Quirinus of Tegernsee, or Quirinus of Rome (not to be confused with
Quirinus of Neuss, also sometimes called ''Quirinus of Rome''), is venerated as a
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 external ...
and
saint of the third century.
According to one tradition, he was beheaded during the reign of
Claudius Gothicus
Marcus Aurelius Claudius "Gothicus" (10 May 214 – January/April 270), also known as Claudius II, was Roman emperor from 268 to 270. During his reign he fought successfully against the Alemanni and decisively defeated the Goths at the Battle ...
(268-70). His corpse was thrown into the
Tiber
The Tiber ( ; it, Tevere ; la, Tiberis) is the third-longest river in Italy and the longest in Central Italy, rising in the Apennine Mountains in Emilia-Romagna and flowing through Tuscany, Umbria, and Lazio, where it is joined by the Ri ...
and later found at
Tiber Island
The Tiber Island ( it, Isola Tiberina, Latin: ''Insula Tiberina'') is the only river island in the part of the Tiber which runs through Rome. Tiber Island is located in the southern bend of the Tiber.
The island is boat-shaped, approximately ...
.
Background
According to the legendary ''Acts'' of the martyrs
Saint Maris
Saints Marius, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum (died 270) were, according to their largely legendary ''passio'' of the 6th century, four saints of the same family (a married couple and their two sons). They came from Persia to Rome, and were martyr ...
and
Saint Martha, a Roman martyr Quirinus (Cyrinus) was buried in the
Catacomb of Pontian
The Catacomb(s) of Pontian is one of the catacombs of Rome on the Via Portuensis, notable for containing the original tombs of Pope Anastasius I (399–401) and his son Pope Innocent I (401–417).Reardon, 2004, p. 38. The Catacomb was discovered ...
. However, the Itineraries to the graves of the Roman martyrs do not mention him.
His legend was later connected with
Tegernsee Abbey
Tegernsee Abbey ( German Kloster Tegernsee, ''Abtei Tegernsee'') is a former Benedictine monastery in the town and district of Tegernsee in Bavaria. Both the abbey and the town that grew up around it, are named after the Tegernsee, the lake on the ...
in
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total l ...
, where his relics had been
translated
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...
in the eighth century, during the reign of King
Pippin and
Pope Zacharias
Pope Zachary ( la, Zacharias; 679 – March 752) was the bishop of Rome from 28 November 741 to his death. He was the last pope of the Byzantine Papacy. Zachary built the original church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva, forbade the traffic of sla ...
.
However, Quirinus' relics may have been translated instead during the papacy of
Pope Paul I
Pope Paul I ( la, Paulus I; 70028 June 767) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the emerging Papal States from 29 May 757 to his death. He first served as a Roman deacon and was frequently employed by his brother, Pope Stephen II, in negotiation ...
(term 757-767), around 761.
Veneration
His feast is celebrated on March 25. Perhaps this Quirinus is meant by the expression "Romæ sancti Cyri".
Quirinus' cult flourished from its center at Tegernsee, and a larger stone church was built in 1450 to house his coffin.
Gallery
Kapelle St Quirinus.jpg, Chapel of St Quirinus, Tegernsee
References
External links
Catholic Encyclopedia*
3rd-century Christian martyrs
303 deaths
3rd-century Romans
Year of birth unknown
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