CONCERNING THE HOLY BISHOPS SABINUS AND EUNOMIUS, AT NAPLES AND AT LESINA IN APULIA.
HISTORICAL COMMENTARY.
Sabinus, Bishop of Lesina and Naples in Italy (Saint) Eunomius, Bishop of Lesina and Naples in Italy (Saint)
By J.B.
[1] We present a third Bishop Sabinus on the same day -- if indeed he is a third and not one of the two former ones. But he does not seem to be at least the one who is venerated at Atripalda, since the people of Atripalda boast of having his complete body, and certainly have his head; This Saint Sabinus is not the one of Atripalda; whereas the complete head of this one is at Naples, brought from Lesina. About Saint Sabinus of Canusium, there is more room for doubt whether his head and some bones might not have been carried to Lesina. The Neapolitans seem to think so: for in the Catalogue of certain Saints whom Cardinal Decius Carafa, Archbishop of Naples, ordered to be venerated with the Ecclesiastical Office in that city and throughout the diocese in the year 1619, at the ninth day of February, the following is found: doubtful whether he is the one of Canusium; "The sacred relics of these Saints were translated to Naples from the Church of Lesina, by permission of Clement VIII, Supreme Pontiff, and deposited with due honor in the church of the Most Holy Annunciation. The birthday of Saint Eunomius the Bishop is unknown: therefore we have joined him with Saint Sabinus, whose birthday is February 9, as the Roman Martyrology states. He was Bishop of Canusium, most celebrated for holiness of life and the spirit of prophecy; and Pope Saint Gregory treats of him in book 2 of the Dialogues, chapter 15, and in book 3, chapter 5. He flourished under Pope Saint Agapetus and the Emperor Justinian." So it reads there. The inscription found in the reliquary case favors this opinion, about which see below in the History of the Finding, number 10.
[2] However, our Antonio Beatillus, who most diligently committed to writing the deeds, miracles, and translations of Saint Sabinus, Bishop of Canusium, warned us that this Sabinus of Lesina is entirely different from the one of Canusium. Nor, if the head and other notable portion of his relics did not exist at Bari, would he have passed that over in silence in his book; probably a different person, or if in the Translations anything noteworthy had been detached from those same relics, would those who described those Translations so carefully above have omitted mention of it. And the inscriptions reported by Aurelio Marra seem to make him a native of Canusium and a Bishop of Lesina. For one reads: SAINT SABINUS OF CANUSIUM. but a native of Canusium. Another: SAINT SABINUS OF CANUSIUM, BISHOP L. -- which last letter L, Beatillus explained as "of Lesina." For the rest of what is said to have been found on the covers of the caskets and on lead tablets seem not to have been fully written out, but certain words expressed only by a single letter or syllable. Although I am inclined to agree with Beatillus that this Sabinus was Bishop of Lesina, I confess it is not entirely clear.
[3] Now Lesina, of which Saint Sabinus seems to have been Bishop, from whose cathedral church of Saint Primianus at any rate the relics were translated to Naples, is thus described by Leander Albertus: The city of Lesina "Some have reported that this city of Lesina was founded by Christian fishermen, on account of the destruction of Hyrium, named by Ptolemy. But, as I judge, they err considerably; for we have shown above where Hyrium formerly was. Others say it was founded by fishermen of the nearby lagoon, first with huts and, in the course of time, with more commodious buildings; and when a multitude gradually flowed together here from other places, it finally became a populous town, formerly populous, enclosed by deep ditches and walls; and at length, at the request of the inhabitants, it received a Bishop from the Roman Pontiff, and afterward had such growth that it became a most respectable and populous city. But when the Saracens held Apulia, this city too was overthrown by them; it was afterward restored, but not to its former size. now nearly deserted, Now it is almost entirely deserted of settlers, yet it has perpetually retained its Episcopal See." Rassanus says Lesina was named by its first founders, who had migrated here from the island of Lesina in Illyricum, situated opposite this city on the further shore of the Adriatic -- which we also believe. It is distant from the coast by four thousand paces. Nearby, at a distance of a thousand paces, is the lake of Lesina, named after the city itself, containing in its circuit forty thousand paces. book 3, chapter 11: famous for its fishing. Pliny, unless I am mistaken, called it Pantanum. It is rich in an abundance of excellent fish, especially eels of exceptional size, which the locals call Capitones." So Leander. Hyrium, which he had treated of earlier, is now commonly called Rodia, or Rode, as the same Leander says, although he writes that some think it should more properly be called Rore in Italian, because the supreme moderation of the dew here wonderfully fertilizes the fields and produces the finest and most delicious fruits of the trees.
[4] Paul Merula in his Cosmography, part 2, book 4, chapter 30, writes the same things about the location, origins, and ruins of Lesina, and briefly Peter Avitius in volume 3 of his Description of Europe, who says that the island and city of Lesina, belonging to the Venetians in the Adriatic Sea, by whom was it founded? is the one called Pharia by Ptolemy in book 2, chapter 17. Concerning Apulian Lesina, Flavio Biondo writes thus in his Description of Italy: "From the Tiferno, the river now called Fortore is twenty thousand paces distant along the coast. This river empties itself into the sea near the lake called Lesina, where is it situated? comprising forty thousand paces in circuit. And the town of Lesina, four miles from the sea, is a thousand paces from the lake that gives it its name."
[5] That the city is very ancient is evident from Leo of Ostia in book 1 of the Chronicle of Cassino, chapter 16, where he relates that Grimoald, Prince of Benevento, who succeeded his father Arichis in the year 788, among other things donated to Saint Benedict "the entire fishery of the city of Lesina, together with its outlet." Jacobus Breulius, who published that Chronicle of Leo, interprets "socem" as a ditch; Gerard Jan Vossius, in his work on the faults of language, book 2, chapter 7, interprets it as a canal. The same word is found in book 3, chapter 58 of the same Chronicle, from which passage it is clear that in the times of Robert Guiscard, Duke of Apulia, formerly it had a Count: who died in the year 1085, Lesina had a Count: "About these same days," says the author, "Walter, Count of Lesina, restored to the blessed Benedict the river Lauro with all its fishery, and the outlet itself of Saint Benedict with all its fishery and its fishermen, both within and without, with its entry and exit; likewise the churches of Saint Focatus and Saint Peter, with their appurtenances, which the people of Lesina had wickedly and wrongfully detained." So he writes, calling the "fishermen" perhaps serfs ascribed to that estate or fishing ground. Indeed, before Walter, Peter, Count of Lesina, was an associate of Guiscard, as is evident from the same Leo in book 3, chapter 25. The same Leo in chapter 63 mentions Lesina, but perhaps partly destroyed at that time: "Basilius also, the Protospatharius of the Emperor (Nicephorus Phocas, who reigned from the year 963 to 969), being at Salerno, when our monks approached him, made a document of restitution and confirmation concerning all the properties of this monastery throughout all Apulia, which at that time we had lost -- namely the church of Saint Benedict of Lesina with all its appurtenances, and some houses within the same city," etc.
[6] Lesina was then given to the House of the Annunciation at Naples in the following manner. Margarita of Durazzo, given by Queen Margaret as a votive offering, widow of Charles III, King of Naples, possessed it, whether left to her by her parents, Charles, Duke of Durazzo, and Maria of Sicily, or received as a dowry from her husband. Her son, King Ladislaus, gave her the power to donate it to whichever Church or monastery of the city of Naples she wished, and thus to convey it into mortmain, free from all homage, or profession of vassalage, and from census owed to the royal Court. Afterward, when the Queen was afflicted by a grave illness, she besought the aid of the Mother of God with the most urgent prayers and vowed that if she were restored to health through her, she would donate Lesina to some church dedicated to her. The Virgin Mother appeared to her the following night in her sleep and restored her to full health. She, bound by her vow, with the approval of the King and the Nobles, the Church of Saint Mary of the Annunciation; gave Lesina to the House of the Holy Mary of the Annunciation. This house is a most spacious hospital, the most celebrated in all of Europe, begun about the year 1304, as Caesar Engenio Caracciolo writes, variously enlarged and enriched afterward, especially by the generosity of Margaret and her daughter Queen Joanna II; and it is now like a large town in its structure and size, and supports more than two thousand poor.
[7] Whether Lesina was adorned with an Episcopal See at that time, I do not know; it certainly was afterward, and perhaps from antiquity, since, as noted in number 5, in the eighth century it is found to have been called a City. In the Catalogue of the Bishoprics of the Kingdom of Naples prefixed to the history of Pandulph Collenuccio, among other Sees subject to the Archbishopric of Benevento, the See of Lesina is listed; as also in Paul Merula's Cosmography, part 2, book 4, chapters 20, 25, and 30, adorned with a Bishopric. where he implies it had a Bishop before the Saracen irruption into Italy, which occurred in the ninth century; for he writes thus: "Lesina was first begun by fishermen of the nearby lagoon, but in the course of time was so enlarged that it became a populous and respectable town, and even received a Bishop. Destroyed by the Saracens, it was restored, but not to its former size. Today it is almost deserted of settlers, yet retains its Episcopal See. The city takes its name from Lesina, an island of Illyricum, from which the first inhabitants are said to have migrated to this opposite mainland." So he writes. Peter Avitius also, in the General Description of Europe, where he treats of the Capitanata, a province of the Kingdom of Naples, lists Lesina among the episcopal cities. But Aubert Miraeus omits it in his list of bishoprics. Caesar Engenio Caracciolo writes that in the church of the Annunciation there are sixty Priests, thirty-five Clerics of other orders, and that a Sacristan presides over them -- a function which the Bishop of Lesina was accustomed to exercise, usually nominated by the Governors of the said House; but this privilege was taken from them, as laymen, by the authority of the Supreme Pontiff.
[8] [Hence the bodies of Saints Sabinus, Eunomius, and others were translated to Naples.] From this city, therefore, in the year 1598, the relics of Saints Sabinus and Eunomius, Bishops; Alexander, Firmianus, Primianus, and Tellurius, Martyrs; Paschasius, Abbot; and Ursula, Virgin and Martyr, were translated to Naples, to the basilica of the Annunciation, and deposited in a chapel erected afterward, which they call the Treasury -- having first been legitimately approved by Cardinal Alfonso Gesualdo, Archbishop of Naples. The anniversary of that Translation is observed on the Sunday in Albis, as the same Caesar Engenio attests. The solemnity of each is celebrated on various days; and that of Sabinus and Eunomius indeed on February 9, as stated above. The Office is semi-double, as the above-cited Catalogue states, where it is thus arranged: "All from the Common of Several Confessors and Bishops ... Mass from the Common, without the Creed." Whether Saint Eunomius was Bishop of Lesina, or whether his body was brought thither from the Illyrian Lesina or from elsewhere, we do not know. The rest who were translated at the same time are venerated on other days with a semi-double office: Saint Paschasius on February 10; Saints Alexander, Firmianus, Primianus, and Tellurius, Martyrs, on April 28; Saint Ursula on October 21.
HISTORY OF THE FINDING OF SAINTS SABINUS AND EUNOMIUS, BISHOPS.
Written in Italian by Aurelio Marra.
Sabinus, Bishop of Lesina and Naples in Italy (Saint) Eunomius, Bishop of Lesina and Naples in Italy (Saint)
By Aurelio Marra, translated by J.B.
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
To the Most Illustrious Lord Giovanni della Marra, Baron of the city of Monte Marano and of Castelfranco.
[1] After the relics of the holy bodies which are now preserved in the sacred church of the Annunciation at Naples were found by me, I noticed that very many of the nobility and common people, both Religious and secular, and especially you, Most Illustrious Sir, who among the principal members of the Capuan Sedile protect that same church with singular patronage, were aflame with the desire of learning in what manner, The reason for writing. since the matter is variously reported among the public, they were found by me.
Wishing therefore to satisfy their desire and to kindle the piety conceived in their hearts toward these heavenly patrons, I have composed as carefully as I could this brief but most truthful account, that it might be published for the common benefit. And because I am so disposed in mind toward the same sacred church, both from a certain personal devotion and from other weighty reasons, that I feel I owe it every service, I have resolved to bring forth this work of mine, hitherto suppressed by various impediments, and to dedicate it to you, Most Illustrious Lord, by whose elegance of manners, integrity of life, and merits, acknowledged by all, the grandeur of the most noble family of the Marra is enhanced. From which family, since I too am descended, although I in no way equal the distinction of the line by my virtues and good deeds, I do not fear that anyone will suppose I had any other purpose here than to draw tighter the manifold bond of perpetual observance by which I am obligated to you, and to bear public witness to the feeling of my heart toward you. Accept, then, this small gift of mine, slight in bulk, most ample in the matter treated therein. I pray that God and the Saints, whose Finding is here narrated, may protect you and fill you with perpetual happiness. Naples, the Nones of March, 1599.
NARRATIVE.
[2] Lesina, a very ancient city of the province of Capitanata in Apulia, but now for the most part prostrate and in ruins, is governed by the authority of the sacred House of the Annunciation at Naples. When, therefore, in the previous year it was reported to the Governors of the same House that two churches at Lesina -- namely that of the Annunciation and the Cathedral -- were so poorly constructed and ruinous The Author is sent from Naples, that sacred services could by no means be performed in them with the decorum befitting ecclesiastical rites, they resolved to apply a remedy to such great inconveniences with all diligence. I, Aurelio Marra, was chosen for this task, though less qualified than others, and was ordered to go to Lesina both to see to the repair of those churches, as far as was possible, and to provide for other needs of the city. Since, however, I am accustomed to undertake no business without first consulting my spiritual father and the director of my conscience, having first consulted his Confessor, so that, fortified by his favorable blessing, I might proceed with a free and confident spirit to the dispatch of the matters proposed, I went to the Reverend Father Thomas Galletto, Priest of the Neapolitan Congregation of the Oratory, to whom I was accustomed to open the secrets of my soul for direction, and by him I was roused to carry out the work diligently with a serious exhortation.
[3] Having set out on the eighteenth of November, in the year 1597, in very disagreeable weather, I arrived at Lesina on the twenty-second of the same month, at the nineteenth hour. First I go to the church of the Annunciation with some citizens, He comes to Lesina: and I find it stripped of its roof for the most part, so that the sacrifice of the Mass could scarcely be celebrated in it. Then with the Chaplain and others I inspect the principal basilica, not far distant. It was so entirely without a roof that it seemed to have been without one for many years past. The marble walls indeed bore witness to the former magnificence of the structure; he finds the cathedral church foully destroyed, but with the windows and doors torn away and completely removed, there was no remaining trace of a church except at its head, a dome, as they call it, or vault, and beneath it an altar. The whole ground was rough with weeds and bushes. On one of the pilasters, or supporting columns, a wild fig tree had grown, which I ordered to be cut down -- by its size indicating how great a space of time that building had been neglected and abandoned.
[4] Having carefully surveyed everything, I noticed that beneath the church itself there was a crypt, to which two doors and two flights of steps led. Then, having learned that the sacred building had been dedicated to Saint Primianus, I carefully examined a marble epistyle lying on the ground, ten palms long and two and a half high, which they said had been the lintel of the main door. On it, with the reliefs barely projecting halfway, various carved figures could be seen: in the middle was the figure of Christ the Savior; on the right side, Saint Primianus, Saint Firmianus, Saint Sabinus the Bishop, in it marble images of various Saints: Saint Eunomius the Bishop; on the left, Saint Paschasius the Abbot, Saint Ursula, Saint Alexander, Saint Tellurius -- whose names, formed at the sides of each image with abbreviated letters, were at last read out with careful application. But around the epistyle, characters in the most ancient Lombard script could with difficulty be read, because the marble, thus cast down on the ground, was foully damaged and corroded by its very situation.
[5] Having observed these things and noted them attentively in my mind, I came into the hope that the Divine Majesty would in its goodness favor my desire, into the crypt, which was always open, and use my efforts to bring the relics of the Saints to light, and would no longer suffer them to lack the honor of burial they deserved and public veneration. The doors of the crypt were torn off and decayed by age, and therefore perpetually open, so that even animals had access, as into a deserted place guarded by no watch. There was a great accumulation of earth and rubble. Entering through one of these doorways, which seemed to be moist from some surrounding dampness, I perceived, beyond all expectation -- for it was an underground place -- a most sweet odor wafting forth. Therefore, what no one commonly did, having perceived a sweet odor from within, he entered, I descended into the crypt and found the vault supported by many marble columns of elegant form and ancient workmanship. At the head of the crypt there were five altars, themselves also built, as it appeared, in the old style; he finds five altars, to the central one and those nearest it on either side, small openings were attached. When I had come closer, I noticed that the vault was black and that from it an iron hook hung down for supporting a lamp; by the smoke of this lamp the vault had been blackened.
[6] These things gave me assurance that sacred bodies lay hidden beneath those altars, all the more certain because on each a wooden chest had been placed, whose little door being opened, a wooden image was seen within, somewhat protruding and painted with colors, in Benedictine habit, carrying a pastoral staff in the right hand and a book in the left; on the doors themselves were painted images of other Saints. In the chest of that altar which was in the middle, the image of Saint Primianus was visible, clad in a long vestment, in them various signs of hidden relics, holding a palm branch in his hand; elsewhere that of Saint Sabinus, in pontifical habit, his head covered with a miter, carrying a staff in his left hand, his right arranged as if to impart a blessing.
[7] I marveled further at this: that, although the church was stripped of its roof and exposed to the assault and force of rains, and the city itself is situated near a lake, so that it would seem that water must have found some channel to make its way into the crypt, it was entirely dry, yet it was entirely dry, with no trace of dampness anywhere. Those who were with me also reported that it had been observed at Lesina never infested by gnats; that, although the entire city was exceedingly plagued by an immense quantity of gnats on account of the vapors of the nearby marsh, none nevertheless appeared either in that crypt, or Confession, or above it. In the same Confession, moreover, there stands a perforated column, accustomed to shine with miracles: to which demoniacs were formerly accustomed to be bound and freed from the torment of the most dreadful enemy. All of which spurred me to apply greater effort.
[8] On the twenty-third of November, which was a Sunday, I offered the sacrifice of the Mass at the central altar of that crypt, and besought God he celebrates there, to impart to me heavenly help and light for finding the treasures of His Saints; then I admonished those present to pour forth prayers to God together with me, and having delivered a discourse on matters pertaining to the salvation of the soul, I urged them to frequent that church again and again. and preaches: Since I had noticed that they greatly needed instruction, from that time on, as long as I was at Lesina, I always spoke to those who gathered about divine things. Yet I did not reveal my plan to anyone among their whole number.
[9] On Monday, the twenty-fourth of the month, after Mass had been celebrated there and the Litanies and other prayers recited, I began to dig with the Chaplain and the Deacon, concealing from them what I was attempting until I should obtain what I was seeking. The construction was cemented with the hardest marble, with stones so massive that six men could scarcely have lifted any one of them from the ground. he finds the relics of Saint Paschasius, When I had dug the earth to a depth of four palms beneath the altar, I came upon a marble casket four palms long, one or somewhat more wide, covered with a marble lid. In it were many bones, above which was a lead plate three fingers wide and four long, on which was written: SAINT PASCHASIUS. And on the lower part of the marble lid were engraved these words: SAINT PASCHASIUS, CONFESSOR. Having found this treasure, I immediately ordered the church bells to be rung, and, sending a crier through the streets of the city, I summoned the people to share in the spiritual joy. and gives public signs of joy; Then, after singing the hymn TE DEUM LAUDAMUS, I again covered the sacred relics lest anyone steal anything from them; and having lit a lamp before them, I ordered the doors to be locked, which previously, as I said, had stood perpetually open without any guard.
[10] On the twenty-fifth of November, the feast day of Saint Catherine, I celebrated Mass at the neighboring altar to the left and, having read the Litanies, began to dig the ground in the same manner as the day before, chanting psalms and other prayers together with the Chaplain. When I had dug the earth to a depth of about four palms, in the presence of many bystanders, I found a square marble, six palms in length, four in width, one in thickness. When this was lifted from its place -- quite easily given its mass and with unhindered labor -- then of Saint Sabinus the Bishop, two caskets were found beneath, themselves also of marble and of the same size as the first. When the lid of one was raised, I read engraved upon it: SAINT SABINUS OF CANUSIUM. And in the casket itself was a lead tablet, and on it these engraved words: SAINT SABINUS OF CANUSIUM, BISHOP OF LESINA; in the same casket were the bones of the same Saint and a complete head. On the lid of the other and on an enclosed lead tablet was inscribed: SAINT EUNOMIUS; Saint Eunomius, and in the casket itself some bones. After the triumphal hymn TE DEUM LAUDAMUS was chanted, I covered them with the same ritual.
[11] On the twenty-sixth day I resolved to dig the ground deeper again beneath that altar under which the relics of Saint Paschasius had been found; Saints Alexander and Ursula the Virgin, and I came upon a marble casket, and when its lid was removed, I read these words engraved on the lower part: S. ALEX. ET S. URS. VIRG. ET MART. Inside were many bones, and above them a lead tablet with the same words already recited. Having duly venerated these treasures as the former ones, I again covered them.
[12] On the following Thursday, the twenty-seventh of the month, the earth was again dug up there beneath the altar, toward the right horn, and another casket was found, and on its lid was incised in ancient lettering: SAINT TELLURIUS. Saint Tellurius: Having shown the same veneration as to the others before, I ordered everything to be deposited again in the same manner as they had previously lain. I believe it is manifest that I was moved by divine impulse to return a third time to dig up the earth beneath the same altar, after I had first found the casket of Saint Paschasius -- a thing that had not been done with the others. On the last day of the same month, I began to demolish the central altar, and when I had reached its lowest pavement, because it was already late, I stopped.
[13] Since, however, upon finding these relics, I reported the whole matter as it had occurred to the Governors of the sacred Neapolitan House of the Annunciation, and told them I had hope of unearthing others as well, but that because I feared someone might steal them from me, I had for the time being desisted from the undertaking, they, by a courier sent to me, approved my plan of not proceeding to search for others, because I had sensed that some persons were intent on an opportunity to steal them -- he takes careful precautions lest they be stolen: especially since several noblemen had through the Chaplain and the Syndic offered me a thousand gold pieces for each casket, if I were willing to hand them over to them. God forbid! Upon learning this, I ordered the three altars under which the relics had been found to be restored to their former state, and the rebuilt doors of the crypt to be carefully locked, with guards posted day and night; I also kept the keys of the city itself with me at night, lest anything be disturbed in the meantime. Since I felt that divine help was needed for the guarding of so great a treasure, I earnestly requested the prayers of many pious persons by letter, so that I might be permitted to transport it safely to Naples. And so at last (for which I owe singular thanks to God Almighty and to the Most Holy Annunciation) it came about without any mishap or loss -- not by my merit, but by the protection of the Saints themselves.
[14] On the second of March, 1598, about the sixteenth hour, one of the Governors of the said Neapolitan house arrived at Lesina, with the instructions of the Apostolic Nuncio as to what he and I were to carry out. When I had shown him the relics described above, deposited in exactly the same manner as they had been found, in the presence of many witnesses, including those who had been present at the original finding, the remainder of the central altar, as I had begun, was demolished; then Saints Primianus and Firmianus. and when the earth was dug to a depth of four palms, a marble casket was found, three palms long, two wide, of a form different from the others, similar to a writing desk, in which the bones of Saints Primianus and Firmianus were found, and on the lower part of the lid these words were engraved: SAINT PRIMIANUS, SAINT FIRMIANUS, and likewise on a lead tablet: SAINTS PRIMIANUS AND FIRMIANUS. Having given signs of religious eagerness and joy, these relics too, for the same reason as the others, were covered and deposited.
[15] On the fourth of March, all the relics were removed, though a portion of each was left behind in the same Confession, or crypt; a portion being left at Lesina, he transfers them to Naples: and with many of the Capuchin fraternity and others singing together and carrying lit candles in their hands, with as great a solemnity as could be achieved in that place, they were placed in three cases distinguished by arched lids, lined inside with white silk, brought from Naples for this purpose, and conveyed to Naples, where they were deposited in the church of the Pieta at the steps of San Giovanni a Carbonara, until a procession with greater pomp should be arranged so that, with the Roman Pontiff's assent, they might be transferred to the church of the Annunciation. The marble caskets themselves, in which the relics had been found, were also brought to Naples as a public testimony to the matter now narrated.
[16] And these are the things which it seemed fitting to commit to writing concerning that translation, for the glory of God and the honor of His Saints, from whom I expect a worthy reward for my labor, he invokes the Saints themselves, since by the will of the Governors I resided at Lesina for so great a space of time. Nor do I fear that anyone may cast at me the objection: "You have received your reward" -- since I received nothing whatsoever of any kind, to speak in the human manner, by way of remuneration. I therefore pray the Saints to defend me by their patronage before the tribunal of the Divine Majesty, to whom may praise and glory be ever given, world without end. Amen.
Pray for me, for my sins have taken away my Lord and placed Him on the Cross.
CONCERNING SAINT CRONAN, BISHOP IN IRELAND.
Sixth century of Christ.
CommentaryCronan, Bishop in Ireland (Saint)
G. H.
[1] The name of this holy Bishop is variously written: for he is called Cronan, Chronan, Carnan, Cuaran, Caurnan, Trouan, and Mochuaroc by various authors. Saint Cronan the Bishop is venerated on February 9. In the manuscript Florarium his memory is celebrated on the ninth of February in these words: "In Ireland, of Chronan, Bishop and Confessor." The same is found in Hermann Greven in his Supplement to Usuard, in Canisius in the German Martyrology, and in Ferrarius in his General Catalogue, but they call him Trouan. John Colgan in the Acts of the Saints of Ireland reports that he is recorded in the Irish Martyrologies -- those of Tamlacht, Dungal, Saint Aengus, Maguire, and Marianus Gorman; in which Saint Aengus says of him: "Machuaroc the wise, whom no deed ever caused to repent." Maguire says more fully in his Festology: "Machuaroc the wise in the region of the Decii, rests in the region of the Decii; who is also called Cronan, son of Nethsemon. He is called Machuaroc of Nona, because he was the first to arrange for the celebration of Mass to be held separately, which among the ancients was celebrated at mid-Nones." in Munster. Gorman calls him "Cuaran the wise, in the Decii of Munster, who is also Cronan son of Nethsemon." Colgan adds from the Genealogical Sanctilogy that he was descended from the noble and ancient family of Fertlacta, son of Fergus the Red.
[2] Saint Adamnan, Abbot of Iona, in his Life of Saint Columba the Abbot, which we shall give on the ninth of June, describes his pilgrimage in book 1, chapter 42, under this title: "Concerning Cronan the Bishop." And then he says: "At another time a certain Bishop from the province of the Munstermen, named Cronan, came as a pilgrim to the holy Columba, who was humbly concealing himself as much as he could, so that no one would know recognized as a Bishop by Saint Adamnan. that he was a Bishop. But this could not be hidden from the Saint: for on another Sunday, when he was bidden by the Saint to confect the Body of Christ, he summoned the Saint, so that together, as two Priests, they might break the Lord's bread. The Saint, therefore, approaching the altar and suddenly gazing at his face, thus addressed him: 'May Christ bless you, Brother; break this bread alone according to the episcopal rite. Now we know that you are a Bishop. Why have you thus far tried to conceal yourself, so that the veneration due to you from us would not be paid?' At this word of the Saint, the humble pilgrim, greatly amazed, venerated Christ in the Saint; and those who were present were greatly moved and glorified the Lord." So far the account. From this we gather that he flourished in the sixth century of Christ, in which Columba also lived.