Romulus of Genoa

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Saint Romulus of Genoa
The Saint at San Romolo church (in San Romolo district of Sanremo)
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church
Feast	6 November (formerly 22 December, 13 October)
Attributes	depicted with episcopal dress and a sword in hand
Saints Portal

Saint Romulus of Genoa (Italian: Romolo, Ligurian: Rœmu^[1]) was a bishop of Genoa, successor to Syrus.^[2] His dates are uncertain: since Jacobus da Varagine^[3] traditional lists compiled from local liturgies generally place his bishopric fourth in a largely legendary list.^[4] He fled from Genoa and never returned^[5]. He died in the cave he inhabited at Villa Matutiæ ^[6], a town on the Italian Riviera which later adopted his name, becoming San Remo (from XV century to half of XX century), and then Sanremo^[7].

[edit] Veneration

In 876 the bishop Sabbatinus brought his remains to Genoa, to the church of San Siro, where a new structure was consecrated in 1023.

Since he was invoked in defence of Villa Matutiæ from its inhabitants during enemy attack, the saint is depicted with episcopal dress and a sword in hand.

His feast has been kept on 22 December, but also on 13 October, the traditional date of his death. Today in the Archdiocese of Genoa he is celebrated on 6 November together with two more of its early bishops: Saint Valentine of Genoa and Saint Felix of Genoa.

[edit] Notes

^ Rœmu is phonetically very similar to Remo, the Italian form of Remus, but there are no relationships at all with Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of Rome
^ His lead coffin rests upon that of Syrus beneath the high altar of the Church of San Siro. (Robert Walter Carden, The City of Genoa 1908: 79.
^ Chronicon Januense
^ The early lists noted in Carden 1908:76-77 included Grassi, I Vescovi di Genova.
^ Jacobus da Varagine's statement suggested to Carden a date during the first Lombard occupation of the city, 589-645 (Carden 1908:80).
^ Named for the Roman goddess presiding over childbirth, Mater Matuta; also known as Villa Matuzia, Villa Matutiana and Vicus Matutianus; whether a Roman villa or a vicus is not established.
^ Statute of Sanremo Municipality (Italian)