Pontianus of Spoleto

All that is known of Pontianus (Italian: Ponziano) is that he was a Christian who was martyred during the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. He is honored as a saint and martyr by both the Catholic Church and the Old Catholic Church. In Spoleto, Italy, he is invoked for protection against earthquakes.

Life

According to a Passio preserved in the Cathedral of Spoleto,<ref name=FSP / Pontianus was a young man from a local noble family of Spoleto, 18 years of age, who had been denounced as a Christian to the Roman authorities. Brought before a judge named Flavian, he chose torture and death rather than renounce his faith. He was condemned to death and beheaded on 14 January 175. <ref name=SB /

Veneration

Basilica of San Ponziano

Pontianus' body was buried in the local cemetery, called di Sincleta, outside the city walls. A basilica was eventually built over his grave as a shrine to his memory. He has become the patron saint of that city. A monastery was built attached to the basilica for a community of Bendictine monks to administer it. Over the centuries, the monks were replaced by nuns of the same Order. The monastery was suppressed in 1810 during the occupation of Italy by Napoleonic forces.