bishop holding a mirror in which the Virgin Mary is reflected; a bishop holding a model of the town of San Gimignano; a man calming a storm at sea; or a man exorcising the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Jovian.
Saint Geminianus (also known as Saint Geminian, or Saint Gimignano) was a fourth-century deacon who became Bishop of Modena. He is mentioned in the year 390, when he participated in a council called by Saint Ambrose in Milan. From his name, it has been deduced that Geminianus probably belonged to the caste of Roman senators.[1]
Nothing more is directly known about him, and all information regarding his life comes from much later biographies. It is said that when Saint Athanasius was entering exile in France, he passed through Modena and was received kindly by Geminianus. Saint John Chrysostom later received the same hospitality. Saint Geminianus opposed Arianism and Jovinianism. He probably died on 31 January 397.
Traces of his veneration have always been present in Modena. As early as the fifth century a church had been erected over his tomb, contiguous with the present cathedral and outside the center of the original Roman town. In the early Middle Ages, moreover, Modena is often mentioned as Civitas Geminiana.
The Relatio translationis S. Giminiani, a manuscript of the twelfth century, describes the translation and recognition of the body of Saint Geminianus on 30 April 1106 and 7 October 1106, respectively, in the presence of Paschal II, Matilde di Canossa, and all of the Modenesi.[1] A second recognition of the relics was made by Lucius III, on 12 July 1184, while on his way to Verona.[1]
The people of Modena believe his miraculous intercession saved them from the invading Huns, when he conjured up dense fog that hid the city.
Geminianus rarely appears in art outside of Modena, but when shown is typically depicted as a bishop holding a model of the town of Modena;[2] a man calming a storm at sea; or a man exorcising the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Jovian.
Modena is a city and comune (municipality) on the south side of the Po Valley, in the Province of Modena, in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy.
San Gimignano is a small walled medieval hill town in the province of Siena, Tuscany, north-central Italy. Known as the Town of Fine Towers, San Gimignano is famous for its medieval architecture, unique in the preservation of about a dozen of its tower houses, which, with its hilltop setting and encircling walls, form "an unforgettable skyline". Within the walls, the well-preserved buildings include notable examples of both Romanesque and Gothic architecture, with outstanding examples of secular buildings as well as churches. The Palazzo Comunale, the Collegiate Church and Church of Sant' Agostino contain frescos, including cycles dating from the 14th and 15th centuries. The "Historic Centre of San Gimignano" is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town also is known for saffron, the dry aged and saffron infused Golden Ham, pecorino cheese and its white wine, Vernaccia di San Gimignano, produced from the ancient variety of Vernaccia grape grown on the sandstone hillsides of the area.
The Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta or Duomo di San Gimignano is a Roman Catholic collegiate church and minor basilica in San Gimignano, in Tuscany in central Italy. It contains important cycles of Renaissance frescoes by artists including Domenico Ghirlandaio, Benozzo Gozzoli, Taddeo di Bartolo, Lippo Memmi and Bartolo di Fredi. It falls within the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the "Historic Centre of San Gimignano", with its frescoes being described by UNESCO as "works of outstanding beauty".
Modena Cathedral is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Modena, Italy, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary and Saint Geminianus. Formerly the seat of the Diocese, later Archdiocese, of Modena, it has been since 1986 the archiepiscopal seat of the Archdiocese of Modena-Nonantola. Consecrated in 1184, it is an important Romanesque building in Europe, and along with its bell tower, the Torre della Ghirlandina, is designated as a World Heritage Site.
Fina (Serafina) (1238–1253) was an Italian Christian virgin who is especially venerated in the Tuscan town of San Gimignano. She developed a paralytic illness and spent the rest of her life on a bed made from a wooden pallet, where, according to legends, Saint Gregory the Great appeared to her to predict her death.
Prosper of Reggio is an Italian saint. Tradition holds that he was a bishop of Reggio Emilia for twenty-two years. Little is known of his life, but documents attest that he was indeed bishop of Reggio Emilia in the fifth century.
Hermagoras of Aquileia is considered the first bishop of Aquileia, northern Italy. Christian tradition states that he was chosen by Mark to serve as the leader of the nascent Christian community in Aquileia, and that he was consecrated bishop by Peter. Hermagoras and his deacon Fortunatus evangelized the area but were eventually arrested by Sebastius, a representative of Nero. They were tortured and beheaded.
Saint Edistus is venerated as a martyr and saint by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. His legend states that he was martyred on the Via Laurentina and his passio places his martyrdom during the reign of Nero, on October 12, 60 AD.
The Archdiocese of Modena–Nonantola is a Latin archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy. It existed as the Diocese of Modena in central Italy from the 4th century. Originally it was a suffragan the diocese of Milan, but later became a suffragan of Ravenna. Because of the schism of the Antipope Clement III, Pope Paschal II released Modena from obedience to the church of Ravenna, but Pope Gelasius II restored the previous status. Modena continued as a suffragan of Ravenna until 1582, when the Archdiocese of Bologna was created by Pope Sixtus V in the Bull Universi orbis of 1 December 1582, and was assigned Modena as one of its suffragans.
Lucy and Geminian were venerated on 16 September as saints who died as martyrs in Rome during the persecution of Diocletian in about 290 or 300 or, more precisely, in 304. Veneration for them was ancient but their story is "only known from fabulous acts." Lucy appears to be in reality the same as the Lucy of Syracuse whose feast is on 13 December, but the Geminian who was venerated on 16 September seems to be a fictitious character, not to be confused with Geminianus, Bishop of Modena.
Theonistus is a saint venerated by the Catholic Church. Theonistus is venerated with two companions, Tabra and Tabratha. Medieval documents give accounts of his life, which are contradictory and confusing.
Eleutherius, also written as Eleutherus, Eleuterus and Eleftherios; sometimes called Liberalis or Liberator, the former transliterations and the latter translations of his and his mother Antia are venerated as Christian saints and martyrs in Greece and Albania.
Saint Justus of Trieste is a saint venerated in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church.
Saint Magnus of Anagni, also known as Magnus of Trani or Magnus of Fabrateria Vetus, is venerated as the patron saint of Anagni.
Saint Crispoldus is venerated as a 1st-century Christian martyr. He is the patron saint of Bettona, in Umbria, and said to have been the first bishop of that city, although the dioceses of Nocera and Foligno also include his name in episcopal lists.
The Saint Fina Chapel is an Early Renaissance chapel in the right aisle of the Collegiate church of Santa Maria Assunta, located in San Gimignano, Tuscany, Italy. It was designed by Giuliano and Benedetto da Maiano in 1468 to enshrine the relics of Saint Fina. The side walls of the chapel are painted in fresco by Domenico Ghirlandaio with two scenes from her life, executed between 1477 and 1478.
San Geminiano is Roman Catholic parish church located on Via Monteolo in the center of the hamlet of Guiglia in the province of Modena, region of Emilia-Romagna, Italy.
Saint Ceccardus of Luni, otherwise San Ceccardo, was a bishop of Luni in Liguria, Italy, who was believed to have been killed by Viking pirates, probably in 860 when they sacked the city of Luni.
San Geminiano was a Roman Catholic church located in Piazza San Marco in Venice, Italy, dedicated to Saint Geminianus. It is believed to have been founded by the Byzantines in the 6th century AD and it was destroyed and rebuilt several times over subsequent centuries. The last reconstruction began in 1505 to designs of the architect Cristoforo da Legname, and it was completed by Jacopo Sansovino in 1557. This church was a significant example of Venetian Renaissance architecture, and it was well-known for being ornate and richly decorated. The building was demolished in 1807 in order to make way for the Napoleonic wing of the Procuratie, and many of the artworks it contained were distributed among other churches and museums.
The altarpiece of the Coronation of the Virgin by Piero del Pollaiuolo behind the high altar in the church of Sant'Agostino, San Gimignano in Tuscany, Italy, was painted in 1483. As the painter's only signed and dated work it is a key piece of evidence in the question of which paintings to attribute to Piero and which to his more famous brother, Antonio del Pollaiuolo, which has become a contentious subject in recent years.
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