Gordianus and Epimachus

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Saints Gordianus and Epimachus
Nuremberg chronicles f 132v 4.jpg
Saints Gordianus and Epimachus. Illustration from the Nuremberg Chronicle.
Died362 AD
Venerated inCatholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast10 May

Saints Gordianus and Epimachus (also Gordian) were Roman martyrs, who are commemorated on 10 May.

According to his funeral inscription, Gordianus was a boy, whose youth is contrasted with his mature faith.[1] He was tortured and finally beheaded. His body was laid in a crypt on the Via Latina beside the body of Saint Epimachus, and the two saints gave their name to the cemetery of Gordianus and Epimachus. They are jointly venerated by the Catholic Church.[2]

Charlemagne's Queen Hildegard of the Vinzgau presented Kempten Abbey with the relics of the saints. Along with the Virgin Mary, Gordianus and Epimachus are venerated as the abbey's patrons.[3]

There are churches in Germany dedicated to the saints in: Aitrach, Legau, Merazhofen, Pleß, Stöttwang, and Unterroth, Germany; and also one in Blevio, Italy.

According to David Farmer, later Acts which make Gordianus a Roman judge who converted to Christianity are "worthless".[1] Another Gordianus suffered martyrdom (place uncertain) with two companions, and is commemorated 17 September (Acta SS., XLV, 483); and a third, commemorated on 13 September, who with several companions was martyred in Pontus or Galatia (Acta SS XLIV, 55).[2]

References[]

  1. ^ a b "Gordian and Epimachus", The Oxford Dictionary of Saints 5th ed. (David Farmer, ed.) OUP, 2011 ISBN 9780199596607
  2. ^ a b Murphy, John F.X. "Sts. Gordianus and Epimachus." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 22 October 2021Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. ^ Lives of Saints, Alban Butler

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Sts. Gordianus and Epimachus". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.


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