Saints Gratianus and Felinus
| Saints Felinus and Gratian | |
|---|---|
| Died | ~250 AD Perugia |
| Venerated in |
Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | Santi Martiri Church, Arona |
| Feast | June 1; (Joint local feast day with Carpophorus and Fidelis) March 13 |
| Attributes | Military attire |
| Patronage | Arona |
Saints Felinus and Gratian(us) (sometimes Gratinian(us)) (d. 250 AD) are venerated as martyrs by the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. They are patron saints of Arona, near Milan, where their relics were enshrined.
The city of Arona celebrates two groups of martyrs on March 13: Felinus and Gratian, as well as Carpophorus and Fidelis. The festival of Tredicino is celebrated on the shores of Lago Maggiore.
Baronius inserted the names of Felinus and Gratian names into the Roman Martyrology, quoting as his authority the Acts preserved at Perugia.Sabine Baring-Gould writes, however, that “the so-called Acts of SS. Gratian and Felinus, used as lections in the Arona Passionale, are extracted from the Acts of SS. Florentinus and Companions, martyrs at Perugia commemorated the same day. But these Acts are in their turn not genuine; they are, in fact, the Acts of SS. Secundianus and Comp. (Aug. 9th).” The cult of Gratian and Felinus rests on a shaky historical foundation. The garbling of lives and cults may have been purposeful, consisting of a mere alteration of the names of persons and places so as to make the Acts of Secundianus serve for Felinus and Gratian, and thus in the interests of Perugia.
The oldest document concerning Felinus and Gratian dates from the tenth century. The manuscript is made up of 249 sheets in parchment and is written in Gothic script and in medieval Latin. According to the text, Felinus and Gratian were two soldiers of Perugia, who were converted to Christianity by the bishop of the city. During the persecution of Decius, they were martyred for their faith. Felinus and Gratian have been identified as being identical to two other martyrs: Gratilianus and Felicissima, with “Felinus and Gratian” being a simple misreading for the names of two actual saints.
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