Pontianus of Spoleto
Pontianus von Spoleto († 169 in Spoleto ) was a Christian martyr and saint .
The martyrdom of Pontianus is dated to the reign of Emperor Mark Aurel ; the Bollandists assumed, however, that the death of Pontianus had already taken place in 159 under Antoninus Pius . Before his death, Pontianus had been subjected to various tortures: first he was scourged on the orders of the judge Fabianus and then forced to walk on glowing coals. Then he was tortured with iron claws and thrown against the lions, but they did nothing to him. Subsequently, he was denied all food and liquid lead was poured down his throat. However, none of this could harm the Pontianus, so that he was beheaded in the end.
Adoration
Pontianus was buried at the gates of Spoleto. The church of San Ponziano and a monastery were later built over his grave. In 966, Balderik , the bishop of Utrecht , Emperor Otto I , arranged for an arm of Pontianus to be transferred to Utrecht as a relic . On January 19th the martyrdom of the saint is commemorated, on January 14th the transfer. Pontianus is the patron saint of Spoleto and is invoked to protect against earthquakes. The Utrecht relics came into the possession of the Old Catholics after the Reformation. In 1994 some of them were brought back to Spoleto.
Web links
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Pontianus of Spoleto |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Martyr and saint |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1st century or 2nd century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 169 |
| Place of death | Spoleto |