medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
The martyrs Lucian and Marcian (d. 250 or 251, supposedly) are the subject of brief, closely related Passiones in Latin (BHL 5015) and in Syriac (BHO 572) that are thought to derive from a lost Greek original. This makes them magi who convert to Christianity, are baptized, and then preach their new faith. Arrested during the Decian persecution, they are tried before an official named Sabinus, refuse to apostasize, are convicted and sentenced to be burned alive, and complete their martyrdom on a pyre. Neither Passio indicates a locale either for their preaching or for their execution. The later fourth-century Syriac Martyrology enters them under today as martyrs of Nicomedia; in what seems to be an error of transmission, Lucian is instead called Silvanus. The (pseudo-)Hieronymian martyrology enters Lucian and Marcian under today as martyrs of Nicomedia along with persons named Florus, Heraclides, Titus, and also Florus (_sic_). Given the textual messiness of the (ps.-)HM, there is no need to suppose (as has often been done) that these others were indeed their companions as opposed, say, to being another set of martyrs whose commemoration had already been conflated scribally with that of Lucian and Marcian.
Lucian, Marcian, and their perhaps accidental companion Florus were entered by Florus of Lyon (who clearly had read a version of their Passio) in his martyrology as martyrs of Nicomedia who died on a pyre in the Decian persecution in the time of the proconsul Sabinus. St. Ado of Vienne and Usuard elected not to enter them in their martyrologies. A twelfth century breviary from Vic has an office for Lucian and Marcian indicating the presence there of relics believed to be theirs, while a thirteenth-century _Flos sanctorum ecclesiae Vicensis_ preserves a translation of their Passio into Catalan with a notation indicating that these martyrs were originally from Vic and that that was also the place of their martyrdom. The latter document adds that their relics were discovered in an Inventio of 1050.
Lucian and Marcian venerated at Vic are sometimes distinguished from Lucian and Marcian of Nicomedia. On its website the diocese of Vic maintains a discreet silence about local martyrs so named: in its page "Història [de la] diòcesi" as accessed on 25. October 2016 the list of diocesan saints commences with yesterday's Bernat Calbó (a former Cistercian abbot who was bishop of Vic from 1233 to 1243):
http://www.bisbatvic.com/historia.htm
In the Roman Martyrology today (26. October) is the day of commemoration of Sts. Lucian and Marcian, martyrs of Nicomedia.
Lucian and Marcian as portrayed in relief (scenes) on their later fourteenth-century polychromed stone reliquary chest (ca. 1376-1400) in the Museo Episcopal de Vic:
http://tinyurl.com/zhcebb8
Best,
John Dillon
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