Biography
Boniface of Tarsus
About Boniface of Tarsus
Boniface of Tarsus is a martyr remembered in a legendary account linking Rome and Cilicia. The church biography states that there is no unambiguous evidence for his life.
His story says that Aglae sent him east to obtain Christian martyrs’ relics. At Tarsus he witnessed persecution, declared his Christian allegiance and was killed.
The same tradition recounts the return of his body to Italy and its reception by Aglae. The biography connects relics attributed to him with the Roman church of Saints Boniface and Alexis.
His historical identity is kept separate from Boniface, the missionary once called Winfrid.
Wondering how to weigh the stories and sources? Learn how to read a saint biography.