| Saint Libertine | |
|---|---|
| Bishop and Martyr | |
| Died | 1st or 3rd century AD |
| Feast | November 3 |
Saint Libertine (or Libertinus) (Italian: San Libertino) is venerated as a Christian martyr and as the first bishop of Agrigento, in Sicily.[1]
According to tradition, Libertine was sent by Saint Peter to Agrigento to Christianize the city during the 1st century.[1] However, Libertine may have actually lived at a later date, during the 3rd century, and may have been martyred during the persecutions of Decius or Diocletian.[1]
The tradition also holds that his preaching was so effective that he was eventually martyred by the Roman authorities.[1]
He performed miracles and built a church, perhaps on the site of the current Cathedral of Agrigento.[1] A legend told of Libertine is that just before he died, he uttered the Latin verse: Gens iniqua, plebs rea, non videbis ossa mea (“Iniquitous people, guilty people, you will not see my bones”).[1] The northern gate of the city, Bibbirria, is said to have been derived from a corruption of Libertine’s last words.[1] However, it is more likely that the name derives from the Arabic for “Gate of the winds” (Bab er rijah).[1] Furthermore, according to Giuseppe Fumagalli, these verses were a common saying in communities that did not possess the relics of their patron saint.[2]
Libertine was martyred with Saint Peregrinus (San Pellegrino), and is said to have either been stoned to death or killed with a sword.[1]
A cult dedicated to Libertine existed from a very early date in Agrigento.[1] In Leontius’ life of Saint Gregory of Agrigento, a bishop of the city, it is stated that the church of Agrigento owned a house in Palermo that was named after Libertine.[1] Libertine was invoked for aid in 1625 during a plague that afflicted Agrigento.[1]