Saint Mamilian (Mamilianus) of Palermo, who is venerated with Nympha (Ninfa), Eustotius (Eustozio), Proculus (Proculo, Procuro), and Golbodeus (Golbodeo, Golbudeo), was a

bishop of Palermo The Roman Catholic Metropolitan Archdiocese of Palermo ( la, Archidioecesis Panormitana) was founded as the Diocese of Palermo in the first century and raised to the status of archdiocese in the 11th century. Mamilian lived in

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

at a time when the

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic peoples, Germanic people who first inhabited what is now southern Poland. They established Vandal Kingdom, Vandal kingdoms on the Iberian Peninsula, Mediterranean islands, and North Africa in the fifth century. The ...

dominated the island. He served as bishop of Palermo but was exiled to Africa by the Vandals, who adhered to

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 ...

, around 450 AD with some Christian companions. One source states that Mamilian was exiled to

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze''). Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...

Genseric Gaiseric ( – 25 January 477), also known as Geiseric or Genseric ( la, Gaisericus, Geisericus; reconstructed Vandalic: ) was King of the Vandals and Alans (428–477), ruling a kingdom he established, and was one of the key players in the diff ...

, the Vandal king. However, through the intercession of an African bishop or by some sympathetic Christians, he escaped to

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

. After that, he spent time on the island of

Montecristo Montecristo, also Monte Cristo (, ) and formerly Oglasa ( grc, Ὠγλάσσα, Ōglássa), is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea and part of the Tuscan Archipelago. Administratively it belongs to the municipality of Portoferraio in the province o ...

. According to a legend on Montecristo, Mamilian defeated a

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

on the island, and also changed the island's name from ''Montegiove'' (" Jove's Mountain") to Montecristo ("Christ's Mountain"). A community of hermits, said to have been Mamilian's followers, lived on the island, and around 600 AD, a monastery was built. He subsequently went also to the island of Giglio, where he died. Golbodeus's name may be a corruption of ''Quodvultdeus'', a name shared by another 5th-century saint. http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/stdsep.htm

Veneration

According to a tradition on Giglio, inhabitants of

Elba Elba ( it, isola d'Elba, ; la, Ilva) is a Mediterranean island in Tuscany, Italy, from the coastal town of Piombino on the Italian mainland, and the largest island of the Tuscan Archipelago. It is also part of the Arcipelago Toscano National ...

and

Genoa Genoa ( ; it, Genova ; lij, Zêna ). is the capital of the Italian region of Liguria and the List of cities in Italy, sixth-largest city in Italy. In 2015, 594,733 people lived within the city's administrative limits. As of the 2011 Italian ce ...

attempted to steal Mamilian's relics on the very day of his burial and the saint's body was torn to pieces. The island of Giglio kept the saint's arm. Some sources say Mamilian's 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 ...

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 the Church of

Santa Maria in Monticelli Santa Maria in Monticelli is a church in the rione of Regola in Rome, sited on the street of the same name. A church was founded at the site in the 12th century and reconsecrated by Innocent II in 1143. It was known as ''Sancta Maria in Monticelli ...

, and subsequently to

Spoleto Spoleto (, also , , ; la, Spoletum) is an ancient city in the Italian province of Perugia in east-central Umbria on a foothill of the Apennines. It is S. of Trevi, N. of Terni, SE of Perugia; SE of Florence; and N of Rome. History Spolet ...

. Some of his relics may have been taken to Palermo. Another tradition states that

Cosimo III de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany Cosimo III de' Medici (14 August 1642 – 31 October 1723) was Grand Duke of Tuscany from 1670 until his death in 1723, the sixth and penultimate from the House of Medici. He reigned from 1670 to 1723, and was the elder son of Grand Duke Ferdinan ...

returned Mamilian's entire body to Giglio in the 17th century. On the island of Giglio, celebrations dedicated to Saint Mamilian start on September 15 and last for four days, consisting of a process of his relics (Mamilian's arm), games, music, and a traditional mass. In 1673, Archbishop Juan Lozano of Palermo erected statues to Mamilian, Eustotius, Proculus, and Golbodeus in the cathedral of Palermo.George Dennis, John Murray, ''A handbook for travellers in Sicily: including Palermo, Messina, Catania, Syracuse, Etna, and the ruins of the Greek temples'' (J. Murray, 1864), 25. The statues were made by Travaglia (Mamilian, Golbodeus) and Antonio Anello (Eustotius, Proculus). File:Grotta di San Mamiliano o Grotta del Santo.jpg, Grotto of Saint Mamilian. Island of Montecristo. File:Monastero o Abbazia di Montecristo.jpg , Monastery of San Mamiliano, Island of Montecristo.

References

Bibliography

* Michele Marinelli, ''San Mamiliano Monaco Vescovo di Palermo'', Grosseto 2000 * Ugo Russo, ''San Mamiliano Vescovo e Martire del V secolo, evangelizzatore della Toscana'', supporto CD, Palermo, 2002 * Gloria Peria e Silvestre Ferruzzi, ''L'isola d'Elba e il culto di San Mamiliano'', Portoferraio 2010 {{authority control Sicilian saints 460 deaths Religious leaders from Palermo Year of birth unknown scn:San Mamilianu di Palermu