Antoninus of Pamiers
Early missionary and martyr, patron of three towns.
Known as the "Apostle of the Rouergue," Saint Antoninus of Pamiers is an early Christian missionary and martyr. Different sources place his life in various centuries, and his true identity remains uncertain. He is the patron saint of Pamiers, Palencia, and Medina del Campo.
Quick Facts
- Feast day
- 2 September
- Venerated in
- Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church
- Birthplace
- Fredelacum (Pamiers)
- Place of death
- Vallis Nobilis, now Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val
- Patronage
- Pamiers
- Palencia
- Medina del Campo
Facts from the source article.
History
Reportedly born at Fredelacum (Pamiers), Antoninus converted to Christianity and made a pilgrimage to Rome, where he was ordained. He returned to preach the Gospel in Aquitaine, especially in the border regions of the Rouergue. Cardinal Caesar Baronius believed he was one of the martyrs of the Theban Legion in 286. He was martyred at Vallis Nobilis, now Saint-Antonin-Noble-Val, on 2 September.
Veneration
Antoninus was honored as a saint early on, with cathedrals in Palencia and Pamiers bearing his name. A monastery near Foix claimed to hold his head and some remains, reportedly brought from Syria by an angel-guided boat. These differing stories imply that the Pamiers martyr is identical to Syria's Antoninus. Around 960, the Abbey of St. Antonin was established near Fredelacum.
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