CONCERNING THE HOLY MARTYRS OF FOSSOMBRONE: AQUILINUS, GEMINUS, GELASIUS, MAGNUS, DONATUS, ANOTHER GELASIUS, ANOTHER GEMINUS, AND DONATA.
CommentaryAquilinus, Martyr, at Fossombrone (S.) Geminus, Martyr, at Fossombrone (S.) Gelasius, Martyr, at Fossombrone (S.) Magnus, Martyr, at Fossombrone (S.) Donatus, Martyr, at Fossombrone (S.) Gelasius the Second, Martyr, at Fossombrone (S.) Geminus the Second, Martyr, at Fossombrone (S.) Donata, Martyr, at Fossombrone (S.)
By the author I. B.
[1] The names of these Saints and the place of their contest are expressed in various ways in the Martyrologies. Some assign them to no certain place. Thus the manuscript of the monastery of Saint Cyriacus at Rome: "The birthday of Geminus, Geminus, Galasius, Mannia, Donatus, Aquilinus." The very brief manuscript Martyrology from the monastery of Saint Maximin at Trier: "Geminus, Zelasius, Donata, Aquilina." The ancient Laetian manuscript: "The birthday of Saints Geminus, Gelasius, and Magnus." Wandelbert also, though he names only Aquilinus:
"Then, on the day before the Nones, gentle Aquilinus claims his own."
Other Martyrologies record that they were crowned at Fossombrone. Thus the ancient Roman Martyrology, which is inscribed to Saint Jerome: "At Forum Sempronii, the birthday of Geminus, Gelasius, Mamna, Aquilinus, and Donata; likewise Geminus; likewise Donata, daughter of Thimoi the Bishop, with her daughter." But these last words, which pertain to Saint Phileas, Bishop of Thmuis, provided some with material for error — adding Themoius to the number of those Martyrs. Thus Bede: "At Forum Sempronii, the birthday of Geminus (manuscript: Germinus), Gelasius, Mamnus (manuscript: Mannus), Aquilinus, and Donatus; likewise Themoius, Gelasius." Rabanus: "At Forum Simpronii, the birthday of Geminus, Gelasius, Malus, Aquilinus, and Donatus; likewise Donatus, Themoius, Gelasius." Notker: "At Forum Symphronii, the birthday of Saints Geminus, Gelasius, Manius, Aquilinus, and Donatus." The manuscript of the Church of Aachen: "At Forum Semfronii, Geminus, Gelasius, Aquilinus, Mannus, Donatus; likewise Donata, Themius, Gelasius." The manuscript of Reichenau: "At Forum Simfronii, the birthday of Geminus, Gelasius, Mannius, Aquilinus, and Donata."
[2] Others, finally, taking Forum Sempronii — which is a city of Umbria — for some Roman Forum, wrote that they suffered at Rome at the Forum of Sempronius. Our Alexander Donatus enumerates eighteen Roman Fora, and others list more, but none of Sempronius. Yet Usuard, Bellinus, Maurolycus, and very many manuscript codices have: "At Rome, at the Forum of Sempronius, of the holy Martyrs Aquilinus, Geminus, Gelasius, Magnus, and Donatus." Galesinius follows: "At Rome, in the Forum of Sempronius, of the holy Martyrs Aquilinus, Geminus, Gelasius, Magnus, Donatus, Hippolytus, and Bostrenus, who were crowned under the Emperor Aurelian." These will be examined presently. Perhaps Canisius observed that there was no Forum of Sempronius at Rome, and so in the second edition of his German Martyrology he wrote: "At Rome, of the holy Martyrs Aquilinus, Geminus, Gelasius, Magnus, and Donatus, who were beheaded for the confession of Christ." So also the manuscripts of Saint Mary's at Utrecht, Saint Martin's at Trier, Saint Gudula's at Brussels, and Constantius Felicius: "At Rome, of the holy Martyrs Aquilinus, Geminus, Gelasius, Magnus, Donatus." Also the ancient manuscript of the monastery of Saint Martin at Tournai, prefaced with the names of Eusebius, Bede, and Jerome: "At Rome, of Saints Geminus, Gelasius, and Magnus." But Baronius rightly restored the true reading, "at Fossombrone," without the name of Rome.
[3] There is great variety, as is clear, in certain of the names. Aquilinus is Aquilanus in the Viola Sanctorum; Aquilonus in the manuscript of the Carmelites of Cologne; and in the shorter manuscript of Saint Maximin, Aquilina. Gelasius is Galasius in the manuscript of Saint Cyriacus; Zelasius in the same manuscript of Saint Maximin; Galesius in Peter de Natali; Gegelasius in the manuscript of the Carmelites of Cologne. Magnus is Manna in the manuscript of Saint Jerome; Mannia in Saint Cyriacus; Mamnus in the printed Bede; Mannus in the Aachen manuscript; Mannius in Notker and the Reichenau manuscript; Malus in Rabanus. Donatus is Donata in the manuscripts of Jerome and Maximin; Donatianus in the manuscript of the Carmelites of Cologne. Geminus is Germinus in the manuscript of Bede. Three are added: a second Gelasius from Bede, Notker, and the Aachen manuscript; Donata from the same Aachen and Jerome manuscripts and the Carthusian Additions of Cologne to Usuard — who is Donatus in Notker. Finally, Geminus from the Jerome manuscript, for whom the name Themi is perhaps found in the Carthusian Additions of Cologne and the Aachen manuscript; and in Bede and Rabanus, Themoius — unless this, as we have noted, is corrupted from "Thimo" in Saint Jerome, standing for the city of Thmuis.
[4] The names that Galesinius added, Hippolytus and Bostrenus, from the Chronicle of Eusebius, as he says, betray a certain carelessness in an otherwise learned and diligent man. Eusebius writes at the sixth year of the Emperor Alexander: "Geminus, a Priest of Antioch, and Hippolytus, and Beryllus, Bishop of Bostra in Arabia, are considered distinguished writers." But "Bostrenus" here is not a man's name, but a gentile adjective from Bostra, a city of Arabia — as Stephanus has it. Yet this last, I would prefer to render in Latin as "Bostrensis." Concerning that Bishop of Bostra, Beryllus, Saint Jerome treats in his book On Ecclesiastical Writers, chapter 60; concerning Geminus the Priest, in chapter 64; and concerning Saint Hippolytus in chapter 61, who afterward became Bishop of Portus and is venerated on August 22. But even if Galesinius had correctly understood Eusebius, he ought not to have asserted that they were crowned under Aurelian — that is, after the year 270 — when Eusebius had written that they flourished around the sixth year of Alexander, the year of Christ 227. Some also add Symphorian, who, having perhaps read "at Rome in the Forum of Symphronii, Aquilinus," etc., as certain codices have above, distinguished it thus: "At Rome in the Forum, Symphorian, Aquilinus," etc. The manuscript of Saint Gudula's at Brussels: "Likewise of Symphorian the Martyr." The manuscript of Saint Lambert's at Liege: "Likewise of Saint Symphorian and Aquilinus." There are indeed several Martyrs named Symphorian in the sacred calendars, but they do not pertain to this case.
[5] Concerning the time when they completed their martyrdom, it is permissible to conjecture that it occurred while the persecution of Diocletian and Maximian was still raging, when Saint Maurentius, patron of the same city, was crowned not far away with some companions, as we shall relate on August 31. By what manner of death they finished their contest is obscure. Peter de Natali, in Book 3, chapter 82, writes that all of them ended their lives by a capital sentence, at the command of the Prefect of the City, for the confession of the name of Christ. But even so, the manner of death is not determined; nor is this found in Ado, whom he cites. Ferrarius in his Catalogue of the Saints of Italy and Canisius above write that they completed their martyrdom by decapitation — though without authority (for the writers Ferrarius produces are silent on the matter), yet with a probable conjecture, since that was the most commonly used punishment.
[6] Ferrarius testifies that their feast began to be celebrated at Fossombrone in the year 1584, through the efforts of Ottavio Accarumboni, Bishop of that city, with the Roman Congregation of Rites first consulted. A chapel was built for them in the public buildings of the city; a candle is offered every year on this day by the city itself in the Cathedral church in their memory; and their bodies are believed to be buried in the same Cathedral. Ferdinando Ughelli, in volume 2 of his Sacred Italy, calls this Bishop, whom Ferrarius names Accarumbonus, Accorambonus and Accoramboni; he testifies that Accorambonus enlarged the episcopal palace, erected a sacred tower, instituted public supplications and prayers, and was called the Father of the Poor and held distinguished for his singular title of chastity.