Calimerius
Encyclopedia
Calimerius (died 280 AD) was an early bishop of Milan. He is honoured as a Saint
in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Churches and his feast day is on July 31.
in Milan, after his death. He was probably not a contemporary and disciple of Pope Telesphorus
(2nd century), as is often stated, but lived in the third century, with an episcopate of 270-280.
, and was educated at Rome
. He was a disciple of Pope Telesphorus
. He succeeded St. Castricianus
(San Castriziano). He was ordained priest by Castricianus
and served at the Basilica Fausta (now the church of Saints Vitalis and Agricola
). At the death of Castricianus
, he was elected bishop.
According to his legend, when he became bishop of Milan
, he preached in the region and was killed during the persecutions of Christians by Commodus
or Hadrian
, by being flung headfirst into a well
.
and the relics were found submerged in water, perhaps due to the many underground channels that ran under the city. However, the fact that his relics were found this way led to the legend that Calimerius was flung into a well. In the eleventh century, the Datiana Historia, written by an anonymous author, states that Calimerius was flung into a well as revenge for having baptized so many pagans. The same source includes the detail that Calimerius was a Greek raised in Rome, as well as the fact that he was a disciple of Telesphorus, although both claims may be historically doubtful. Another legend states that he was a Roman of noble origin, who, after serving in the military, was converted by Saints Faustinus and Jovita
and was elected bishop of Milan. The dates on a plaque of marble in the interior of the Cathedral of Milan state that his episcopate lasted from 139 to 192, but these dates, due to disputes with Rome, may have been falsified in the eleventh century in order to make the diocese of Milan appear to be more ancient than it actually was. Thus, it considered Saint Barnabas of the Apostolic Age
as its first bishop in order to become more independent of Rome. As Hippolyte Delehaye
writes, "To have lived amongst the Saviour's immediate following was...honorable...and accordingly old patrons of churches were identified with certain persons in the gospels or who were supposed to have had some part of Christ's
life on earth."
, writes that the basilica of San Calimero was built in the fifth century to hold the relics of Calimerius.
The waters of a well said to have been the place of his death acquired special significance. Every July 31, his feast day, the sick would drink of this water. In times of drought
, priests would put some of the miraculous water into a bottle and pour it over the fields.
There are basilicas dedicated to him at Pasturo
and the Santuario della Madonna di San Calimero is located in Bolladello di Cairate.
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
Churches and his feast day is on July 31.
Life
The only thing known for certain about him was that he was a bishop whose relics were conserved in the Basilica of Saint CalimeriusBasilica di San Calimero
The Basilica di San Calimero is a church in Milan, northern Italy. Its name refers to Saint Calimerius , an early bishop of the city...
in Milan, after his death. He was probably not a contemporary and disciple of Pope Telesphorus
Pope Telesphorus
Pope Saint Telesphorus was Pope from 126 or 127 to 136 or 137 or 138, during the reigns of Roman Emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. He was Greek by birth....
(2nd century), as is often stated, but lived in the third century, with an episcopate of 270-280.
Legend
According to his legend, he was born in GreeceGreece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and was educated at Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. He was a disciple of Pope Telesphorus
Pope Telesphorus
Pope Saint Telesphorus was Pope from 126 or 127 to 136 or 137 or 138, during the reigns of Roman Emperors Hadrian and Antoninus Pius. He was Greek by birth....
. He succeeded St. Castricianus
Castritian
Castritian was Bishop of Milan in mid 3rd-century. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is on December 1.-Life:...
(San Castriziano). He was ordained priest by Castricianus
Castritian
Castritian was Bishop of Milan in mid 3rd-century. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is on December 1.-Life:...
and served at the Basilica Fausta (now the church of Saints Vitalis and Agricola
Saints Vitalis and Agricola
Saints Vitalis and Agricola are venerated as martyrs, who are considered to have died at Bologna about 304, during the persecution ordered by Roman Emperor Diocletian.-Legend:...
). At the death of Castricianus
Castritian
Castritian was Bishop of Milan in mid 3rd-century. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is on December 1.-Life:...
, he was elected bishop.
According to his legend, when he became bishop of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
, he preached in the region and was killed during the persecutions of Christians by Commodus
Commodus
Commodus , was Roman Emperor from 180 to 192. He also ruled as co-emperor with his father Marcus Aurelius from 177 until his father's death in 180. His name changed throughout his reign; see changes of name for earlier and later forms. His accession as emperor was the first time a son had succeeded...
or Hadrian
Hadrian
Hadrian , was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138. He is best known for building Hadrian's Wall, which marked the northern limit of Roman Britain. In Rome, he re-built the Pantheon and constructed the Temple of Venus and Roma. In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was a humanist and was philhellene in...
, by being flung headfirst into a well
Water well
A water well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, boring or drilling to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn by an electric submersible pump, a trash pump, a vertical turbine pump, a handpump or a mechanical pump...
.
Calimerius and the well
Calimerius' relics were exhumed in the eighth century by Bishop Tommaso Grassi of Milan. The urnUrn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
and the relics were found submerged in water, perhaps due to the many underground channels that ran under the city. However, the fact that his relics were found this way led to the legend that Calimerius was flung into a well. In the eleventh century, the Datiana Historia, written by an anonymous author, states that Calimerius was flung into a well as revenge for having baptized so many pagans. The same source includes the detail that Calimerius was a Greek raised in Rome, as well as the fact that he was a disciple of Telesphorus, although both claims may be historically doubtful. Another legend states that he was a Roman of noble origin, who, after serving in the military, was converted by Saints Faustinus and Jovita
Saints Faustinus and Jovita
Saints Faustinus and Jovita were said to be Christian martyrs under Hadrian. Their traditional date of death is 120. They are patron saints of Brescia."Jovita" is a woman's name. In some accounts the saints were instead Faustinus and Jovinus, brothers....
and was elected bishop of Milan. The dates on a plaque of marble in the interior of the Cathedral of Milan state that his episcopate lasted from 139 to 192, but these dates, due to disputes with Rome, may have been falsified in the eleventh century in order to make the diocese of Milan appear to be more ancient than it actually was. Thus, it considered Saint Barnabas of the Apostolic Age
Apostolic Age
The Apostolic Age of the history of Christianity is traditionally the period of the Twelve Apostles, dating from the Crucifixion of Jesus and the Great Commission in Jerusalem until the death of John the Apostle in Anatolia...
as its first bishop in order to become more independent of Rome. As Hippolyte Delehaye
Hippolyte Delehaye
Hippolyte Delehaye was a Belgian Jesuit who was a hagiographic scholar and an outstanding member of the Bollandists, who established critical editions of texts relating to the Christian saints and martyrs that were based on applying the critical method of sound archaeological and documentary...
writes, "To have lived amongst the Saviour's immediate following was...honorable...and accordingly old patrons of churches were identified with certain persons in the gospels or who were supposed to have had some part of Christ's
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
life on earth."
Veneration
Saint Ennodius, in an epigramEpigram
An epigram is a brief, interesting, usually memorable and sometimes surprising statement. Derived from the epigramma "inscription" from ἐπιγράφειν epigraphein "to write on inscribe", this literary device has been employed for over two millennia....
, writes that the basilica of San Calimero was built in the fifth century to hold the relics of Calimerius.
The waters of a well said to have been the place of his death acquired special significance. Every July 31, his feast day, the sick would drink of this water. In times of drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
, priests would put some of the miraculous water into a bottle and pour it over the fields.
There are basilicas dedicated to him at Pasturo
Pasturo
Pasturo is a comune in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 60 km northeast of Milan and about 11 km north of Lecco...
and the Santuario della Madonna di San Calimero is located in Bolladello di Cairate.