Boniface of Tarsus

Infobox Saint
name=Saint Boniface of Tarsus
birth_date=Third century
death_date=May 14, 307
feast_day=May 14 (pre-1969 General Roman Calendar); December 19 (Eastern Orthodox Church
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
Eastern Orthodox Church


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birth_place=Rome
death_place=Tarsus, Cilicia
titles=Martyr
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canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=Pre-Congregation
attributes=Martyr
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Saint Boniface of Tarsus was, according to legend, executed for being a Christian in the year 307 at Tarsus, where he had gone from Rome in order to bring back to his mistress Aglaida relics of the martyrs.

St. Boniface was one of Aglaida's slaves. Both were pagans and lived in debauchery together, before she, tiring of her way of life, sent him on that errand. Finding upon arrival at Tarsus that the authorities were torturing Christians, he openly declared himself to be a Christian. His own body constituted the relics that were brought back to Aglaida, who in turn became a Christian.

The Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates both of them on December 19 as the "Martyr Boniface at Tarsus in Cilicia and Righteous Aglaida of Rome."

The name Aglaida is sometimes given as Aglae.

In the twelfth century the name of Boniface (without Aglaida) was included in the Roman Catholic calendar of saints, with the lowest rank of feast ("Simple"). His celebration, on May 14, was reduced by Pope Pius XII to a commemoration within the ferial Mass in 1955 (see General Roman Calendar of Pope Pius XII), and was omitted completely from the General Roman Calendar in 1969 because of the totally fabulous character of his "Passio". ["Calendarium Romanum" (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 1969), p. 123]

References

External links

* [http://www.ukrainian-orthodoxy.org/saints/beauty/stboniface.php Ihor Kutash: "The Beauty of the Saints"]
* [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?FSID=103584 "St. Aglaida (Aglae) of Rome"]
* [http://www.orthodox.net/menaion-december/19-holy-martyr-boniface.html Orthodox Christian Menaion for December]
* [http://saints.sqpn.com/saintb31.htm Patron Saints Index: "Saint Boniface of Tarsus"]
* [http://lilmissrit15.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!930309AFED157275!1128.entry The Saints: "St. Boniface of Tarsus"]