Latin inscription recording the deposition in 474 of relics of *Laurentius/Laurence (deacon and martyr of Rome, S00037), *Hippolytus (martyr of Rome, S00509), *Euphemia (martyr of Chalcedon, S00017), possibly *Menas (soldier and martyr buried at Abu Mena,S00073), and of the Holy Cross. Found between present-day Constantine and Setif (Roman Numidia, central North Africa).
Evidence ID
E08311
Type of Evidence
Inscriptions - Formal inscriptions (stone, mosaic, etc.)
In hoc loco sunt memo-
rie sanc(torum) martirum (palm)
(palm) Laurenti, Ippoliti,
(palm) Eufimie, (palm) Minne
et de cruce Domini,
deposite die III no-
nas febrarias, an(no) p(rovinciae)
CCCCXXXV
'Here are relics of the holy martyrs Laurentius, Hippolytus, Euphemia, Minna [?], and of the Cross of the Lord, deposited on the 3rd day before the Nones of February, in the year of the province 435 [3 February 474].'
Text: Y. Duval 1982, no. 135.
Translation: Stanisław Adamiak
RelicsBodily relic - unspecified
Bodily relic - unspecified
Transfer, translation and deposition of relics
Source
Nothing precise is known about the discovery of the inscription, between present-day Constantine and Setif. It is now in the Louvre (inv. no. 3345). The dimensions of the slab are: H. 55 cm, L. 42 cm, Th. 20 cm. The letters are 3,5 to 4 cm high.Discussion
This deposition is dated by the provincial year of Mauretania, although the slab comes from a site just within Numidia. This anomaly is thoroughly discussed by Duval.The three first named saints are all readily identifiable. The fourth name could be that of a local martyr, but is more likely to be that of the famous Egyptian martyr Menas, since the first three names are of major overseas saints, and the fifth relic - of the Holy Cross - was also a prominent imported relic.
Bibliography
Edition and commentary:Duval, Y., Loca sanctorum Africae: Le culte des martyrs en Afrique du IVe au VIIe siècle (Rome: École Française de Rome, 1982), vol. 1, 284-287, no. 135.
Images
)
From Y. Duval 1982, no. 135
Record Created By
Stanisław Adamiak
Date of Entry
26/07/2022
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00017 | Euphemia, martyr of Chalcedon | Eufimia | Certain | S00037 | Laurence/Laurentius, deacon and martyr of Rome | Laurentius | Certain | S00073 | Menas, soldier and martyr buried at Abu Mena | Minna | Uncertain | S00509 | Hippolytus, martyr of Rome | Ippolitus | Certain |
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Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL:
Stanisław Adamiak, Cult of Saints, E08311 - http://csla.history.ox.ac.uk/record.php?recid=E08311