Romulus of Genoa

Saint Romulus of Genoa (also Remo; Italian: Romolo, Ligurian: Rœmu) was an early Bishop of Genoa, around the time of Saint Syrus.[1] His dates are uncertain: since Jacobus da Varagine[2] traditional lists compiled from local liturgies generally place his bishopric fourth in a largely legendary list.[3] He fled from Genoa and never returned[4] He died in the cave he inhabited at Villa Matutiæ,[5] a town on the Italian Riviera which later adopted his name, becoming "San Remo" (from 15th century until the first half of the 20th century), and then later Sanremo.[6]

Saint Romulus of Genoa
Saint Romulus, cathedral of San Siro, Sanremo
Bishop and Confessor
DiedSanremo, Liguria, Italy
Venerated inRoman Catholic Church
FeastNovember 6 (formerly October 13, December 22)
Attributesdepicted with episcopal dress and a sword in hand

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.

St Romulus' feast day had been kept on October 13, the traditional date of his death, as well as on December 22. In the Archdiocese of Genoa his feast day is now celebrated on November 6, together with two more of its early bishops: Saint Valentine of Genoa and Saint Felix of Genoa.

Notes
  1. He was traditionally reputed to have preceded St. Syrus (Bent, J. Theodore: Genoa: How the Republic Rose and Fell. 1881. ), but his lead coffin apparently rests upon that of Syrus beneath the high altar of the Church of San Siro. (Robert Walter Carden, "The City of Genoa," 1908: 79.
  2. "Chronicon Januense"
  3. The early lists noted in Carden 1908:76-77 included Grassi, "I Vescovi di Genova."
  4. Jacobus da Varagine's statement suggested to Carden a date during the first Lombard occupation of the city, 589-645 (Carden 1908:80).
  5. 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.
  6. Statute of Sanremo Municipality Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine (in Italian)


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