Saint of the Day – 4 October – Saint Quintius (Died c570) Martyr. He was anative of Paris ad died in c.570 at L’Indrois near Montresor, France. Also known as – Quentin, Quintino.
According to a 13th Century Vita preserved in the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, Quintinus, a native of the Paris region, was in the service of Guntram, a nobleman and dignitary at the Court of Clotaire I (Died 561).
Having rejected the obscene advances of his master’s wife, Aza, this vengeful woman decided to get have him murdered. She tasked him with leading horses to the banks of the Indre, where, once there, she had him beheaded by her accomplices.
His head was thrown into a fountain and its waters became miraculous.
The tale is highly credible if placed in the historical and still very barbaric context of the 6th Century, where lust and violence were common at Frankish Courts. The obscure author concludes his tale with a violent invective against wicked women, intending to teach a moral lesson.
Quintius had a cult on 4 October as early as the 11th Century in Tours which gradually spread from there throughout the entire region.
St Quintius’ Relics have been preserved in the Cathedral of St Stephen in Meaux since at least the 13th Century. He was venerated in Meaux and Martyred for respecting God’s Commandments and his loyalty to his master.
AnaStpaul 