Key to Umbria: Amelia
 


St Himerius (17th June)


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Detail from an altarpiece (1639) by Marcantonio Grecchi

Duomo, Amelia

An entry in the Roman Martyrology under 17th June reads: “At Amelia in Umbria, Bishop St Himerius, whose body was translated to Cremona”.

St Himerius (Sant’ Imerio) was a respected Bishop of Amelia who was documented in 520.  According to a 14th century document, Bishop Pasquale (documented in 868-79) began the construction of a church that stood on the site of the present Duomo.  He translated the relics of St Himerius (together with those of SS Firmina and Olympias) to this new church in the reign of Pope Adrian II (867-72).

In ca. 965, Bishop Liutprand of Cremona acquired the relics of St Himerius and translated them to a church in Cremona that was later destroyed.  The relics were rediscovered in 1129.  Bishop Sicard of Cremona translated them with great ceremony to the Duomo of Cremona in 1196.  (Bishop Sicard also arranged for the canonisation of a local layman, St Homobonus in 1199, and the Duomo of Cremona was then re-dedicated to both saints.  This seems to have been part of a political campaign to woo the people of Cremona away from their traditional allegiance to the Hohenstaufen Emperors.)

An abbot named Ambrose wrote a legend of St Himerius in the 12th century, but only its prologue remains.  Bishop Antonio Maria Graziano of Amelia (1592-1611), also wrote a legend of the saint.


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