Saints Cantius, Cantianus, and Cantianilla (all died May 31, circa 304 AD) are venerated as

saints In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...

and

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

s by the

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

church.

Narrative

A late legend states that the three were orphaned siblings, members of a noble Roman family, the

Anicii The gens Anicia (or the Anicii) was a plebeian family at ancient Rome, mentioned first towards the end of the fourth century BC. The first of the Anicii to achieve prominence under the Republic was Lucius Anicius Gallus, who conducted the war agai ...

, and related to the Emperor

Carinus Marcus Aurelius Carinus (died 285) was Roman emperor from 283 to 285. The elder son of emperor Carus, he was first appointed ''Caesar'' and in the beginning of 283 co-emperor of the western portion of the empire by his father. Official accoun ...

. Protus was their tutor or guardian, and the Christian who converted the three siblings. When

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

began to persecute Christians, according to the legend, the four left

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, selling their home and giving most of the proceeds to the poor. They reached their estate in

Aquileia Aquileia / / / / ;Bilingual name of ''Aquileja – Oglej'' in: vec, Aquiłeja / ; Slovenian: ''Oglej''), group=pron is an ancient Roman city in Italy, at the head of the Adriatic at the edge of the lagoons, about from the sea, on the river N ...

, where they had travelled to visit in his prison the holy priest Saint Chrysogonus. However, they were captured at a place called ''Aquae Gradatae'' (now called

San Canzian d'Isonzo San Canzian d'Isonzo ( Bisiacco: ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Gorizia, in Friuli – Venezia Giulia, Italy. The small town is situated about from Gorizia, the capital of the province, and west of the important port of ...

). They were

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the i ...

after they refused to offer sacrifice to the civic gods.

Veneration

A priest named Zoelus embalmed and buried their bodies at the site.

Saint Maximus of Turin Maximus of Turin ( it, San Massimo; ( c.380 – c.465) is the first known Christian bishop of Turin. He was a theological writer who "made a great contribution to the spread and consolidation of Christianity in Northern Italy". Life Maximus is b ...

subsequently preached a

panegyric A panegyric ( or ) is a formal public speech or written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing. The original panegyrics were speeches delivered at public events in ancient Athens. Etymology The word originated as a compound of grc, ...

in their honor, and the saints are also mentioned by

Venantius Fortunatus Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus ( 530 600/609 AD; french: Venance Fortunat), known as Saint Venantius Fortunatus (, ), was a Latin poet and hymnographer in the Merovingian Court, and a bishop of the Early Church who has been venerate ...

. His testimony, which he could draw from coeval documents, is very reliable, and states only that they were brothers of blood and that they were martyred together not far from Aquileia, while they were leaving from there in a chariot. Their cult was anciently diffused in

Lombardy Lombardy ( it, Lombardia, Lombard language, Lombard: ''Lombardia'' or ''Lumbardia' '') is an administrative regions of Italy, region of Italy that covers ; it is located in the northern-central part of the country and has a population of about 10 ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. A paleochristian basilica and tomb was discovered at San Canzian in recent times; it contained the remains of three individuals.

References

External links

Saints of May 31: Cantius, Cantianius, and Cantianella
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantius, Cantianus, And Cantianilla Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era 304 deaths 4th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown Sibling trios Anicii Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian