A boy martyred at Capua, Italy, around the year 303, remembered together with his companion Saint Aristeo di Capua.

Saint Antonino was a Christian boy martyred at Capua, in southern Italy, around the year 303, together with his companion Saint Aristeo di Capua. The record’s specific note that he was a child at the time of his death makes his martyrdom, like that of a small number of other young Christians from this era, a particularly moving witness to faith that did not depend on age or maturity.

Quick Facts

• Died: c. 303, Capua, Italy
• Venerated as: Boy Martyr
• Companion: Saint Aristeo di Capua

Who Was Saint Antonino of Capua?

Saint Antonino was a boy, a Christian layperson still a child, martyred at Capua in southern Italy around the year 303, together with his companion Aristeo. The record specifically identifies him as a child, one of a small number of Diocletianic-era martyrs whose youth is explicitly noted.

Historical Setting

The persecution launched by Diocletian in 303 did not spare Christian households on account of the age of their members, and ancient martyrologies preserve a number of instances, like Antonino’s, in which children died alongside adult companions or family members rather than be forced to deny their faith or watch loved ones die alone.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Antonino

Antonino is remembered as one of the youngest Christians of this era to die for the faith, a witness that has always struck the Church as particularly poignant. His companionship with Aristeo suggests he did not face his death entirely alone, a small mercy within an otherwise harsh circumstance.

Canonization and Feast Day

No formal canonization process considered this ancient martyr. His veneration, together with that of Aristeo, rests on ancient local devotion at Capua, received into the Roman Martyrology.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Antonino’s youth at the time of his martyrdom is a powerful reminder that the grace to remain faithful under trial is not limited by age or maturity. His memory has particular resonance for families raising children in the faith today, showing that even the young can be given remarkable strength when tested.

A Prayer to Saint Antonino

Saint Antonino, boy martyr of Capua, pray for children being raised in the faith today. Grant them, and all of us, a childlike trust in God that can withstand even the greatest trials. Amen.

Sources

• Roman Martyrology
• Butler’s Lives of the Saints