Saint Primianus or Primianus of Larino ( it, San Primiano or ''Primiano Martire'') (d. 15 May 303 or 304) is the patron saint of

Lesina, Apulia Lesina is a town and ''comune'', former bishopric and Latin Catholic titular see on the northern side of Monte Gargano in the province of Foggia, in the Apulia region of southeast Italy. Description Lesina lies on the northern side of Gargano ...

, in

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 ...

. He is also joint patron saint, with

Saint Pardus Saint Pardus ( it, San Pardo; 6th century - 7th century) is a Roman Catholic saint associated with Larino in Italy. Larino Cathedral is dedicated to him. Life There is some disagreement about the life of Saint Pardus. He is often described as the ...

, of

Larino Larino ( nap, label= Campobassan dialect, Larìne; la, Larinum) is a town and ''comune'' of approximately 8,100 inhabitants in Molise, province of Campobasso, southern Italy. It is located in the fertile valley of the Biferno River. The old to ...

in the

province of Campobasso A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

. His feast day is celebrated in both places on 15 May with fireworks and music, but 28 April is the date elsewhere.

Life

The tradition is that three Christian brothers, Primianus, Firmianus and Castus, were persecuted and put to death during the

Persecution of Diocletian The Diocletianic or Great Persecution was the last and most severe persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire. In 303, the Roman emperor, emperors Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius, and Constantius Chlorus, Constantius issued a series of edicts r ...

on 15 May 303or 304 in the

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

of Larino. Firmianus and Castus were devoured by lions, but Primianus tamed them and was spared. He was later decapitated near the Temple of Mars in Larino. There is a further legend that in 842 Larino was invaded by

Saracen upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...

s and mostly destroyed. Its citizens were dispersed across the surrounding countryside, and the inhabitants of the city of Lesina were able to take from the ruined church the

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

of Primianus, Firmianus and Castus. The citizens of Larino, once it was restored, declared war on Lesina and stormed it to regain the relics. In the confusion they broke into the tomb of

, patron saint of Lesina, and took his relics instead, removing them in a farm cart decorated with flowers. The former

Lesina Cathedral Lesina Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale della Santissima Annunziata) is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral dedicated to the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary located in Lesina, in the region of Apulia, Italy. There was a church on this site fro ...

was dedicated to Primianus, and is now a church, containing the Sanctuary of Primianus. A notable

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

of some of Primianus's relics is preserved in

Acquaviva Collecroce Acquaviva Collecroce (also called ''Živavoda Kruč'' or, usually, just ''Kruč'') is a small town and ''comune'' in the province of Campobasso, in the Molise region of southern Italy, between the Biferno and Trigno rivers. Like the smaller towns ...

References and notes

Sources and external links

Santebeati.it: San Primiano
Saints from Roman Italy 303 deaths 4th-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown Christians martyred during the reign of Diocletian {{Italy-saint-stub