This article needs additional citations for verification. (December 2021) |
Saint Domnius (also known as Saint Dujam or Saint Duje, Saint Domnio, Saint Doimus, or Saint Domninus) was a Bishop of Salona (today's Solin) around the year 300, and is venerated as the patron of the nearby city of Split in modern Croatia.
Domnius | |
|---|---|
 Saint Domnius holding the city of Split | |
| Bishop and Martyr | |
| Born | 3rd century Antioch, Syria, Roman Empire (modern-day Antakya, Hatay, Turkey) |
| Died | 304 Salona, Dalmatia, Roman Empire |
| Venerated in | Eastern Orthodox Church, Roman Catholic Church |
| Feast | 7 May |
| Attributes | bishop holding the city of Split or the Cathedral of Saint Domnius |
| Patronage | Split, Croatia |
Traditional narrative
editChristian tradition states that he was one of the Seventy Disciples of the 1st century.[1] This tradition holds that Domnio came to Rome with Saint Peter and was then sent by Peter to evangelize Dalmatia, where he was martyred along with eight soldiers he had converted.[1]
He was more likely a martyr of the 4th century. He was born in Antioch, (in modern-day Turkey but historically in Syria), to a prominent and wealthy family. He was educated at the university there. Domnius became bishop of Salona around 284,[2] and was later beheaded 10 April 304 at the amphitheatre in Salona,[3] a large Roman city serving as capital of the Province of Dalmatia. Saint Domnius was martyred with seven other Christians in the persecutions of the Emperor Diocletian, and was buried in the Manastirine cemetery, outside the walls of Salona.[4]
Veneration
editWhen Salona was sacked by the Avars and Slavs in the 6th century, the population eventually moved to the nearby Palace of Diocletian, enlarging the nearby city of Split (Spalatum), and establishing it as the successor to Salona. Saint Domnius became the city's patron saint, and the city's Cathedral of Saint Domnius was built in the mausoleum of Diocletian itself, the emperor who martyred him. His relics were later moved to the Cathedral of Saint Domnius in Split.[5]
Saint Domnius' Day, locally known as Sudamja (pron. Soodamyah) is celebrated in Split on May 7.[6] Part of the celebration includes a procession led with a silver reliquary of the saint's relics.[5]
The Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome claims to own some of Domnio's relics, since Pope John IV, in the 7th century, had requested that relics of a martyr named Domnio be brought to Rome.[1]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c Benedictine Monks of St Augustine’s Abbey Ramsgate, The Book of saints: a dictionary of servants of God (Ramsgate: St. Augustine’s Abbey), 84.
- ^ "Saint Duje", City of Split
- ^ "The Day Saint Domnius, Patron of Split, Met his Death", Dalmacija News, April 10, 2017
- ^ Spalatensis, Thomas. History of the Bishops of Salona and Split, Central European University Press, 2006, p. 57 ISBN 9786155211089
- ^ a b "So who was Domnius?", Croatian National Tourist Board
- ^ "Saint Domnius Day", Tourist Board of Split
External links
edit
 | This article about a saint is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |