It is said that when Saint Athanasius was entering exile in France, he passed through Modena and was received kindly by Geminianus.

As early as the fifth century a church had been erected over his tomb, contiguous with the present cathedral and outside the center of the original Roman town.

The Relatio translationis S. Giminiani, a manuscript of the twelfth century, describes the translation and recognition of the body of Saint Geminianus on 30 April 1106 and 7 October 1106, respectively, in the presence of Paschal II, Matilde di Canossa, and all of the Modenesi.

[1] The people of Modena believe his miraculous intercession saved them from the invading Huns, when he conjured up dense fog that hid the city.

Geminianus rarely appears in art outside of Modena, but when shown is typically depicted as a bishop holding a model of the town of Modena;[2] a man calming a storm at sea; or a man exorcising the daughter of the Byzantine emperor Jovian.