Cristinus

Holy Martyr Cristinus is venerated as a holy martyr by the Catholic Church and is the patron of the city of Portoferraio, on the island of Elba in Italy.

His relics, devoutly called a "holy body" (corpo santo), are kept and venerated in the church of the Confraternity of Mercy. In 1661 the holy body was discovered in the catacombs of Priscilla in Rome. Antonio Vai of Portoferraio, a member of the Confraternity of Mercy, happened to reach Rome, and the pope of the time, Alexander VII, decided to give the body to the community of Portoferraio. The relics arrived on 29 April, a day that became the patronal feast of the whole community. In 1764 Pope Clement XIII approved the choice of Saint Cristinus as patron of the city; on 7 April 1764 the Sacred Congregation of Rites gave the feast of Saint Cristinus all the honours of the principal feast, and on 9 August 1764 the emperor Francis I showed his approval by a decree. At the feast the crypt where the remains rest is usually opened, they are exposed in the church of the confraternity and then moved to the cathedral of the city, after which a service and a procession through the streets of the old town follow. He is commemorated on 29 April. Nothing is known of his historical life. He is a saint of the undivided Church, honoured locally.