Remains (wall on the sides and tower in the middle) of
old roman castrum of Singidunum
Saints Montan et Maxime, martyrs à Sirmium
Saint Montan, prêtre et sainte Maxime, son épouse,
furent martyrisés à Sirmium, en Pannonie, précipités en mer par des païens pour
avoir témoigné de leur foi en Jésus-Christ, en 304.
SOURCE : http://www.paroisse-saint-aygulf.fr/index.php/prieres-et-liturgie/saints-par-mois/icalrepeat.detail/2015/03/26/14271/-/saints-montan-et-maxime-martyrs-a-sirmium
Saints Montan et Maxime
Martyrs à Sirmium (4ème s.)
Saint Montan et sainte Maxime, deux époux martyrisés
en Pannonie (correspond à la Hongrie actuelle); ils furent précipités dans le
Danube par des païens pour avoir témoigné de leur foi en Jésus-Christ.
À Sirmium en Pannonie, au IVe siècle, les saints
martyrs Montan, prêtre, et Maxime, son épouse, qui pour la foi du Christ furent
saisis et noyés dans le fleuve.
Martyrologe romain
Montanus & Maxima MM
(RM)
Died 304. Montanus, a priest, and Maxima, said to have been his wife, were
drowned as Christians in the Save River at Sirmium, Dalmatia, or Singidunum,
Pannonia (Benedictines).
St. Maxima of Singidunum, and her
priest-husband, St. Montanus
Commemorated on March
26
St. Maxima and her
priest-husband, St. Montanus, lived in Singidunum (present-day Belgrade in
Serbia) in the fourth century during the time of Emperor Diocletian’s
persecution of Christians. The Emperor’s deputy, Galerius, issued an edict
requiring Christians to offer sacrifices to the idols. The pious couple
refused, and continued to conduct their lives according to the Gospel of Jesus
Christ. They traveled to Sirmium (west of Belgrade) in order to distance
themselves from the seat of power. However, in the year 304, they were seized
by Roman soldiers and brought to stand trial before Governor Probus.
As they stood before the
governor on a bridge overlooking the Sava River, the captives were given the
choice of sacrifice to the idols or death. St. Montanus showed great heroism
and explained that if he were to sacrifice to the idols, it would be tantamount
to rejecting Jesus Christ as God and Lord of heaven and earth, and he refused
to comply.
Frustrated and intending to
take advantage of her “weaker” sex, Probus tried to persuade St. Maxima to deny
Christ. Much to the surprise of the crowd, her fidelity and apostolic courage
proved to be as great, if not greater, than her husband’s. St. Maxima defended
her faith so convincingly and with such eloquent zeal that Probus cut the trial
short, fearing mass conversions to Christianity.
Sts. Maxima and Montanus
were beheaded by the sword, and their remains were thrown into the Sava River.
The faithful, and those converted by the zeal of the holy couple, willingly
endangered their lives in order to rescue the bodies and heads of the martyrs
from the river. The relics were transported to Rome and interred in the
Catacombs of St. Priscilla on the Salarian Way where they remained for 1,500
years.
In 1804, certain tombs in
the Catacombs of St. Priscilla were opened. The many relics that were
discovered were presented to various Roman Catholic churches and to notable
families in Rome. St. Maxima’s relics were found to be in a remarkable state of
preservation. They were ultimately presented to the influential Sinibaldi
family, and for over a hundred years, her relics were venerated at the altar of
their private chapel in Rome.
In 1927, the Sinibaldi
family presented St. Maxima’s relics to the Poor Clares of San Lorenzo
Monastery in Rome who, in turn, presented them to the Poor Clares Monastery in
Chicago, Illinois, where they remained for forty years. For the next few
decades, St. Maxima’s relics were transported from one monastery or priest to
another, including Father Joseph Louro, a Roman Catholic missionary in South
America. After Father Louro’s death, St. Maxima’s relics found a permanent home
with the Byzantine Poor Clares in North Royalton, Ohio.
Wherever her relics
journeyed, veneration of St. Maxima grew because of the boundless miracles that
occurred through her intercessions. It was, however, the impact of her life
that most impressed the faithful. The visible presence of a priest’s wife who,
in a time of confusion and darkness, confronted evil with selfless courage and
willingly gave her life confessing Christ has inspired countless people to live
their Christian faith without counting the cost.
May the Orthodox Church
rekindle its knowledge of and love for this saintly and zealous priest’s wife.
Rooted in the traditionally Orthodox area of Serbia, St. Maxima’s prayers await
our cries and supplications for peace and justice in the world, particularly in
Kosovo, and intercessions for the protection of Orthodox families, especially
for priests’ wives whose well-being and example are so vital to the faith.
By permission of Sts.
Mary & Martha Orthodox Monastery, Wagener, South Carolina
Saints Montanus the priest and his wife
Maxima from Singidunum, on Danube, are martyr saints of the harsh persecution
times during Diocletian. They are celebrated as saints in the Western Church
among the monastic order odf the Poor Clares nuns, but also in the East,
especially in the Romanian and Serbian Churches.
On 24 February 303, the Roman co-emperors Diocletian (284-505), Galerius, his
son-in-law (293-311), Maximian Hercules (286-305) and Constantius Chlorus
(293-306), the father of Emperor St. Constantine the Great signed an edict
against the Christians. Another two edicts were signed in the same year (april
and 27 september) and the fourth in January-February 304. These imperial
decisions implied the destruction of the Christian places of worship, the
burning of the Christian books and archives, loss of the properties, privileges
and state functions for the Christians, the punishment of the Christians who do
not abjure their faith even by death and forbade the Christian assemblies. As
it is to see, these decisions suggest already the specific of the Christian
faith. Differently of the first centuries, they were already organized, have
had worship places and privileges in some regions.
The Roman Empire was already led by the assembly of the two Augusti and two
Caesars – the so-called “tetrarchy”. Of course, the laws, edicts and common
decisions were respected differently in the regions led by one or another of
the emperors. In any case, the eastern regions, led by Diocletian (who had his
capital city in Nicomedia, in Asia Minor) and by Galerius (who leaded the
Illyricum from Sirmium), the edicts were strictly applied, so that this period,
the ending of the 3rd century, and the beginning of the 4th , gave the most of the
Christian martyrs in the whole 2000-years history of our faith.
The martyrs celebrated today, Montanus and Maxima lived in Singidunum (the
today Belgrade), in the province called Pannonia Inferior, under the leading of
Galerius. St. Montanus was the priest of the Christian community here. The
Romanian historians try to demonstrate the Dacian-roman ancestry of the
martyrs, based on the fact that the Pannonia Inferior was strongly populated at
the time by romanized Dacians. The hypothesis has in fact no real basis. The
possibility that the two have been Dacians or Romans is the same as for another
nationality. Their names are coming surely from the Roman tradition. In any
case, they were citizens of God’s city.
Immediately after the proclamation of the edicts, its decisions were
applied by the Roman leader of Singidunum. In this conditions, Montanus fled in
Sirmium, the capital of the province (today Mitrovica, about 60 kilometers west
of Belgrade), after Christ’s urge “But when they persecute you in this city,
flee ye into another” (Mt. 10,23). There he was caught by the persecutors, who
brought him to Probus, the Roman governor of the province. The interrogatory
started immediately and St. Montanus confessed his faith in Christ and that he
is a priest. After the classical process, Probus asked him to sacrifice to the
Roman gods and Montanus refused. During the tortures, Probus ordained the
calling of the priest’s wife, Maxima. He believed that she, as weaker being a
woman, will see the harsh pains of her husband and will beg him to sacrifice.
Maxima didn’t do as the governor believed; moreover she asked to be tortured
too with her husband, in order to become a martyr for Christ as well. Finally,
Probus ordained the both to be thrown in the river Sava. The Serbian versions
speak about the beheading of the two martyrs who were later thrown in the
river. After the Romanian versions, the soldiers have bound stones on their
necks and so the two saints, Montanus and Maxima, were drowned. It was the day
of 26 March 304.
The Veneration of the Saints
The hieronymian martyrology mentions them on 26 March and 26 April. Also the
martyrical act of Montanus and Maxima are mentioned in the life of St. Pollion,
the lector of the church from Cibalae (died on 28 april 304). Their original
martyrical acts were not kept. But in the modern times, a Romanian priest and
professor of Church History, Nicolae M. Popescu tried to reconstitute the
story, following the similar act of martyrdom of St. Irenaios of Syrmium who
died a few days later (on 6 April 304) in the same conditions. This text is
today read with piety in the Romanian churches during their days of
celebration, 26 March.
In 25 may 1802 the Catacomb of St. Priscilla was
opened and the relics of some saints, such as Philomena (+10 August 304) were
found. Later, in 1804 it were found the relics of a saint named Maxima or
Maximina. The coincidence of names made some to believe that there is the wife
of St. Montanus, which it would be hard to believe, because of the lack of
information and of the big distance between Rome and Singidunum. In any case,
the relics of saint Maximina, who probably died during the same persecution of
Diocletian, were kept in Rome, by the nuns of the St. Claire’s Order, in the
monastery of San Lorenzo. Later they were moved, so that today there are also
in a nun’s monastery of Claire’s Order, in North Royalton, Ohio. There is told
that several miraculous cures happened due her intercession. Infos about these
relics can be found here and here,
in the bottom of the page.
In the modern Serbia St. Maxima has a special
devotion. Her intercession was asked especially for the peace in Kosovo, and
the protection of Orthodox families and especially for priests’ wives. In
Romania the monastery of Halmyris (the place of discovery of Saints Epictetus
and Astion (+8 July 290) has as its second protectors, the saints Montanus and
Maxima. A Romanian community in Serbia, in the village of Isacova, Tchupria
community on the Valley of Morava has as its protectors the saints Montanus and
Maxima.
Troparion
(Hymn) of the Saints
“Thy Martyrs Montanus the priest and Maxima, O Lord, in their struggles
received, crowns of incorruptibility from Thee our God: for with Thy strength
they wiped out tyrants, and overcame demons, rendering them powerless. By their
intercessions, O Christ our God, save our souls!”
Martyr Montanus the Presbyter of Singidunum, and his
wife Maxima
Commemorated on March 26
Saint Maxima and her priest-husband, Saint Montanus,
lived in Singidunum (present-day Belgrade) in the fourth century during the
time of Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. The Emperor’s deputy,
Galerius, issued an edict requiring Christians to offer sacrifices to the
idols. The pious couple refused, and continued to conduct their lives according
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They traveled to the west, to Sirmium, in order
to distance themselves from the seat of power. However, in the year 304, they
were seized by Roman soldiers and brought to stand trial before Governor
Probus.
As they stood before the governor on a bridge
overlooking the Sava River, the captives were given the choice of sacrifice to
the idols or death. Saint Montanus showed great heroism and explained that if
he were to sacrifice to the idols, it would be tantamount to rejecting Jesus
Christ as God and Lord of heaven and earth, and he refused to comply.
Frustrated, Probus tried to persuade Saint Maxima to
deny Christ. Much to the surprise of the crowd, her fidelity and apostolic
courage proved to be as great, if not greater, than her husband’s. Saint Maxima
defended her faith so convincingly and with such eloquent zeal that Probus cut
the trial short, fearing mass conversions to Christianity.
Saints Maxima and Montanus were beheaded by the sword,
and their remains were thrown into the Sava River. The faithful, and those
converted by the zeal of the holy couple, willingly endangered their lives in
order to rescue the bodies and heads of the martyrs from the river. The relics
were transported to Rome and interred in the Catacombs of Saint Priscilla on
the Salarian Way where they remained for 1,500 years.
SOURCE : https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2018/03/26/100911-martyr-montanus-the-presbyter-of-singidunum-and-his-wife-maxima
Santi Montano e Massima Sposi,
martiri
26 marzo
Sirmio (Pannonia), † 304 ca.
Martirologio
Romano: A Srijem in Pannonia, nell’odierna Croazia, santi martiri Montano,
sacerdote, e Massima, coniugi, che, per aver professato la propria fede in
Cristo Signore, furono precipitati in mare da alcuni infedeli.
Il Martirologio Romano celebra al 26 marzo i santi
coniugi Montano e Massima, martiri di Sirmio in Pannonia (regione storica
compresa fra l’Illiria, la Germania, la Dacia, che dal 9 d.C. divenne Provincia
romana).
Le notizie riportate nei vari Martirologi (Siriano, di Floro, di Adone, Romano)
non sono concordi sulla loro fine, ad ogni modo Montano era un sacerdote, che
allora erano anche sposati, e Massima sua moglie, ed entrambi nel corso della
persecuzione, indetta in tutto l’impero romano dall’imperatore Diocleziano
(243-313), furono gettati nelle acque di un fiume a Sirmio (odierna Mitrovica)
e fatti annegare.
Qualche Martirologio dice solo Montano, altri dicono insiemealla moglie, alcuni
dicono che le acque nelle quali affogarono erano del mare. L’anno del martirio
era il 304 ca.
Non si sa altro di questi coniugi, che si affiancano nella storia dei primi
secoli della Chiesa, ad altre celebri coppie, come s. Aquila e Priscilla, s.
Severiano e Aquila, s. Mario e Marta, ecc. delle quali molte martiri.
Montano deriva dal latino ‘Montanus’ e significa ‘montanaro’, con questo nome
sono commemorati tre santi martiri al 24 febbraio, 26 marzo e 17 giugno.
Massima, forma femminile del latino ‘Maximus’, significa ‘grande’, con questo
nome sono celebrate sette sante martiri al 16 maggio, 26 marzo, 8 aprile, 30
luglio, 2 settembre, 1° ottobre, 16 ottobre.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/92427
