ON ST. ANTHIMUS, BISHOP OF INTERAMNA AND SPOLETO IN UMBRIA
ABOUT THE YEAR 176.
HISTORICAL COMMENTARY.
Anthimus, Bishop of Interamna and Spoleto in Umbria (St.)
By the author G. H.
[1] The city of Interamna in Umbria, an episcopal see, celebrates various native Saints in the month of February: on the 14th, St. Valentine the Bishop, by whom St. Agape, instructed in piety, is venerated on the following day, February 15th. But those Martyrs who are commonly associated either with St. Valentine At Interamna, St. Anthimus the Bishop is venerated on February 21 or with St. Agape have their veneration in the ecclesiastical office on the two following days, as we have noted under each of those days. The predecessor of St. Valentine is held to be St. Anthimus, whom Ferrari, following the records of the Church of Interamna, enters in his general Catalogue under February 21 with these words: "At Interamna, St. Anthimus the Bishop," and notes that he flourished under Pope Pius I, who sat from the year 156 to the year 165, in which year he was put to death as a martyr on July 11th. That the same St. Anthimus is venerated on February 21 is reported by Angelonus in his Lives of the Saints of Interamna, published in Italian together with the History of the same city.
[2] Ughelli, in volume 1 of his Italia Sacra, under the Bishopric of Interamna, places St. Anthimus as the second Bishop of that See and narrates the following: "St. Anthimus, first Bishop of Interamna, soon afterward governed the Church of Spoleto. His eve-of-feast day is celebrated on the 21st of the month of February. He erected the church of St. Peter outside the walls of Interamna, he erects the church of St. Peter where the Cathedral See of the Bishops stood out, which was afterward profaned. he preaches throughout Umbria Celebrated mention of him is found in the Life of St. Concordius. He promulgated the Gospel of Christ the Lord throughout all of Umbria, and especially at Foligno." The same Ughelli, under the Bishopric of Spoleto, says that the same St. Anthimus, Bishop of Interamna, also governed this See, he governs the See of Spoleto and that in the most ancient Calendars his memory is found inscribed with the title of Martyr, that several churches and images under his name are found at Spoleto and at Interamna, and that his memory was brought back to light by Lawrence Castruccius, Bishop of Spoleto, he is venerated with an ecclesiastical office and that at his request, an office was granted by the holy Apostolic See in the year 1628. He adds that his Acts are summarized by the Church of Spoleto in this brief eulogy:
[3] "St. Anthimus, born of noble stock, under the most severe persecution of the faithful of Christ during the reign of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, first governed the Church of Interamna and then the Church of Spoleto. Combining a life of holiness equally with dexterity of character and gravity of learning, he excels in learning and piety he comforted the calamities of the peoples in a wondrous fashion. Indeed, in the secret preaching of the Word of God, in the instruction of the faithful, and in enlarging the worship of the churches and propagating the faith, he took no second place; since by his own industry and at his own expense he restored some oratories and erected others anew -- he erects oratories not only at Spoleto but also at Interamna, while he was governing that Church -- placing in them clerics of worthy character dedicated to divine worship, following the footsteps of Hyginus, the Roman Pontiff (in whose time he flourished), who is said to have been the first to impose a regular form upon the Clergy. So great was his influence in friendship with Torquatus, the Governor of Umbria, he temporarily frees the Martyr St. Concordius that he obtained the release of Concordius, a leading Roman citizen whom Torquatus had cast into prison at Spoleto for Christ's sake, and kept him with himself for a long time. And when he found him to be a truly apostolic man, outstanding in the integrity of his life and character, and previously ordained by Pope Pius, he added to his honors the dignity of the presbyterate. At last this illustrious Bishop, having shone forth with many praises of virtue among all for a long time, and having performed many labors for Christ with distinction, he dies about the year 176, illustrious for the various churches he erected happily fell asleep in the Lord on the fifth day before the Ides of May, about the year of the Lord one hundred and seventy-six. The faithful, mindful of his great merits, erected several churches in his name both at Spoleto and at Interamna, which survive to this day." So far from that source; and Angelonus has the same in his Life.
[4] We gave the Acts of the above-named St. Concordius, Priest and Martyr, on the Kalends of January. In those Acts it is said that the Count of Tuscia, Torquatus, during the most severe persecution of the Emperor Antoninus, resided in the city of Spoleto, sent for and summoned to himself St. Concordius, whom after various questions proposed concerning Christ he ordered to be beaten with rods a friend of Count Torquatus and confined in public custody. Then, as is related in number 5, "Bl. Eutyches came to him by night with St. Anthimus the Bishop, and because Anthimus was a friend of the Count, he asked Count Torquatus to grant him to himself for a few days. And he entrusted him to Bl. Anthimus, and they dwelt together for many days. And at the opportune time he consecrates St. Concordius as a Priest he consecrated him a Priest, and they began to devote themselves to prayer. After some time, however, the Count sent and took him away."
[5] Jacobilli, in his Lives of the Saints of Umbria, celebrates St. Anthimus on the 11th of May, on which day he believes some translation of the body to have been performed, and he reports that he died on the 21st of February, about the year 176. That year is expressed in the eulogy cited above, [in some respects not sufficiently distinguished from St. Anthimus the Priest and Martyr] though not the 21st of February but the 11th of May -- on which day another St. Anthimus is also venerated, but a Priest, who was martyred at Rome under Diocletian. Jacobilli asserts that the title of martyr was wrongly transferred by the people of Spoleto from this Priest to St. Anthimus the Bishop, and the same is perhaps to be said of the 11th of May. Finally he adds that he is venerated as principal Patron by the people of Stroncone, he is invoked against storms and that his patronage is invoked against hail and other storms.