Biography
Antoninus of Rome
About Antoninus of Rome
Antoninus of Rome is remembered as an executioner who became Christian. In the later account, he saw a heavenly visitor tending the wounds of Eusebius and his companions. He then sought baptism, confessed his faith before the judge Vitellius and was condemned to death. These events belong to a religious narrative, rather than an independently verified record of his life.
The Acta Sanctorum preserves the names Antonius and Antoninus. Its entry compares earlier martyrologies and traces a burial tradition on the Via Aurelia. The editor corrects a reference to Trajan’s forum, explaining that the text concerns an aqueduct instead. This discussion addresses the transmitted wording; it does not supply a contemporary account of Antoninus.
The associated Passion received differing scholarly judgments. The original Santi e Beati article notes that Tillemont questioned its historical value, while an older Bollandist defended it. Later Bollandists judged the narrative fictitious, while accepting burial details for Eusebius and his three companions. That narrower judgment does not independently establish Antoninus’s biography.
The Catholic Church in Norway commemorates him on 22 August. Its account gives differing years in connection with the associated martyr group, leaving the chronology unresolved.
Wondering how to weigh the stories and sources? Learn how to read a saint biography.