Saint Orontius of Lecce
Also known as
- Orontius the Companion
- Aronzo…
- Hermes…
- Horace…
- Oronzio…
- Oronzo…
- Rontius…
Profile
Son of Publius, a Roman imperial treasurer; uncle of Saint Fortunatus. Converted by the shipwrecked Saint Paul the Apostle. Roman imperial treasurer upon his father‘s death. Denounced as a Christian, he was ordered to sacrifice to idols; he refused. He was arrested, stripped of his office, whipped, and exiled to Corinth where he met up with Saint Paul again. Consecrated as the first bishop of his home town of Lecce, Italy. He returned to the town during the persecutions of Nero, was arrested again, and ordered to denounce Christianity. He refused, and after some time in prison managed to get released. He immediately resumed preaching in the areas of Brindisi and Bari. Martyr.
Born
- against cholera (his intercession ended an outbreak in 1851)
- —
- Acaya, Italy
- Botrugno, Italy
- Brindisi-Ostuni, Italy, diocese of
- Campi Salentina, Italy
- Diso, Italy
- Lecce, Italy, city of
- Lecce, Italy, archdiocese of
- Lecce, Italy, province of
- Muro Leccese, Italy
- Ostuni, Italy
- Paola, Italy (his intercession saved the city from a siege by the Bruzi)
- Turi, Italy (hid from his persecutors in a cave there; appeared in a vision there in answer to prayers, and his intercession ended a plague in the city c.1657
MLA Citation
- “Saint Orontius of Lecce“. CatholicSaints.Info. 15 June 2019. Web. 30 May 2020. <>