John and Paul (
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 ...
: ''Ioannes, Paulus'') are
saint
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...
s who lived during the fourth century in the
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings around the Mediterr ...
. They were
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 at Rome on 26 June. The year of their martyrdom is uncertain according to their ''Acts''; it occurred under
Julian the Apostate (361–3).
Hagiography
In the second half of the fourth century, Byzantius, the Roman senator, and
Saint Pammachius
Pammachius (d. 410 AD) was a Roman senator who is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches. He married Paulina. After her death, gave himself up to works of charity.
Biography
Pammachius was born to a noble Roma ...
, his son, fashioned their house on the
Cælian Hill into a Christian
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its name ...
. In the fifth century the ''presbyteri tituli Byzantii'' (priests of the church of Byzantius) are mentioned in an
inscription
Epigraphy () is the study of inscriptions, or epigraphs, as writing; it is the science of identifying graphemes, clarifying their meanings, classifying their uses according to dates and cultural contexts, and drawing conclusions about the wr ...
and among the signatures of the Roman Council of 499. The church was also called the ''titulus Pammachii'' after Byzantius's son, the pious friend of
St. Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is com ...
.
[Kirsch, Johann Peter. "Sts. John and Paul." The Catholic Encyclopedia]
Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 12 November 2021
In the ancient apartments on the ground-floor of the house of Byzantius, which were still retained under the basilica, the tomb of two Roman martyrs, John and Paul, was the object of veneration as early as the fifth century.
[
The '' Sacramentarium Leonianum'' already indicates in the preface to the feast of the saints, that they rested within the city walls, while, in one of the early itineraries to the tombs of the Roman martyrs, their grave is assigned to the church on the Cælian (]de Rossi De Rossi () is an Italian surname, and may refer to:
Actresses
* Alessandra De Rossi (born 1984), Philippine actress
* Assunta De Rossi (born 1983), Philippine actress
*Barbara De Rossi (born 1960), Italian actress
*Portia de Rossi (born 1973), A ...
, ''Roma sotterranea'', I, 138, 175).[
The ''titulus Byzantii'' or ''Pammachii'' was consequently known at a very early date by the names of the two martyrs (''titulus SS. Joannis et Pauli''). That the two saints are martyrs of the Roman Church is historically certain; as to how and when their bodies found a resting-place in the house of Pammachius under the basilica, we only know that it certainly occurred in the fourth century. The year and circumstances of their martyrdom are likewise unknown. It may have occurred during the reign of Diocletian (304 AD), as the martyrdoms of Julian took place not in Rome, but mainly in the East.][Duffy, Patrick. "Jun 26 – Ss John and Paul (4th Century) martyrs", ''Catholic Ireland'', 26 June, 2012]
/ref>
Acts
According to their Acts, which are legendary and may not be historically reliable, after successful military careers, Constantine the Great
Constantine I ( , ; la, Flavius Valerius Constantinus, ; ; 27 February 22 May 337), also known as Constantine the Great, was Roman emperor from AD 306 to 337, the first one to Constantine the Great and Christianity, convert to Christiani ...
entrusted John and Paul with the protection of his daughter, Constantia. Through her, they became acquainted with a certain Gallicanus, who, according to a Medieval legend, was her fiancé.[Kleinhenz, Christopher (2004). "Constantina". ''Medieval Italy an Encyclopedia''. New York: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-93929-4.] Gallicanus is said to have built a church in Ostia. Constantine bequeathed significant sums to the faithful of a John and Paul, who built a house on the Caelian Hill and retired to private life, doing works of charity.["Biography of the Saints John and Paul", Passio Christi]
/ref> Other accounts say it was Constantia who left her wealth to her servants for them to spend on Christian works.[
They declined to return to service under Julian the Apostate, whereupon the emperor gave them ten days to reconsider. They spent the ten days dispersing their wealth, distributing alms day and night. Emperor Julian had them ]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 ...
secretly by Terentianus in their house on the Caelian Hill
The Caelian Hill (; la, Collis Caelius; it, Celio ) is one of the famous seven hills of Rome.
Geography
The Caelian Hill is a sort of long promontory about long, to wide, and tall in the park near the Temple of Claudius. The hill over ...
. Terentianus had them buried where they died and spread the rumor that they had gone into exile. Three Christians who were ministering to them were also executed and buried nearby: Crispus, Crispinianus, and Benedicta.[
The rooms on the ground-floor of the above-mentioned house of Pammachius were rediscovered in the 19th century under the Basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Rome. They are decorated with important and interesting frescoes, while the original tomb (''confessio'') of Sts. John and Paul is covered with paintings of which the martyrs are the subject. The rooms and the tomb form one of the most important early Christian memorials in Rome.][
The ''Acts'' of Saints John and Paul are also connected with the legend of St Bibiana, which has no historical claim to belief.
]
Veneration
The basilica of Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Rome is dedicated to them, as is the Basilica di San Zanipolo
The Basilica dei Santi Giovanni e Paolo, known in Venetian as San Zanipolo, is a church in the Castello ''sestiere'' of Venice, Italy.
One of the largest churches in the city, it has the status of a minor basilica. After the 15th century the fu ...
in Venice ("Zanipolo" being Venetian for "John and Paul"). Since the erection of the Roman basilica, the two saints have been greatly venerated, and since the 5th century, their names have been included in the Roman Canon The Canon of the Mass ( la, Canon Missæ), also known as the Canon of the Roman Mass and in the Mass of Paul VI as the Roman Canon or Eucharistic Prayer I, is the oldest anaphora used in the Roman Rite of Mass. The name ''Canon Missæ'' was used i ...
.[
Their feast is kept on 26 June.][
]
Saints John and Paul's Day
The Lüneberg manuscript (c. 1440–1450) mentions the day of John and Paul in an early German account of the Pied Piper of Hamelin:
In 1284 on the day of John and Paul on 26th June
130 children born in Hamelin were led away
by a piper lothedin many colours
to heir
Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...
Calvary near the Koppen, ndlost'.
Campania Town
A small village next to Caiazzo
Caiazzo (also Cajazzo) (Campanian: ) is a city and '' comune'' in the province of Caserta (Campania) in Italy. It is located on the right bank of the Volturnus, some northeast of Capua.
History
The ancient Caiatia was already in the hands of ...
in the Campania
Campania (, also , , , ) is an administrative Regions of Italy, region of Italy; most of it is in the south-western portion of the Italian peninsula (with the Tyrrhenian Sea to its west), but it also includes the small Phlegraean Islands and the i ...
region of 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 ...
is named Ss. Giovanni e Paolo in honor of these martyrs. Many residents of this village bear the family name "San Giovanni," as do the descendants of immigrants to the United States from this village (in particular, in Michigan, New York, and Florida).
References
Bibliography
The Golden Legend: Saints John and Paul
Saints of 26 June
Santi Giovanni e Paolo
{{DEFAULTSORT:John and Paul
360s deaths
Saints duos
4th-century Christian martyrs
4th-century Romans
Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era
Groups of Roman Catholic saints
Year of birth unknown
Military saints