BASILIDES, Saint, Martyr. - Of this martyr of Tuscia suburbicaria, buried at the twelfth mile of the Aurelia, near Lorium, between La Bottaccia and Castel di Guido, we have no reliable biographical data; the three hagiographic compositions concerning him are late and devoid of historical value. The Hieronymian and Roman martyrologies commemorate him on June 10 and 12, but the entries are corrupt and incongruous, especially in the Roman. The Capitulare evangeliorum of Würzburg (7th century) and then the other later Roman Capitularies of the pure type commemorate him without companions on June 12 (cf. Klauser). The Gelasian Sacramentary of the 8th century commemorates him on the same day, placing him before the heterogeneous group of the old Gelasian: Quirinus, Nabor and Nazarius, a group still present today in the Roman Missal. It seems to us that the date of the dies natalis to be preferred is that of June 12. Of the basilica erected over the body of B. at the twelfth mile of the Aurelia, cited in the Itinerarium Malmesburiense, and of the church "S. Basilidis in Merulana" mentioned by the Liber Pont. in the life of Leo III, nothing remains.

Bibliography7 works

BIBL.: Martyr. Hieronymianum, pp. 313, 315, 316; Martyr. Romanum, p. 234; Acta SS. Tunii, II, ed. Venice 1742, pp. 507-514; Th. Klauser, Das römische Capitulare Evangeliorum, Münster 1935, pp. 29, 75, 116, 155, 178; R. Valentini-C. Zucchetti, Codice topografico della Città di Roma, II, Rome 1942, pp. 132 (It. Malm.), 306 (Lib. Pont.); J. P. Kirsch, Le memorie dei martiri sulla via Aurelia e Cornelia, in Miscell. F. Ehle, II (Studi e Testi, 38), Rome 1923, pp. 86-91; Ch. Huelsen, Le Chiese di Roma nel Medio Evo, Florence 1927, p. 208.

A. Pietro Frutaz

@incollection{ec2_basilide_santo_martire, author = {Frutaz, Amato Pietro}, title = {Basilide, santo, martire}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {II}, pages = {970--971}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1949}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/basilide-santo-martire} }

One of some 20,000 entries brought back from the twelve printed volumes (1948–54). Spotted something? Help us improve it.

Basilides, Saint, Martyr

About this entry