Constantius (born, Antonii de Ripolis;
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
, San Costanzo di Capri) (died 7th or 8th century, near
Marina Grande) was a
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution.
In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...
of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
who, after many years wandering, became the
patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...
of
Capri
Capri ( , ; ; ) is an island located in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the Sorrento Peninsula, on the south side of the Gulf of Naples in the Campania region of Italy. The main town of Capri that is located on the island shares the name. It has been ...
.
Biography
Little is known about him except that his body was placed in a barrel:
the homilies ''Sermo de virtute Constantii'' (BHL 1931) and the ''Sermo de transito s. Constantii'' date from the end of the 10th century, when the saint's protection was invoked at Capri and
Amalfi
Amalfi (, , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Salerno, in the region of Campania, Italy, on the Gulf of Salerno. It lies at the mouth of a deep ravine, at the foot of Monte Cerreto (1,315 metres, 4,314 feet), surrounded by dramatic c ...
against
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...
raiders. How he came to be on the island is Capri is undocumented and shrouded in legend.
In the ''Catalogus'' of monk
Filippo Ferrari
Filippo Ferrari (Philippus Ferrarius) (1551 – 1626) was an Italian Servite monk and scholar, known as a geographer, and also noted as a hagiographer.
Life
He was born at Oviglio in Piedmont. It is near Alessandria, and he was nicknamed ''Aless ...
(died 1626), Constantius was described to be "of imperial lineage and
Bishop of Constantinople
The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...
".
He may have been the
Arian
Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God t ...
Constantius II
Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germani ...
who destroyed idols, or a bishop who fled from Africa to Italy.
The
Chiesa di San Costanzo
The Chiesa di San Costanzo (Church of Constantius) is a monumental church of Capri. Named after the patron saint of the island of Capri, San Costanzo, it was the cathedral of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Capri from 987–1560.
History
The exact d ...
is located between Marina Grande and
Anacapri
Anacapri () is a ''comune'' on the island of Capri, in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Italy.
Anacapri is located higher on the island than Capri (about higher on average)http://www.capritourism.com/imgg/download/capri_map_en.pdf —the Anc ...
.
The
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
of St Costanzo is celebrated on May 14 and includes commemoration of his arrival on Capri, which according to tradition, occurred c. 739.
A reliquary at
Montevergine
250px, The Sanctuary of Montevergine.
The Montevergine, also known as Partenio or Monti di Avella, is a limestone massif in Campania, central Italy, part of the Apennine chain. It is located near Avellino, in the ''comune'' of Mercogliano. It h ...
contains a bone with the label "Ossa S. Costantio E.C."
piscopus ConfessorSanti e beati: "San Costanzo di Capri
References
{{Authority control
Medieval Italian saints
Capri, Campania
8th-century Italian bishops