Rictius Varus (Rictiovarus, Rixius Varus, Rexius Vicarius) was a

Vicarius ''Vicarius'' is a Latin word, meaning ''substitute'' or ''deputy''. It is the root of the English word "vicar". History Originally, in ancient Rome, this office was equivalent to the later English " vice-" (as in "deputy"), used as part of th ...

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

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 ...

at the end of the 3rd century, around the time of the

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

. 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 ...

'' contains many references to the prefect Rixius Varus, who is said to have persecuted hundreds of Christians.Katherine I. Rabenstein. '
July 6 - Rixius Varus (Rictiovarus)
"'' St. Patrick Catholic Church - Saint of the Day, 1998. In Christian

hagiography A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...

he later repented and became a

Christian martyr In Christianity, a martyr is a person considered to have died because of their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at th ...

himself, and is regarded a Saint in the

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism. Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") ...

Great Synaxaristes :
Οἱ Ἅγιοι Λουκία ἡ Παρθενομάρτυς καὶ Ρῆξος Βικάριος οἱ Μάρτυρες ποὺ μαρτύρησαν στὴν Κομπανία
'' 6 Ιουλίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
Martyr Lucy at Rome
'' OCA - Feasts and Saints.

.'' Orthodox Calendar (Pravoslavie.ru). and

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

Churches, with his feast day on July 6. Modern scholars, however, question his existence and reject the story of his conversion.

Roman Prefect and Persecutor

He was appointed by the Emperor

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 ...

, and severely persecuted

Christians 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 ...

. He is mentioned in Christian

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

with his name occurring in the stories of: :*

Valerius and Rufinus Valerius and Rufinus (died 287 AD) are venerated as Christian saints and martyrs. Their legend states that they were imperial tax collectors in Soissons who were pious Christians. They were ordered to be arrested by Rictius Varus, the ''praefectus- ...

(287) :*

Saint Quentin Saint Quentin ( la, Quintinus; died 287 AD) also known as Quentin of Amiens, was an early Christian saint. Hagiography Martyrdom The legend of his life has him as a Roman citizen who was martyred in Gaul. He is said to have been the son of a ...

(287) :*

Crispin and Crispinian Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, curriers, tanners, and leather workers. They were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 October 285 or 286. History Bor ...

(286)Meier, Gabriel. '
Sts. Crispin and Crispinian
"'' The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. (New Advent). Retrieved: 26 Sept. 2012. :*

Gentian, Fulcian and Victorice Victoricus (or Victorice, Victoric), Fuscian (or Fulcian, Fulcien, Fuscien) and Gentian (or Gentien) (died circa 287–303) were three Christian martyrs later venerated as Roman Catholic saints. Their feast day falls on 11 December. Hagiography A ...

(287 or 303). :*

Donatian and Rogatian Donatian and Rogatian were two brothers, martyred in Nantes during the reign of Roman Emperor Maximian, around 288–290, for refusing to deny their faith. They are also known as ''les enfants nantais''. Their feast day is 24 May. Life The st ...

(c. 288–290). :* Martyrs

Maxentius Marcus Aurelius Valerius Maxentius (c. 283 – 28 October 312) was a Roman emperor, who reigned from 306 until his death in 312. Despite ruling in Italy and North Africa, and having the recognition of the Senate in Rome, he was not recognized ...

, Constantius,

Crescentius Crescentius may refer to: * The mediaeval writer on agriculture, Petrus de Crescentius, or Pietro de' Crescenzi * Crescentius of Jesi or Crescentius Grizi of Jesi (died 1263), Italian Franciscan * Crescentius Richard Duerr, President of De La Sa ...

, Justinus and their Companions, martyrs in Trier in Germany in the reign of Diocletian, under the governor Rictiovarus (c. 287) :*

Palmatius Palmatius was a Christian saint martyred with 11 companions in Trier in around 287. They were among many killed under the Emperor Maximian by Rictius Varus, the ''vicarius'' in Roman Gaul.The Roman Martyrology. Transl. by the Archbishop of Baltim ...

and Companions, martyrs in

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

under

(c. 287)
October 5
'' Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome. :*

Alexander of Trier Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom of Macedonia who created one of the largest empires in ancient history. Variants listed here are Aleksandar, Al ...

, "the 12th

bishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Roman prefect Rictiovarus during the

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

" (

3rd century The 3rd century was the period from 201 ( CCI) to 300 (CCC) Anno Domini (AD) or Common Era (CE) in the Julian calendar.. In this century, the Roman Empire saw a crisis, starting with the assassination of the Roman Emperor Severus Alexander ...

) According to the ''

Catholic Encyclopedia The ''Catholic Encyclopedia: An International Work of Reference on the Constitution, Doctrine, Discipline, and History of the Catholic Church'' (also referred to as the ''Old Catholic Encyclopedia'' and the ''Original Catholic Encyclopedia'') i ...

'', he tried to kill himself in despair after failing to kill

Crispin Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, curriers, tanners, and leather workers. They were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 October 285 or 286. History Bor ...

and

Crispinian Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, curriers, tanners, and leather workers. They were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 October 285 or 286. History Born ...

Christian Martyr

In Christian

he repented and became a

himself. The ''

'' has his

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

on July 6, and states:

The same day, St. Lucia, martyr, a native of
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 ...
. Being arrested and severely tortured by the lieutenant-governor Rictiovarus, she converted him to Christ. To them were added Antoninus, Severinus, Diodorus, Dion, and seventeen others, who shared their sufferings and their crowns.

Rexius also appears on

July 6 Events Pre-1600 * 371 BC – The Battle of Leuctra shatters Sparta's reputation of military invincibility. * 640 – Battle of Heliopolis: The Muslim Arab army under 'Amr ibn al-'As defeat the Byzantine forces near Heliopolis (Egypt ...

in the calendar of the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via ...

, being martyred by

beheading 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 ...

together with Virgin-martyr Lucy and several other martyrs, due to their courageous witness for

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 of Jesus in the New Testament, names and titles), was ...

In German Legend

A very different fate is attributed to "Rixius Varus" by the peasantry of the German

Saarland The Saarland (, ; french: Sarre ) is a state of Germany in the south west of the country. With an area of and population of 990,509 in 2018, it is the smallest German state in area apart from the city-states of Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg, and ...

. According to the art-historian and mythographer Karl Lohmeyer, it was believed that after his death the persecutor could not rest in his tomb, and haunts the Varuswald forest near the town of

Tholey Tholey () is a municipality in the district of Sankt Wendel, in Saarland, Germany. It is situated approximately west of Sankt Wendel, and north of Saarbrücken. History Local history The first traces of settlement in the area of today's Thol ...

as a

Wild Hunt The Wild Hunt is a folklore motif (Motif E501 in Stith Thompson's Motif-Index of Folk-Literature) that occurs in the folklore of various northern European cultures. Wild Hunts typically involve a chase led by a mythological figure escorted by ...

sman, flying through the air with a ghostly band and threatening punishment to transgressors.Karl Lohmeyer. ''Die Sagen des Saarbrücker und Birkenfelder Landes''. Gebrüder-Hofer-Verlagsanstalt, Saarbrücken 1920, p. 88.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rictius Varus 3rd-century Christian martyrs 3rd-century Gallo-Roman people Diocletianic Persecution