Martinianus was Archbishop of Milan from 423 to 435. He is honoured as a Saint

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 Church and his feast day is January 2.

Life

A tradition associates Martinianus with the Roman family of the Hosii. According to the writings of Ennodius

Magnus Felix Ennodius

Magnus Felix Ennodius was Bishop of Pavia in 514, and a Latin rhetorician and poet.He was one of four fifth to sixth-century Gallo-Roman aristocrats whose letters survive in quantity: the others are Sidonius Apollinaris, prefect of Rome in 468 and bishop of Clermont , Ruricius bishop of Limoges ...

, bishop of Pavia

Pavia

Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...

 in early 6th-century, Martinianus was elected bishop of Milan notwithstanding he had no desire for that position due to his humility and fear. He is mentioned in a letter written in 431 to Rufus of Thessalonica by the moderate Nestorian

Nestorian

Nestorian or Nestorians can refer to:*Nestorianism, a Christological doctrine developed by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople, condemned as heresy by the Council of Ephesus in 431...

 John of Antioch

John of Antioch

John of Antioch was Patriarch of Antioch and led a group of moderate Eastern bishops during the Nestorian controversy. He is sometimes confused with John Chrysostom, who is occasionally also referred to as John of Antioch. John gave active support to his friend Nestorius in the latter's dispute...

, who relates to have received from Martinianus the treatise De Incarnationis of Ambrose

Ambrose

Aurelius Ambrosius, better known in English as Saint Ambrose , was a bishop of Milan who became one of the most influential ecclesiastical figures of the 4th century. He was one of the four original doctors of the Church.-Political career:Ambrose was born into a Roman Christian family between about...

.

Martinianus founded two churches in Milan, one of them, possibly founded in 417, was dedicated to both Saint Zechariah

Zechariah (priest)

In the Bible, Zechariah , is the father of John the Baptist, a priest of the sons of Aaron, a prophet in , and the husband of Elisabeth who is the cousin of Mary the mother of Jesus.In the Qur'an, Zechariah plays a similar role as the father of John the Baptist and ranks him as a prophet alongside...

 and Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen

Saint Stephen The Protomartyr , the protomartyr of Christianity, is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Churches....

, and it is now known, after several reconstructions, as Basilica of Saint Stephen.

Martinianus died on December 29, 435. His feast day was later postponed to the next January 2 due to the introduction of the Christmas' octave

Octave (liturgical)

"Octave" has two senses in Christian liturgical usage. In the first sense, it is the eighth day after a feast, reckoning inclusively, and so always falls on the same day of the week as the feast itself. The word is derived from Latin octava , with dies understood...

. Martinianus was buried in the Basilica of Saint Stephen in Milan. In 1988 his body was translated

Translation (relics)

In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...

 to the Milan Cathedral and buried under the altar of Saint Agatha.