Saint Justin of Siponto, as well as Saints Florentius, Felix, and Justa, are venerated as

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 ...

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

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 ...

. Information about them is fragmentary but their names were inserted into various

martyrologies A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...

. Tradition states that Justin was a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

and

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 ...

, that Florentius and Felix were his siblings, and that Justa was his niece. The earliest document about them dates from the 15th century; this is their legendary ''passio''.

Legend

They lived in

Siponto Siponto ( la, Sipontum, grc-gre, Σιπιούς) was an ancient port town and bishopric in Apulia, southern Italy. The town was abandoned after earthquakes in the 13th century; today the area is administered as a ''frazione'' of the ''comune'' ...

at the beginning of the fourth century. Justin as the most erudite and eloquent of the three brothers. He was appointed bishop of Siponto. Florentius, meanwhile, married and had a daughter named Justa, named after Justin, who had

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

her. After a decade or so, the four left Siponto and went to

Chieti Chieti (, ; , nap, label= Abruzzese, Chjïétë, ; gr, Θεάτη, Theátē; lat, Theate, ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Central Italy, east by northeast of Rome. It is the capital of the province of Chieti in the Abruzzo region. ...

, where they preached and performed miracles.

Pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

priests, alarmed by this, contacted

Maximian Maximian ( la, Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maximianus; c. 250 – c. July 310), nicknamed ''Herculius'', was Roman emperor from 286 to 305. He was ''Caesar'' from 285 to 286, then ''Augustus'' from 286 to 305. He shared the latter title with his ...

; the authorities ordered the four to sacrifice to

Jove Jupiter ( la, Iūpiter or , from Proto-Italic "day, sky" + "father", thus " sky father" Greek: Δίας or Ζεύς), also known as Jove ( gen. ''Iovis'' ), is the god of the sky and thunder, and king of the gods in ancient Roman religio ...

. Justin escaped to a mountain named ''Tubernium'' while Florentius, Felix, and Justa were arrested and taken to Forconium (

Furci Furci is a '' comune'' and town in the Province of Chieti in the Abruzzo , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1 ...

). Florentius and Felix were

decapitated 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 ...

immediately, on July 25, 310. Justa was thrown into a burning furnace, but after emerging unharmed, was shot with

arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers c ...

s on August 1 of that year. She was buried in a place two miles from Furci where a

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 ...

would later be built. Justin, meanwhile, buried the bodies of his brothers beside that of his niece and died of natural causes at the age of eighty-four. He was buried near

Offida Offida () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Ascoli Piceno in the Italian region Marche, located about south of Ancona and about northeast of Ascoli Piceno, on a rocky spur between the valleys of the Tesino (from north) and Tro ...

(province of Ascoli Piceno), where a basilica was also built.

Veneration

The varying dates of celebration and places with which they were associated has led scholars to believe that they are purely legendary. Justin was confused with the cult of Saint Justin of Chieti, whose feast day falls on January 1, and May 11 locally. Florentius and Felix were sometimes identified as soldier saints, probably through confusion with

Felix of Nola Saint Felix of Nola, sometimes also called ''St. Felix martyr'', (d. ca. 260) was a Christian presbyter at Nola near Naples in Italy. He sold off his possessions to give to the poor, but was arrested and tortured for his Christian faith during t ...

. Of Justa it is known that there was a

crypt A crypt (from Latin ''crypta'' "vault") is a stone chamber beneath the floor of a church or other building. It typically contains coffins, sarcophagi, or religious relics. Originally, crypts were typically found below the main apse of a chur ...

dedicated to her at Bazzano, where her body was conserved. The church there was expanded in the 13th century. Her cult, with a feast day of August 1, was centered in the

Abruzzo Abruzzo (, , ; nap, label=Neapolitan language, Abruzzese Neapolitan, Abbrùzze , ''Abbrìzze'' or ''Abbrèzze'' ; nap, label=Sabino dialect, Aquilano, Abbrùzzu; #History, historically Abruzzi) is a Regions of Italy, region of Southern Italy wi ...

and

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 ...

regions. There were three churches dedicated to her in

Penne Penne () is an Extrusion, extruded type of pasta with cylinder (geometry), cylinder-shaped pieces, their ends cut at an angle. ''Penne'' is the plural form of the Italian ''penna'' (meaning ''feather'' but ''pen'' as well), deriving from Latin ' ...

Sulmona Sulmona ( nap, label= Abruzzese, Sulmóne; la, Sulmo; grc, Σουλμῶν, Soulmôn) is a city and ''comune'' of the province of L'Aquila in Abruzzo, Italy. It is located in the Valle Peligna, a plain once occupied by a lake that disappeared in ...

, and Chieti. The four saints all had their own feast day of July 25 in previous Roman Martyrologies; currently they are not mentioned in this martyrology.

References

External links

Santi Giustino, Fiorenzo, Felice e Giusta
3rd-century births 310 deaths 4th-century Christian martyrs 4th-century Romans {{Italy-saint-stub