E04190: Latin poem on the martyrdom of *Hippolytus (martyr of Rome, S00509), composed by Prudentius, writing c. 400 in Calahorra (northern Spain). The poem, part of his Crowns of the Martyrs (Peristephanon), is an account of the visit of Prudentius to the tomb of Hippolytus on the via Tiburtina, and contains an account of the saint's martyrdom in Ostia (the port of Rome). Overview of Peristephanon XI

Liber Peristephanon, Poem XI

Summary:

Prudentius addresses his poem to Valerianus, bishop of Calahorra, who asked Prudentius to record in Rome the names and tomb inscriptions of the saints. They were so numerous that Prudentius could not do so. Moreover, some of the saints were buried in anonymous mass graves. However, among the inscriptions, Prudentius found one dedicated to Hippolytus, who once had been a presbyter in the schism of Novatus but later was martyred. When he was being led to death by his persecutors, he was asked which doctrine should be followed, and he advised to shun the teachings of Novatus and he confessed that he was wrongly attached to them. By this, he converted his congregation to the orthodox faith.

Then he was brought before the emperor who was at the time in Ostia. He had already persecuted Christians in Rome, and now he moved to the nearby districts. Christians were brought before him from prison and tortured by being hung on a claw, but not one agreed to sacrifice to the pagan gods. Therefore, the ruler decided to kill the Christians – one was to be beheaded, another group consumed by fire, another put on board of a leaky boat. While he was giving orders, Hippolytus was presented to him. The emperor condemned him to death by being torn apart by wild horses. Hippolytus' feet were fastened by nooses to the untamed horses violently incited by whips and pricks. Hippolytus said his last words and the horses dragged him along the rocky and thorny ground. The body of Hippolytus was shattered and little bits of it remained on the rocks, bushes and branches, the earth was wet with his blood.

Prudentius says that the scene of the martyrdom is depicted on the wall above the tomb. The painting shows also the people gathering the pieces of torn flesh, wiping the blood-soaked sand with their clothes and using sponges to gather the blood. They managed to gather all the pieces of his body, nothing remained in the place of his martyrdom. Hippolytus was buried outside the walls of Rome in a place described in detail by Prudentius. An altar was also set in the tomb to which people came to receive sacraments as well as to present their supplications. Prudentius asserts that he himself obtained a favour from the martyr. The shrine containing the body is described and the devout practices of the pilgrims (kissing, pouring out balsams, etc.). A lot of people gather on the feast of the saint – they come from Rome, Alba, Picenum, Etruria, Samnium, Campania, Capua and Nola. They not only gather in the tomb of Hippolytus but also in a nearby church which is very rich with their gifts. Prudentius informs Valerianus that the feast of Hippolytus is celebrated in Rome on the Ides of August (that is, on the 13 August) and he advises him to do the same in Spain so that it bring grace, along with the feast of Cyprian, Celidonius, and Eulalia. He wishes that Valerianus one day be taken up to heaven to join company with Hippolytus.

Text: Cunningham 1966, 370-378. Translation: Thomson 1953, 305-323. Summary: M. Szada.