Saint Nepotian of Altinum

Nepotian (Latin: Nepotianus; Altino, 365 – 396) was a Christian ascetic, venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church. The nephew of Heliodorus, Bishop of Altino, through his mother, he initially pursued a military career. Shortly thereafter, he was baptized and, having left the army, turned to the eremitic life. He later decided to become a priest; by 394, his uncle had already ordained him, as Saint Jerome sent him an epistle on the duties of the priesthood in that year. He died prematurely in 396, the year in which Saint Jerome addressed another letter to Heliodorus to console him for the loss of his nephew. In this work, known as the Epitaphium Nepotiani, Jerome recalled how the young man was deeply charitable toward those in need, diligent in the care of his church, and an assiduous reader of sacred texts.