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| Mosaic of St. Venantius and other saints in the Chapel of St. Venantius in the Lateran Basilica in Rome, Italy |
April 1 is the feast of St. Venantius, bishop and martyr.
St. Venantius (San Venanzio di Salona) was born in the 3rd century. He was an Italian, sent from Rome to preach Christianity in the province of Dalmatia. He became the first bishop of the Roman city of Salona and died there as a martyr in circa 270 AD, together with his five companions St. Asterius, St. Paulinianus, St. Telius, St. Antiochianus and St. Gaianus.
St. Venantius is categorized on the English and Croatian versions of Wikipedia as a “Croatian saint”, despite the fact that Croats did not arrive in Salona until nearly 400 years later, when they invaded and destroyed the city in the year 639 AD. Two years later Pope John IV translated the relics of St. Venantius to the Lateran Basilica in Rome to protect them from the invading Slavs. Despite these historical facts, St. Vanantius is today presented as a “Croatian saint” merely because the territory in which he died is today occupied by the state of Croatia.
The absurd historical revisionism and theft of Latin heritage by the Croats evidently knows no bounds. Perhaps this is their idea of an April Fools' joke?
