Theonestus of Vercelli

Theonestus of Vercelli is venerated as a martyr and saint by the Catholic Church. He may have been a member of the early Christian community in Vercelli, living in an era earlier than that of Eusebius of Vercelli. He may have been a martyr, whose relics were buried in the cemetery where other Christians were buried, outside the city walls. It is believed that his whole body was conserved in the tomb dedicated to him. He is probably not the saint of the same name who was said to have been killed at Altinum by the Arians; the legend of that one, in any case confused and contradictory, may have been mixed up with the martyr of Vercelli, whose historicity is more certain.

The only ancient source that mentions him is the Life of Eusebius of Vercelli, of the 8th century, which makes the account doubtful. It records that Eusebius (died 371) wished to be buried near the relics of Theonestus, which lay outside the city walls. Eusebius dedicated to him a basilica that he built, and was interred in it. When the basilica was progressively demolished in the 16th century, the tombs of Eusebius and Theonestus are said to have been found. A cruciform inscription, now lost, read S. MARTIR THEONESTUS and was judged to date from the 4th century. Commemorated on 20 November, in the Western calendar (new style). A holy martyr of the undivided Church.