Gregory of Spoleto

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Gregory of Spoleto († around 304 in Spoleto in Italy ) was a priest and martyr from Spoleto. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church . His feast day has been December 23rd since 1969, previously it was December 24th.

Legend

Basilica di San Gregorio Maggiore, legendary place of the martyrdom of Gregory

The legend of the saints about Gregory of Spoleto is said to have originated around the end of the fifth or the beginning of the sixth century. According to this, the priest Gregor was tortured and beheaded for his faith during the persecution of Christians under the emperors Maximian and Diocletian . The Acta Sanctorum name the year 304 for this event and mention a miracle attributed to the saint, the documentation of which was discovered by Baronius .

After his death, Gregory is said to have been buried by a Christian woman outside Spoleto at the place where the Basilica di San Gregorio Maggiore now stands.

Relics

The bones of the saint have been in Cologne Cathedral since the 10th century, at the time of Archbishop Bruno , and are therefore probably the oldest surviving body relics in the cathedral . This is concluded from the mentions in Bruno's life story by Ruotger as well as from the archbishop's will. They are kept in the Epiphany Shrine along with the relics of the Three Kings , but it is unknown when they were transferred there. During an investigation in 1864, the remains of Gregor were documented in detail; pieces from all areas of the skeleton, including smaller bones, were found, from which one could conclude that an essentially complete skeleton of Gregor was originally brought to Cologne. But there are more or less reliably documented Gregory relics in Italy and France. The saint's skull was removed from the shrine in the 16th century and placed in a silver bust reliquary, which is now kept in the cathedral treasury .

literature

  • Dorothee Kemper: Gregor von Spoleto in Cologne Cathedral. In: Kölner Domblatt . Volume 72, 2007, pp. 61-96.
  • Franz Bock : The art and reliquary treasure of Cologne Cathedral, explained with many woodcuts and provided with descriptive text. L. Schwann'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Cologne and Neuss 1870 ( digitized ).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ December 24th traditional date before the Second Vatican Council , December 23rd is the day of remembrance today according to the decree of the Roman Congregation for Rites of 1969, according to Hiltgardt L. Keller: Reclam's Lexicon of Saints and Biblical Figures. Legend and representation in biblical art. 4th edition. Philipp Reclam jun., Stuttgart 1975, p. 271.
  2. ^ A b c Dorothee Kemper: Gregor von Spoleto in Cologne Cathedral. In: Kölner Domblatt 72, Verlag Kölner Dom, Cologne 2007. ISBN 978-3-922442-63-9 , pp. 63–65.
  3. ^ A b Alban Butler: The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints on bartleby.com ; English translation of the Acta Sanctorum
  4. ^ Dorothee Kemper: Gregor von Spoleto in Cologne Cathedral. In: Kölner Domblatt 72, Verlag Kölner Dom, Cologne 2007, ISBN 978-3-922442-63-9 , p. 65, footnote 22
personal data
SURNAME Gregory of Spoleto
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Christian priest and martyr
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century
DATE OF DEATH at 304
Place of death Spoleto