Victoricus (or Victorice, Victoric), Fuscian (or Fulcian, Fulcien, Fuscien) and Gentian (or Gentien) (died circa 287–303) were three Christian martyrs later venerated as

Roman Catholic 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 let ...

saints. Their feast day falls on 11 December.

Hagiography

According to tradition, Victoricus and Fuscian were missionaries from the city of

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 ...

were preaching the Christian religion in the city of Therouanne, and in the areas inhabited by the people known as the

Morini The Morini (Gaulish: "sea folk, sailors") were a Belgic coastal tribe dwelling in the modern Pas de Calais region, around present-day Boulogne-sur-Mer, during the Iron Age and the Roman period. Name They are mentioned as ''Morini'' by Caesar ( ...

. They were followers of

Saint Quentin Saint Quentin ( la, Quintinus; died 287 AD) also known as Quentin of Amiens, was an early Christian saint. Hagiography Martyrdom The legend of his life has him as a Roman citizen who was martyred in Gaul. He is said to have been the son of a ...

, as well as of

Crispin and Crispinian Saints Crispin and Crispinian are the Christian patron saints of cobblers, curriers, tanners, and leather workers. They were beheaded during the reign of Diocletian; the date of their execution is given as 25 October 285 or 286. History Bor ...

. Near

Amiens Amiens (English: or ; ; pcd, Anmien, or ) is a city and commune in northern France, located north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 2021, the population of ...

, they met Gentian, who warned them that Christians were being killed for their faith. Later, the governor

Rictius Varus Rictius Varus (Rictiovarus, Rixius Varus, Rexius Vicarius) was a Vicarius in Roman Gaul at the end of the 3rd century, around the time of the Diocletianic Persecution. The ''Roman Martyrology'' contains many references to the prefect Rixius Varus, ...

(Rictiovarus) questioned Gentian about the whereabouts of Victoricus and Fuscian. Gentian refused to tell him and was consequently

beheaded Decapitation or beheading is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and most other animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood, while all other organs are deprived of the ...

. According to the ''

Golden Legend The ''Golden Legend'' (Latin: ''Legenda aurea'' or ''Legenda sanctorum'') is a collection of hagiographies by Jacobus de Voragine that was widely read in late medieval Europe. More than a thousand manuscripts of the text have survived.Hilary ...

'', the governor later brought Victoricus and Fuscian to Amiens. "Then took spears of iron and put them through their ears and through their nostrils, and had them decapitated. And by the will and power of our Lord, they arose up, and took their heads in their hands, and bare them two miles far from the place where they had been beheaded." It is said that all three were buried at the place called Saint-Fuscien.

Veneration

It is said that

Honoratus of Amiens Saint Honoratus of Amiens (Honoré, sometimes Honorius) (d. 16 January ca. 600) was the seventh bishop of Amiens. His feast day is May 16. ( Honoratus of Lérins (c. 350 – 429) was Archbishop of Arles.) Hagiography Honoratus was born in ...

, seventh bishop of Amiens (d. ca. 600), had discovered in his diocese 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 tang ...

of these martyrs. Childebert attempted to possess these

, but was prevented from removing them. Subsequently, the king made generous gifts to endow the cult of the three saints and sent

goldsmith A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

s to fashion decorative pieces in their honour. Statues of Fuscian, Gentian and Victoricus stand in the left portal of

Amiens Cathedral , image = 0 Amiens - Cathédrale Notre-Dame (1).JPG , imagesize = 200px , img capt = Amiens Cathedral , pushpin map = France , pushpin label position = below , coordinates = , country ...

.James J. Rorimer, ''The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin'', Vol. 31, No. 10. (Oct., 1936), 201. During the 7th century, Saint Audomare (Omer) re-evangelized the same area.

References

External links

Stephen Murray, The Portals: Access to Redemption

{{DEFAULTSORT:Victoricus Fuscian Gentian Saints trios 280s deaths 3rd-century Christian martyrs 3rd-century Gallo-Roman people Cephalophores Gallo-Roman saints Year of birth unknown Groups of Christian martyrs of the Roman era