Saint San Zopito

Zopito (died 12 October; flourished 4th century) was, according to tradition, a young martyr and victim of the persecutions against Christians. Originally, it was believed that the name Zopito originated from a probable inscription on a tombstone in the Catacombs of Saint Callixtus referring to a martyr as "sopitus in Domino," meaning "asleep in the Lord." This belief has been at least partially discredited since the discovery of a tombstone with a Greek inscription referring to a certain Zopyros (literally "the illustrious Zopyros"), who died at the age of twenty on 12 October. This confirms the existence of a young martyr by that name, which differs from Zopito in both accent and spelling; the Greek name means "he who feeds the embers" or "he who illuminates the star." Although his death occurred on 12 October, Whit Monday was chosen as his feast day to commemorate the arrival of the saint's relics at the Church of Saint Peter the Apostle on 25 May 1711.