Victor of Milan

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Victor of Milan

Victor of Milan (* 3rd century in Mauritania ; † May 8, 303 in Lodi (Lombardy) , Italy ), also Victor the Mohr or Victor the Mauritanians , Latin called Victor Maurus , was a Christian martyr and saint .

Life and legend

The Torture of St. Victors (Unknown Flemish Master, 1490)

Victor was born into a Christian family and was a member of the Praetorian Guard in Milan at the time of the Emperors Diocletian and Maximian . Shortly after the Diocletian persecution of Christians began , he was arrested at an advanced age for destroying some pagan altars and brought before Maximian, who was in Milan at the time. Before the emperor he confessed to the Christian faith. Since he was needed as a soldier, he was not killed but imprisoned. In prison he should change his mind.

At the end of the week, Victor was brought before the emperor again. Maximian tried by all means to dissuade him from Christianity. Since Victor refused, the emperor had him beaten. All the while, a soldier was shouting to Victor to sacrifice to the gods. The executioners shouldn't stop until he changed his mind. Since this did not happen, the torture continued until the executioners became tired. He was arrested again.

Victor stayed in jail until his wounds healed. Then another attempt was made to change his mind with promises, threats, and torture. The torture included pouring molten lead over them. Since this was unsuccessful, Victor was sentenced to death by beheading some time later . The sentence was carried out on May 8, 303 at the gates of Lodi.

Afterlife

The local Christians hid his body. Bishop Maternus of Milan buried him in a forest near Milan. According to Ambrosius of Milan, Victor was the first known martyr in the Archdiocese of Milan . Ambrosius promoted his cult in the 4th century; numerous churches in Milan, the archdiocese and the surrounding area were dedicated to him. Victor was worshiped together with Nabor and Felix of Africa . Ambrose buried his brother Satyrus next to Victor's grave . The burial chapel of San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro was later built over the graves and is now an annex to the church of Sant'Ambrogio in Milan . It contains a dome mosaic that was created at the end of the 5th century and depicts Victor as a martyr (see picture below).

Victor's Vita was written in the 6th century. According to Gregory of Tours , the grave was distinguished by miracles . This also reported that Victor had been called to free prisoners. Consecrated to Victor, the church in Milan was renovated by the Olivetans to whom it belonged and then consecrated by Charles Borromeo . On July 20, 1576, he transferred the relics of Victor and Satyrus to this church.

  • Victor's funeral, classical relief in San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro

  • Dome of San Vittore in Ciel d'Oro (detail)

  • Honor of St. Victor , ceiling fresco by Antonio De Giorgi from 1763 in the Ambrose Basilica in Milan

  • Right aisle of the Ambrose Basilica in Milan with the ceiling fresco

  • Schöffensiegel from 1437 from Küdinghoven , probably shown is Victor of Milan

  • Statue of Viktor in the Museo del Duomo , Milan, by an unknown Milanese sculptor, last decade of the 15th century

Remembrance day

The 8 May is Memorial Day in Victors following churches:

In old martyrologies, the 7th, 14th and 15th of May are also found as days of remembrance.

Attributes

According to a different tradition of his martyrdom, Victor is depicted as a man who is thrown into an oven or killed in it. A hollow bronze bull can also take the place of the stove. The bull or fire can also be represented alone. Other depictions show the reason for his arrest: a Moorish soldier trampling on a broken altar.

Patronage

Groups of people

  • Prisoners
  • Displaced persons

places

Italy: Emilia-Romagna

Province of Parma :

Italy: Lazio

Province of Frosinone :

Viterbo Province :

Italy: Lombardy

Bergamo Province :

Brescia Province :

Province of Como :

Cremona Province :

Province of Lecco :

Metropolitan city of Milan :

Monza and Brianza Province :

Province of Pavia :

Province of Sondrio :

Varese Province :

  • Victory Church in Bottanuco

  • Victory Church in Calcio

  • San Vittore Martire Church in Terno d'Isola

  • San Vittore Church in Albavilla

  • San Vittore Church in Porlezza

  • Parish Church of San Vittore in Agnadello

  • Chiesa di S. Vittore Martire in Esino Lario

  • San Vittore Church in Corbetta

  • Duomo San Vittore in Rho

  • Bell tower of the Basilica of San Vittore in Arcisate

  • Bell tower of the Basilica of San Vittore in Arsago Seprio

  • Victory Church in Brezzo di Bedero

Italy: Piedmont

Alessandria Province :

Province of Cuneo :

Province of Novara :

Metropolitan city of Turin :

Verbano-Cusio-Ossola Province :

Vercelli Province :

  • San Vittore Church in Borghetto di Borbera

  • Bell tower of the Church of San Vittore in Rosignano Monferrato

  • Parish Church of San Vittore in Sizzano

  • View of the tower of the Church of San Vittore in Cannobio

  • Basilica of San Vittore in Verbania

Italy: Trentino-South Tyrol

Province of Trento :

Italy: Umbria

Terni Province :

Switzerland

literature

  • Alban Butler: Saint Victor, Martyr at Milan. In: Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints. 1866.
  • Ramsgate Benedictine Monks of St Augustine's Abbey: The Book of Saints. 2002.
  • Matthew Bunson: Encyclopedia of Saints. 2014.

Web links

Commons : Saint Victor  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ In Arsago Seprio, the Romanesque basilica is dedicated to Victor.
  2. ↑ In 2003, Varese launched various initiatives to commemorate the 1700th anniversary of his martyrdom.
personal data
SURNAME Victor of Milan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Victor the Moor; Victor the Mauritanian; Victor Maurus
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Christian martyr
DATE OF BIRTH 3rd century
PLACE OF BIRTH Mauritania
DATE OF DEATH May 8, 303
Place of death Lodi (Lombardy) , Italy