Crescentius of Rome

Saint Crescentius of Rome was born in Rome to a noble family, in the days when the Church still faced fierce persecution. Tradition tells that he and his parents were baptized by Epigmenius, and that their new life in Christ soon demanded courageous witness. During the persecutions under Emperor Diocletian, Crescentius’ family fled the city for safety, taking refuge in Perugia. There his father, Euthymius, died, and the young boy was eventually brought back toward Rome. Though only eleven years old, Crescentius would not be spared. Outside the city walls, on the Via Salaria, he was condemned and beheaded, offering his life as a child martyr and becoming a tender sign of steadfast faith amid suffering. He was buried in the cemetery of Priscilla, and his tomb became a place of pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. His relics were later translated to Siena, where devotion to him flourished, and he is honored today as patron of Binetto and Crescent parishes. His feast day is August 4.