ST QUIRINUS, BISHOP AND MARTYR OF THE CITY OF

slscrA [srsAK]

(reprintedfromBogoslovska
smotraXlll7,Zagreb1924,pp. 118-123)

(FranoBulii)

Nuovo Bullettino di archeologia cristiana, Anno 1916, 1917, 19L8, 1919, 1920
(XXIII, XXUI, XXIV, XXV, XXVI), Roma L9l6 -1920.
This journal, founded in 1863by the father of Christian archaeology,I. K. Derossi,as
theBullettino
d i a r c h e o l o g i a c r i s t i a n a , a n d c o n t i n u e d a f t e r h i s d e a t1h8i n9 5
by his students
astheNu ov o B u I le ttin o d i arc he ol o gi a c ris tian a, contains
severalcitationsboth about the Christian arhaeologyand the hagiographyof our regionsas
well as other parts of Europe, although the journal is mostly concernedwith the
archaeologyof the city of Rome.
We would like to introduce our readersto what has been written about our regionsin
this journal in the last few years (1916-1920).
Important discoverieswere made during the last excavationsunder and behind the
Basilica of St Sebastianin Rome, in the so-called> Pl at on ia <<on the Via Appia, where
the Apostles Peterand Paul were buried for 250 years,and where St Quirinus, the bishop
of Sisak (Siscia)was also buried. Thesediscoveriesconcernedthis saint, a martyr from the
first yearsof the 4th century on the 4th of Juneunder the reign of Diocletian, and the actual
position of his grave, as well as the transferalof his body from Pannoniato Rome.
It is unecessaryto mention here all that has been written previously about him,1 how he
was bishop of Sisak, and in the Persecutionof Diocletian was taken from this city to the
city of Sabaria(Steinam Anger, Suboti5te-Szombately), where the Roman administration
was based,to be condemnedand martyred; how he was thrown into the river Rab
(Arabon), a tributary of the Danube,with a stonetied around his neck; how he swam above
the water for sometime, watchedby Christianswho had gatheredon the banks to beg for
his blessing;how he was swallowed by the waves and later found by Christiansa bit
furtherfrom the placewherehe had drowned;how a I o cus o r ati on is wasbuilt at
that spot, and from therehis body was taken to the city of Sabariaand buried a d
S c ar ab a te n s e m p o rt a m, the gatesthrough which one exited Sabariatowardsthe
city of Scarabantia(Soprunj, Oedenb-urg),and s6 forth.
During the invasionsof the barbarianpeoplesat the end of the 4th century, his body was
>>factaautem incursione Barbarorum in partes Pannoniae,
translatedtoRome:2
populus Christianus de Scarabatensu
i r b e R o m a m f u g i e n s , s a n c t u mc o r p u s
Quirini Episcopi et Martyris afferentes,secum deduxerunt. Quem via
Appia milliario tertio sepelieruntin basilica Apostolorum Petri et Pauli
u b i a l i q u a n d o i a c u e r u n t , u b i e t S e b a s t i a n u sM a r t y r C h r i s t i r e q t r i e s c i ti n
l o c o q u i d i c i t u r C a t a c u m b a s :a e d i f i c a n t e s n o m i n i e i u s d i n a m e c c l e s i a m . < <
In the abovecited Bullettino (1916, 5 ff.), the well-known Roman archaeologistO.
Marucchi, adding to the researchalreadycarriedout at Platoniain the Basilica of St
Sebastian,offered new data about the date when the body of St Quirinus had been brought
to Rome. On the basisof a graffiti inscription, found during the latest excavations,he
consideredthat this holy body had been transportedby land from Sabariato Dalmatia,to
Zadar, and further by seato Ancona, and thenceto Rome.
Let us considerthis transferalin somewhatmore detail.

FnoN.rrHe lNvrNclnLe SuNro rHe SUNoF JusrtcE

It was generallythought that this translationof the relics of St Quirinus to Rome had
occurredca. 400 AD, in reactionto a major invasion of the barbariansinto the Danubian
regionsat this time. This date can be reducedby one or two decadesprior to 400 AD if
attentionis paid to the eventsof this period and the overwhelming invasionsby various
nationsor peoples.In 396,St Jeromewrote to Heliodorus:3uV i g in ti e t e o
amplius- sunt anni, quod inter Constantinopolim et Alpes Julias
quotidie Romanus sanguis effunditur Scythiam, Thraciam,
Macedoniam, Dardaniam, Daciam, Thesaliam, Achaiam, Epiros,
Dalmatiam, cunctasque Pannonias, Gothus, Sarmata, Quadus,
Alanus, Hunni, Vandali, Marcomanni vastant, trahunt, rapiunt
et c.<<If we subtracttwenty or more yearsfrom 396, we have the year 376. The Emperor
ValentinianI died in 375. In this delugeof barbariansthat flooded all of easternEurope, the
Goths and their allies were the most powerful, and they incessantlypressedback the
Romansin the Balkans.This eventuallyled to the battle at Hadrianopolis,where the
EmperorValens himself was killed (8 August 378). The destructionthat occurred
alsodescribedbyStJeromein3g2in thismanner: >>Ho c qui non
subiequentlywas
credit accidiss e populo Israel, cernat Illyricum, cernat
Thraciam, Macedoniam atque Pannonias.<<4
Jeromeemphasizedin both citationsthat Pannonia,or ratherboth Pannonias
(cuntasquePannonias)were among the devastatedprovinces.All three cities were located
in PannoniaSuperior:Siscia(Sisak),the seeof bishop Quirinus, further to the north Sabaria
(Steinam Anger), the seatof the Roman administration,where Quirinus was martyred,
and, some200 miles to the north, Scarabantia(Oedenburg,Sopronj). Among the cities
consideredto have been destroyedthen is Poetovio (Ptuj, Pettau),approximatelyhalfway
betweenSisciaand Sabaria.s
According the the reportscited above,many peoplefled to Rome before the
barbarians,and the body of St Quirinus would have been transportedto Rome then, thus
shortly after 378.
Marucchi went further in his explanation,and on the basisof a graffiti inscription
recentlyfound in the catacombsbelow the Basilicaof St Sebastian,he concludedthat the
body of St Quirinus had beentransportedto Rome at leastpartially by sea.The graffiti,
which would have been carvedby the pious Christianswho accompaniedthis holy body
from Pannonia,would indicate that the grave of Quirinus had beendamagedby barbarians:
>>deter i or e ( f ac t o) lo co Q ui r i ni <<,andthatthebody hadbeenbroughtto
navi gave r un t <(.
R o m eb y s e a :> >
According to Marucchi, the body of St Quirinus, transportedoverland toZadar he doesnot specify by what route - would have been sentacrossthe seato Ancona, and
from therealongthe via Flaminia to Rome.
In terms of this route - if the body was actually conveyedin this manner - we
have other opinions and theseare basedon ancientinscriptions.
The Rbman road from Sabariafirst led by the most direct route to VaraZdin
(Aquaviva), to Andatonia (Sditarjevoto the eastof Zagreb)and Sisak (Siscia),and then
tirr6ugh Petrinja,Glina, and Topusko. Passingthe border of PannoniaSuperior,it entered
the province of Ddmatia, and from there to Slunj, through Doljani to Le3ie (Epidotium or
Bivfum) to the eastof Ogulin. This road then led north of Gospii to Sv. Mihovil
(Ausancalio),and acrosithe Velebit Rangeto Obrovac (Clambetae).A branch of this road
led from Le5ie (Bivium) to Vitalj (Arupium), and further through Vla5ko kompolje
(Avendo) to Senj (Senia).
The road from Obravac continuedthrough Medvidja (Hadra) to Ivo5evcenear
Kistanje (Burnum), and further with one branch through Skradin (Scardona),Daqil-o,
Perkovii (Riditiae), to Trogir (Tragurium), and Solin (Salona),and anotherbranch from
Burnum through Promina (Promona),Kljake (Mun. Magnum), Mud (Andetrium) to
Salona(Solin).
There is no indication that a road led directly from Obrovac to Zadar (Jader),rather
there was a road from Burnum to Podgradje(Asseria),Nadin (Nedinum), andZadar
(Jader).

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Sr Qurnruus, BtsHopANDMARTYRoF THECtrv op SIscn [SIsn ]

For thesereasonswe considerthat the body of St Quirinus, if it were to be further

conveyedto Rome by sea,would have arrived in Salonaand then been transportedto Italy.
The shortestroute from Solin to Italy by seawas via Aternum (present-day Pescara)in
Samnium.This is attestedboth by early geographersand from inscriptions.
, d .W e s s e lpy. 4 9 7 )s t a t e s>:> t r a i e c t u s
T h eI t i n e r a r i u m A n t o n i n i ( p .1 0 1e
ab. Aterno Salonas in Dalmatia stadiorum MD< (cf.C.I.L.lX-3337.)
s o m e > > n a u c l e r u s <f r<o m A t e m a > q u i e r a t i n c o l l e g . S e r a p i s S a l o n i s ,
Cf. BuechlerAnth. Lat. 1265:>>per
pe r f re t a, pe r m ar i a t ra i ec tu s s a ep e<<.6
freta, per maria traiectus s aepe per und (as) qui non debuerat
o b i t u s r e m a n e r e i n A t e r n ( o ) . n T h e b o d yo f o n eA e l i u sM e s s o r i a n uwsa s
brought by this searoute from Aternum to the vicinity of Split (Srinjine) in Dalmatia (cf.
Bull.-dalm.1901,p. 40). The distancefrom Solin to Aternum was 1500stadia,but going
aroundtheislands;byadirectrouteitwas1215stadia,or225 km, or 151.875Roman
millia passuum.A direct road, a branch of the via Flaminia, led from Aternum (Pescare)to
Rome. This route seemsmore likely to us than that suggestedby Marucchi, always
presuming
that the body of St Quirinus was transportedthrough Dalmatia to the sea.
There are, however,no historical datathat would indicatethat it reachedthe sea.The
Cathedralof Krk, whose patron is St Quirinus, has no records of this transferal. This is
what was told to us recenClyby the EpiscopalOrdinariatein Krk in reply to our questions
about the worship of St Quirinus on the island of Krk:7
>>Itseemsthafthe cult of St Quirinus was not widespreadin this island, as amongthe
numerouschurchesand chapelsthat are mentionedor still exist on Krk, only one chapelof
St Quirinus is mentioned,and that is locatedin the Omi5alj district and is now ruinous. The
entire bishopric containsonly a few peoplenamed after Quirinus.<
>All that is known here about the transferalof the body (bones?)of St Quirinus is what
Offices of St Quirinus in the Lessonsof the 2nd Nocturn<<and
is read in our >>Proprium
what is readin the >A c t a SS.quartadiesmensisJunii<<.<
>Nothing exactly is known hele about the period when the church of St Quirinus was
built in Krk There is only a letter written by Bishop Vitezi(to the former Governor on the
occasionof its renovationin 1864(Cur. No. 896), asfollows:<<
>La primitiva Cattedraledi Veglia dedicataa SanQuirino Patronodella citt6 e diocesisi
trova costruitasoprasolidissimevolte di altra sottopostaantichissimachiesach'era
consacrataa SantaMargheritadi eleganteforma e stile specialmentenelle arcatedelle tre
navatee nelle tre capelle.
Qualchetecnicoha credutodi trovame indicii di stile architettonicodel secoloottavo
qualunqueper6 possaessereI'epocadellasuaorigineno vi ha dubbio, chef idea
<iett'orifnaiia sriacostruzionericorda i primi tempi del cristianesimo,quandocio6 soprai
delubri sl costruivanole chiesein segnodel trionfo della Croce.
In seguitopoi e probabilmentesotto il Dominio dei Frangepanivenne construitain con...
delle mentovatean[ichissimechieseun'altrapiir spaziosachiesache in origine apparteneva
ai Dinasti, e dopo la loro abdicazionein favore del venetoDoge... si chiamavachiesa
Ducale, la di cui insegnaera impressain diversi parti.
Le contemplatechiesecomeirano contigueeiano pure in comunicazioneanzi (si) vuole
che lo stessoorganoservivaad ambeduemediante 1'apertradi un arco (situato?)dietro
e statomurato di cui pero si scorgonotuttora traccein
l'organo, che successivamente
confermadellatradizionetuttorain vigore.
E notorio e si rileva dai liibri parocchiali,che la chiesadi SanQuirino era Cattedralee
parocchialesino al l'a.1743. in Cuie stataconsacratae postain attivitd l'attuale Cattedrale
dedicataalla Madona Assuntae la chiesadi S. Quirino continuo, ad essereufficiata per
qualchetempo dalla confratemitadivota al Santo.
Siccomeper6 le risorsedella Confraternitanon eranosufficienti per provederealle spese
di manunten2ioneedile e di culto, venneperci6 chiusaal divin culto nel giorno 29. apile
1792., destinataad uso di depositodelle cereed utensili della Cattedrale,comepure per
sis.<<
custodirelaCassadelleConfraternitaedellefacolt6delMontediPietS.<Ommis
>The church was radically alteredin 1864 and is again usedfor religious services.<<
>Dr. Gnirs statedthat our chapelof St Quirinus is the most beautiful exampleof a
Roman basilicain Istria.<

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FRoM THE INVINCIBLE SUNTO THE SUN OF JUSTCE

However, the.hypothesis of Marucchi that the graffiti cited above^referredto a journey atsea- )>n av i g a v e r u n t<<- has beenthe subjectof criticism from the excavatorsand
interpretersof this graffit inscription.s This inscription, which is very hard to read, has
seemingly not yet, it seems,beeneither explained or interpreted in a final form. The
excavafionscontinue,the graffiti is being studied,and certainlytheseexcavationshave led
to a better consensusabout where St Quirinus, the Bishop of Sisak, was buried. The results
di
of theseexcavations,which will be publishedin the Nu ov o B u lletino
ar ch eo log ia cri sti ana, will againbe the subjectof futuretexts.

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