- Himerius of Bosto
Infobox Saint
name= Saint Himerius of Bosto
birth_date=
death_date=~11th century
feast_day=February 4
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
imagesize= 150px
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birth_place=
death_place=
titles=
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
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canonized_date=
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attributes=Depicted as a pilgrim being stabbed; pilgrim's cloak and staff
patronage=
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=Saint Himerius (Imerio, Imier) of Bosto is venerated as a
pilgrim andmartyr . He is venerated in the province of Varese jointly with Gemolus (Gemolo), who was martyred with him. (Some scholars believe that the two figures are the same man). [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90236 Sant' Imerio di Bosto ] ]A tradition from the eleventh century holds that Himerius and Gemolus were Nordic [ [http://www.varesenews.it/articoli/2001/febbraio/varese-laghi/10-2s.imerio-leggenda.htm Leggenda di S. Imerio ] ] companions of a
bishop who was traveling "Ad Limina Apostolorum " –that is, on apilgrimage to the sepulchers of St. Peter and St. Paul at Rome, i.e., to theBasilica of St. Peter and to theBasilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls .Himerius and Gemolus were killed during an assault on the bishop's entourage at
Valganna by a band of men fromUboldo orSeprio . Gemolus was buried atGanna –where anabbey dedicated to him arose in 1095, built by Atto (Attone), Ardericus (Arderico), Inghizo (Inghizone) with the permission ofArnulf III, Archbishop of Milan . [ [http://www.provincia.va.it/preziosita/ukvarese/temi/abbazie/gemolo.htm Ganna: lthe abbey of San Gemolo ] ]Himerius, who escaped, eventually succumbed to his wounds at Varese, where he was buried in the church of San Michele at
Bosto . The church was later named after him.Another version of their story
A further elaboration states that Himerius and Gemolus pursued their attackers, and that Gemolus was in fact the bishop's nephew. Camped for the night at
Valganna , the bishop was robbed of his horse and other valuables by a band of brigands from Uboldo. Gemolus and Himerius pursued the brigands and caught up with them. Gemolus demanded the booty back in the name of God and the Apostles Peter and Paul. The brigands refused and cut his head off. They attacked Himerius, who esaped, but later died. [http://www.san-gemolo.it/passio.htm Passio di San Gemolo ] ]Gemolus survived the
decapitation and, in the tradition of thecephalophores , collected his own head, climbed on horseback, and reunited with his uncle the bishop on a small mountain before he finally died. The bishop buried him on that spot and erected a small church dedicated toSaint Michael ,patron saint of theLombards and protector of cemeteries.Veneration
Gemolo's
relics were determined to be authentic by a commission set up in 1941, which was headed by CardinalIldefonso Schuster . The saints are mentioned in two historical sources: the "Liber Notitiae Sanctorum Mediolani", a manuscript of the 13th century, attributed to Goffredo da Bussero and conserved in the archiepiscopal archives ofMilan ; and the Gospel of the Passion, which is guarded in the archives of the Abbey of Ganna.Rocks stained red with a particular
algae found near the Abbey of Ganna were identified with the drops of Gemolus' blood in popular tradition. This led the monks to construct a second oratory some distance from the road in the 14th century to accommodate veneration of this particular natural phenomenon.Notes
External links
*it icon [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90236 Sant' Imerio di Bosto]
*it icon [http://www.varesenews.it/articoli/2001/febbraio/varese-laghi/10-2s.imerio-leggenda.htm La leggenda di Sant'Imerio]
*it icon [http://www.san-gemolo.it/ San Gemolo]
* [http://www.provincia.va.it/preziosita/ukvarese/temi/abbazie/gemolo.htm The Abbey of San Gemolo in Ganna]
* [http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Gemolo San Gemolo] at theItalian Wikipedia
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