Feastday: January 29
Patron: of hotel porters (facchini) in Milan
Aquilinus was born in Bavaria. He left his native land to avoid being made a bishop, went to Italy and settled in Milan. A vigorous opponent of Arianism, he was so effective in his preaching against the heresy that a group of Arians murdered him. He died in 650. His feast day is January 29th.
"Saint Aquilinus" redirects here. For other saints with this name, see Aquilinus (disambiguation).Saint Aquilinus of Milan (died 1015), also known as Aquilinus of Cologne (Italian: Sant'Aquilino), is venerated as a martyr by the Catholic Church.
He should not be confused with another Aquilinus, who was killed during the reign of the Arian Vandal king Hunneric in 484. This 5th century Aquilinus was killed with Eugene, Geminus, Marcian, Quintus, Theodotus, and Tryphon. Bede writes about them. He should also not be confused with an early bishop of Cologne named Aquilinus.
Biography
Born in Würzburg to a noble family, he studied theology in Cologne, where he became a priest. He was offered the bishopric of Cologne, but he refused, preferring to become a wandering preacher.
He traveled to Paris, where he miraculously cured some people of the cholera. As a result, he was offered the bishopric of Paris, but this he also refused. He traveled to Pavia, where he preached against Cathars, Manichaeans, and Arians there.
He then traveled to Milan, where, according to local tradition, he was stabbed by a member of one of these sects, along with his companion Constantius (Costanzo). His body was thrown into a drain, near the Porta Ticinese. His body was found and then buried in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Milan. The Cappella di Sant'Aquilino is dedicated to him.
Gallery
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Saint Aquilinus of Milan by Simon Benedikt Faistenberger
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Chapel of Saint Aquilinus. Reliquary ark of Saint Aquilinus by the Lombardian architect, Carlo Garavaglia (flourished 1634-1645).
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Plaque honoring Aquilinus. Chapel of Saint Aquilinus.
