# Faustinus and Jovita

Jovita and Faustinus were said to be Christian martyrs under Hadrian. Their traditional date of death is 120. They are patron saints of Brescia. Faustinus is the patron saint of Pietradefusi.

## Traditional vita

Tradition states that they were members of a noble family of Brescia in Lombardy (northern Italy). Jovinus, the older brother, was a preacher; Faustinus, a deacon. For their fearless preaching of the Gospel, they were arraigned before the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who at Brescia, Rome and Naples, subjected them to frightful torments, after which they were beheaded at Brescia in the year 120. That is the date accepted by the Bollandists, while the historian Paul Allard (Histoire des Persécutions pendant les Deux Premiers Siècles, Paris, 1885) gives the year as 118.
Their Acts were compiled by Faustinus of Brescia, a bishop of Brescia, said to be a descendant.

## Veneration

The many so-called "Acts" are predominantly the fancy of legend. The Jesuit Fedele Savio questioned nearly every detail handed down, other than that they had been martyred. This is amply attested by their inclusion in so many of the early martyrologies and their extraordinary cult in their native city, where from time immemorial they have been the chief patrons. Savio emphasizes that the saints are not to be confused with the fabulous figures in the Acts.
It is believed that they were martyred at a site that either was, or later became, a Roman cemetery. A church was built there called Santi Faustino e Giovita ad sanguinem. Its dedication was later changed to Saint Afra. (Saint Afra's was destroyed during the bombing of World War II).
Their common feast day on 15 February, the traditional date of their martyrdom, was inserted into the General Roman Calendar. It was removed in 1969, because their "Acts are completely fabulous, treating Jovita as a preacher, although she was a woman and a man was Faustinus." The two saints remain listed in the Roman Martyrology, the official, though professedly incomplete, list of the saints recognized by the Catholic Church. The cities of Rome, Bologna, Verona, Pietradefusi and Malečnik share with Brescia possession of their relics.
Modern tradition considers Faustinus (also known as Faustine) to be the "anti-Valentine's" Day(although it actually protects people who are single by choice, as well as those who are not in relationships because they are avoiding unhealthy relationships and waiting for people with whom they can have healthy relationships)!
There are many reasons for this counterposition:
1-The fact that they had their martyrdoms one day apart(in the 2nd century A.D., in the case of the Brescians between 120 and 134, while the patron saint of couples 273);
2-That in various languages the names of the patron saints are assonant (Valentin-Faustin,Valentine-Faustine,Valentino-Faustino,...etc);
3-The Latin etymology of the name Faustinus, considered auspicious. Thus, those who are still searching for love look to Saint Faustinus as their patron and protector, trusting in a future meeting with a dash of healthy patience.
Therefore, single people celebrate it on February 15th!

## Cultural legacy

A lake partially in the town of St. Leo, Florida has been called Lake Jovita since its discovery by Judge Edmund F. Dunne on February 15, 1882. The nearby community of San Antonio changed its name to Lake Jovita in 1927 before reverting in 1933.