Tarzisius
According to legend, Tarzisius (also: Tharsicius , Tarsitius , Tarcisius and Tarkisius ) was a Roman boy who belonged to the then persecuted Christian community in Rome in the second half of the 3rd century and who helped the priest in pastoral care . He is the patron saint of the altar boys .
Life
According to legend, one of his duties was to bring communion home to the sick . One day he was walking with consecrated hosts . Pagan youths asked him to show what he was wearing in the robe. He refused, the Horde wanted to force him and ended up beating him to death. He is revered as a martyr .
presentation
Tarzisius is usually depicted as a young man lying on the ground, hiding the Eucharist in front of his chest and being stoned by a crowd of boys . Mostly he is dressed in the old Roman boy costume, hands crossed over his chest. Sometimes he is also shown walking, with a palm tree, stones and host as a sign of having passed his martyrdom. The boy appears as on other representations deacon with Dalmatic dressed stones in one hand reminiscent of the manner of his martyrdom and the palm in the other hand to the victorious passed martyrdom.
On the occasion of the 4th mini-festival ("altar server festival") of the German-Swiss altar boys on September 7, 2008 in Aarau , in which over 8,300 altar boys took part, the Basel goldsmith Bernhard Lang designed an almost five-meter-high bronze statue of Tarzisius, which will take its final place after further stops (including Einsiedeln , Schmerikon , St. Gallen , Echternach , Győr ) in Rome at the saint's grave. The statue was given to the Pope on August 4, 2010 during the International Altar Altar Pilgrimage. The representation of Tarzisius was placed near the Catacombs of Calixtus , the presumed tomb of the saint.
Tarzisius at his location in Echternach: October 26, 2009 to June 14, 2010
Altar boys from Luxembourg at the large statue of Tarzisius on November 3, 2009
Tarzisius at the final place on the area of the Calixtus catacombs in Rome (since August 5, 2010)
Honor
Pope Damasus I honored the youth's memory in a poem and recalled his martyrdom:
“Tarcisius was carrying the Eucharist with him when an incited group of fanatics pounced on him to desecrate it. But the boy would rather lose his life than hand over the body of Christ to these angry dogs "
Others
Patronage: patron saint of acolytes (because he was on the road on behalf of the community), acolytes and workers. Tarzisius is also the patron saint of First Communion children.
Memory: August 15th. Since the church celebrates the solemnity of the Assumption of Mary on the same day, the feast day of St. Tarzisius faded into the background.
Name explanation: Greek, German 'the brave'.
Relics : The physical remains of the saint are in Rome. Tarzisius was buried together with the Bishop of Rome Zephyrinus in the Catacombs of Calixtus on the Via Appia . Later the remains of the martyr Tarzisius were transferred to the Roman church of San Silvestro in Capite . They were then placed in the Church of St. Lawrence Outside the Walls on the side of St. Laurentius and St. Stephen venerated. He was accepted into the Roman martyrology on August 15. Later the relics were again on the site of the Calixtus catacombs, in the small “Capella dell'Institutio”, but were forgotten. Since May 2012, the Tarzisius reliquary, which had been almost forgotten, has been in the enlarged house chapel of the Salesians, in the "Institutio San Tarcisio", on the grounds of the Calixtus catacombs in the Via Appia Antica in Rome. This church was inaugurated in 2012 and now invites you to silent prayer or to celebrate church services.
literature
- Josef Rist: Tharsicius. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 11, Bautz, Herzberg 1996, ISBN 3-88309-064-6 , Sp. 777-778.
Web links
- Tarzisius on minis.ch
- Tarsitius in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Tarzisius |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Tharsicius; Thersicius; Tarsitius; Tarzisius; Tarkisius |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Roman saint, first acolyte |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 3rd century |
| DATE OF DEATH | 3rd century or 4th century |
| Place of death | Rome |