Fermin (also Firmin, from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''Firminus'';
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...
''Fermín'') was a legendary holy man 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 ...
, traditionally venerated as the co-
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
Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
, Spain. His death may be associated with either the
Decian persecution
The Decian persecution of Christians occurred in 250 AD under the Roman Emperor Decius. He had issued an edict ordering everyone in the Empire to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods and the well-being of the emperor. The sacrifices had to ...
(250) or
Diocletianic Persecution
The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius issued a series of edicts rescinding Christians' legal rights ...
(303).
Roger Collins
Roger J. H. Collins (born September 2, 1949) is an English medievalist, currently an honorary fellow in history at the University of Edinburgh.
Collins studied at the University of Oxford ( Queen's and Saint Cross Colleges) under Peter Brown ...
, ''The Basques'' (Blackwell, 1986), p. 61: "In this tale there exists not an iota of truth".
Although he is said to have lived in the third century, Fermin's legend is a creation of the ninth century. It probably originates in the
diocese of Toulouse
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) ( la, Archidioecesis Tolosana (–Convenarum–Rivensis); French: ''Archidiocèse de Toulouse (–Saint-Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux-Volvestre)''; Occitan: ''A ...
, which endeavoured to spread the devotion to Saint Fermin. If there was a historical Fermin he is wholly unknown and was probably no more than a name on a tombstone around which an edifying legend was crafted.
According to the legend, a
senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
from Pamplona named Firmus was converted to Christianity by
Honestus and persuaded Saturninus to come to Pamplona to baptise him. There the bishop preached to large crowds and baptised some 40,000 people over three days. Firmus's son, Firminus (Fermin), was entrusted to Honestus for his Christian education and at age 31 went to Toulouse to be consecrated by Saturninus's successor,
Honoratus
Honoratus (french: Saint Honorat; c. 350 – 6 January 429) was the founder of Lérins Abbey who later became an early Archbishop of Arles. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Life
Honoratus was born in the ...
. Fermin then went to preach in northern
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
, where he became associated with the city of
Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
. He was persecuted and ultimately martyred.
[
Fermin's feast is celebrated in Pamplona with a series of festivities, the Sanfermines, including the famous Running of the Bulls. He is also venerated at Amiens.
]
Legend
Fermin is said to have been the son of Eugenia and Firmo, a Roman of senatorial rank in Pamplona in the 3rd century. Fermin was converted to Christianity by Honestus, a disciple of Saturnin. According to tradition, he was baptised by Saturninus (in Navarra "San Cernin") at the spot now known as the ''Pocico de San Cernin,'' the "Small Well of San Cernin", across from the facade of the church dedicated to St Cernin, which is built on the foundations of a pagan temple.
Saturninus was the first bishop of Toulouse, where he was sent during the "consulate of Decius and Gratus" (AD 250). He was 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 ...
ed (traditionally in 257 AD), significantly by being tied to a bull by his feet and dragged to his death, a martyrdom that is sometimes transferred to Fermin and relocated at Pamplona. In Toulouse, the earliest church, dedicated to ''Notre-Dame du Taur'' ("Our Lady of the Bull"), still exists, though rebuilt. Though the 11th century Basilica of Saint-Sernin
The Basilica of Saint-Sernin (Occitan: ''Basilica de Sant Sarnin'') is a church in Toulouse, France, the former abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Sernin or St Saturnin. Apart from the church, none of the abbey buildings remain. The current churc ...
, the largest surviving Romanesque structure in France, has superseded it, the church is said to be built where the bull stopped. More likely, it was built on a site previously dedicated to a pre-Christian sacred bull, perhaps the bull of Mithras. The street, which runs straight from the Capitole, is named not the ''Rue de Notre-Dame'' but the ''Rue du Taur''. San Cernin (Saturninus) is the patron saint of Pamplona.
Fermin was ordained a priest in Toulouse, according to the local legend, and returned to Pamplona as its first bishop. Some years later, he preached the gospel through Aquitania, Auvernia and Anjou, before settling in Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
, France, where he was also named Bishop of Amiens
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Amiens (Latin: ''Dioecesis Ambianensis''; French: ''Diocèse d'Amiens'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Somme, of which the city of Ami ...
. The local authorities in Amiens had him imprisoned and later beheaded. He died on September 25, AD 303.
In ''Legenda aurea
The ''Golden Legend'' (Latin: ''Legenda aurea'' or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in late medieval Europe. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary ...
'' several miracles attended the discovery and translation
Translation is the communication of the Meaning (linguistic), meaning of a #Source and target languages, source-language text by means of an Dynamic and formal equivalence, equivalent #Source and target languages, target-language text. The ...
of the relics of Saint Fermin in the time of Salvius, bishop of Amiens (traditionally ''ca'' 600). A sweet odor arose from his grave. The smell caused ice and snow to melt, flowers to grow, the sick to be cured, and trees to be inclined reverently toward the saint.
Veneration
The Abbey of Saint-Acheul
The Abbey of Saint-Acheul (french: Abbaye de Saint-Acheul) was a monastery of Canons Regular in the Saint-Acheul district of Amiens, France.
It was founded in the 11th century on the site of an ancient church, and was suppressed in 1790 during the ...
in Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
was founded in 1085 on the supposed tomb of Fermin.
Under the choir of the abbey's church there is a vault in the place where the body of Fermin was miraculously discovered.
According to legend the place of the body was revealed to Bishop Salvius of Amiens
Saint Salvius of Amiens (or Sauve, Salin, Salinius, Salve, Salvinus, Sauflieu, Saulve, Sauvre; died ) was a 7th-century bishop of Amiens. His feast day is 11 January.
Life and legacy
Salvius was said to come from a wealthy family of Amiens.
He st ...
, who arranged to have it carried to Amiens Cathedral
, image = 0 Amiens - Cathédrale Notre-Dame (1).JPG
, imagesize = 200px
, img capt = Amiens Cathedral
, pushpin map = France
, pushpin label position = below
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.
The veneration of Saint Fermin was of great religious and economic importance to Amiens during the Middle Ages and into modern times. Legends grew up to explain the discovery of the saint's relics, most of which were held at Amiens
Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...
. He is represented in a number of major works of art in Amiens Cathedral.
When certain relics
In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...
of the saint were brought back to Pamplona in 1196, the city decided to mark the occasion with an annual event. Over the centuries, the saint's festival, the ancient annual fair and the running of the bulls and subsequent bullfights have all melded together.
Besides Pamplona, Fermín is venerated in other places in Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
, such as Lesaka
Lesaka is a town and municipality in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, in Spain. It is situated in the merindad of Iruña, in the region of Bortziriak (Five Villas) and to 75 km of the capital of the community, Iruña/Pamp ...
, in the fiesta called the ''Regata del Bidasoa''. In the basilica of San Fermín de Aldapa, the martyrdom of Saint Fermin is still commemorated on September 25. On the preceding Thursday to Sunday there are numerous festivities there, in the Navarrería (a neighbourhood of Pamplona) and near the Cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the '' cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denomination ...
. Celebrations begin with a firework rocket set off by a youngster from the Navarrería, who has been given the title of the little mayor. As at Pamplona, the celebrations have a special closing ceremony called ''Pobre de Mí'' (''Poor Me'').
There is a mysterious well of an otherwise unknown "Saint Farmin" at Bowes, Yorkshire
Bowes is a village in County Durham, England. Located in the Pennines, Pennine hills, it is situated close to Barnard Castle. It is built around the medieval Bowes Castle.
Geography and administration Civic history
Bowes lies within the Histor ...
, England. The existence of a monastery named after a Saint Firmin in North Crawley
North Crawley is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of the City of Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, England. It is located near the border with Bedfordshire, about three and a half miles east of Newport Pagnell.
The vill ...
was recorded in the Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...
(i.149a); there was a holy well in the churchyard, and unauthorized pilgrimages there were suppressed in 1298.[Alan Thacker and Richard Sharpe, ''Local Saints and Local Churches in the Early Medieval West'', "A Handlist of Anglo-Saxon Saints" p. 535.] The church at Thurlby, Lincs, is dedicated to St Firmin. The only other St. Firmin in England rested at Thorney, Cambridgeshire. These occurrences point towards possible veneration of Firmin in Anglo-Saxon England.
The San Fermin festival is celebrated in Pamplona
Pamplona (; eu, Iruña or ), historically also known as Pampeluna in English, is the capital city of the Chartered Community of Navarre, in Spain. It is also the third-largest city in the greater Basque cultural region.
Lying at near above ...
, in the region of Navarre
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
, every year from the 6th to the 14th of July. It has become internationally known because of the running of the bulls, where the bulls are led through the streets of the old quarter as far as the bull ring by runners. The fiestas are celebrated in honor of Fermin, patron saint of Navarra
Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
, although the religious aspect would seem to have taken on a secondary role over the last number of years.
Gallery
The funeral monument of Adrien de Henencourt, head of the chapter of Amiens Cathedral
, image = 0 Amiens - Cathédrale Notre-Dame (1).JPG
, imagesize = 200px
, img capt = Amiens Cathedral
, pushpin map = France
, pushpin label position = below
, coordinates =
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in the early 16th century, depicts not only the life and martyrdom of the saint, but also the posthumous history of his body, in a series of polychrome reliefs and statuary.
Image:Saint firmin 1.jpg, St Firmin enters Amiens.
Image:St Firmin evangelises.JPG, St Firmin proclaims the gospel.
Image:St Firmin baptises.JPG, St Firmin baptises converts.
Image:St Firmin arrested.JPG, St Firmin is arrested.
Image:St Firmin decapitated.jpg, Decapitation of St Firmin.
Image:Saint firmin 2.jpg, The discovery of St Firmin's body is predicted by Saint Sauve, a later bishop.
Image:St Firmin's tomb revealed.JPG, The grave of St Firmin is revealed.
Image:Saint firmin 3.jpg, St Firmin's body is exhumed and translated to its final resting place.
See also
* Saint Fermin, patron saint archive
Notes
Bibliography
*
{{Authority control
Saints from Hispania
History of Navarre
4th-century Christian martyrs
3rd-century Romans
4th-century Romans
Year of birth unknown
3rd-century Christian martyrs