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The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity


from its origins to circa AD 700, across the entire Christian world


The Latin Martyrdom of Constantius (bishop and martyr of Perugia, S01532). Written presumably in Perugia or Spoleto (both central Italy), at an uncertain date, probably between the 8th and the 11th century.

Evidence ID

E03252

Type of Evidence

Literary - Hagiographical - Accounts of martyrdom

Martyrdom of Constantius (BHL 1937)

We have not produced a summary of this text, which is almost certainly later than our cut-off date of AD 700.

Source

There are a number of versions of the Martyrdom (BHL 1937-1939), the most widespread and probably the earliest is BHL 1937. According to the database Bibliotheca Hagiographica Latina Manuscripta (bhlms.fltr.ucl.ac.be), BHL 1937 and its variants (BHL 1937a-d) are attested in 10 manuscripts, the earliest from the 11th century: Vatican City, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana, Reg. lat. 497, f. 72v-74v (BHL 1937d).


Discussion

The Martyrdom is of uncertain date of composition; it is not mentioned in 8th and 9th c. martyrologies and not found in manuscripts before the 11th century. It was generally dated with uncertainty to the 5th or 6th century together with other Umbrian accounts (Dufourcq; Lanzoni; Clavis Patrum Latinorum 2179; Gryson, R., Répertoire général des auteurs ecclésiastiques Latins de l’Antiquité et du Haut moyen âge, 2 vols. (Freiburg, 2007), I, 58), however, recent studies suggest that it should rather be dated later, particularly because it borrows from the Martyrdom of *Concordius (E03250) and the Martyrdom of *Pontianus (E03231), both of which are uncertainly dated but would not have been composed before the 8th century. Thus hypotheses of dating currently range from the 8th century, or first half of the 9th, to the 11th century (see more details in D’Angelo, Donnini, Susi, Paoli).


Bibliography

Editions (BHL 1937):
Acta Sanctorum, Ian. III, 540-543.

Simonetti, M., “Note su alcune passioni di martiri umbri,”
Rivista di archeologia cristiana 39 (1963), 255-257.

Further reading:

D’Angelo, E., “Bibliotheca Hagiographica Umbriae – pars altera – (314-1130),” in: Goullet, M. (ed.), Hagiographies. Histoire internationale de la littérature hagiographique latine et vernaculaire en Occident des origines à 1550, vol. VII (Turnhout, 2017), 269-344 at 300-301 and 330.

Dufourcq, A.,
Étude sur les Gesta martyrum romains, vol. III, 40-46.

Donnini, M., “Struttura letteraria dell’agiografia umbra altomedievale,” in:
Umbria cristiana. Dalla diffusione del culto al culto dei santi (secc. IV-X). Atti del XV Congresso internazionale di studi sull’alto medioevo. Spoleto, 23-28 ottobre 2000 (Spoleto, 2001), 531-552.

Lanéry, C., "Hagiographie d'Italie (300-550). I. Les Passions latines composées en Italie,” in: Philippart, G. (ed.),
Hagiographies. Histoire internationale de la littérature hagiographique latine et vernaculaire en Occident des origines à 1550, vol. V (Turnhout, 2010), 15-369, at 317.

Lanzoni, F.,
Le diocesi d’Italia dalle origini al principio del secolo vii, 2 vols. (Faenza, 1927), I, 548-550.

Paoli, E., “L’agiografia umbra altomedievale,” in:
Umbria cristiana. Dalla diffusione del culto al culto dei santi (secc. IV-X), Atti del XV Congresso internationale di studi CISAM, Spoleto, 23-28 ott. 2000 (Spoleto, 2001), 479-529.

Paoli, E., “Agiografia e culto dei santi a Perugia fra alto e basso medioevo,” in: Bartoli Langeli, A.,
La Chiesa di Perugia nel primo millennio. Atti del convegno di studi, Perugia, 1-3 aprile 2004 (Perugia, 2005), 41-84, at 55-59.

Simonetti, M., “Note su alcune passioni di martiri umbri,”
Rivista di archeologia cristiana 39 (1963), 247-257.

Susi, E., “Monachesimo e agiografia in Umbria,” in: Susi, E., Geografie della santità. Studi di agiorafia umbra mediolatina (secc. IV-XII) (Spoleto, 2008), 31-64 (reworked version of an article originally published as: Susi, E., “Il culto dei santi nel corridoio Bizantino e lungo la via Amerina”, in Menestó, E., (ed.), Il corridoio Bizantino e la via Amerina in Umbria nell’Alto medioevo (Spoleto, 1999), 259-294).


Record Created By

Matthieu Pignot

Date of Entry

05/02/2018

Related Saint Records
IDNameName in SourceIdentity
S01532Constantius, bishop of Perugia in central ItalyConstantiusCertain


Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Matthieu Pignot, Cult of Saints, E03252 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E03252