Gerontius

Saint Gerontius, also called Gerundius, is regarded as the first bishop of Italica, in Baetica (present-⁠day Spain), in the first century. He is probably a legendary saint, without certain existence, and is venerated by the Catholic Church.

The see of Italica appears only in the sixth century, although he figures as a bishop of the first century. His name is found in a Mozarabic breviary of the fifth or sixth century, and his veneration developed in the Visigothic period; Fructuosus of Braga mentions in his writings a visit to his tomb, in the seventh century. According to tradition he was the first to preach the Gospel in Baetica, a disciple and priest ordained by one of the Seven Apostolic Men or by the apostles, and therefore passed through Rome. He was imprisoned and tormented for his faith and died in prison.

He was buried at Italica, where a church bore his name; the tomb is attested until the Muslim invasion, after which its exact place was lost. From the name Sancti Gerontii comes the name of the village of Santiponce, which grew up beside the old Roman city.