Saint Gavinus ( it, San Gavino) is a

Christian 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 ...

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 ...

who is greatly celebrated in

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

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 ...

, as one of the Martyrs of Torres (), along with his companions SS Protus, a bishop, and Januarius, a deacon.

Narrative

He was probably a

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 ...

soldier

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 for the Christian faith during the persecution of

Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

in 304 in the city of

Porto Torres Porto Torres ( sdc, Posthudorra, sc, Portu Turre) is a comune and a city of the Province of Sassari in north-west of Sardinia, Italy. Founded during the 1st century BC as ''Colonia Iulia Turris Libisonis'', it was the first Roman colony of the ...

( la, Turris), according to the legend, on the orders of the governor (''preside'') of

and

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

, a certain Barbarus. The earliest "passio" dates to the 12th century: Barbaro, who had been sent to Corsica and Sardinia, reached Turres and published the imperial edicts against the Christians, was denounced by Proto, Gavino and Gianuario. They were summoned to the tribunal and being steadfast in refusing to sacrifice to the gods, were summarily beheaded. A second, longer, "passio", from the middle of the thirteenth century, follows standard medieval hagiographical conventions. In this, Protus and Januarius are arrested and subjected to torture. Gavinus is a soldier conveying them to prison. Impressed with their courage, he releases them and asks for their prayers. The next day Gavinus was arrested for failing to produce his prisoners, and when he declared himself a Christian, was beheaded on the shore. Hearing that Gavinus had preceded them in martyrdom, Protus and Januarius returned to the city, were arrested, and likewise beheaded. The story of the martyrdom was distributed in nine readings for use in the recitation of Matins.

Legacy

The well-known Romanesque church of San Gavino in Gavoi is dedicated to him, as is the town of

San Gavino Monreale San Gavino Monreale ( Sardinian: Santu ‘Engiu) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of South Sardinia in the Italian region Sardinia, located about northwest of Cagliari, and roughly halfway between the latter and the town of Oristano. ...

, and a number of communes in Corsica. The 11th-century

Basilica of San Gavino The Basilica di San Gavino (Basilica of Saint Gabinus) is a proto- Romanesque church in Porto Torres, Sardinia, Italy. A former cathedral, it is now a place for the veneration of local martyrs and a parish church. History Turris Libisonis (Lati ...

in Porto Torres,

Sassari Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a Functional Urban Area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, ...

, is also dedicated to this saint. It was built by Comita or Gomida, Judge of Torres, and contains 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 ...

, not only of Saint Gavinus, but also of his companions, Saints Protus and Januarius. According to legend, St. Gavinus appeared to Comita and requested he build the church. The relics of the saints were discovered in the crypt 1614. Govinus is one of the patron saints of

. His feast day is given in 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 ...

as 30 May.

References

Sources

Basilica di San Gavino a Porto Torres

Recent research on Saint Gavinus

Church of San Gavino Martire in San Gavino Monreale

External links

Saints.SQPNSantiebeati
{{Authority control Christian saints in unknown century 3rd-century Christian saints Saints from Roman Italy 304 deaths Year of birth unknown