Mantius of Évora ( pt, São Manços) was the legendary first bishop of
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
and
Évora
Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District.
Due to its well-preserved old to ...
in the 1st century AD. In some versions of his legend, he was one of the
disciples of Jesus Christ, who was sent to preach the Gospel in
Lusitania
Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and
a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lusita ...
.
Legend
According to the most well-known version, known from at least the 16th century (recounted in
André de Resende
André de Resende (1498–1573) was a Dominican friar who is considered to be father of archaeology in Portugal.
He spent many years traveling in Spain, France and Belgium, where he corresponded with Erasmus and other learned men. He was also in ...
's ''Breviário Eborense'', 1548
), he was born in Rome and, converting to Christianity, went to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, where he was able to meet
Jesus Christ
Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...
and be one of His disciples. Mantius would even have participated in the
Last Supper
Image:The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci - High Resolution 32x16.jpg, 400px, alt=''The Last Supper'' by Leonardo da Vinci - Clickable Image, Depictions of the Last Supper in Christian art have been undertaken by artistic masters for centuries, ...
and witnessed
Pentecost
Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday, Whitsunday or Whitsun) is a Christianity, Christian holiday which takes place on the 50th day (the seventh Sunday) after Easter Sunday. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles in the Ne ...
. He would have been, therefore, among the
seventy disciples
The seventy disciples or seventy-two disciples, known in the Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles or seventy-two apostles, were early emissaries of Jesus mentioned in the Gospel of Luke. The correct Greek terminology is evdomikont ...
.
After the
crucifixion of Jesus
The crucifixion and death of Jesus occurred in 1st-century Judea, most likely in AD 30 or AD 33. It is described in the four canonical gospels, referred to in the New Testament epistles, attested to by other ancient sources, and consid ...
, he was sent out as a missionary of the Gospel and, after passing through
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
(where he performed a miracle in the name of Jesus in the town of
Châlons-en-Champagne
Châlons-en-Champagne () is a city in the Grand Est region of France. It is the capital of the department of Marne, despite being only a quarter the size of the city of Reims.
Formerly called Châlons-sur-Marne, the city was officially renam ...
, restoring to life a young man of nobility who had drowned), continued into Hispanic lands and arrived in
Lusitania
Lusitania (; ) was an ancient Iberian Roman province located where modern Portugal (south of the Douro river) and
a portion of western Spain (the present Extremadura and the province of Salamanca) lie. It was named after the Lusitani or Lusita ...
. He preached in the
Alentejo
Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo'').
Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...
region, where he would have converted many people, and arrived at
Évora
Évora ( , ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. It has 53,591 inhabitants (2021), in an area of 1307.08 km2. It is the historic capital of the Alentejo and serves as the seat of the Évora District.
Due to its well-preserved old to ...
, where he would have established a Christian community, presided over by him as the first bishop.
A later tradition also has Mantius travelling to
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
and founding a new community there, also becoming their first bishop. Neither of the two traditions has historical basis, and both dioceses date from around the 4th century.
Roman persecution of Christian communities would have Mantius imprisoned; after refusing to offer sacrifices to the pagan gods, he was martyred near Évora,
traditionally in the site nowadays occupied by the civil parish of
São Manços.
Veneration
The first written reference to Saint Mantius dates back to 1195, and devotion to the saint spread in the end of the 13th century, possibly following the arrival of his presumed relics in
Castile.
According to the same tradition, the relics of Saint Mantius were in the church of São Manços but, in order to save them from Muslim invaders, they were brought in 714 to
Asturias
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community in nor ...
as were the remains of other saints. In 1070, Gutierre Téllez de Meneses would have had a dream in which Saint Mantius told him to take his relics to Castile. Thus the relics arrived at what today is
Villanueva de San Mancio
Villanueva de San Mancio is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, Castile and León, Spain. According to the 2004 census (INE
INE, Ine or ine may refer to:
Institutions
* Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear re ...
, in the province of
Valladolid
Valladolid () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality in Spain and the primary seat of government and de facto capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León. It is also the capital of the province o ...
, near
Medina de Rioseco
Medina de Rioseco is a municipality located in the province of Valladolid, in the autonomous community of Castile and León and Spain. According to a 2011 census (INE), the municipality has a population of 4,967 inhabitants.
The city also has th ...
,
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
; the authorities would not let him enter the town with the saint's remains, so the knight founded a monastery on the outskirts, with the support of the Benedictine monks of Sahagún, where the relics were left — the town subsequently grew around the monastery.
In the last Roman Martyrology he is called "martyr" and is said to die in the VI century.
References
{{Reflist
1st-century bishops in Hispania
1st-century Christian martyrs
1st-century Romans
Bishops of Évora
Bishops of Lisbon
Portuguese Roman Catholic saints