Saint Constantius

Saint Constantius, revered as the first bishop of Perugia, was martyred in the 2nd century, either under Marcus Aurelius (in office from 161 to 180) or during the persecutions of his predecessor Antoninus Pius. Over time, more hagiographies have emerged, which outline Constantius as a man of great faith and generous spirit, who was elected bishop when he was still young.

According to tradition, some soldiers took Constantius before the consul Lucius, they scourged him and immersed him in boiling water, from which he emerged unharmed. He was therefore imprisoned, but managed to convert his jailers, who helped him flee; he found refuge in the home of a Christian named Anastasius, who was later arrested with him. After various vicissitudes, Constantius was taken to Foligno and beheaded at a place called "il Trivio".

Shortly after his martyrdom, his body was taken to Perugia and buried in an area outside Porta San Pietro, the site of the first city cathedral, where around 178 a mausoleum was erected in honour of Saint Constantius. The present-day San Costanzo church was consecrated on the same site in 1205, and the Saint's relics are still housed there.