Gordianus (died 362) was a Roman martyr who was killed during the reign of

Julian the Apostate Julian ( la, Flavius Claudius Julianus; grc-gre, Ἰουλιανός ; 331 – 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplato ...

, and is commemorated on 10 May. In his funeral inscription, Gordianus's youth is contrasted with his mature faith."Gordian and Epimachus", ''The Oxford Dictionary of Saints''
5th ed. (David Farmer, ed.) OUP, 2011 Later ''Acts'' make him a pagan and a

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

. He was charged with forcing Januarius to make a sacrifice to the Emperor, but instead was persuaded and then converted to Christianity with many within his household. Being accused before his successor, or as some say before the prefect of the city, Apronianus, he was tortured and finally beheaded. His body was carried off by the Christians, and laid in a crypt on the Latin Way beside the body of Epimachus of Alexandria, who had been recently interred there. The two saints gave their name to the cemetery, and have ever since been jointly venerated by the Catholic Church.Murphy, John F.X. "Sts. Gordianus and Epimachus." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 26 November 2021 According to David Farmer, these ''Acts'' are historically "worthless". Some time later the remains of Gordianus were moved to the Cyriaca cemetery and there they lay until the 1670s, when a monk named Ambrose of the Order of St Augustin removed them and gave them to Christopher Anderson, a

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

priest. The remains were transferred to the Jesuit College of St. Omer; when the College moved to

Stonyhurst Stonyhurst is the name of a rural estate owned by the Society of Jesus near Clitheroe in Lancashire, England. It is centred on Stonyhurst College, occupying the great house, its preparatory school Stonyhurst Saint Mary's Hall and the parish ...

, the remains travelled to England where they have remained since, interred below the altar of the Sodality Chapel. His bones were temporarily removed in 2006 whilst the chapel underwent restoration, but they have since been returned. The

Princely Abbey of Kempten The Princely Abbey of Kempten (german: Fürststift Kempten or Fürstabtei Kempten) was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire for centuries until it was annexed to the Electorate of Bavaria in the course of the German m ...

in Bavaria was established in 752, and dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Gordianus and Epimachus. Some of the relics of the two saints were brought there.Butler, Alban. "Saints Gordian and Epimachus, Martyrs". ''Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints''
1866. CatholicSaints.Info. 12 May 2013 There is a church dedicated to Gordianus in

Saint-Paul-d'Oueil Saint-Paul-d'Oueil (; oc-gascon, Sent Pau d'Oelh) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France. Geography Climate Saint-Paul-d'Oueil has a oceanic climate (Köppen climate classification ''Cfb''). The average annual te ...

in France.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordianus Stonyhurst College 362 deaths 4th-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown