Heliodorus ( it, Sant'Eliodoro; died c. 410 AD) was the first bishop of

Altinum Altinum (in Altino, a ''frazione'' of Quarto d'Altino) was an ancient town of the Veneti 15 km SE of modern Treviso, close to the mainland shore of the Lagoon of Venice. It was also close to the mouths of the rivers Dese, Zero and Sile. A ...

in the 4th century. He was born in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; hr, Dalmacija ; it, Dalmazia; see #Name, names in other languages) is one of the four historical region, historical regions of Croatia, alongside Croatia proper, Slavonia, and Istria. Dalmatia is a narrow belt of the east shore of ...

. Like

Chromatius Saint Chromatius (died 406/407 AD) was a bishop of Aquileia. He was probably born at Aquileia, and grew up there.bishop of Aquileia 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 ...

.Sant' Eliodoro
/ref> He accompanied

Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, th ...

on his voyage to the

Holy Land The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...

, and is mentioned in Jerome's letters. After the death of his mother, Heliodorus went to

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

and was made bishop of Altino. He attempted to counter

Arianism 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 ...

in his see, and attended the anti-Arian Council of Aquileia (381). Heliodorus ordained Nepotianus, his nephew, after he left his position as an officer in the imperial bodyguard.Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome
/ref> A legend, composed around the 10th century and incorporating elements from other saints'

hagiographies A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies might ...

, states that

Liberalis of Treviso :''Another St. Liberalis was bishop of Embrun from 920-940. He died in 940 at Brive, his birthplace. It is also another name for Saint Eleutherius, venerated with Saint Antia.'' Saint Liberalis of Treviso ( it, San Liberale) is a saint of the ...

was educated in the Christian faith by Heliodorus.San Liberale
/ref> The legend goes on to state that, faced with growing opposition from both Arianism and paganism in the see, Heliodorus retired as bishop and lived as a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...

on a

desert island A desert island, deserted island, or uninhabited island, is an island, islet or atoll that is not permanently populated by humans. Uninhabited islands are often depicted in films or stories about shipwrecked people, and are also used as stereot ...

in the lagoons near Altino, entrusting the see to a man named Ambrose. Worried about Ambrose's ability to handle the rise of Arianism in the see, Liberalis decided to find Heliodorus and convince him to come back to his see, but died on the way, and was later venerated as a saint.

Veneration

Heliodorus' relics were carried to Altino during the

barbarian invasions The Migration Period was a period in European history marked by large-scale migrations that saw the fall of the Western Roman Empire and subsequent settlement of its former territories by various tribes, and the establishment of the post-Roman ...

and then to

Torcello Torcello ( la, Torcellum; vec, Torceło) is a sparsely populated island at the northern end of the Venetian Lagoon, in north-eastern Italy. It was first settled in 452 CE and has been referred to as the parent island from which Venice was p ...

, where they rest in a sepulcher in the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta.

References

External links

Sant'Eliodoro
{{DEFAULTSORT:Heliodorus Of Altino 390 deaths 4th-century Italian bishops 4th-century Christian saints Saints from Roman Italy Bishops in Veneto Year of birth unknown