Arsatius of Milan

Saint Arsatius (Arsacius) of Milan is a saint of whose life almost nothing is known. According to Church tradition he was a bishop of Milan, perhaps a martyr or confessor, in the fifth or sixth century; the sources date him between the year 400 and the sixth century. Some think he may have been an Armenian. He is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, and the Serbian sources show that the Serbian Orthodox Church also commemorates him on 12 November. In the Russian Church (Moscow Patriarchate) he is not canonized.

There is no written evidence about his life. Because of his link with Milan, he is supposed to have been a disciple of Saint Ambrose of Milan and to have ascended the throne there after his death, but there is no evidence of this either.

His relics were brought from Rome to the German monastery of Ilmmünster, in 766 according to one source and in 776 according to the others. There his veneration grew steadily, until the building and consecration of a basilica named after him. In 1495 the relics were taken to Munich, but in 1846 they were brought back to the cathedral of Ilmmünster, where they are kept to this day. His commemoration is on 12 November.