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Saint Romulus of Fiesole | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Saint Romulus in the Fiesole Cathedral by Giovanni della Robbia | |
| Died | c. 90 AD |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Fiesole Cathedral |
| Feast | 6 July (Catholic Church), 6 June (Orthodox Church) |
| Attributes | depicted with a wolf due to confusion with the legend of Romulus and Remus; [1] bishop with an arrow broken above his breast; depicted at martyrdom of 4 companions or enthroned among four martyrs [2] |
| Patronage | Fiesole |
Saint Romulus of Fiesole (Italian : San Romolo, died c. AD 90) was bishop of Fiesole during the 1st century. He is venerated as the patron saint of Fiesole, Italy. Romulus was probably a local deacon, priest, or bishop of the 1st century. [1] [3]
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According to tradition, he was a disciple of Saint Peter and had been converted to Christianity by the apostle. [2] [3] This tradition states that Romulus became the first bishop of Fiesole and was martyred during the reign of Domitian along with four companions: Carissimus, Dulcissimus, Marchis(i)anus, and Crescentius. [2]
He was not named as a bishop or martyr in documents dating from 966; however, a document from 1028 names him as such. [1] From then on, Romulus was considered a martyred bishop of Fiesole, and his companions were named as Carissimus, Dulcissimus, Marchis(i)anus (Marchiziano), and Crescentius. [1] Their feast day was listed as 6 July in the 1468 Florentine edition of the Martyrology of Usuard, and in the 16th century, his name began to appear in the Roman Martyrology, where he was named as a disciple of Saint Peter. [1]
As Antonio Borrelli remarks, sometime between the end of the 10th century and the beginning of the eleventh, Romulus was "upgraded" from being considered a Confessor of the Faith to a martyr, possibly by a local abbot named Teuzo. [1]
An 11th-century legend associated with him, considered "worthless", [2] makes him an illegitimate son of a woman named Lucerna, who had a child with her father's slave, who was named Cyrus. [2] Like the Romulus of ancient Roman legend, this Romulus was also abandoned and suckled by a she-wolf. He was captured, baptized and raised by Saint Peter and Peter's companion Justin. [2] Romulus then evangelized much of central Italy and was put to death by the governor Repertian. [2]
The most ancient image depicting Romulus is a 1440 triptych in Fiesole Cathedral by Bicci di Lorenzo, where he is represented with Saints Alexander, Peter and Donatus. [4] Also in the cathedral is a collection of frescoes by Nicodemo Ferrucci adorning the vault of the apse which depict scenes from the life of Saint Romulus. [4]
