Zeno of Verona
Basilica of San Zeno, Verona | |
|---|---|
| Feast | 12 April; 21 May (translation of relics) |
| Attributes | fish, fishing rod, or a bishop holding a fishing rod, or with a fish hanging from his crozier. |
| Patronage | Fishermen, anglers, newborn babies, Verona, Campione d'Italia |
Zeno of Verona (Venetian: Xenòn de Verona or Xen de Verona; Italian: Zenone da Verona; about 300 – 371 or 380) was an Afro-Italian Christian figure believe to have either served as Bishop of Verona or died as a martyr. He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church.
Life and historicity
According to a Veronese author named Coronato, a
The style of the 90 or so Sermones attributed to Zeno has also been considered evidence of his African origins due to its literary style, since Christian African writers of the time frequently used neologisms and wordplay.
Staying in the city, Zeno entered the monastic life, living as a monk until around 362, when he was elected successor to the See of Verona after the death of Bishop Gricinus (Cricinus, Cricino).[1]
Zeno had "received a good
Zeno's episcopate lasted for about ten years, and the date of his death is sometimes given as 12 April 371.[1]
Zeno is described as a
The first evidence for his existence is found in a letter written by Saint Ambrose to Bishop Syagrius of Verona in which Ambrose refers to the holiness of Zeno.[1] Later, Bishop Saint Petronius of Verona (r. 412–429) wrote of Zeno's virtues and also confirmed the existence of a cult dedicated to Saint Zeno.[1]
A poem written between 781 and 810, called the Versus de Verona, an elegy of the city in verse, states that Zeno was the eighth bishop of Verona.[1]
Veneration
Zeno's liturgical
Tradition states that Zeno built the first basilica in Verona, situated in the area probably occupied by the present-day cathedral.
The church was damaged at the beginning of the tenth century by Hungarians, though the relics of Zeno remained safe.
The
Legends and iconography
Zeno is the
According to legend he was stolen at birth and briefly replaced by a demonic changeling. One story relates that Saint Zeno, one day fishing on the banks of the Adige, which he did in order to feed himself (rather than as recreation), saw a peasant crossing the river in a horse and cart. The horses began to get strangely skittish. Zeno, believing this to be the work of the devil, made the sign of the cross, and the horses calmed down.[1] Zeno was often said to combat the devil, and is sometimes depicted treading on a demon.[1] Another story relates that he exorcised a demon from the body of the daughter of the Emperor Gallienus (though Zeno probably did not live during the reign of Gallienus). The story relates that the grateful Gallienus allowed Zeno and other Christians freedom of worship in the empire.[1]
Saint Gregory the Great, at the end of the 6th century, relates a miracle associated with the divine intercession of Zeno.[1] In 588, the Adige flooded its banks, inundating Verona. The floodwater reached the church dedicated to Saint Zeno, but miraculously did not enter it, even though the door was wide open. The church was donated to Theodelinda, an alleged eyewitness to the miracle and wife of king Authari.[1]
Zeno is most often represented with fishing-related items such as a fish, fishing rod, or as a bishop holding a fishing rod, or with a fish hanging from his crozier. "Local tradition says the bishop was fond of fishing in the nearby river Adige," writes Alban Butler, "but it is more likely that originally it was a symbol of his success in bringing people to baptism."[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t Borrelli, Antonio (14 December 2006). "San Zeno (Zenone) di Verona". Santi e Beati. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
- ^ a b Alban Butler, David Hugh Farmer, Paul Burns, Butler's Lives of the Saints (Continuum International Publishing Group, 1995), 85.
- ^ Laiti, Giuseppe (1995). "S. Zeno guida alla lettura delle Scritture la comunità cristiana di Verona" (PDF). Esperienza e Teologia. 1: 109–114 – via www.teologiaverona.it/rivista/openaccess/ET_01/01_10_Laiti.pdf.
- ^ a b c d e f Alban Butler, David Hugh Farmer, Paul Burns, Butler's Lives of the Saints (Continuum International Publishing Group, 1995), 84–5.
- ^ Martyrologium Romanum (Libreria Editrice Vaticana 2004), p. 232.
- Nicholas Everett, Patron Saints of Early Medieval Italy AD c.350-800 (PIMS/ Durham University Press, 2016), pp. 60–72.
External links
- Patron Saint index
- The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints as reprinted by Eternal Word Television Network
- Documenta Catholica Omnia (in Latin)
- San Zeno (Zenone) di Verona (in Italian)
- Zeno of Verona – Following the footsteps of a saint in Europe: article series with photographic documentation and maps (in German)
