Key to Umbria: Assisi
 


St Victorinus (13th June)


Umbria:  Home   Cities    History    Art    Hagiography    Contact 

   

Assisi:  Home    History    Art    Saints    Walks    Monuments    Museums 


Detail of St Victorinus from a

triptych (ca. 1468) by Matteo da Gualdo

Museo di San Pietro

According to a late legend (BHL 8597), St Victorinus, who came from “Assyria”, was consecrated as bishop of Assisi by Pope Fabian (236-50).  He was arrested along with a number of companions outside Assisi on the road that led down to the River Tescio, during the reign of the Emperor Gordian (probably  the Emperor Gordian III (238-44). 

  1. In the aftermath of an affray, one of the companions was beheaded and another two were thrown into a well. 

  2. St Victorinus was then beheaded by a bridge on the Tescio that became known as Ponte San Vittorino (see Around Assisi).  The Monastero di San Vittorino was subsequently built on the site.

Relics of St Victorinus and his Companions

The relics, which were originally housed in the Monastero di San Vittorino, were translated to the Abbazia di San Pietro at an unknown date.  They were preserved under its high altar until 1642, when Bishop Malatesta Baglioni  arranged for their translation to a side altar.  The sarcophagus was opened at this time and found to contain two wooden chests, one with the bones of the saint and another containing other bones and linen soaked in blood. 

In 1954, the relics were placed in a Roman sarcophagus and returned to the high altar.  (The sarcophagus is hard to see behind a grating: this image is from a leaflet available in the church.





   

The so-called well of the two martyrs, into which the bodies of the companions of St Victorinus were thrown, is now in that part of the Abbazia di San Pietro that houses the Museo di San Pietro.


Return to Saints of Assisi.

Return to the home page on Assisi. 
Saints.htmlHome.htmlshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1