Saint Jovita

Jovita and Faustinus were said to be Christian martyrs under Hadrian, traditionally held to have died in 120 AD. Together, they are patron saints of the Italian city of Brescia. Faustinus is the patron saint of Pietradefusi. Tradition states that they were members of a noble family of Brixia (present-day Brescia, Lombardy, northern Italy). Jovinus, the older brother, was a preacher; Faustinus, a deacon. For their fearless preaching of the Gospel, they were arraigned before the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who at Brixia, Rome and Neapolis, subjected them to frightful torments, after which they were beheaded at Brixia in the year 120. That is the date accepted by the Bollandists, while the historian Paul Allard (Histoire des Persécutions pendant les Deux Premiers Siècles, Paris, 1885) gives the year as 118. Their Acts were compiled by Faustinus of Brescia, a bishop of Brescia said to be a descendant. The many so-called "Acts" are predominantly the fancy of legend. The Jesuit Fedele Savio questioned nearly every detail handed down, other than that they had been martyred. This is amply attested by their inclusion in so many of the early martyrologies and their extraordinary cult in their native city, where from time immemorial they have been the chief patrons. Savio emphasizes that the saints are not to be confused with the fabulous figures in the Acts. It is believed that they were martyred at a site that either was, or later became, a Roman cemetery. A church was built there called Santi Faustino e Giovita ad sanguinem. Its dedication was later changed to Saint Afra; Saint Afra's was destroyed during the bombing in World War II Their traditional joint feast day on 15 February was inserted into the General Roman Calendar.