Biography
Rufinus of Assisi
About Rufinus of Assisi
Rufinus is venerated at Assisi as its first bishop and principal patron. The cathedral museum distinguishes this living tradition from the much later Passion that supplies the familiar story of his life. Its oldest cited manuscript is an eleventh-century passionary from Perugia.
In that account, Rufinus comes from Amasia with his son Cesidius, who remains at Trasacco while Rufinus continues to Assisi. After imprisonment and torture, Rufinus is drowned in the Chiascio near Costano with a stone around his neck. These episodes belong to the hagiographic narrative, rather than a contemporary record.
The Bollandists found substantial confusion among saints bearing this name. Their commentary distinguishes the ancient martyr honored in Peter Damian's sermon from Rufinus of Arce, a different figure whose story concerns a cleric killed by a priest. They emphasize that the sermon supplies little information about the earlier martyr's life or death. They also question whether the sermon concerns the bishop commemorated at Assisi.
Peter Damian instead describes a dispute over a stone coffin associated with the martyr. Bishop Hugo wanted it brought to Saint Mary's, while townspeople wanted it reunited with the relics at Rufinus's church. His account includes armed confrontation and claims that nobody was wounded. He presents the eventual movement of the coffin by a smaller group as divine support for the townspeople.
The sermon also acknowledges opposition to a new feast. Critics accused the bishop of seeking money and complained about another interruption of work. Peter Damian answers with a punitive miracle story: people who continued working suffered a fire and obtained relief after seeking forgiveness at Rufinus's altar. This is the preacher's religious interpretation of conflict.
Historian Nicolangelo D Acunto reads the sermon as evidence of episcopal self-representation and an attempt to reconcile conflicts within Assisi and its surrounding territory.
Devotion to Rufinus remains part of the city's public life. The diocese records his patronal celebration on August 12 and explicitly names him patron of both Assisi and the diocese.
Wondering how to weigh the stories and sources? Learn how to read a saint biography.