ON THE SEVENTY-NINE HOLY MARTYRS IN SICILY.
ABOUT THE YEAR 303.
Commentary79 Martyrs in Sicily (SS.)
G. H.
[1] The crown of these Sicilian Martyrs is inscribed under the 21st of February in a great many Martyrologies, of which the manuscript Martyrology of St. Riquier reports: "In Sicily, seventy-eight Martyrs under Diocletian." 79 Martyrs under Diocletian in Sicily, February 21 But in all the rest, seventy-nine are recorded. Thus the manuscript Martyrology of St. Martin at Trier and the manuscript Florarium: "In Sicily, the seventy-nine holy Martyrs under Diocletian." Nearly the same is found in the manuscript of the Carmelites at Cologne. The old Roman Martyrology published by Rosweyde reports: "In Sicily, the seventy-nine holy Martyrs who suffered various torments under Diocletian." they suffered various torments The same accords with what is read in the manuscript of Cologne at St. Mary ad Gradus. Furthermore, Bede, Usuard, Ado, Bellinus, Maurolycus, Canisius, Viola, and the manuscript Martyrologies of St. Lambert at Liege, St. Paulinus at Trier, St. Mary at Utrecht, St. Gudula at Brussels, as well as the one printed at Cologne in the year 1490, all adorn these Martyrs with the same words: "In Sicily, the seventy-nine holy Martyrs, who under Diocletian, through various torments, merited to receive from Christ the crown of their confession prepared for them." With these agree the present-day Roman Martyrology and Peter de Natali in book 3 of his Catalogue, chapter 138, citing the Martyrology of St. Jerome, which differs from ours.
[2] Galesinius amplifies the above eulogy in his own words: "In Sicily, the seventy-nine holy Martyrs. They, under the Emperor Diocletian, put on the cross and subjected to unheard-of punishments, whether they were crucified? received the palm of the confession which they had made with the utmost constancy, prepared for them by Christ the Lord." So says Galesinius, citing Wandelbert besides Bede and Usuard, though Wandelbert makes no mention of these Martyrs. Ferrari has similar words in his Catalogue of the Saints of Italy, but without any mention of the cross. He observes that it is not known in which city of Sicily they suffered, since neither the Martyrologies teach this, nor does he believe they are venerated anywhere on that island. Octavius Caietanus, in his Plan of the Work on Sicilian Saints, citing the Roman Martyrology, reports the following in the Sicilian Martyrology: "In Sicily, the birthday of the 79 holy Martyrs under Diocletian and Maximian." In the chronological index he refers them to the year of Christ 303, but in the topical index he asserts them to be Martyrs of an uncertain place.
[3] Ferrari in his General Catalogue of Saints, from the Tables and Calendar of the Church (as he says) of Zaragoza, writes the following under February 21st: Ferrari attributes 79 Martyrs to Zaragoza on February 21 "At Zaragoza in Spain, the seventy-nine holy Martyrs." And he notes that nothing further concerning them is found in any author. Ferrari had previously reported the same things in his Catalogue of the Saints of Italy concerning the Sicilian Saints, who are of the same number, 79, and obtained the palm of martyrdom on the same 21st of February. Whence we fear that some confusion of places has crept in among the writers. Certainly John Tamayo Salazar, a diligent investigator of the Saints of Spain, makes no mention whatsoever of these Martyrs of Zaragoza. they appear to be the same We have not seen those Tables of the Church of Zaragoza; hence we can pronounce nothing certain. Perhaps Ferrari saw some Calendar or common Ephemerides published in "Saragossa," which he interpreted as Caesaraugusta in Spain, when the Spaniards call Syracuse by the same name. In such ephemerides, moreover, almost before all others are listed either those Saints who have public veneration everywhere, or those who belong to that province, even if they do not properly pertain to the city in which those Calendars were published. Whence one might suspect that the 79 Sicilian Saints, whose memory is celebrated on this day in the Martyrologies, were inscribed in such a Calendar published at Syracuse, as we also noted above in the catalogue of those Passed Over.