Role Saint Name Magnus Anagni | Feast August 19 | |
Attributes episcopal attire, palm of martyrdom Died August 19, 251 AD, Ceccano, Italy | ||
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church | ||
Saint Magnus of Anagni (Italian: San Magno di Anagni), also known as Magnus of Trani or Magnus of Fabrateria Vetus, is venerated as the patron saint of Anagni. According to tradition, he was born at Trani in the 2nd century, the son of a man named Apollonius. He became a shepherd at an early age to support the family; he had a small flock of sheep and donated his earnings to the poor. He and his father were baptized by Bishop Redemptus of Trani. When Redemptus died, Magnus was proclaimed bishop of Trani by the people and local clerics. As bishop Magnus worked to spread Christianity in Fondi, Aquino, and Anagni. In Anagni, he baptized a young woman named Secundina, who would later die as a Christian martyr. Magnus fled to Rome to escape the persecutions of Christians that were led by a man named Tarquinius. After a while, Magnus headed home, hiding himself along the way. Soldiers discovered him in a cave near Fondi, however, and he was decapitated near Fabrateria Vetus, in Latium.
Veneration
In the ninth century, his relics were translated from Fondi to Veroli by a man named Plato. According to tradition, a Muslim overlord named Musa converted Magnus’ sepulcher into a stable. When the horses placed in the stable began to die, Musa became frightened and sold the relics to citizens from Anagni. These relics were translated to the cathedral of Anagni in the presence of Bishop Zacharias (Zaccaria). Magnus was afterwards declared patron saint of Anagni, and was also venerated in the town of Colle San Magno, in Frosinone. Magnus should not be confused with Saint Magnus of Cuneo, martyr of the Theban Legion, who is venerated on the same day. The Roman Martyrology lists only Saint Magnus of Anagni. He is mentioned in the Martyrologium Hieronymianum in which his death place is listed as Fabrateria vetus. Magnus enjoyed wide veneration in the lower Latium region. His name appears in the Sacramentarium Gelasianum (7th century) and the Sacramentarium of the eighth century.