Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. XI, 1953 Saints & hagiography Saints

Sergius and Bacchus, Saints, Martyrs

SERGIO E BACCO, SANTI, MARTIRI

Feast day: 7 October

Italian original Cite

Bacchus, Saint, Martyr redirects here.

Also known as: Greek: Sergios and Bakchos; Italian: San Sergio e San Bacco; Latin: Sergius et Bacchus

SERGIUS AND BACCHUS, Saints, Martyrs. - Much venerated in antiquity in the East; their names appear in the Hieronymian Martyrology, but they appear in the Roman liturgical books only in the 11th century. Feast on Oct. 7, both among the Greeks and among the Latins.

Of Roman origin, they were soldiers and served in the palace of Maximian. When the persecution broke out they were invited to apostatize, but since they refused they were degraded and, in mockery, led around the city in women's clothing. Entrusted to the prefect of the East, Antiochus, they were subjected to harsh torments during which B. died. S. was taken to Rosapha and there, after all threats and enticements to make him sacrifice proved vain, he was beheaded. On his tomb a basilica was built which soon became a destination of pilgrimages and the center of an urban settlement that took from the martyr the name of Sergiopolis. Many other churches were built in their honor both in the East and in the West. In the Byzantine period the two martyrs were venerated and invoked as protectors of the army. In Rome, under the pontificate of Adrian I, there existed a deaconry (v.) dedicated to the two martyrs. Their Passio is legendary.

Bibliography5 works
BIBL.: Acta SS. Octobris, III, Paris 1868, pp. 833-83; Martyr. Hieronym., p. 545; Martyr. Romanum, p. 439; H. Delhaye, Les origines du culte des martyrs, Brussels 1933, pp. 209-211; A. Poidebard-R. Mouterde, A propos de st S., in Anal. Boll., 67 (1949), pp. 109-16, cf. also pp. 104-105.

Agostino Amore

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By Agostino Amore

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Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI (1953), col. 388.

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Page 248
vol. 11, coll. 387–388

More by Agostino Amore: Sergius I, Pope, Saint · Servatius, Saint · Senator, Saint · Septimius Severus (L. Septimius Severus), Roman Emperor · Severian

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Chicago

Amore, Agostino. “Sergio e Bacco, santi, martiri.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI, col. 388. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953. https://azioneromana.com/article/sergio-e-bacco-santi-martiri.

MLA

Amore, Agostino. “Sergio e Bacco, santi, martiri.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953, col. 388. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/sergio-e-bacco-santi-martiri.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec11_sergio_e_bacco_santi_martiri,
  author    = {Amore, Agostino},
  title     = {Sergio e Bacco, santi, martiri},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {XI},
  pages     = {388},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1953},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/sergio-e-bacco-santi-martiri}
}

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