ON ST. CONSTANTIUS, CONFESSOR,
AT ANCONA IN ITALY
IN THE VI CENTURY
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.
Some deeds of the Saint known from S. Gregory the Great; his memory in more recent Calendars; his body translated to Venice; his cult.
Constantius, Confessor, at Ancona in Italy (S.)
BY J. P.
The name and part of the deeds of this holy Confessor S. Gregory the Great transmitted to posterity, book 1 of the Dialogues, chapter 5, Besides the things which S. Gregory has, with a remarkably distinguished eulogy; nor yet, which is wonderful, does any memory of him occur in the Works of other ancient writers or in the sacred Calendars. After Gregory the first whom I know, Pietro Calo or Calotius, a Venetian writer and religious of the Order of S. Dominic, who flourished about the year 1300, treats of S. Constantius in his manuscript Lives of the Saints, and is cited by the most excellent lord Flaminio Corner in the first Decade, page 94, of the Work entitled The Churches of Venice Illustrated, published in print in the year 1749, and bestowed on us as a gift by that same munificent helper of our Work. Calotius was followed by Peter de Natalibus in the Catalogue of Saints composed at Venice, book 8, chapter CXI, whom I do not transcribe, because he drew everything from S. Gregory except a few things about the death and translation of the relics of S. Constantius, to be related below. Next after came the more recent martyrologists, whom I review in their order.
[2] Among these I set first Greven and Molanus in their enlarged editions of Usuard, and what became known from him to the more recent writers, who announce the Saint on this day thus: On the same day at Ancona, holy Constantius the confessor, of whom the blessed Gregory in Dialogue I, and they subjoin a brief eulogy from the same holy Pontiff. The same does the author of the German Martyrology; but Maurolico, adding nothing: In the city of Ancona, of Constantius the confessor, of whom Gregory in the Dialogues. And thus Constantius Felicius in the Historical Calendar: Of Constantius, confessor, at Ancona. A little more prolixly, but less correctly, Galesini: At Ancona, holy Constantius, bishop and confessor. He, the things of this world being despised, wholly resting in the contemplation of God, heaped with the praise of a most holy life and of deeds divinely and wonderfully wrought, went to his reward in heaven. He perhaps confounded our Constantius with Constantius bishop of Aquino, whose deeds have been illustrated in our Work on the first day of September; for he too is mentioned in some sacred Calendars on the XXIII day of September, and is celebrated with a notable eulogy by the same S. Gregory, book 3 of the Dialogues, chapter 8. Galesini afterward noticed his own mistake, and therefore among the Notations at the XXIII day he added about our Saint: Elsewhere, of the presbyter, of whom S. Gregory, book 1 of the Dialogues, chapter 5. Accurately Baronius in the present Roman Martyrology: At Ancona, holy Constantius the confessor, sacristan of the church, conspicuous for the grace of miracles. Nor did Filippo Ferrari pass over our Saint in the Catalogue of the Saints of Italy; but neither did he assign any authors other than S. Gregory and Peter de Natalibus, from whom he wove his eulogy.
[3] Nothing here about the Saint's parents, the year of his birth and of his death, and the like, which, when instruments allow, nothing certain can be said about the Saint's life we are wont to elucidate, offers itself to be set before the reader. I should not dare even to determine with certainty in what century he lived, the sixth or the fifth. Giuliano Saraceni, a nobleman of Ancona, in his Italian Work entitled Historical Notices of the City of Ancona, says that he lived about the year 590; but probably from conjecture only, because, namely, S. Gregory, the sole writer of his deeds, was raised to the supreme Pontificate about that year. But indeed, when I consider more attentively the words of the holy Doctor, he speaks everywhere of a time longer past, and as of a person long since taken from among the living, and this is plain even from his very opening, which I transcribe from tome 2 of his Works most recently published at Paris in the year 1705. He has thus at column 173: I have learned by the account of a certain fellow-bishop of mine what I relate: who in the city of Ancona lived for many years in a monastic habit, to whom also certain of our own men, now of riper age, who are from those same parts, bear witness. For near that city is situated the church of the blessed martyr Stephen, in which a man of venerable life, Constantius by name, discharging the office of sacristan, served. S. Gregory drew up his Dialogues about the year 594, and therefore, if S. Constantius had flourished about the year 590, there was no need to appeal to the testimonies of men of riper age. But since he does appeal to these, he seems rather to have wished to produce witnesses who had themselves seen the Saint, than such as had known him only from their elders: and for that very reason I have set the sixth century broadly.
[4] and death; his body translated from Ancona to Venice The day of his death Peter de Natalibus thus expresses: And the Man of the Lord rested in peace on the IX Kalends of October, being buried at Ancona. But this too perhaps from conjecture, because he is venerated on that day; for the words which he presently subjoins, Gregory in the first Dialogue, chapter 5, have regard to the eulogy of S. Constantius, not to the day of his death, of which Gregory makes no mention. But the body, Peter de Natalibus thus concludes, of this Saint (Constantius) in the course of time was translated to Venice and placed in the church of holy Basil on the IV Ides of July. The same day the aforesaid Calotius also notes, on the testimony of the most excellent Corner, but the time of the translation is unknown both to the Venetians and to the people of Ancona. That the manner of it is known to him from tradition only Saraceni confesses in Italian in the place cited, and in Latin the Venetian Senator just mentioned in the following words: Further, his translation from Ancona to the city of Venice, which by all the Venetian Histories and Chronicles alike is buried in deep silence, is confirmed by the concordant tradition of the churches of Ancona and of Venice. Then, citing Saraceni in the third part of the Historical Notices of the City of Ancona, where he treats of the illustrious Men of that city, and relates that the translation of holy Constantius was accomplished by certain men of the Venetian galleys, he proceeds in this manner: These, having put in at the port of Ancona, brought certain marble images signifying the several months of the year, with which the front of the temple dedicated to holy Cyriacus should be adorned, and which are seen to this day above the greater door of that basilica:
and when, because of the novelty of the thing, the people of Ancona ran together in greater numbers to see them, the Venetian sailors, seizing the occasion, entering the church while it was empty, by an impulse of inconsiderate devotion secretly carried off the sacred remains of Constantius and translated them to Venice to the house of holy Basil, whose neighborhood perhaps they cultivated. But at what time the sacred relics arrived is not ascertained.
[5] The same most excellent writer indicates a little above he is venerated in both places. that the bodies of S. Constantius and of Bl. Peter Acotantus, a Venetian patrician, joined together, are preserved in the same church of S. Basil at the altar of the Crucified Lord, and are venerated with frequent veneration of the peoples. Ferrari in the Catalogue of the Saints of Italy asserts that the Birthday of S. Constantius is celebrated on the XXIII day of September at Ancona and at Venice. With what rite the yearly commemoration is made at Ancona is not ascertained by me; but in the Order of reciting the divine Office in the church and diocese of Venice a semidouble Office from the Common of Confessors is prescribed in the second place, and the ninth lesson of S. Thecla: but probably he is honored with a more solemn rite in the church of S. Basil on account of the presence of his body. Nothing further about him occurs; and so I subjoin under the name of a Eulogy, from the alleged new Paris edition, the whole of chapter 5 of book 1 of the Dialogues of S. Gregory, not omitting even the questions and answers of Peter the interlocutor, and where necessary I elucidate it with Annotations.
EULOGY
From S. Gregory the Great,
Dialogues, book 1, chapter 5.
Constantius, Confessor, at Ancona in Italy (S.)
BHL Number: 1933
The sanctity of Constantius, by a miracle, I have learned by the account of a certain fellow-bishop of mine what I relate a, who in the city of Ancona b lived for many years in a monastic habit, and there led a life not moderately religious, to whom also certain of our own men, now of riper age, who are from those same parts, bear witness. For near that city is situated the church of the blessed martyr Stephen c, in which a man of venerable life, Constantius by name, discharging the office of sacristan d, served: whose reputation for sanctity had spread far and wide to the knowledge of men, because that Man, utterly despising earthly things, burned with the whole effort of his mind for heavenly things alone. But on a certain day, when in that church oil was wanting, and the aforesaid Servant of God had nothing at all wherewith to kindle the lamps, he filled all the lamps of the church with water, and after the usual manner placed a wick e in the middle of them: which, fire being brought, he kindled; and so the water burned in the lamps, as if it had been oil. Consider therefore, Peter, of what merit that Man was, who, compelled by necessity, changed the nature of an element.
[2] Peter. Very wonderful is what I hear: but I should wish to know and his humility by a signal example of what humility he could be inwardly within himself, who was outwardly of such great excellence.
Gregory. Fittingly dost thou seek the soul among the virtues, because it is a very great matter that the wonders which are done outwardly assail the mind inwardly with their temptation. But if thou hearest one thing which this venerable Constantius did, thou wilt more quickly recognize of what humility he was.
Peter. Since thou hast told so great a miracle of that deed, it remains also that thou edify me about the humility of his mind.
Gregory. Because the reputation of his sanctity had greatly increased, many from various provinces anxiously thirsted to see him. But on a certain day a certain countryman came from a distant place to see him. And at that same hour it had chanced that the holy Man, standing on wooden steps, was busy trimming the lamps. But he was very small, of slight and despicable form. And when he who had come to see him inquired who he was, and earnestly asked that he should be shown to him, those who knew him showed who he was. But, as men of foolish mind measure merits by the quality of the body, seeing him small and despicable, he began altogether not to believe that this was he. For in the countryman's mind there had arisen, as it were, a certain quarrel between what he had heard and what he saw: and he judged that he could not be so short in appearance whom he had held so great in reputation. And when it had been asserted by many that this was he, he despised him and began to mock, saying: I believed him a great man, but this man has nothing of a man about him.
[3] is proved, When the man of God Constantius heard this, at once gladly leaving the lamps which he was trimming, he came down in haste, and rushed into the embrace of that same countryman, and began out of exceeding love to clasp him with his arms and to kiss him, and to give him great thanks because he had judged such things about him, saying: Thou alone hast had open eyes upon me. From which thing it must be weighed of what humility he was within himself, who loved the more the countryman who despised him. For what each man is inwardly, an insult offered proves. For as the proud rejoice in honors, so for the most part the humble rejoice in being despised. And when they see themselves cheap also in the eyes of others, they rejoice for this reason, because they understand that that judgment is confirmed which they themselves also held about themselves within themselves.
Peter. As I perceive, that Man was great outwardly in miracles, but greater inwardly in humility of heart.