Ansanus
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| Saint Ansanus | |
|---|---|
| Martyr | |
| Born | 285 AD |
| Died | 304 AD |
| Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church; cult centered at Siena |
| Major shrine | Siena |
| Feast | December 1 |
| Attributes | depicted as a young man holding a cluster of dates; holding a heart and/or liver; palm of martyrdom; heart with IHS; depicted being boiled in oil or beheaded; banner with a cross; baptismal cup; fountain |
| Patronage | Siena |
Saint Ansanus ((Italian) Sant'Ansano) (d. 304 AD), called The Baptizer or The Apostle of Siena, is the patron saint of Siena, a scion of the Anician family of Rome. His legend states that he was born of a noble Roman family. While still a child, Ansanus was secretly baptized by his nurse Maxima (venerated as St. Maxima of Rome) and was secretly brought up as a Christian. During the persecutions of Diocletian, when Ansanus was nineteen years old, he openly declared his faith.
Ansanus and Maxima were scourged; Maxima died from this. Ansanus, however, survived this torture, as well as the next one: being thrown into a pot of boiling oil. He was then taken to the city of Siena as a prisoner. He managed to preach the Gospel there and make many converts to the Christian faith. He was decapitated by order of Diocletian.
It is also said that his own father denounced him to the authorities, but Ansanus managed to escape, and converted many at Bagnorea and later at Siena.
[edit] Sources
- George Ferguson, Signs and Symbols in Christian Art (New York: Oxford University Press, 1961), 104.
