St. Alexander, Bishop and Martyr of Fermo (Firmum) in Picenum, Italy. Said to have been a native of Fermo from the Sinigarda family, he was slain near the city for defending the Catholic faith. His acts were lost when Fermo was burned by Emperor Frederick I. His body rests in the Metropolitan basilica.
ON ST. ALEXANDER, MARTYR, BISHOP OF FERMO IN PICENUM.
Commentary
Alexander, Bishop of Fermo, Martyr in Picenum (S.)
The Roman Martyrology: "On the 3rd of the Ides of January, at Fermo in Picenum, of St. Alexander, Bishop and Martyr." His acts appear to have been lost when the city of Fermo was burned by the Emperor Frederick I. Ferrarius writes the following about him in his catalogue of the Saints of Italy, drawn from the records of the Church of Fermo: Alexander, said to have been a native of Fermo from the Sinigarda family, who, having been made Bishop of the Church of Fermo, was slain not far from the city on the road that leads to the monastery of St. Savinus, by the enemies of the Catholic faith, for the defense of that same faith, and was crowned with martyrdom. His body rests in the Metropolitan basilica, interred in a marble sarcophagus, where an epitaph written in Lombard letters reads thus: "Here lies deposited the most blessed body of the glorious Martyr and Bishop Alexander." His memorial is celebrated at Fermo on the 3rd of the Ides of January, as is noted in the Roman Martyrology.
Feedback
Noticed an error, have a suggestion, or want to share a thought? Let me know.
Support the Translation
The Acta Sanctorum has never been available in English. This site is translating all of it: January through July are done, August is underway, and the calendar runs to November 10, where the Bollandists stopped in 1940. The scholarship pipeline is built; what remains is a compute bill. Contributions go directly to translating more of the calendar.
The Acta was a funded enterprise for three centuries; the translation runs the same way. Everything here is free and stays free whether you give or not. Wroot Press is a small independent press — an imprint of Wroot Labs LLC, not a charity. Contributions aren't tax-deductible; they buy compute.