ON THE HOLY ROMAN MARTYRS PAULUS THE BISHOP, LUCIUS, AND CYRIACUS.
Commentary.
Paulus, Bishop, Martyr at Rome (St.) Lucius, Martyr at Rome (St.) Cyriacus, Martyr at Rome (St.)
By the author I. B.
[1] Since the Acts of these holy Martyrs have perished, as have those of very many others, we can only provide the words of the martyrologies. Some commemorate Paulus alone. Thus the most ancient manuscript martyrology of the monastery of St. Maximinus at Trier: "At Rome, the deposition of St. Paulus." Also the very old manuscript of the Church of St. Maria ad Gradus at Cologne: "At Rome, the deposition of St. Paulus, Bishop." That the reference is not to St. Paulus the Pope, who is venerated on 28 June, will be evident from other sources.
[2] Certain manuscripts add Lucius. Thus the old Roman Martyrology which is attributed to St. Jerome: "At Rome, the deposition of St. Paulus, Bishop. And elsewhere, Lucius." The manuscript of the monastery of St. Cyriacus at Rome, which Baronius frequently cites: "At Rome, the deposition of St. Paulus, Bishop. And elsewhere, Lucius. And the deposition of Thomas." No martyrology commemorates any Thomas on this day.
[3] To Paulus and Lucius, the Martyrology of the Church of Aachen adds Pope Julius: "At Rome, the deposition of Paulus the Bishop, Julius the Pope, and Lucius." Likewise the old manuscript of the monastery of Augia Dives, or Reichenau: "At Rome, the deposition of Paulus the Bishop, and elsewhere Lucius. Julius the Pope." Elsewhere, with Lucius omitted, Julius the Pope alone is joined with Paulus. Thus the Venerable Bede as commonly cited, Rabanus, Notkerus, and certain manuscripts: "At Rome, the deposition of Paulus the Bishop and Julius the Pope." We shall treat of St. Julius the Pope on 12 April.
[4] Finally, with Julius omitted, Paulus, Lucius, and Cyriacus are presented by the manuscript Florarium, Maurolycus, Molanus in his Additions to Usuardus, Canisius, the Lubeck edition of Usuardus of the year 1475, the Prague and Carmelite manuscripts of Cologne, and Bellinus de Padua in his Martyrology, which he calls Roman: "At Rome, Paulus the Bishop, Lucius, and Cyriacus." The glory of martyrdom, omitted here, is added by the Martyrology published at Cologne in 1490, Hermannus Greuen in his supplement to Usuardus, and Galesinius: "At Rome, the holy Martyrs Paulus the Bishop, Lucius, and Cyriacus." The manuscript Martyrology of the Church of St. Gudula at Brussels has: "At Rome, St. Paulus, Bishop and Confessor. And Saints Lutitius and Cyriacus."
[5] So much for the manuscript and printed martyrologies that were at our hand. Whence one wonders why Cardinal Baronius asserts that he restored these Martyrs from the old manuscript martyrology of the monastery of St. Cyriacus, yet writes only this about them: "At Rome, the holy Martyrs Paulus, Lucius, and Cyriacus." For they were already in many martyrologies, in all of which, including that Roman one of St. Cyriacus, Paulus is said to have been a Bishop—which he omitted; and in that of Cyriacus, no mention is made.
[6] The Chronicle of Liutprandus, recently published, under the Era 651, or the year of Christ 613, has the following: "The memorial of St. Paulus, Bishop of Jacca, who, while visiting Rome, suffered martyrdom with two others under Decius on the sixth day before the Ides of February." From this, Joannes Tamayo de Salazar inscribed them in his Spanish Martyrology, saying that Paulus was Bishop of Jacca, a most ancient city at the foot of the Pyrenees, although some locate the Jaccetani far from there, around Dertosa and the mouth of the Ebro. It is not our concern to investigate this matter now, nor what authority that Chronicle has.
[7] Masinus, in his survey of Bologna, attests under the nineteenth day of June that illustrious relics of many Martyrs were brought from Rome to Bologna in the time of Urban VIII, and were publicly displayed in the chapel of the Angiolelli in the Senatorial palace in the year 1643, inserted into a skillfully made reliquary. He lists a total of forty-four names, among them Saints Lucius and Cyriacus, whose relics he writes were taken from that reliquary on this day, 8 February, and given to other churches. In the same place, he reports that relics of St. Paulus and his companion Martyrs are preserved in the church of the Barnabites. But who the companions of this Paulus are—whether Lucius and Cyriacus already mentioned, or others—he does not explain, nor do we venture to guess.