unhappy with their new tomb and thushad to be moved again to Mulinheim (now Seligenstadt). Once established there, they proved to be miracleworkers.[2] Agostino Amore believes that the entire translation was fraudulent, due to Deusdona's reputation.

The cathedral of Cremona also claims their relics; there is a sarcophagus in its transept said to contain the relics ofMarcellinus and Peter.

Marcellinus and Peter 3

IconographyThey are generally represented as men in middle age, with tonsures and palms of martyrdom; sometimes they hold acrown each. In the catacombs named after them, a fresco dating from the 4th or 5th centuries, represents themwithout aureolae, with short beards, next to the Lamb of Christ. In another fresco from the 5th or 6th centuries, in thecatacombs of Pontian, they are beardless and depicted alongside Saint Pollio.There is a church dedicated to them at Imbersago.

References and sourcesReferences[1] Alban Butler, Kathleen Jones, Paul Burns, Butler's Lives of the Saints (Continuum International Publishing Group, 1997), 14.[2] From Einhard’s letter of April 836 to Lupus of Ferrieres quoted by Julia Smith, 'Einhard', Transactions of the Royal Historical Society, March

2002, pp. 67, p. 55.

Sources• Catholic Online (http:/ / www. catholic. org/ saints/ saint. php?saint_id=77)• Anna Jameson: Sacred and Legendary Art (http:/ / vrcoll. fa. pitt. edu/ medart/ texts/ saints/ Jameson/

AJ-SLA-PeterExcorcist. html)• Saints of June 2 (http:/ / www. saintpatrickdc. org/ ss/ 0602. shtml)

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Article Sources and ContributorsMarcellinus and Peter  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=623421675  Contributors: Angeldeb82, Benkenobi18, Bloigen, Chuck56, Cynwolfe, Delirium, Dimadick,FordPrefect42, Fratrep, Funandtrvl, Hmains, Kenatipo, Kleon3, Lima, Mannanan51, Philafrenzy, Pigman, Polylerus, R'n'B, Rjwilmsi, Savidan, Worldbruce, Zello

Image Sources, Licenses and ContributorsFile:Sanctus Marcellinus Martyr Germany Seligenstadt 2007.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sanctus_Marcellinus_Martyr_Germany_Seligenstadt_2007.JPG License: GNU Free Documentation License  Contributors: AgridecumantesFile:ChristPeterPaul.jpg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ChristPeterPaul.jpg  License: Public Domain  Contributors: DenghiùComm, Lalupa, Leinad-Z,OrthoArchitectDU, Shakko, 1 anonymous editsFile:Sanctus Petrus Martyr Germany Seligenstadt 2007.JPG  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Sanctus_Petrus_Martyr_Germany_Seligenstadt_2007.JPG  License:Public Domain  Contributors: AgridecumantesImage:Commons-logo.svg  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Commons-logo.svg  License: logo  Contributors: Anomie

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