E04274: Latin poem on the martyrdom of the Apostles *Peter and *Paul (S00036 and S00008), composed by Prudentius, writing c. 400 in Calahorra (northern Spain). The poem, part of his Crowns of the Martyrs (Peristephanon), is a fictitious conversation between the poet and a Roman citizen on the feast day of Peter and Paul in which the interlocutor of Prudentius tells the story of the martyrdom of the Apostles and describes the places of their burial. Overview of Peristephanon XII

Liber Peristephanon, Poem XII

Summary:

The poem is a fictitious conversation between the speaking subject of the poem (the poet himself) and a citizen of Rome who explains to the poet the unusual atmosphere in the city as the result of the feast of the Apostles, Peter and Paul. According to the Roman, their feast is celebrated on the same day because they were martyred on the same day of the month but in different years. Then he gives an account of the inverted crucifixion of Peter and of the decapitation of Paul. Further on, the interlocutor of Prudentius describes the sites of burial of the Apostles, first that of Peter, then that of Paul. On their feast the Romans visit both cult places. Also the bishop of Rome performs the celebrations, first at St Peter's and later at St Paul's.

Text: Cunningham 1966, 379-381. Translation: Thomson 1953, 323-327. Summary: M. Szada.