St Pontian

(14th or 19th January)

St Pontian was martyred at Spoleto in the reign of the Emperor Antoninus Pius (138-61) and was buried outside Spoleto, "in loco qui appellatur Lucianus"  This is almost certainly the hill that is now called Colle Ciciano, the site of the present church of San Ponziano.  

A legend written in the 8th century relating to SS Carpophorus and Abundius (who were martyred in ca. 300) says that a pious matron called Sincleta buried them "in cimiterio Pontiani, non longe ab urbe Spoletana".  This indicates that a cemetery had been established near the grave of St Pontian from an early date.  Three early sarcophagi that were found in this cemetery are now in the crypt of San Ponziano.

The relics of St Pontian were probably preserved in an oratory in the cemetery.  In 966 Bishop Balderik (who was in Italy for the coronation of the Emperor Otto I) took most of the relics for the cathedral that he built in Utrecht.  As a result, St Pontian is also venerated in Utrecht.

The earliest reliable evidence of the cult of St Pontian in Spoleto dates to the 11th century, when the present church of San Ponziano was built (or rebuilt).  His feast day was included in all of the surviving city statutes, the earliest of which dates to 1297.  The cult was revived in 1703, when St Pontian was credited with having saved the city from the earthquake that devastated much of the surrounding area.  Bishop Pietro Gaddi prayed before what was believed to be the cranium of St Pontian in the crypt of San Ponziano, and the rebuilt chapel in Palazzo Comunale was dedicated to him in 1711. 

In 1745, Bishop Paolo Bonavisa initiated an inquiry into the authenticity of the "sacra testa" (cranium) of St Pontian.  The process took some ten years: the relic's authenticity was finally established in 1755.  The Commune established a new altar dedicated to St Pontian in 1785, at the start of the re-modeling of the Duomo to a design by Giuseppe Valadier.   This young architect also designed the new interior of San Ponziano in 1788. 

In 1805, Pope Pius VII formally recognised  the sacra testa, which was enclosed in a new silver reliquary at that time.  It is still displayed in the Duomo for a week in January each year and then taken back in procession to San Ponziano.