Quirinus of Tegernsee

Who is Quirinus of Tegernsee?

Saint Quirinus of Tegernsee, or Quirinus of Rome, is venerated as a martyr and saint of the third century.

According to one tradition, he was beheaded during the reign of Claudius Gothicus. His corpse was thrown into the Tiber and later found at Tiber Island. Quirinus was, according to another legendary account, the son of Philip the Arab.

According to the legendary Acts of the martyrs Saint Maris and Saint Martha, a Roman martyr Quirinus was buried in the Catacomb of Pontian. However, the Itineraries to the graves of the Roman martyrs do not mention him.

His legend was later connected with Tegernsee Abbey in Bavaria, where his relics had been translated in the eighth century, during the reign of King Pippin and Pope Zacharias. However, Quirinus' relics may have been translated instead during the papacy of Pope Paul I, around 761.