MARCELLUS, SS.

In addition to Pope marcellus i and marcellus akimetes, there are several other saints of that name, notably the following.

Marcellus of Chalon-sur-Saône, priest, martyr; d. c. 178. According to his legendary passio he was martyred under Marcus Aurelius. A cult and church in his honor are first mentioned by gregory of tours [In glor. martyr. 52; Hist. Franc. 5.20 (27); 9.3.27]. His name appears subsequently in calendars, martyrologies, and sacramentaries.

Feast: Sept. 4.

Marcellus of Die, bishop; b. Avignon; d. Bareuil in Provence, 510. Following his consecration by St. mamertus, bishop of Vienne, who had ignored the rights claimed by the metropolitan of Arles, he was imprisoned and exiled by Gundiok, the Arian king of the Burgundians. Later he was permitted to return to his see and became distinguished for his piety and pastoral zeal. His cult at Die began very early and was confirmed for the Diocese of Valence by Pope Pius IX.

Feast: April 9 (formerly Jan. 17).

Marcellus of Paris, bishop; fl. early fifth century. His vita, which depicts him as a zealous pastor of souls and a miracle worker, was composed, at the request of St. Germain of Paris (see germain, ss.), by Venantius fortunatus who apparently relied on vague oral tradition.

Feast: Nov. 3 (formerly 1).

Marcellus the Centurion, martyr; d. Tingis (Tangier),298. At a banquet held in honor of the emperor's birthday, he suddenly arose to protest against pagan practices and threw down his belt and arms, declaring that it was not right for a Christian, who serves Christ, to serve in the armies of the world. When he maintained the same position at his trial, he was condemned to death and beheaded. The fragments of the original acts are preserved in two later reworked versions that are extant.

Feast: Oct. 30.

Bibliography: Marcellus of Chalon-sur-Saône. Acta Sanctae Sedis (Sept. 2, 1868) 187–202. Bibliotheca hagiographica latina antiquae et mediae aetatis. (Brussels 1898–1901) 5245–47. h. leclercq, Dictionnaire d'archéologie chrétienne et de liturgie. ed. f. cabrol, h. leclercq and h. i. marrou (Paris 1907–53) 9.2:2568–75. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, ed. by the Benedictines of Paris (Paris 1935–56) 9:103–105. Marcellus, Bishop of Die. g. kirner, Studi storici 9 (Pisa 1900) 289–327. l. duchesne, Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule (Paris 1907–15) 1:234. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, ed. by the Benedictines of Paris (Paris 1935–56) 4:212–213. Marcellus, Bishop of Paris. Acta Sanctae Sedis (Nov. 1, 1887) 259–267. Monumenta Germaniae Historica (Berlin 1826–) division Auctores antiquissimi. 4.2:49–54. Bibliotheca hagiographica latina antiquae et mediae aetatis (Brussels 1898–1901) 5248–50. l. duchesne, Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule (Paris 1907–15) 2:470. w. bÖhne, Dictionnaire d'archéologie chrétienne et de liturgie, ed. f. cabrol, h. leclercq and h. i. marrou (Paris 1907–53) 13.2:1839. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, rev. ed. h. thurston and d. attwater (New York 1956) 4:238. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, ed. by the Benedictines of Paris (Paris 1935–56) 11:45–49. Marcellus the Centurion. h. delehaye, "Les Actes de S. Marcel le Centurion," Analecta Bollandiana 41 (1923) 257–278. b. de gaiffier, "L'Elogium dans la passion de S. Marcel le Centurion," Archivum latinitatis medii aevi 16 (1942) 127–136; "S. Marcel de Tanger ou de Léon: Évolution d'une légende," Analecta Bollandiana 61 (1943) 116–139. g. lazzati, Gli sviluppi della letteratura sui martiri nei primi quattro secoli (Turin 1956) 141–146. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, rev. ed. h. thurston and d. attwater (New York 1956) 4:220–221. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, ed. by the Benedictines of Paris (Paris 1935–56) 10:990–993.

[m. r. p. mcguire]