Saint Orontius of Lecce ( it, Sant'Oronzo, sometimes or ; Leccese: ) is venerated as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, along with two other figures associated with his legend, Fortunatus and Justus. He is viewed as the first

bishop of Lecce The Archdiocese of Lecce ( la, Archidioecesis Lyciensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Apulia, southern Italy. The diocese has existed since the 11th century. On 28 September 1960, in the bull ...

Legend

A twelfth-century manuscript records one version of Orontius' legend. Justus was a disciple of

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

who on his way to

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 ...

when he was

shipwreck A shipwreck is the wreckage of a ship that is located either beached on land or sunken to the bottom of a body of water. Shipwrecking may be intentional or unintentional. Angela Croome reported in January 1999 that there were approximately ...

ed at

Salento Salento ( Salentino: ''Salentu'', Salentino Griko: ''Σαλέντο'') is a cultural, historical and geographic region at the southern end of the administrative region of Apulia in Southern Italy. It is a sub-peninsula of the Italian Peninsula ...

, on the beach of San Cataldo. He converted two citizens of Rudiae (present-day Lecce), Orontius and Fortunatus (Orontius was Fortunatus' uncle), to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

. Orontius' father, Publius, had been treasurer to the emperor, and Orontius had succeeded him to this office. Orontius and Fortunatus were denounced as Christians, and they refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods. They were whipped and incarcerated, but later went to

Corinth Corinth ( ; el, Κόρινθος, Kórinthos, ) is the successor to an ancient city, and is a former municipality in Corinthia, Peloponnese, which is located in south-central Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform, it has been part o ...

, where Orontius met Saint Paul, and was confirmed as the first bishop of Lecce, and Fortunatus his successor. When they returned to Lecce, they were once again persecuted by the authorities. The representative of Nero, Antoninus, imprisoned Orontius and Fortunatus, threatening to kill them if they did not reject their new religion. The two refused and managed to be released, and continued to preach in the Salento and at

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

. They were finally arrested again by Antoninus and executed with an

axe An axe ( sometimes ax in American English; see spelling differences) is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood, to harvest timber, as a weapon, and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol. The axe has many for ...

three kilometers from Lecce, on 26 August. Justus was also martyred.

Veneration

In 1658, the separate

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 ...

s for Orontius, Fortunatus, and Justus were combined into one celebration. Orontius enjoyed a wider cult than the other two saints, and his cult was popular in

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

, and

Basilicata it, Lucano (man) it, Lucana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = ...

. Many priests in Ostuni during the sixteenth century were named ''Rontius'', a variant of Orontius. He was identified with the martyr Arontius of Potenza, who is recorded in the ''

Martyrologium Hieronymianum The ''Martyrologium Hieronymianum'' (meaning "martyrology of Jerome") or ''Martyrologium sancti Hieronymi'' (meaning "martyrology of Saint Jerome") is an ancient martyrology or list of Christian martyrs in calendar order, one of the most used a ...

''. His cult in Lecce was reinvigorated by the fact that the ending of a

plague Plague or The Plague may refer to: Agriculture, fauna, and medicine *Plague (disease), a disease caused by ''Yersinia pestis'' * An epidemic of infectious disease (medical or agricultural) * A pandemic caused by such a disease * A swarm of pes ...

there in 1656 was attributed to him. A spring of water near Ostuni, considered miraculous, was associated with the cult of Orontius Orontius is also venerated as the patron saint of the town of Turi. His legend states that he hid in a cave near there. The ending of an outbreak of

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

in 1851 was attributed to him. He is also believed to have hidden in a cave near Ostuni, and was patron saint of that city too, and a church and sanctuary were dedicated to him there, and the procession known as Cavalcata di Sant'Oronzo is still celebrated there. Each year a three-day festival in Ostuni and Lecce is held from the 25 August to 27 August to honor him.

References

Sources

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External links

Sant’Oronzo (Oronzio)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Orontius Of Lecce Italian saints Bishops in Apulia 1st-century Christian martyrs People from Lecce Year of birth unknown