Saint Magnus of Anagni ( it, San Magno di Anagni), also known as ''Magnus of Trani'' or ''Magnus of Fabrateria Vetus'', is venerated as 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
Anagni
Anagni () is an ancient town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, Latium, central Italy, in the hills east-southeast of Rome. It is a historical and artistic center of the Latin Valley.
Geography Overview
Anagni still maintains the ...
.
Traditional narrative
According to tradition, he was born in
Trani
Trani () is a seaport of Apulia, in southern Italy, on the Adriatic Sea, by railway west-northwest of Bari. It is one of the capital cities of the Province of Barletta-Andria-Trani.
History
Overview
The city of ''Turenum'' appears for the fir ...
in the 2nd century, the son of a man named Apollonius. He became a
shepherd
A shepherd or sheepherder is a person who tends, herds, feeds, or guards flocks of sheep. ''Shepherd'' derives from Old English ''sceaphierde (''sceap'' 'sheep' + ''hierde'' 'herder'). ''Shepherding is one of the world's oldest occupations, i ...
at an early age to support the family; he had a small flock of sheep and donated his earnings to the poor. He and his father were baptized by Bishop Redemptus of Trani.
When Redemptus died, Magnus was proclaimed
bishop of Trani by the people and local clerics. As bishop Magnus worked to spread
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
in
Fondi
Fondi ( la, Fundi; Southern Laziale: ''Fùnn'') is a city and ''comune'' in the province of Latina, Lazio, central Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. I ...
,
Aquino, and Anagni.
In Anagni, he baptized a young woman named
Secundina, who would later die as a Christian martyr.
Magnus fled to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
to escape the persecutions of Christians that were led by a man named Tarquinius.
After a while, Magnus headed home, hiding himself along the way.
Soldiers discovered him in a cave near Fondi, however, and he was
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 ...
near
Fabrateria Vetus, in
Latium
Latium ( , ; ) is the region of central western Italy in which the city of Rome was founded and grew to be the capital city of the Roman Empire.
Definition
Latium was originally a small triangle of fertile, volcanic soil (Old Latium) on whi ...
.
Veneration
In the ninth century, his relics were
translated
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
from Fondi to
Veroli
Veroli ( la, Verulae) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Frosinone, Lazio, central Italy, in the Latin Valley.
History
Veroli (''Verulae'') became a Roman municipium in 90 BC. It became the seat of a bishopric in 743 AD, and was occupied ...
by a man named Plato.
According to tradition, a
Muslim
Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...
overlord named Musa converted Magnus'
sepulcher
A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...
into a stable.
When the horses placed in the stable began to die, Musa became frightened and sold the relics to citizens from Anagni.
These relics were translated to the
cathedral of Anagni in the presence of Bishop Zacharias (Zaccaria).
In June 1901, the Right Reverend Monsignor Mezzolinski, secretary to Cardinal
Mieczysław Halka Ledóchowski
Mieczysław () or Mečislovas (Lithuanian) is a Slavic name of Polish origin and consists of two parts: miecz "sword", and sław "glory, famous". Feminine form: Mieczysława. Alternate form: Mieszko.
This name may refer to:
People Mečislovas
* ...
, wrote to the pastor of St. Martin of Tours, Monsignor Francis Zabler: "At last I can fulfill your wish. The venerable
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
Nuns of Agnani, Italy, must give up their sanctuary and relinquish their monastery and seek another house. In their sad plight, Pope Leo XIII has given them permission to donate the relics of certain martyrs under certain conditions. I myself have been at Agnani to investigate the authenticity of these relics. Without a doubt they are genuine." On December 31, 1901, the complete skeletal relics of St. Magnus, a Roman centurion arrived at the Louisville customs office. They were placed in glass reliquaries beneath the north and south transept altars, where they have been venerated ever since.
[Spoelker p.26 ] Magnus was afterwards declared patron saint of Anagni, and was also venerated in the town of
Colle San Magno
Colle San Magno (locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Frosinone in the Italian region Lazio, located about southeast of Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = K ...
, in
Frosinone
Frosinone (, local dialect: ) is a town and ''comune'' in Lazio, central Italy, the administrative seat of the province of Frosinone. It is located about south-east of Rome close to the Rome-Naples A1 Motorway. The city is the main city of the Va ...
.
Magnus should not be confused with
Saint Magnus of Cuneo, martyr of the
Theban Legion
The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Egypt—"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men"—who converted en masse to Christianity and were martyred together in 286, a ...
, who is venerated on the same day.
The ''
Roman Martyrology
The ''Roman Martyrology'' ( la, Martyrologium Romanum) is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved ...
'' lists only Saint Magnus of Anagni.
He is mentioned in the ''
Martyrologium Hieronymianum
The ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' (meaning "martyrology of Jerome") or ''Martyrologium sancti Hieronymi'' (meaning "martyrology of Saint Jerome") is an ancient martyrology or list of Christian martyrs in calendar order, one of the most used a ...
'' in which his death place is listed as ''Fabrateria vetus''.
Magnus enjoyed wide veneration in the lower Latium region.
His name appears in the ''
Sacramentarium Gelasianum'' (7th century) and the ''Sacramentarium'' of the eighth century.
References
Sources
*Spoekler, Rev. Bernard A. "1853-1953: The Centenary of the Church of Saint Martin of Tours, Louisville, Kentucky." St. Martin of Tours Catholic Church, Louisville, 1953.
External links
San Magno di Anagni (o da Trani)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Magnus Of Anagni
2nd-century births
2nd-century deaths
People from Trani
2nd-century Christian martyrs
Bishops in Apulia
2nd-century Italian bishops