Martyrium
der hl. Primus (kochendes Blei wird in den Mund gegossen) und Felicianus
(Kreuzigung); aus dem Weißenauer Passionale; Fondation Bodmer, Coligny,
Switzerland; Cod. Bodmer 127, fol. 95v
Illumination from the Passionary of Weissenau (Weißenauer Passionale); Fondation Bodmer, Coligny, Switzerland; Cod. Bodmer 127, fol. 95v
Saints Prime et Félicien
Martyrs à Rome (+286)
Leur "Passion" les présente comme deux frères, patriciens romains, qui furent mis à mort pour la foi chrétienne au temps de la persécution de Dioclétien.
Sur la voie Nomentane, aux Arches, au quinzième mille de la ville de Rome, les saints
martyrs Prime et Félicien.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/9944/Saints-Prime-et-Felicien.html
Santo
Stefano Rotondo. Mosaico absidale della cappella dei ss. Primo e
Feliciano, Roma.
Saint
Primus et saint Felicianus, Mosaïque, vers 523–530, Église Santo Stefano
Rotondo, Rome.
Santo
Stefano Rotondo. Mosaico absidale della cappella dei ss. Primo e
Feliciano, Roma.
Saint
Primus et saint Felicianus, Mosaïque, vers 523–530, Église Santo Stefano
Rotondo, Rome.
Imagines Sanctorum Martyrum Primi et Feliciani in ecclesia Sancti Stephani in monte Caelio
Mosaic
(ca. 523–530) of Saint Primus, located in the Church of Santo Stefano Rotondo
in Rome.
Mosaic
(ca. 523–530) of Saint Felicianus, located in the Church of Santo Stefano
Rotondo in Rome.
SAINT PRIME et SAINT FÉLICIEN
Frères, Martyrs
(v.286)
Saint Prime et saint
Félicien, appelés, déjà vieux, du paganisme à la foi, se montrèrent dignes de
cette grâce par une vie toute de zèle et de charité. Ils furent de ces
chrétiens intrépides qui encourageaient les martyrs devant les tribunaux et
dans les supplices, nourrissaient les pauvres, faisaient du bien à tous. Après
les avoir longtemps préservés dans leurs saintes audaces, le Seigneur ne voulut
pas les priver davantage de la gloire du martyre, objet de leurs aspirations.
Sous l'empereur Dioclétien, la persécution devint plus générale et le paganisme
fit un dernier effort pour étouffer la religion du Christ dans le sang et le
carnage.
Il y avait trente ans que
Prime et Félicien bravaient la cruauté des tyrans, quand les prêtres des idoles
déclarèrent que leurs dieux irrités ne voulaient plus rendre d'oracles jusqu'à
ce que les deux chrétiens Prime et Félicien eussent sacrifié, ou bien eussent
reçu le châtiment qu'ils méritaient. Ils sont aussitôt arrêtés, chargés de fers
et amenés devant l'empereur.
Prime avait
quatre-vingt-dix ans; il répondit aux menaces du tyran, en lui déclarant qu'il
n'y avait pas d'autre Dieu que le Dieu des chrétiens, ni d'autre religion que
la leur, et que par conséquent ils étaient prêts à subir la mort plutôt que de
trahir leur foi. On les frappa d'abord avec des fouets; puis bientôt on déchira
leur corps par lambeaux avec des tenailles. Les affreuses plaies furent guéries
miraculeusement par Jésus-Christ. Quelques jours après, nouvelles tortures et
nouveau triomphe; on fit pleuvoir sur leur chair une grêle de coups de fouets
armés de plomb; pendant ce supplice, ils chantaient les louanges du Seigneur.
Félicien, âgé lui-même de
quatre-vingts ans, sut, comme son frère, résister à toutes les tentations et
prêcha la foi et le salut à son cruel persécuteur; mais il fut cloué par les
mains et les pieds à un poteau, où on le laissa trois jours entiers sans
nourriture; au bout de ces trois jours, rafraîchi et nourri par les Anges, il
parut aussi sain que s'il n'avait pas souffert.
Quant à Prime, on chercha
à lui faire croire que son frère avait enfin sacrifié aux idoles: mais il se
moqua du juge menteur et lui dit que Félicien était, en prison, heureux comme
en Paradis. Cette réponse lui valut des coups de bâtons et le supplice des
torches ardentes: "Grâces soient à Vous, ô Jésus-Christ, puisque, dans mes
tourments, je ne ressens aucune douleur." Livrés ensuite aux lions et aux
ours, les deux frères les virent venir se coucher à leurs pieds. Enfin le tyran
leur fit trancher la tête, le 9 juin de l'an 280.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie
des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950.
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_prime_et_saint_felicien.html
_-_BEIC_IE4411197.jpg)
Legendari
di sancti istoriado uulgar / Legenda aurea, 1497, Primo e Feliciano , Biblioteca Europea di
Informazione e Cultura, Milan
SAINT PRIME ET SAINT
FÉLICIEN *
Prime veut dire souverain
et grand, Félicien, vieillard, comblé de félicité. Le premier est souverain et
grand en dignité pour les souffrances de son martyre, en puissance pour ses
miracles, en sainteté pour la perfection de sa vie, en félicité pour la gloire
dont il jouit. Le second est appelé vieillard, non à cause du long temps qu'il
a vécu, mais pour le respect qu'inspire sa dignité, pour la maturité de sa
sagesse et pour la gravité de ses moeurs.
Prime et Félicien furent
accusés auprès de Dioclétien et de Maximien par les prêtres des idoles qui
prétendirent ne pouvoir obtenir aucun bienfait des dieux, si on ne forçait ces
deux saints à sacrifier. Par l’ordre donc des empereurs, ils furent
emprisonnés. Mais un ange les vint visiter, délia leurs chaînes; alors ils se
promenèrent librement dans leur prison où ils louaient le Seigneur à haute
voix. Peu de temps après on les amena de nouveau devant les empereurs; et là
ayant persisté avec fermeté dans la foi, ils furent déchirés à coups de fouets,
puis séparés l’un de, l’autre. Le président dit à Félicien de tenir compte de
sa vieillesse et d'immoler aux dieux. Félicien lui répondit: « Me voici parvenu
à l’âge de 80 ans, et il y en a 30 que je connais la vérité et que j'ai choisi
de vivre pour Dieu : il peut me délivrer de tes mains. » Alors le président
commanda de le lier et de l’attacher avec des clous par les mains et par les
pieds: « Tu resteras ainsi, lui dit-il, jusqu'à ce que tu consentes' à nous
obéir. » Comme le visage du martyr était toujours joyeux, le président ordonna
qu'on le torturât sur place et qu'on ne lui servît aucun aliment. Après cela,
il se fit amener saint Prime, et lui dit: « Eh bien! ton frère a consenti à
obéir aux décrets des empereurs, en conséquence, il est vénéré comme un grand
personnage dans un palais : fais donc comme lui. » « Quoique tu sois le fils du
Diable, répondit Prime, tu as dit la vérité en un point, quand tu avançais que
mon frère avait consenti à exécuter les ordres de l’empereur du ciel. »
Aussitôt le président en colère lui fit brûler les côtés et verser du plomb
fondu dans la bouche, sous les yeux de Félicien, afin que la terreur s'emparât
de ce dernier mais Prime but le plomb avec autant de plaisir que de l’eau
fraîche. Le président irrité fit alors lâcher deux lions contre eux; mais ces
animaux vinrent se ;jeter aussitôt à leurs pieds, et restèrent à côté d'eux
comme des agneaux pleins de douceur. Il lâche encore deus ours cruels qui
deviennent doux comme les lions. Il y avait plus de douze mille hommes qui
assistaient à ce spectacle. Cinq cents d'entre eux crurent au Seigneur. Le
président fit alors décapiter les deux martyrs et jeter leurs corps aux chiens et
aux oiseaux de proie qui les laissèrent intacts. Les chrétiens leur donnèrent
alors une honorable sépulture. Ils souffrirent vers l’an du Seigneur 287.
* Bréviaire; —
Martyrologe d'Adon.
La Légende dorée de Jacques de Voragine nouvellement traduite en français
avec introduction, notices, notes et recherches sur les sources par l'abbé
J.-B. M. Roze, chanoine honoraire de la Cathédrale d'Amiens, Édouard Rouveyre,
éditeur, 76, rue de Seine, 76, Paris mdcccci
SOURCE : http://www.abbaye-saint-benoit.ch/voragine/tome02/081.htm
Saints Prime et Félicien, martyrs
Déposition pendant la
persécution de Dioclétien. Translation dans la basilique de
Saint-Etienne-le-Rond en 645. La translation des reliques équivaut dans
l’antiquité à une canonisation.
Leçon des Matines avant
1960
Troisième leçon. Prime et
Félicien étaient frères. Pendant la persécution de Dioclétien et de Maximien,
ils furent accusés de professer la religion chrétienne et jetés dans les fers ;
mais un Ange brisa leurs liens et les rendit à la liberté. On ne tarda pas à
les amener devant le préteur, et là ils persévérèrent énergiquement dans la foi
chrétienne ; alors on les sépara l’un de l’autre. La constance de Félicien fut
d’abord mise à l’épreuve de diverses façons. Mais les conseillers d’impiété
désespérant d’obtenir quoi que ce soit par leurs paroles, clouèrent ses pieds
et ses mains à un tronc d’arbre, et le laissèrent ainsi suspendu pendant trois
jours sans boire ni manger. Le lendemain, le préteur fit mander Prime et lui
dit : « Vois combien ton frère est plus sage que toi : il a obéi aux empereurs,
et ils l’ont comblé d’honneurs. Si tu veux l’imiter, tu partageras les mêmes
faveurs et les mêmes grâces. Prime répondit : « J’ai appris par un Ange ce
qu’on a fait à mon frère. Plaise à Dieu que je lui sois uni dans le martyre
comme je lui suis uni par la volonté ! » A ces paroles le préteur s’emporta et,
sans compter les tourments qu’il fit subir à Prime, cette fois sous les yeux de
Félicien, il ordonna encore de lui verser du plomb fondu dans la bouche.
Bientôt il les fit conduire tous deux à l’amphithéâtre, où deux lions furent
lâchés sur eux ; mais ces animaux se couchèrent à leurs pieds et les
caressèrent de la tête et de la queue. Sur plus de douze mille hommes venus à
ce spectacle, cinq cents embrassèrent avec leurs familles la religion chrétienne.
Le préteur troublé de ces faits, donna l’ordre de trancher la tête à Prime et à
Félicien.
Dom Guéranger, l’Année
Liturgique
Les roses et les lis
alternent sans fin dans la couronne tressée, par les siècles à l’Épouse du Fils
de Dieu. En ce monde qui le sait si peu, tout n’a qu’un but : donner dès
ici-bas les attraits du ciel à l’Église, agencer sa parure pour l’éternité ;
parure sublime, faite des vertus des saints, qui doit rendre l’élue du Verbe
digne de s’asseoir à la droite de l’Époux au plus haut des cieux [1]. Le Cycle
sacré, en sa révolution annuelle, nous donne l’image du travail incessant par
lequel l’Esprit-Saint, diversifiant les mérites des serviteurs de Dieu, compose
ainsi pour les noces éternelles l’admirable variété des ornements de l’Église
dont ils sont les membres. Deux martyrs, empourprés de leur sang, viennent
aujourd’hui relever la blancheur éclatante des œuvres de Norbert ; leur gloire
est de celles que n’éclipse aucune autre ; mais ils n’en disposent pas moins
nos yeux, par cette variété merveilleuse, à contempler délicieusement aussi la
douce lumière que Marguerite, la perle de l’Écosse, projettera demain sur le
monde.
Prime et Félicien,
Romains opulents, étaient déjà parvenus à la maturité de l’âge, quand la voix
du Seigneur se fit entendre à eux pour les retirer de la vanité des idoles.
Frères par le sang, ils le devinrent plus encore par leur commune fidélité à
l’appel de la grâce. Ensemble ils se montrèrent les intrépides soutiens des
confesseurs du Christ, au milieu des atroces persécutions qui sévirent sur
l’Église dans la seconde moitié du troisième siècle de notre ère. Un même
combat devait aussi terminer leur vie ici-bas, et les engendrer le même jour au
ciel. Ils méritèrent de devenir, dans leurs précieux restes, le trésor
principal du célèbre sanctuaire consacré sur le mont Cœlius au premier des
martyrs.
Vétérans des combats du
Seigneur, apprenez-nous quelle force il convient d’apporter à tout âge au
service de Dieu. Moins heureux que nous ne le sommes, vous connûtes tard
l’Évangile et les richesses sans prix qu’il confère au chrétien. Mais votre
jeunesse fut renouvelée comme celle de l’aigle au saint baptême [2], et durant
trente années l’Esprit-Saint produisit en vous des fruits innombrables.
Lorsqu’enfin, dans une extrême vieillesse, eut sonné l’heure du triomphe final,
votre courage égala celui des plus valeureux combattants. C’était la prière
alimentée par les paroles des psaumes qui soutenait en vous un tel héroïsme,
ainsi qu’en témoignent les actes de votre martyre. Réveillez parmi nous la foi
dans la parole de Dieu ; ses promesses nous feront, comme à vous, mépriser la
vie présente. Rappelez la piété aux sources vraies qui fortifient rame, à la
connaissance, à l’usage quotidien des formules sacrées qui rattachent si
sûrement la terre au ciel d’où elles sont descendues.
[1] Apoc. XIX, 7-8 ;
Psalm. XLIV, 10.
[2] Psalm. CII, 5.
Richard de Montbaston, Saints
Primus and Felicianus, Vies de saints, XIVe siècle, Paris, BNF Richelieu
Manuscrits Français 185.
Saints Primus and Felician ; Legenda Aurea ; Jean de Vignay
Bhx Cardinal
Schuster, Liber Sacramentorum
Station à Saint-Etienne
sur le mont Cœlius.
Ces deux martyrs
appartiennent à l’Église de Nomentum. Mais quand celle-ci, au VIIe siècle, fut
désolée par les Lombards, le pape Théodore transporta leurs corps dans la
rotonde de Saint-Etienne sur le Cœlius, où il les déposa sous un autel orné de
mosaïques. La calotte absidale subsiste encore intacte, et l’on y voit, à côté
de la croix, Prime et Félicien nimbés, avec le rouleau de la divine Loi entre
les mains.
Le Pape confia le
souvenir de ces travaux à deux inscriptions dont voici le texte :
ASPICIS • AVRATVM •
CÆLESTI • CVLMINE • TECTVM
ASTRIFERVMQVE • MICANS •
PRÆCLARE • LVMINE • FVLTVM
Tu vois le toit doré qui
s’élève au ciel,
Sur lequel se reflètent
les rayons du soleil.
EXQVIRENS • PIETAS •
TECTVM • DECORARE • SACRATVM PASTORIS • SVMMI • THEODORI • CORDEM • EREXIT QVI
• STVDIO • MAGNO • SANCTORVM • CORPORA • CVLTV HOC • DEDICAVIT • NON • PATRIS •
NEGLECTA • RELIQVIT
La divine bonté voulant
décorer la voûte du lieu saint,
Excita le cœur du Pasteur
suprême, Théodore,
Qui, avec grand soin,
dédia cette tombe pour garder les corps des saints,
Ne les laissant pas dans
l’abandon à Nomentum, leur patrie.
Prime et Félicien furent
donc les premiers martyrs qui, des cimetières extra-muros, firent leur entrée
dans la ville éternelle.
La liste de Würzbourg
assigne à leur messe la péricope évangélique de saint Jean : Hoc est præceptum
meum[Jn. 15, 12-16 : Le commandement que je vous donne…], qui ne se trouve plus
dans le Missel actuel.
L’introït est celui-là
même qui fut composé à Rome quand Félix IV dédia le templum sacræ Urbis aux
Anargyres de Cyr, Côme et Damien. L’antienne entend donc exalter la science des
deux médecins martyrs (Eccli., XLVI, 15 et 14) : « Les peuples narrent la
science des saints, et l’Église annonce leurs louanges ; leurs noms vivront
éternellement ». Suit le psaume 32 : « Exultez, ô justes, dans le Seigneur, car
le cantique de louange sied bien à ceux qui sont purs ». — Durant le temps
pascal, tous les chants de la messe sont les mêmes que pour la fête des martyrs
Tiburce, Valérien et Maxime, le 14 avril, sauf les versets alléluiatiques après
la première lecture, qui sont empruntés à la fête des saints Nérée et Achillée
le 12 mai.
La première collecte est
la suivante : « Faites, Seigneur, que nous célébrions fidèlement chaque année
la fêté de vos saints martyrs Prime et Félicien, afin que, par leurs mérites,
nous puissions obtenir votre don ».
Quel est ce don que
demande ici l’Église ? Tout don est un gage et une conséquence de l’amour,
c’est l’amour qui se donne ; c’est pourquoi le Saint-Esprit, qui est amour, est
le premier de tous les dons : Altissimi donum Dei.
La lecture est tirée du
Livre de la Sagesse (V, 16-20). Avec la mort des justes ne s’éteint pas leur
vie, et la lutte du mal contre le bien ne se termine pas ici-bas dans le monde.
Les martyrs obtiennent la gloire méritée au ciel, mais Dieu les venge même sur
la terre ; il se servira des créatures et des éléments inanimés pour punir par
les guerres, les épidémies, les tremblements de terre, les calamités de tout
genre, les nations prévaricatrices. C’est l’histoire d’hier, celle de la Russie
schismatique, de l’Allemagne luthérienne, de la France jacobine ; c’est
l’histoire des siècles antiques, alors que, à la veille de l’effondrement de
l’Empire romain, Lactance écrivait le De mortibus persecutorum [3]. Ce sera
aussi l’histoire de demain.
Le répons est tiré du
psaume 88 : « Les cieux louent, ô Seigneur, vos merveilles, et l’assemblée des
saints célèbre votre vérité », « Je chanterai éternellement vos miséricordes,
Seigneur, de génération en génération ».
Quelle est celle qui,
tandis que les générations se succèdent et passent, se promet la fraîcheur
d’une jeunesse impérissable, et veut maintenant s’exprimer non par des paroles
mais par des chants ? C’est l’Église qui, comme le dit Hermas dans son Pastor,
a été créée avant toute chose et ne périra jamais. Elle loue non seulement
l’amour, mais la miséricorde qui est l’attitude spéciale de l’amour envers les
pauvres et les malheureux.
Le verset alléluiatique
est identique à celui du 12 mai : « C’est là vraiment la fraternité, qui
méprise la méchanceté du monde, suit le Christ et arrive au royaume céleste ».
Bien qu’à l’origine il en
ait été autrement (Ioan., XV, 12-16), la lecture évangélique est maintenant la
même que pour la fête de saint Mathias, le 24-25 février. Dieu abandonne les
riches, c’est-à-dire les orgueilleux, qui ne savent que faire de lui ; il se
donne au contraire aux pauvres, aux affamés, c’est-à-dire aux humbles. Voici
qu’en ce jour deux obscurs enfants de la bourgade de Nomentum obtiennent la
gloire sublime des martyrs ; et tandis que les corps des Césars triomphants
étaient brûlés et ensevelis hors des murs de la Ville, pour que les ombres des
Mânes n’infestassent pas la Sacra Urbs, les saintes reliques de Prime et de
Félicien gravissaient triomphalement, sur un char doré, le mont Cœlius, et étaient
déposées dans le lieu le plus honorable du palais impérial.
L’antienne pour
l’offertoire est la même que le 22 janvier.
Voici la belle prière
avant l’anaphore consécratoire : « Que l’hostie qui vous est immolée en
l’anniversaire solennel de cet insigne et précieux martyre, vous soit agréable,
Seigneur, et serve à nous délivrer de nos péchés et à réaliser nos vœux ».
Souvent, dans l’ancien
langage liturgique, on appelle précieux le sang des martyrs ; mot qui semble
avoir déplu au correcteur de l’hymne des Vêpres des saints apôtres Pierre et
Paul, car, dans l’apostrophe adressée à Rome, il a changé le verset :
Es purpurata pretioso
sanguine
en : Es consecrata
glorioso sanguine.
Seul le sang de
Jésus-Christ est le prix du rachat universel. Le sang des martyrs est néanmoins
qualifié de précieux, au sens où l’Écriture appelle précieuse devant le
Seigneur la mort de ses saints. Tous les actes de vertu que, par les mérites du
Christ, nous accomplissons en état de grâce, sont méritoires pour la vie
éternelle, et, à ce titre, précieux, puisqu’ils en constituent comme le prix.
Or, le martyre chrétien qui tire du Christ son principe et son mérite, est
appelé par excellence précieux, parce que, en vertu de la promesse divine, il
ouvre au martyr les portes du ciel.
L’antienne pour la
Communion (Ioan., XV, 16) évoque la lecture évangélique assignée jadis à cette
fête : « Je vous ai choisis du milieu du monde afin que vous alliez et portiez
du fruit, et que celui-ci soit durable ». Saint Augustin explique que notre fruit
est la charité, qui tire son origine et sa vigueur de notre forte et
persévérante union à Jésus.
Voici la collecte
eucharistique : « Nous vous en supplions, Seigneur ; que la solennité de vos
martyrs Prime et Félicien que nous avons célébrée par le sacrifice festif nous
obtienne la bénignité de votre pardon ».
Combien prudente est
l’Église qui, pour se conformer au conseil du Sage : De propitiato peccato noli
esse sine metu [4], nous entretient dans la sainte humilité et la défiance de
nous-mêmes, quoique nous ayons reçu l’absolution de nos péchés et participé aux
divins Sacrements, tant que nous portons encore sur nos membres la cicatrice de
nos anciennes blessures, et que subsiste le péril de les voir se rouvrir.
Humilité et défiance, telles sont les meilleures garanties pour ne plus jamais
retomber dans le péché.
[3] De la Mort des
persécuteurs.
[4] Eccli., V, 5 : Ne
sois pas sans crainte au sujet de l’offense qui t’a été pardonnée, et n’ajoute
pas péché sur péché.
Dom Pius Parsch,
le Guide dans l’année liturgique
L’amour fraternel jusque
dans la mort.
1. Les saints. Tombeau :
Les martyrs reposèrent d’abord à Mentana (Italie). Le pape Théodore 1er (+649)
les transféra dans l’église Saint-Étienne sur le mont Caelius (on peut y voir
leurs images en mosaïque). Ces deux frères furent emprisonnés sous le règne de
Dioclétien à cause de la foi. On les sépara. Félicien fut torturé le premier.
Le juge fit amener ensuite Prime : « Vois comme ton frère, lui dit-il, a agi
bien plus sagement que toi : il a obéi aux ordres des empereurs et il jouit
maintenant, près d’eux des plus grands honneurs, Si tu imites maintenant son
exemple, tu obtiendras la même faveur et les mêmes égards ». Prime répondit : «
Ce qui est arrivé à mon frère, je le sais par son ange. O puissé-je ne faire
qu’un cœur et qu’une volonté avec lui, et n’être pas séparé de lui dans la mort
! » Sur ce, ils furent tous les deux jetés aux lions dans l’amphithéâtre. Mais
les lions se couchèrent à leurs pieds et les caressèrent de la tête et de la
queue. Plus de 12.000 personnes étaient rassemblées pour ce spectacle. De ce
nombre, 500, avec leur famille, décidèrent d’embrasser la foi chrétienne. Enfin
les saints furent décapités (vers 303).
Pratique. — L’union avec
le Christ par la grâce est le motif le plus profond de l’amour fraternel du
prochain. C’est dans l’épreuve que notre amour fraternel doit se manifester
avec le plus d’éclat.
2. La messe (Sapientiam).
— La messe est composée de diverses messes du commun. L’Église célèbre la
sagesse des saints qui s’est manifestée dans la vie et dans la mort. La leçon
nous enseigne que les saints martyrs, malgré leurs souffrances, vivent
éternellement et ont reçu au ciel la récompense méritée. Dans l’Évangile, le
Christ remercie son Père de ce qu’il a caché les biens de son royaume aux
grands de ce monde et les a révélés aux petits. Ceci s’est réalisé précédemment
dans les premiers siècles de l’Église. Les fiers Césars sont oubliés, tandis
que nos saints, amenés triomphalement à Rome, y sont honorés par le peuple. L’antienne
de Communion nous indique que, primitivement, on récitait un autre Évangile
(Jean XV, 12-16). Le fruit dont parle Jésus est le martyre et la couronne
éternelle.
SOURCE : http://www.introibo.fr/09-06-Sts-Prime-et-Felicien
St. Primus - Martyr. Died - c.297 Rome. Feastday - 9 June. Statue created - c.1702-1703. Amici undertook to execute the statue on 11 April 1702 and delivered it on 15 July 1703. Sculptor - Domenico Amici. He received 80 scudi in 1703 for the work. it is the only known work of the artist, and while not original, show a certain mastery of the technical. Height - 3.1 m. (10ft 4in) travertine. The saint is in military dress, as per the iconographic tradition the dates back to the mosaic in the church of St Stefano Rotondo (seventh century). With the right hand he supports the palm of martyrdom. Legend has it that St Primus was martyred in Rome with St Felician (83) during the persecutions of Diocletian. The Roman Martyrology, 2004, has them as martyrs at Arcas, a military camp at the 24th milestone on the Via Nomentana outside Rome. Uncertain date. SOURCE : https://stpetersbasilica.info/Exterior/Colonnades/Saints/St%20Primus-82/StPrimus.htm
Profile
Brother of Saint Felicianus.
With his brother he was tortured and martyred.
The two were the first martyrs whose
remains were transferred from a basilica outside
the walls of Rome, Italy.
beheaded in 286 on
the Via Nomentana, Rome, Italy
relics in
the church of Saint Stephen on Mount Celio
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Roman
Martyrology, 1914 edition
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
videos
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
MLA
Citation
“Saint
Primus“. CatholicSaints.Info. 9 June 2024. Web. 30 September 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-primus-9-june/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-primus-9-june/
83. St. Felician. The 140 Saints of the Colonnade. St. Felician - Martyr. Died - c.297 Rome. Feastday - 9 June. Statue created - c.1702-1703. On 24 September 1702 Cametti undertook to execute the statue, which he delivered 28 June 1703. Sculptor - Bernardino Cametti. In 1703 he received 80 scudi for the work.. Height - 3.1 m. (10ft 4in) travertine. The bearded figure, with his left hand points toward St Peter's Basilica. With his right arm he supports the attributes of sword and palm of martyrdom.. Legend has it that St Felician was martyred in Rome with St Primus (82) during the persecutions of Diocletian. The Roman Martyrology, 2004, has them as martyrs at Arcas, a military camp at the 24th milestone on the Via Nomentana outside Rome. Uncertain date. SOURCE : https://stpetersbasilica.info/Exterior/Colonnades/Saints/St%20Felician-83/StFeliciano.htm
Also
known as
Felician
Feliciano
Profile
Brother of Saint Primus.
With his brother he was tortured and martyred in
the persecutions of Diocletian.
The two were the first martyrs whose
remains were transferred from a basilica outside
the walls of Rome, Italy.
beheaded in 286 on
the Via Nomentana, Rome, Italy
relics in
the church of Saint Stephen on Mount Celio
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Roman
Martyrology, 1914 edition
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
videos
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
Martirologio Romano, 2005 edition
MLA
Citation
“Saint
Felicianus“. CatholicSaints.Info. 9 June 2024. Web. 30 September 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-felicianus/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-felicianus/
Book of Saints –
Primus and Felician
(Saints) Martyrs (June
9) (4th
century) Two aged brothers, Roman citizens, who in the persecution under Diocletian and
Maximian bravely confessed their Faith in Christ.
They were thrown to the wild beasts in the Amphitheatre, but Almighty God repeated
in their behalf the miracle He
had worked for Daniel in the lions’ den. They were therefore conducted outside
the walls of Rome and
there beheaded.
This happened in one of the first years of the fourth
century. Saints Primus
and Felician have ever been in great veneration in the Western Church.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Primus and Felician”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
31 January 2017. Web. 30 September 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-primus-and-felician/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-primus-and-felician/
Pavel Künl (1817–1871),
Sv. Primož in sv. Felicijan, 1859, Saints Primus and Felician church, Vrhpolje,
Vipava
Sts. Primus and Felician
Feastday: June 9
Death: 297
Primus and his younger
brother Felician, the sons of a Roman nobleman, were converts to Christianity who
devoted themselves to corporal works
of mercy. They frequented the prisons, visiting their fellow Christians
imprisoned for their faith by
the pagan Roman
authorities. Eventually the two brothers were themselves apprehended. After
refusing to sacrifice to
the pagan gods,
the two were scourged. As this failed to shake their profession of the faith,
they were tortured a second time. Primus was then beheaded, after which his
brother was told the falsehood that Primus had apostatized. Recognizing this as
a lie, Felician remained steadfast, and suffered martyrdom that same day.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5802
Chiesa
dei Santi Primo e Feliciano, Leggiuno (VA).
Church of saint Primo and Feliciano in Leggiuno
_05.jpg)
Chiesa
dei Santi Primo e Feliciano, Leggiuno (VA).
Church of saint Primo and Feliciano in Leggiuno
_09.jpg)
Chiesa
dei Santi Primo e Feliciano, Leggiuno (VA).
Church of saint Primo and Feliciano in Leggiuno
Primus and Felician MM
(RM)
Died c. 297. The untrustworthy acta of Felician and his 80- year-old brother
Primus relate that they were Roman patricians who had converted to
Christianity. They devoted themselves to relieving the poor and visiting
prisoners. They were arrested. Upon refusing to sacrifice to the public gods,
the brothers were imprisoned and scourged. They were brought singly before the
judge, Promotus, who tried to convince each that the other had apostatized.
After they had been tortured, the brothers were beheaded under Diocletian at
Nomentum (12 miles from Rome) A church was built over their tombs on the Via
Nomentana. They are of particular interest because they are the first martyrs
of whom it is recorded that their bodies were later reburied within the walls
of Rome; in 640, Pope Theodore I had the relics taken to the church now called
San Stefano Rotondo (Attwater, Benedictines, Delaney, Encyclopedia, Farmer). In
art, these brothers are portrayed at their martyrdom. Felician is nailed to a
tree and Primus is forced to swallow molten lead (Roeder).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/0609.shtml#feli
.JPG)
Südansicht
der röm.-kath. Pfarrkirche hl. Primus und hl. Felizian in der Salzburger
Gemeinde Bad Gastein.
Die neogotische Kirche wurde anstelle einer baufälligen Vorgängerkirche ab 1866
(Grundsteinlegung am 14. Februar) errichtet und am 27. November 1876 feierlich
geweiht. Den Plan für die einschiffige, nach Norden ausgerichtete Kirche mit
Südturm lieferte der k.k. Bezirksingenieur Pieschel. Den Bau führte der
Salzburger Baumeister Jacob Ceconi aus. Der Dombaumeister Friedrich von Schmidt
lieferte die Zeichnungen für die Einzelheiten und die Einrichtungen.
Bad
Gastein - Innenraum der Sankt Preimskirche
Sts. Primus and Felician
Suffered martyrdom about 304
in the Diocletian persecution. The
"Martyrologium Hieronymianum" (ed. De Rossi-Duchesne, 77)
gives under 9 June the names of Primus and Felician who were buried at the
fourteenth milestone of the Via Nomentana (near Nomentum, now Mentana). They
were evidently from Nomentum. This notice comes from the catalogue of Roman martyrs of
the fourth century. In 648 Pope Theodore translated
the bones of
the two saints to
the Roman Church
of San Stefano, under an altar erected in
their honour (Liber
Pontificalis, I, 332), where they remain. Their feast is still
observed on 9 June.
Sources
Acta SS., June, II, 152
sq.; DUFOURCQ, Les Gesta martyrum romains, I (Paris, 1900), 213; DE ROSSI,
Inscriptiones christ., urbis Romae, II, 152; IDEM, I musaici delle chiese di
Roma (Rome, 1899), plate XVII with text; MARUCCHI, Les basiliques et églises de
Rome (2nd ed., Rome, 1909), 221 sq.
Kirsch, Johann
Peter. "Sts. Primus and Felician." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 12. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1911. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12427a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Herman F. Holbrook. O Saints
Primus and Felician, and all ye holy martyrs, pray for us.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. June 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D.,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The
editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org.
Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your
feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and
inappropriate ads.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/12427a.htm
.JPG)
KathPfarrkirche-Primus-Felizian, Fieberbrunn im Tirol, Blick zur Empore
KathPfarrkirche-Primus-Felizian,
Fieberbrunn im Tirol, Blick zur Empore
Sts. Primus and Felician
At an advanced age the brothers Primus and Felician were beheaded at Nomentum
(or Mentana). According to the legendary Acts of their martyrdom, they were
thrown into prison by Diocletian. Felician was separated from his brother and
subjected to cruel tortures. Then the magistrate called for Primus.
"See," he said, "your brother has acted much more wisely than
you; he listened to the emperor's wishes and now enjoys the greatest honor with
him. If you follow his example, like consideration and favor will be shown
you." Primus retorted: "What has happened to my brother, an angel has
told me. Oh, that I, even as I am one in mind and heart with him, may not be
separated from him in death!"
Both were then thrown to
the lions, but the beasts crouched at their feet, fawning with head and tail.
Of the twelve thousand persons who witnessed this marvel, five hundred together
with their families embraced the faith. Finally the two brothers were beheaded.
—Excerpted from The Church's Year of Grace, Pius Parsch
Symbols and
Representation: As portrayed at their martyrdom: St Felician is nailed to
a tree and St Primus is forced to swallow molten lead
Patronage: St.
Primus: Bosa, Italy
Highlights and Things to
Do:
Read more about Sts.
Primus and Felician:
CatholicSaints.info
St. Primus and CatholicSaints.info
St. Felicianus
See the statue of St.
Primus in St. Peter's Basilica Colonnade.
See the statue of St.
Felicianus in St. Peter's Basilica Colonnade.
Their relics are located
in Rome in Basilica of St. Stephen in the Round on the Caelian Hill
(Italian: Basilica di Santo Stefano al Monte.
SOURCE : https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2014-06-09
Chiesa
dei Santi Primo e Feliciano, Pavia, Province of Pavia, Lombardy,
Chiesa
dei Santi Primo e Feliciano, Pavia, Province of Pavia, Lombardy,
Pictorial
Lives of the Saints – Saint Primus and Felicianus, Martyrs
Article
These two martyrs were
brothers, and lived in Rome, toward the latter part of the third century, for
many years, mutually encouraging each other in the practice of all good works.
They seemed to possess nothing but for the poor, and often spent both nights
and days with the confessors in their dungeons, or at the places of their
torments and execution. Some they encouraged to perseverance, others, who had
fallen, they raised again, and they made themselves the servants of all in
Christ, that all might attain to salvation through Him. Though their zeal was
most remarkable, they had escaped the dangers of many bloody persecutions, and
were grown old in the heroic exercises of virtue, when it pleased God to crown
their labors with a glorious martyrdom. The pagans raised so great an outcry
against them that they were both apprehended and put in chains. They were
inhumanly scourged, and then sent to a town twelve miles from Rome, to be
farther chastised, as avowed enemies to the gods. There they were cruelly tortured,
first both together, afterward separately. But the grace of God strengthened
them, and they were at length both beheaded on the 9th of June.
Reflection – A soul which
truly loves God regards all the things of this world as nothing. The loss of
goods, the disgrace of the world, torments, sickness, and other afflictions are
bitter to the senses, but appear light to him that loves. If we cannot bear our
trials with patience and silence, it is because we love God only in words. “One
who is slothful and lukewarm complains of every thing, and calls the lightest
precepts hard,” says Thomas a Kempis.
MLA
Citation
John Dawson Gilmary Shea.
“Saint Primus and Felicianus, Martyrs”. Pictorial
Lives of the Saints, 1889. CatholicSaints.Info.
24 May 2014. Web. 13 June 2020.
<https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-primus-and-felicianus-martyrs/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/pictorial-lives-of-the-saints-saint-primus-and-felicianus-martyrs/
Diego
de la Puente. Santo Felicianus, Óleo sobre lienzo, circa 1634, Museo Nacional
de Arte. La Paz. Bolivia
St. Primus and St.
Felicianus, Martyrs
by Fr. Francis Xavier Weninger, 1877
Primus and Felicianus, two holy martyrs, were brothers and natives of Rome.
They were renowned on account of their birth and wealth, but still more on
account of the blameless life they led and their determination to remain
constant in the true faith, though they knew the suffering which was in store
for them as well from their pagan parents, as from other persecutors of the
Christian faith. At that period the emperors Dioclesian and Maximian reigned,
and the Christians were most cruelly persecuted. Many of them were cast into
prison, while others were put: to death by the most barbarous torments. The two
zealous brothers visited the imprisoned Christians frequently, and sacrificed
all their possessions to comfort them, while they cheered and encouraged those
that were led to execution, exhorting them to remain faithful to Christ. The
idolatrous priests could not endure this, and incited the people against the
two holy brothers, as against two sworn enemies of the gods, and accused them
before the Emperor, demanding their execution.
Both were brought before the Emperor and called upon to renounce their faith:
they, however, said fearlessly, that they would rather die, than obey the
Emperor in this point. They were cast into a dungeon and heavily chained. But
in the first night an angel appeared to them, who loosed their fetters and set
them free. They immediately returned to their former kind deeds not willing to
save their lives by flight, as many advised them to do. The Emperor, being informed
of this, summoned them into his presence, and endeavored more than before, by
promises and menaces to persuade them to abjure their faith, and at last sent
them to the temple of Hercules to offer incense to this idol. Both brothers
refused to obey, and the Emperor gave orders that after having been scourged,
they should be taken to the Governor of Momentum, a village about 12 miles from
Rome, and very hostile to the Christians. Before they were led thither, an
angel again appeared and healed their wounds. No sooner had the two Christian
heroes appeared before Promotus, the cruel Governor of the town, than he
ordered them to be beaten with clubs until they should change their minds. This
was a punishment ordained by law only for slaves and other low people, and the
tyrant had it executed upon the two noble brothers in derision of their faith.
It was a most painful punishment as the clubs were scourges twisted together of
many cords, with leaden balls fastened at the end. With these the condemned
were whipped on the bare back and neck. The two holy brothers had to endure
this martyrdom, and were more cruelly whipped than the greatest criminals.
They, however, manifested no sign of pain, but encouraging each other, they
united in praising God, humbly begging His assistance: "Strengthen us, O
God!" cried they; "be with us O God! Our only hope, strengthen us,
that all may recognize Thee as the only true God." The torture was
prolonged until the executioners, tired out with whipping, were no longer able
to torment the Saints. The Governor wondered at the constancy, or, as he said,
the obstinacy of the two brothers, and to cause them sooner to obey him, he
separated them and had them confined in different prisons.
A few days later, he had Felicianus alone brought before him, to whom he said:
"Is it not a contemptible blindness that you should persist in ending your
days in agony," (Felicianus was 80 years old) "when, by obeying the
Emperor, you have the opportunity of closing your life honored and favored by
him?" The Saint replied: "Is it not a much more contemptible
blindness that you, a man of so much mind and importance, should worship a
piece of wood as God, and thus cast yourself, after the few short days of life,
into never-ending pains and torments, while you have the opportunity, by
receiving the true faith, to make yourself eternally happy with the true God?
"These fearless words enraged the Governor beyond endurance, and he
ordered the Saint to be fastened to a pole by an iron nail, and there to be left
hanging. The Saint, casting his eyes towards heaven, said: "I have placed
my trust in God; I shall not fear the hand of man."
Three days the hero had to remain on the pole, after which he was taken back to
prison. Meanwhile Promotus had Primus brought before him and said to him that
at last the eyes of his brother Felicianus had been opened, and that he had
sacrificed to Jupiter, for which reason the Emperor had raised him to the
highest dignities, and that Primus might expect the same favors if he followed his
brother's example. But Primus knew the constancy of his brother, as an angel
had revealed it to him. Hence he reproved Promotus with earnest words. Enraged
at this, the governor said: "Either you will immediately sacrifice to
Jupiter, or I shall deal with you more cruelly than with all the others."
"I sacrifice to the true God only," replied Primus, "and fear
not your cruelties." Hardly had these words passed his lips, when the
tyrant gave orders to scourge him with hard thongs, until his whole body was
one great wound. After this they burned him for a long time with torches.
Primus's countenance was bright and cheerful during this inhuman torture. To
prevent this, by command of the tyrant, they poured melted lead into his mouth.
How terrible must have been this suffering is easily to be conceived.
Constantine the Great had ordered this kind of punishment for those who by
impure language had seduced others to unchastity. "Whoever with impure
speeches seduces any one to unchastity," says the law, " shall have
his mouth closed with melted lead." The tyrants had already in earlier
times used this punishment to torture the Christians.
St. Primus was sentenced to this suffering in order that he might no longer
praise the true God. He, however, swallowed the lead without the least sign of
pain, and then turning to Promotus, said: " Acknowledge at length, unhappy
man, the omnipotence of my God, and be converted to Him that you may not go to
eternal damnation." Promotus, furious and unwilling to hear more, ordered
the brothers to to be cast to the wild beasts. The order was obeyed, but
neither the fiercely roaring lion, nor the cruel bear, which they let loose
upon them, harmed either of them, but crouching at their feet, thus evinced
their reverence for the holy men. Many of the heathens, who witnessed this
spectacle, were so deeply touched by the miracle, that they cried: " Great
is the God of the Christians, and He alone is the true God!" Promotus,
fearing an insurrection, had both the valiant confessors decapitated without
loss of time; and thus they, both, after many heroic battles, obtained the
crown of immortality in heaven, in the year of our Lord 287.
Practical Consideration
Primus and Felicianus, the two holy brothers, encouraged each other to patience
and constancy during their martyrdom. Thus one helped the other to gain heaven.
Both manifested by this not only a truly Christian love to each other, but also
a true love to God. Have you no sisters, no brothers, no friends or relatives,
to whom you may sometimes say an encouraging word or whom you may exhort to
piety? If not, then you have as many sisters and brothers in Christ as there
are Christians. Among these there are surely some whom you can assist to gain
heaven by encouraging them to lead a Christian life: by impressing upon them
the duty of abstaining from lying, cursing, slandering and other vices; by
exhorting them to pray, to assist at Holy Mass, to hear the word of God, to
give alms, to go to confession and to do other good works. Endeavor to do this.
In this manner you manifest true love to God and for your neighbor: to your
neighbor, because you assist him to eternal happiness; and to God, because,
according to St. Chrysostom, you can do nothing more agreeablee to God than to
gain others to His service, and deter them from offending His majesty. "If
you love God, rites St. Augustine, endeavor to induce those, who live in your
house or with whom you are acquainted, to love Him also. Exhort them, beg them,
persuade them as much as is in your power." If you do this, you may rest
assured that God will richly recompense you and they whom you will thus lead to
heaven, will thank you in the other world. If, however, you dare to deter any
one from doing good or perhaps even entice him to evil, you assist him to enter
hell, and the Almighty will terribly punish your wickedness. And they whom you
have led to hell, will during all eternity, as I told you last month, curse and
execrate you: yes they will war and rage against you more than the evil
spirits.
St. Felicianus considered it contemptible blindness that the heathen governor,
by the idolatry of a few days, should cast himself into eternal torments, when
he had the opportunity, by receiving the true faith, to prepare himself for a
happy eternity with the true God. Heaven and hell are open to you, my reader!
There is eternity in heaven: there is also eternity in hell. But heaven can
also be for ever closed to you and you may be cast into Hell. "God sets
water and fire before thee. Stretch forth thy hand to which thou wilt. Before
man are life and death, good and evil: that which he shall choose shall be
given him."(Eccl. xv.) Thus speaks the Lord Himself. He gives grace,
opportunity, and means to you to escape hell and gain heaven. Is it not then the
most contemptible blindness, the most astonishing folly, if you do not use
these gifts to secure your salvation, but, on account of frivolous pleasures,
or temporal advantages, close heaven for ever against yourself, and cast
yourself into hell, when you could have made yourself eternally happy?
"Understand, ye senseless among the people: and you, fools, be wise at
last." (Psalm 93.) A fool, and a great fool is he, who believes in heaven,
believes that he can take possession of it, and yet does not earnestly strive
to obtain it. A still greater fool, however, is he who believes that there is a
hell and that he is in danger of falling into it, and yet does not use all his
strength to avoid it. "If we believe in hell," says St. Peter
Chrysologus," an eternally tormenting hell, why do we not endeavor to
escape it; why do we not prevent being sentenced to such dreadful and eternal
suffering?"
A Prayer to the Holy
Martyrs to Obtain Their Protection
O ye blessed Princes
of the heavenly kingdom! ye who sacrificed to the Almighty God the honors, the
riches, and possessions of this life, and have received in return the unfading
glory and never-ending joys of heaven! ye who are secure in the everlasting possession
of the brilliant crown of glory which your sufferings have obtained! Look with
compassionate regards upon our wretched state in this valley of tears, where we
groan in the uncertainty of what may be our eternal destiny. And from that
divine Savior, for Whom you suffered so many torments, and Who now repays you
with so unspeakable glory, obtain for us that we may love Him with all our
heart, and receive in return the grace of perfect resignation under the trials
of this life, fortitude under the temptations of the enemy, and perseverance to
the end. May your powerful intercession obtain for us that we may one day in
your blessed company sing the praises of the Eternal, and even as you now do,
face to face, enjoy the beatitude of His vision! Amen
(St. Alphonsus de
Liguori)
Saints Primus and Felicianus Church in Logje, Municipality of Kobarid, Slovenia
Interior of Saints Primus and Felicianus Church in Logje, Municipality of Kobarid, Slovenia
Saints Primus and Felician, Martyrs
(from the Liturgical Year, 1904)
Roses and lilies are
exquisitely alternated in the wreath woven by centuries, for the Bride of the
Son of God. Though the world be heedless of the fact, it is none the less true,
that everything here below has but one object, namely to bedeck the Church with
the attractive charms of heaven, to adjust her jewelled robes formed of the
virtues of her saints, that she may be fitted to take her seat beside her Divine
Spouse, in the highest heavens, for all eternity (Apoc. xix. 7-8; Ps. xliv.
10). The sacred cycle, in its yearly course, presents an image of those
ceaseless labours whereby the Holy Ghost continues to form, up to the day of
the eternal nuptials, that varied robe of holy Church, by diversifying the
merits of God's servants, her members here below. Today, we have two Martyrs
becrimsoned with their own blood, setting off the dazzling whiteness of
Norbert's works, or of William's innocence ; and tomorrow we may contemplate
with delighted gaze, the softer light beamed upon our earth, by Margaret,
Scotland's Pearl. Primus and Felician, wealthy Romans, had already attained
maturity of age, when our Lord made His voice heard inviting them to forsake
their vain idols. Brothers, according to the flesh, they now became more really
so, by fidelity to the same call of grace. Together, they proved themselves
intrepid helpers of the confessors of Christ amidst the atrocious persecution
which raged against the Church during the latter half of the Third Century. In
the same combat were they to fall side by side, exchanging this frail life here
below, for that into which, at one birth, they were to enter forever in heaven.
They furthermore were honoured by having their precious relics, placed in the
celebrated sanctuary consecrated to Saint Stephen, the Proto-Martyr, on Monte
Caelio, and there form its richest treasure.
The holy Liturgy relates
their triumph in these few lines:
Primus and Felician were
brothers, and being accused of professing the Christian religion, during the
persecution of Diocletian and Maximian, they were thrown into irons, which an
Angel broke, and they were delivered. But being soon led again before the
praetor, and as they most earnestly clung to the Christian faith, they were
separated one from the other. The steadfastness of Felician was the first to be
put to the test in divers ways. As they who strove to persuade him into
impiety, found it hopeless to gain aught from him by words, he was fastened
hand and foot to a stake and there left to hang three days, without either food
or drink. The day after that, the praetor having called Primus before him, thus
addressed him: "Seest thou how much wiser is thy brother, than thou art?
He hath obeyed the Emperors, and they have made him honourable. Thou hast only
to follow his example to be made partaker of his honours and favours."
Primus replied: "What hath befallen my brother, I know, for an angel hath
told me. Would to God, that seeing I have the same will that he hath, I were
not divided from him in the same martyrdom." These words raised the wrath
of the praetor, and to the torments which he had already inflicted on Primus,
he added this also, that he had boiling lead poured into his mouth, and this,
in presence of Felician. After that, he had them both dragged into the
amphitheatre, and two lions let loose upon them, in presence of about twelve
thousand people, who were gathered together to see the show. The lions only
fawned upon the knees of the saints, making friends with them, caressingly
moving their heads and tails. This spectacle turned five hundred persons of the
assembled crowd, together with their households, to the Christian religion. The
praetor then, moved beyond all endurance, by what had passed, caused Primus and
Felician to be beheaded with the axe.
Prayer:
O ye brave veterans of the Lord's battles, teach us what energy we must bring to the service of God, whatsoever be our age. Less favoured than we are, ye came late in life, to the knowledge of the Gospel and of those inestimable treasures promised to the Christian. But in holy Baptism your youth was renewed as that of the eagle (Ps. cii. 5), and for thirty years, the Holy Ghost continued to produce rich fruits in you. When, in extreme old age, the hour of final victory at last sounded, your courage was equal to that of the most vigorous warriors. You were nerved up to such heroism and sustained therein, through prayer constantly kept alive within you by the words of the Psalms, as your Acts attest. Revive then amongst us, faith in the word of God; His promises will make us despise, as ye did, this present life. Lead our piety back to those true sources which strengthen the soul, the knowledge and daily use of those sacred formulae, which bind our earth unfailingly to heaven whence they were brought down to us.
http://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/
SOURCE : https://catholicharboroffaithandmorals.com/Sts.%20Primus%20and%20Felician.html
Anton Postl (fl. 1769–1794), Sv. Primož in sv. Felicijan, 116 x 100, National Museum of Slovenia, Ljubljana
June 9
SS. Primus and
Felicianus, Martyrs
This account is abridged
from their acts in Surius, and the continuators of Bollandus, with the Notes of
Henschenius. Jun. t. 2, p. 149. See Tillemont, t. 4, p. 571.
A.D. 286.
THESE two martyrs were
brothers, and lived in Rome many years, mutually encouraging each other in the
practice of all good works. They seemed to possess nothing but for the poor,
and often spent both nights and days with the confessors in their dungeons, or
at the places of their torments and execution. Some they encouraged to perseverance,
others who had fallen they raised again, and they made themselves the servants
of all in Christ that all might attain to salvation through him. Though their
zeal was most remarkable, they had escaped the dangers of many bloody
persecutions, and were grown old in the heroic exercises of virtue when it
pleased God to crown their labours with a glorious martyrdom. The Pagans raised
so great an outcry against them, that by a joint order of Dioclesian and
Maximian Herculius they were both apprehended and put in chains. This must have
happened in 286, soon after Maximian was associated in the empire, for the two
emperors never seem to have met together in Rome after that year. These princes
commanded them to be inhumanly scourged, and then sent them to Promotus at
Nomentum, a town twelve miles from Rome, to be further chastised, as avowed
enemies to the gods. This judge caused them to be cruelly tortured, first both
together, afterwards separate from each other; and sought by various arts to
cheat them into compliance, as by telling Primus that Felician had offered
sacrifice. But the grace of God strengthened them, and they were at length both
beheaded on the 9th of June. Their names occur on this day in the ancient
western calendars, and in the Sacramentary of St. Gregory the Great. Their
bodies were thrown into the fields; but taken up by the Christians, and
interred near Nomentum. They were removed to Rome by Pope Theodorus, about the
year 645, and deposited in the church of St. Stephen on Mount Celio.
A soul which truly loves
God regards all the things of this world as dung, with St. Paul, that she may
gain Christ. The loss of goods, the disgrace of the world, torments, sickness,
and other afflictions are bitter to the senses; but appear light to him that
loves. If we can bear nothing with patience and silence, it is because we love
God only in words. “One who is slothful and lukewarm complains of everything,
and calls the lightest precepts hard,” says Thomas à Kempis; 1 “but
a fervent soul finds everything easy which can unite her more closely to God,
and embraces his holy will in all things with cheerfulness.”
Note 1. L. de
Discipl. Claustral. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume VI: June. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/6/091.html
Statue
of St. Primus, Milan Cathedral, overlooking Milan's Zone 9
ST. PRIMUS
09 June North walkway
spire-G86
Primo, together with his
brother Feliciano, suffered martyrdom under the persecutions of Diocletian and
Maximian. Their bodies were among the first to be transferred, to be taken to
S. Stefano Rotondo, on Mount Celio, where they are also remembered by a mosaic,
which depicts them in military clothing. Saint Primo was a patrician beheaded
on the St. Nomentana in 29; his body was buried at the XV mile of the St.
Labicana.
Tales of the statue in
Dome’s building site:
The statue of Saint Primo
that stands out on the G86 spire is probably a work by Luigi Casareggio made in
the early 1800s, as also attested by a note found in the annals of Veneranda
Fabbrica, which states the payment to the sculptor following the creation of a
statue intended for a spire. The statue represents a young man with his body
upright and his head turned in the direction of the square. He wears a drapery
that partially covers him while his long, wavy hair falls on his shoulders,
giving harmony to his concentrated expression as he scans the horizon.
SOURCE : https://www.duomomilano.it/en/spire/s-primo-2/
Fresco
of the martyrdom of Saint Primus, who is being forced to swallow molten lead
(Circignani and Tempesta). In the Church of Santo Stefano Rotondo, Rome
Memorials
of Saints Primus and Felician in Santo Stefano Rotondo ; Niccolò Circignani ; Paintings by Antonio Tempesta
Santi Primo e
Feliciano Martiri
Festa: 9 giugno
Fratelli originari della
Sabina, martiri sotto le persecuzioni di Diocleziano e Massimiano, sono tra i
primi i cui resti, nel 645, durante il pontificato di Teodoro I, vengono
traslati a Roma dal XV miglio della via Nomentana, precisamente nella chiesa di
Santo Stefano Protomartire sul monte Celio.
Martirologio
Romano: A Roma al quindicesimo miglio della via Nomentana, santi Primo e
Feliciano, martiri.
La loro traslazione,
effettuata da papa Teodoro I (642-649), dal XV miglio della via Nomentana a S.
Stefano Rotondo, è tra le primissime operate in Roma. I corpi vennero trovati
in un sarcofago l’8 gennaio 1625. Il papa allora fece erigere sul nuovo
sepolcro un altare ornato da un paliotto d’argento. Nel 1736, con la
costruzione di una nuova ara, opera di Filippo Barigoni, i resti, fino allora
situati dinanzi l’altare, furono deposti all’interno di esso.
Dice il Martirologio Romano al 9 giugno: A Nomentano, in Sabina, il natale dei
santi Martiri Primo e Feliciano fratelli, sotto Diocleziano e Massimiano
Imperatori.
Questi gloriosi martiri,
avendo condotto nel Signore una lunga vita, ed avendo sofferto tormenti, ora
eguali insieme, ora diversi e spietati separatamente, alla fine ambedue
percossi con la spada da Promoto, Preside di Momento, compirono il corso del
felice combattimento. I loro corpi poi, trasportati a Roma, furono con onore
sepolti nella chiesa di santo Stefano Protomartire, sul monte Celio.
Autore: Giovanni Sicari
SANTI TIBURZIO, PRIMO E
FELICIANO
Tiburzio era un soldato romano, probabilmente ufficiale: con suo padre si
convertì al Cristianesimo grazie a San Sebastiano. Fedele all’imperatore, come
cristiano si rifiutò però di adorarlo: venne perciò condannato a morte per
decapitazione nell’anno 288, durante una delle persecuzioni di Diocleziano.
Probabilmente era originario della zona di Roma, come si deduce dal nome
derivante da Tibur (Tivoli), e il suo corpo fu sepolto sulla via Labicana.
La sua venerazione a San Benigno risale a Guglielmo stesso che, secondo la “Cronaca dell’Abbazia di Fruttuaria”, vi portò le spoglie, con il permesso di papa Benedetto VIII. Tra l’abbazia, il chiostro e la sala capitolare sorgeva probabilmente una cappelletta a lui dedicata, ma della quale non si hanno più tracce fisiche. E’ però menzionata nelle Consuetudines.
Primo e Feliciano erano due fratelli patrizi, decapitati sulla via Nomentana in
un’altra persecuzione di Diocleziano nel 297. Furono sepolti al 15° miglio e
Teodoro I ne trasferì le reliquie nella chiesa di S. Stefano Rotondo sul Celio;
qui un mosaico li raffigura in abiti militari. Parti delle loro reliquie furono
traslate a San Benigno sempre da Guglielmo e, si dice, anche su pressioni di re
Arduino.
PALA DI DEFENDENTE FERRARI (Vedi Album Immagini)
Questi santi sono raffigurati nella pala del Defendente Ferrari custodita nella
sacrestia dell’Abbazia di Fruttuaria, Qui il pittore mette attorno alla
Madonna, a partire da sinistra, san Benedetto, i due fratelli Primo e Feliciano
ma in abiti mercantili (o vescovili?) e conclude, sulla destra, con Tiburzio,
soldato, con la palma del martirio. La vita di Tiburzio è ripresa nel trittico
sottostante, o predella, con le scene del battesimo, dei carboni ardenti (c’è
chi dice “supplizio” e chi “miracolo”) e della decapitazione.
In realtà nel dipinto, sui due fratelli nominati prima, c’è un cartiglio che li
menziona come Benigno e Agapito (patrono di Lombardore), ma pare che sia un
aggiustaggio posteriore.
Il dipinto di Defendente Ferrari (pittore chivassese) è datato 1530.
E’ costituito da una pala in legno che probabilmente era situata in uno degli altari precedenti l’intervento nella basilica da parte del Cardinale delle Lanze nel 1770. Da allora fu collocato in sacrestia.
Il giallo della cornice e delle aureole è in oro zecchino, il colore della santità.
Il volto della Madonna è stupendo.
Da notare le due file di finestrelle che dànno prospettiva alla scena.
Curiosità
1. Il Bosio attribuisce la predella al Luini, ma tutti gli studiosi confermano la mano del Defendente.
2. I due angioletti suonano strumenti medioevali. Uno studioso sostiene che lo strumento suonato da quello di sinistra sia il primo caso di un violino riprodotto in pittura.
3. Pare che dopo aver camminato sui carboni ardenti Tiburzio abbia detto a
Diocleziano: “Io ho camminato sui carboni ardenti e Cristo mi ha protetto.
Adesso prova tu e vediamo se Giove ti protegge”. Ovviamente…
Autore: Marco Notario
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91222
Dedica
della cappella dei ss. Primo e Feliciano, santo Stefano Rotondo, Roma.
Dedica
della cappella dei ss. Primo e Feliciano, santo Stefano Rotondo, Roma.
I Santi Primo e Feliciano
La prima notizia di
questi santi è conservata nel Martirologio Geronimiano, che li
commemora il 9 giugno e li dice sepolti al XV miglio della via Nomentana.
Una Passio più tarda (V-VI secolo) li dice fratelli, martirizzati ai
tempi di Domiziano per essersi rifiutati di sacrificare agli idoli. Furono
flagellati, torturati versando loro in bocca del piombo fuso, gettati alle
fiere nell’anfiteatro e infine decapitati sulla via Nomentana, dove in seguito
venne edificata una basilica in loro onore.
Sicura invece,
perché testimoniata dal Liber Pontificalis è la traslazione dei
loro resti avvenuta durante il pontificato di Teodoro (642-49) nella chiesa di
Santo Stefano Rotondo sul Celio.Qui venne eseguito un mosaico che
costituisce la loro più antica rappresentazione e li raffigura in abiti
militari ai lati di una croce gemmata sormontata dal busto di Cristo.
Altre immagini medievali
a mosaico dei due santi si trovano a Venezia, nella Basilica di San Marco (XIII
sec.) e a Palermo nella Cappella Palatina (XII sec.) Rappresentazioni del
martirio si trovano in manoscritti miniati e in una grande tela del
Veronese eseguita nel 1562 per il convento di Praglia e oggi nel
Museo Civico di Padova.
Una tradizione
bavarese sostiene che Primo e Feliciano, legionari romani, furono missionari
nella zona del Chiemgau, dove Primo trovò in un bosco una fonte dalle proprietà
risanatrici. I due fratelli predicavano Cristo e curavano i malati grazie alle
loro preghiere e alla virtù della fonte. Al loro ritorno in Italia vennero
martirizzati sotto Diocleziano. La fonte, nota con il nome di “Fonte di San
Primo” esiste tuttora ad Adelholzen, località termale dove si trova
anche una cappella costruita nel 1615 in onore dei due santi, la cui fama è
testimoniata da numerosi ex-voto.
