Saint Pelinus or Pelinus of Brindisi ( it, San Pelino) (c. 620 – 5 December 662) was a

Basilian monk Basilian monks are Roman Catholic monks who follow the rule of Basil the Great, bishop of Caesarea (330–379). The term 'Basilian' is typically used only in the Catholic Church to distinguish Greek Catholic monks from other forms of monastic l ...

, later

bishop of Brindisi The Italian Catholic Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostium ( la, Archidioecesis Brundusina-Ostunensis) in Apulia, has carried its present name since 1986. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Lecce.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 ...

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

ed at

Corfinio Corfinio is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. In the Middle Ages, Roman ''Corfinium'' was known as Valva, and was the seat of a bishopric. This name is preserved in the name of the uni ...

and made a saint in 668. His feast day is Dec. 5.

Life

Pelinus was a native of Dyrrachium. After becoming a Basilian monk, he opposed the Monothelite heresy which spread from Byzantium during the reigns of Heraclius (610-641) and Constans II (641-668), and for that reason moved to Brindisi with his disciples Gorgonius, Sebastius and Cyprius. Relations between Rome and Byzantium worsened to the point that

Pope Martin I Pope Martin I ( la, Martinus I, el, Πάπας Μαρτίνος; between 590 and 600 – 16 September 655), also known as Martin the Confessor, was the bishop of Rome from 21 July 649 to his death 16 September 655. He served as Pope Theodore I's ...

excommunicated the Patriarch Sergius and the Monothelite heretics, but was arrested, deported to Constantinople and eventually exiled to Cherson in

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a pop ...

where he died in 655. In Brindisi, the unyielding loyalty of Pelinus in the circle around the bishop Proculus likewise brought him to breaking point in his relations with the court of Constantinople. On the death of Proculus, Pelinus was designated

bishop of Brindisi The Italian Catholic Archdiocese of Brindisi-Ostium ( la, Archidioecesis Brundusina-Ostunensis) in Apulia, has carried its present name since 1986. It is a suffragan of the archdiocese of Lecce.Corfinio Corfinio is a ''comune'' (municipality) and town in the province of L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region of Italy. In the Middle Ages, Roman ''Corfinium'' was known as Valva, and was the seat of a bishopric. This name is preserved in the name of the uni ...

, where he was condemned to death and executed with his disciples on 5 December, probably in 662.

Cult

The canonisation of Pelinus took place in 668 (after the death of Constans II) by the agency of Cyprius, his successor as bishop of Brindisi. On this occasion a "Life" was composed, quite possibly also by the agency of Cyprius in order to promote Brindisi as the centre of the cult of his predecessor. For centuries he was the patron saint of Brindisi together with Saint Leucius. In 1771 an altar was dedicated to him in Brindisi Cathedral showing his martyrdom, painted by

Oronzo Tiso Oronzo is an Italian personal name, derived from the Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area ...

. He is patron of the

diocese of Sulmona-Valva The Diocese of Sulmona-Valva ( la, Dioecesis Sulmonensis-Valvensis) is a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical territory in central Italy, created in 1986. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of L'Aquila. The diocese was created in 1818 when the Dioc ...

. The former

Corfinio Cathedral Corfinio Cathedral ( it, Cattedrale di Corfinio; Basilica chiesa di San Pelino) is a Roman Catholic cathedral in Corfinio, Abruzzo, Italy, dedicated to Saint Pelinus. It was formerly the episcopal seat of the Diocese of Valva (Valva was a forme ...

, now a

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

, is dedicated to him, and his cult in the

Marsica Marsica is a geographical and historical region in the Abruzzo, central Italy, including 37 ''comuni'' in the province of L'Aquila. It is located between the plain of the former Fucine Lake, the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise, the pla ...

area is attested by the name of the small town of San Pelino, a ''

frazione A ''frazione'' (plural: ) is a type of subdivision of a ''comune'' (municipality) in Italy, often a small village or hamlet outside the main town. Most ''frazioni'' were created during the Fascist era (1922–1943) as a way to consolidate territ ...

'' of Avezzano, where he is said to have passed by on his return from a journey to Rome. 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 ...

places Pelinus in the 4th century, on the basis of a local tradition that Pelinus was the successor of the first bishop of Brindisi, Leucius: "At Corfinio (Pentima) in Abruzzo, Saint Pelinus bishop of Brindisi, who (after the Temple of Mars had collapsed thanks to his prayers) under Julian the Apostate having been sorely beaten and wounded with eighty-five wounds by the priests of the pagan temples, earned the crown of martyrdom".''Roman Martyrology''

Notes and references

Bibliography

* ''Vita e miracoli del glorioso martire S. Pelino vescovo di Brindesi e protettore di Pentima cavata e tradotta da un ecclesiastico dalla lingua latina nell'idioma italiano'', Chieti 1737 * Giuseppe Celidonio, ''La diocesi di Valva e Sulmona'', in part.: ''Le origini cristiane: S.Pelino V. e M. nella leggenda e nella storia, S.Panfilo V. e patrono di Sulmona nella leggenda e nella storia, S.Feliciano di Foligno in Sulmona, Propagazione del cristianesimo nei Peligni'' Casalbordino 1909 * Bernardino De Silvestri, ''Esame apologetico su la vita e passione di S. Pelino Martire Arcivescovo di Brindisi e protettore di Valva'', Prato 1886

Sources and external links

Santiebeati.it: San Pelino
{{authority control Bishops of Brindisi 620 births 662 deaths 7th-century Christian saints Basilian saints