SCILLITAN MARTYRS, Saints. - They are commemorated in the Hieronymian Martyrology and in the Calendar of Carthage on July 17. They are considered the protomartyrs of Africa, since according to the testimony of Tertullian (Ad Scapulam, 3) the proconsul who condemned them was the first persecutor in Africa.
Their martyrdom is preserved in acts; they are not the authentic copy of the judicial protocols, since they appear greatly abridged, but they were probably drawn up by an eyewitness of the trial and constitute one of the oldest documents of this kind. On July 17, 180, twelve Christians of Scillium — Speratus, Nartzalus, Cittinus, Veturius, Felix, Aquilinus, Laetantius, Januaria, Generosa, Vestia, Donata and Secunda — were arrested and taken to Carthage to the tribunal of the proconsul Vigellius Saturninus. Once the interrogation began, they all unanimously professed their faith; in vain the proconsul sought to induce them to change their minds by granting them a month's time for reflection: the confessors refused, declaring that they were firm in their decision. They were therefore condemned to beheading. In their honor a basilica was built, mentioned by Victor of Vita (Hist. persec. Vandal., I, 3), in which St. Augustine delivered several sermons.
Bibliography7 worksActa SS. Iulii, IV, Paris 1868, pp. 204-16; P. Franchi de' Cavalieri, Le reliquie des martiri s., in Rom. Quantalofer., 17 (1903), pp. 209-2
BIBL.: Acta SS. Iulii, IV, Paris 1868, pp. 204-16; P. Franchi de' Cavalieri, Le reliquie des martiri s., in Rom. Quantalofer., 17 (1903), pp. 209-21; H. Delchaye, Les passions des martyrs et les genres littér., Brussels 1921, pp. 60-63, 393-400; id., Les origines du culte des martyrs, ibid. 1933, p. 376; F. Allard, Stor. critica delle persecue. (ed. it.), I, Florence 1931, pp. 411-14; Martyr. Hieronymianum, p. 379 ff.; Martyr. Romanum, p. 292.
Amore, Agostino. “Scillitani, santi, martiri.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI, coll. 111–112. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953. https://azioneromana.com/article/scillitani-santi-martiri.
MLA
Amore, Agostino. “Scillitani, santi, martiri.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. XI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1953, coll. 111–112. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/scillitani-santi-martiri.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec11_scillitani_santi_martiri,
author = {Amore, Agostino},
title = {Scillitani, santi, martiri},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {XI},
pages = {111--112},
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/scillitani-santi-martiri}
}
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