ON ST. CRESCENTIANUS MARTYR AT TURRES IN SARDINIA.
Cult from many most ancient Martyrologies.
UNDER HADRIAN.
CommentaryCrescentianus, Martyr at Turres in Sardinia (S.)
G. H.
Jacobus Pinto, an erudite man of the Society of Jesus, by nation a Sardinian, and in the university of Turres Professor of divine Scriptures, in book 3 on Christ Crucified title 4 place 12, inserts a little Digression on the Martyrs of Sardinia, and especially the Turritan ones: and after he had treated of the Saints, who in the first century of Christ flourished in Sardinia or adorned it by their shed blood, he subjoins these things at no. 21. The Sardinian Church, under these and like times of Trajan and Hadrian, celebrates her Martyrs, Sacred Cult, and noted Confessors: among whom the more celebrated Gabinus and Crispulus on the XXX of May, and on the XXXI Crescentianus, Turritan Martyrs, who suffered at Turres and were honorably buried. Of the two former on the assigned day XXX of May we have already treated, and have described the city of Turres, indeed the Acts there reported are common with the deeds of S. Crescentianus. Joannes Arca on the Saints of Sardinia at the end of the book, reckons these Saints among those, whose lives and series of martyrdom are known only by the briefest compendium from Bede, Ado and Usuard: as Franciscus Maria Florentinius writes among his Annotations on this day, upon the Hieronymian Martyrology, in whose most ancient Epternach apograph these alone are read: Sardinia, of Criscentianus. in the Martyrology of S. Hieronymus, In the Lucca and Blume apographs these are reported: At Turres of Sardinia, Criscentianus. But Crescentianus is read in the Corbie apograph, and is added Memmius: of whom because no mention is made by writers of Sardinia, we suspect that he was intruded by error from elsewhere: and until greater light shall shine forth, we omit to inscribe his name in the title. In Ado's Martyrology the same things are read in these words: At Turres of Sardinia S. Crescentianus: which the very same words plainly are read in Notker and the Author of the supposed Martyrology of Bede. Of Ado, Usuard, and others, In Usuard is added Martyr. Bellinus, Grevenus, Maurolycus, Molanus, and others follow, with the present-day Roman Martyrology, in which thus is read: At Turres in Sardinia of S. Crescentianus the Martyr. Ferrarius in his Catalogue of Saints of Italy adorns him with this encomium. Crescentianus, together with Gabinus and Crispulus, Elogium from Ferrarius. having embraced the Christian religion, when at Turres he shone forth in sanctity and miracles, was accused before the persecutors of the faith, and apprehended, and himself a little after the contest of the aforesaid holy Martyrs, on the day before the Kalends of June, fell as a Martyr: and he in the Church of Turres is held in the highest honor. So Ferrarius with the cited book 1 of Fara on the Sardinian affairs: with which similar things has Dimas Serpi in book 1 of the Chronicle of the Saints of Sardinia. That Dionysius Bonfant transfers his martyrdom to the times of Diocletian, we rejected above at the Acts of SS. Gabinus and Crispulus. The memory of the same S. Crescentianus Martyr at Turres of Sardinia is inscribed in a MS. Martyrology, Memorials of the 19 of May. at Rome preserved in the library of Duke Altempsius, likewise in the Martyrology of Bellinus of Padua, but in an enlarged edition issued at Paris in the year MDXXI, in which it is written Crestianus.