Leopardus (saint)

Inscription (detail) of the reliquary of St. Leopardus from the early 11th century (today replaced by the Corona Leopardus Shrine from 1911): CLAVDITVR HIC MAGNVS LEOPARDVS NOMINE CLARVS / CVIVS IN OBSEQVIO REGNABAT TERTIVS OTTO - “ This includes Leopardus the Great, famous name for whose translation Otto III. ruled ”.

Leopardus ( 4th century ; † around 362 in Rome ) is a Roman martyr and saint of the Roman Catholic Church . His feast day is September 30th.

Legend

Leopardus grew up at the time of Emperor Constantius II , who, like his father Constantine the Great, campaigned for Christianization in the Roman Empire . Influenced by his teacher Valentinus, Leopardus also joined Christian teaching.

In the meantime to under Emperor appointed Julian , a cousin of Constantius II., Became aware of the young Leopardus, claimed him as a household in his Hofstab and later promoted him to Chamberlain . After the death of his uncle Constantius II, Julian took power in the empire. As a staunch apostate , he tried to fight the Christians in the country, which the Christian Leopardus also felt. When the latter refused to sprinkle incense in front of Emperor Julian at a meeting that was to be regarded as an imperial cult and to worship him like a god, he fell from grace, was scourged and finally beheaded at the gates of the city .

Leopardus was first buried in Otricoli by his teacher Valentinus . King Otto III. With the beginning of his independent reign in 994 he had the bones of Leopardus moved to Aachen, the site of the imperial coronations at that time. They are kept in Aachen Cathedral together with the relics of St. Corona in the Corona-Leopardus-Shrine , which was newly made in 1911/1912 by the Aachen monastery goldsmith Bernhard Witte on behalf of the provost Alfons Bellesheim . At that time, it replaced two lead coffins from the early 11th century.

In their research into historical events, however, the Bollandists came to the conclusion that Leopardus was martyred by his household power on behalf of Emperor Julian, since Julian was mostly in the Orient during his tenure. They also think it is possible that Charlemagne had the bones of Leopardus transferred to Aachen, as he and St. Corona was named as a patron saint for the consecration of the Aachen Marienstift at the end of the 8th century, which suggests that the canonization must have taken place before the year 800.

Web links

Leopardus in the ecumenical dictionary of saints
Leopardus in the Complete Lexicon of Saints

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b For the history and character of the shrine, which was only rediscovered in 1843, see inschriften.net .

personal data
SURNAME	Leopardus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Roman martyr and saint of the Catholic Church
DATE OF BIRTH	4th century
DATE OF DEATH	at 362
Place of death	Rome

[inscr-1] For the history and character of the shrine, which was only rediscovered in 1843, see inschriften.net .