Saint Domnius (also known as Saint Dujam or Saint Duje, Saint Domnio, Saint Doimus, or Saint Domninus) was a

Bishop of Salona The Archdiocese of Split-Makarska (; ) is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia and Montenegro.Solin Solin is a town and a suburb of Split, in Split-Dalmatia county, Croatia. It is situated right northeast of Split, on the Adriatic Sea and the river Jadro. Solin developed on the location of ancient city of ''Salona'', which was the capital o ...

) around the year 300, and is venerated as the patron of the nearby city of

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

in modern

Croatia Croatia, officially the Republic of Croatia, is a country in Central Europe, Central and Southeast Europe, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. It borders Slovenia to the northwest, Hungary to the northeast, Serbia to the east, Bosnia and Herze ...

Traditional narrative

Christian tradition states that he was one of the

Seventy Disciples The seventy disciples (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκοντα μαθητές, ''hebdomikonta mathetes''), known in the Eastern Christianity, Eastern Christian traditions as the seventy apostles (Greek language, Greek: ἑβδομήκον� ...

of the 1st century.Benedictine Monks of St Augustine’s Abbey Ramsgate, ''The Book of saints: a dictionary of servants of God'' (Ramsgate: St. Augustine’s Abbey), 84. This tradition holds that Domnio came to Rome with

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

and was then sent by Peter to evangelize Dalmatia, where he was martyred along with eight soldiers he had converted. He was more likely a martyr of the 4th century. He was born in

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; , ) "Antioch on Daphne"; or "Antioch the Great"; ; ; ; ; ; ; . was a Hellenistic Greek city founded by Seleucus I Nicator in 300 BC. One of the most important Greek cities of the Hellenistic period, it served as ...

, (in modern-day

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

but historically in

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

), to a prominent and wealthy family. He was educated at the university there. Domnius became bishop of

Salona Salona (, ) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and near to Split, in Croatia. It was one of the largest cities of the late Roman empire with 60,000 inhabitants. It was the last residence of the final western ...

around 284, and was later beheaded 10 April 304 at the amphitheatre in

, a large

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 Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

city serving as capital of the Province of Dalmatia. Saint Domnius was martyred with seven other Christians in the persecutions of the Emperor

Diocletian Diocletian ( ; ; ; 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed Jovius, was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Diocles to a family of low status in the Roman province of Dalmatia (Roman province), Dalmatia. As with other Illyri ...

, and was buried in the Manastirine cemetery, outside the walls of Salona.

Veneration

When Salona was sacked by the Avars and

Slavs The Slavs or Slavic people are groups of people who speak Slavic languages. Slavs are geographically distributed throughout the northern parts of Eurasia; they predominantly inhabit Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Southeastern Europe, and ...

in the 6th century, the population eventually moved to the nearby

Palace of Diocletian Diocletian's Palace (, ; ) is an ancient Roman palace and fortress complex built at the end of the third century AD by the Roman Emperor Diocletian as his retirement residence. About half of the complex was for Diocletian's personal use, with th ...

, enlarging the nearby city of

(''Spalatum''), and establishing it as the successor to Salona. Saint Domnius became the city's patron saint, and the city's

Cathedral of Saint Domnius The Cathedral of Saint Domnius (), known locally as the ''Sveti Dujam'' or colloquially ''Sveti Duje'', is the Catholic cathedral in Split, Croatia. The cathedral is the seat of the Archdiocese of Split-Makarska, currently headed by Archbishop ...

was built in the mausoleum of Diocletian itself, the emperor who martyred him. His

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

s were later moved to the

in Split."So who was Domnius?", Croatian National Tourist Board
/ref> Saint Domnius' Day, locally known as ''Sudamja'' (pron. Soodamyah) is celebrated in Split on May 7."Saint Domnius Day", Tourist Board of Split
/ref> Part of the celebration includes a procession led with a silver reliquary of the saint's relics. The

Basilica of St. John Lateran The Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran (officially the ''Major Papal, Patriarchal and Roman Archbasilica, Metropolitan and Primatial Cathedral of the Most Holy Savior and Saints John the Baptist and the Evangelist in Lateran, Mother and Head of A ...

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

claims to own some of Domnio's relics, since

Pope John IV Pope John IV (; died 12 October 642) was the bishop of Rome from 24 December 640 to his death on 12 October 642. His election followed a four-month vacancy. He wrote to the clergy of Ireland and Scotland to tell them of the mistakes they were ...

, in the 7th century, had requested that relics of a martyr named Domnio be brought to Rome.

References

External links

Patron Saints Index
304 deaths People from Antioch 4th-century Syrian bishops 3rd-century Syrian bishops 3rd-century bishops in Roman Dalmatia 4th-century bishops in Roman Dalmatia Split, Croatia 4th-century Christian martyrs Year of birth unknown Bishops of Split {{saint-stub

Traditional narrative

Veneration

See also

References

External links