ON ST. VERECUNDUS, BISHOP OF VERONA, IN ITALY,
IN THE YEAR 522.
HISTORICAL-CRITICAL SYLLOGE.
His feast is celebrated today; but his deeds are very obscure; his relics preserved to this day.
Verecundus, bishop of Verona, in Italy. (S.)
BY B. B.
"Attending carefully that this most illustrious city of Verona St. Venerandus, whose feast is celebrated today, is adorned with the glorious gift of thirty-six of its most holy Prelates, who have been entered in the catalogue of the Blessed, who nevertheless are celebrated all together too negligently, and not without the greatest vice of ingratitude, too coldly and unbecomingly; wherefore, the counsel and likewise the assent of this reverend chapter and of the whole synodal congregation of the venerable clergy of Verona having first been had, we will that the aforementioned most holy thirty-six Bishops, and each of them on their days written below, be devoutly, solemnly and inviolably celebrated every year for all future time under double venerable ecclesiastical office through all the churches of this city and diocese of Verona and by the ecclesiastical persons of both sexes," etc. So the Synodal Constitution issued in the episcopal palace of Verona in 1503, on Wednesday the 15th of February [Ancient Monuments of the Holy Bishops of Verona, collected by Valier, fol. verso 1 and fol. recto 2. Venice, 1576.], in which the 22nd day of October is assigned for the feast of St. Verecundus Ibid. fol. verso 12.. Few things have come down to us about the deeds of this holy Man. "Verecundus," says Raphael Bagata Ibid. fol. recto 43., "bishop of Verona, adorned with the praise of the episcopal office, strove most of all to amplify the worship of the church and to guard its dignity. Despising all the desires of this life, he anticipated heavenly pleasures in mind and meditation, and was wonderfully delighted with prayers. He died on the eleventh of the Kalends of November (22nd of October), and was buried in the basilica of St. Peter in Arce." And again, where he treats of each of the XXXVI holy Bishops of Verona Ibid. fol. verso 12.: "The body of St. Verecundus rests in the church of St. Peter in Arce, as is established from a marble stone at the side of the high altar to the south, on which these letters are carved: Here rests in peace Verecundus, bishop, of holy memory; and from a small stone Ark of red colour, with a lid and base of white colour, and a little window protected with iron, near the above-said stone, on which these letters are carved: The body of St. Verecundus, bishop." Ferrari has almost the same things word for word Catalogus SS. Italiæ, at 22 Oct.. Nor is it wonderful, since, as he confesses, he drew from the little book of Agostino Valier, bishop of Verona, On the Saints of the church of Verona, namely the same which we have cited above, but under its true title. Onofrio Panvinio has thus Antiquitatum Veronensium, book IV, chap. 20, page 119. Verona, 1647.: "Under Justin the elder and Justinian the great, Augusti, and under Theodoric and Athalaric, kings of the Goths in Italy, flourished the holy bishops of Verona Verecundus and Valens, as can be understood from their epitaphs. Of whom Verecundus, a man pious in religion, illustrated our city in a wonderful manner by his learning and gravity of morals. And he died in peace on the 11th of the Kalends of November ... in the year of Christ 523, and was buried in the most ancient edifice of all, St. Peter in Arce, built over the old theatre, on whose tomb this epitaph is carved (as above: Here rests, etc.). The see of Verona was then vacant 1 month, 15 days. To Verecundus ... on the 6th of the Ides of December of the same year St. Valens was substituted." Ughelli follows Panvinio Italia sacra, vol. V, col. 697., without changing even one word, if, however, you except the number of days for which the see of Verona is said to have been vacant: Panvinio puts XV days, Ughelli 25 days. Is there perhaps a slip here? But whatever it be, neither number is accurate. For from the 11th of the Kalends of Nov., or the 22nd day of October, on which both writers assert St. Verecundus died, to the 6th of the Ides, that is, the 8th day of December, on which St. Valens was substituted for him, there is had an interval of XVII days. I should think Panvinio confused the 6th of the Ides with the sixth of December; for so the see would have been vacant a month and XV days.
[2] he was bishop of Verona; And these are the things which it was possible to collect from various sources about St. Verecundus; and not indeed all and each equally proved. In Ughelli St. Verecundus is placed XXXVI in the order of succession Where cited above.; but Coleti notes Ibid. col. 672. that the Ughellian series is indeed rich, but rather undigested and confused. According to Ferrari Catalogus SS. Italiæ., St. Verecundus is the XXXII bishop of Verona; Giovanni Battista Biancolini reckons him XXXI in order Notizie storiche delle Chiese di Verona. Book one, page 169. Verona, 1749.; and he notes Ibid. page 164. that in the great darkness in which the chronological series of the bishops of Verona is wrapped, he will present, after the first eight bishops (whose succession is had from a certain rhythmical description of Verona, composed by an anonymous author in the reign of Pippin, son of Charles the Great See Maffei in Ughelli, vol. V, col. 672., which escaped Ughelli), the following prelates up to the year 750, as they were reduced into a catalogue by other writers. Who those writers are Biancolini does not say; but they differ very much from Ughelli, who he asserts does not merit credit except when he treats of the bishops who sat after the year 1225 Notizie. Where cited above, page 164.. Nor do the writers agree altogether as regards the year of his death. Panvinio and Ughelli, as we have seen, put it in the year 523, as does Peretti too In Valier, page 53, likewise page 57.; Biancolini a little differently: "he died," he says Notizie, page 169., "in the year 552 on the 22nd day of October"; Ferrari in this place is faulty: "about the year of salvation 33." Raphael Bagata [Ancient monuments of the Holy Bishops of Verona. In Valier, in the places cited above.] is silent about the year of his death. I should think there is no other argument by which to determine the time of his death than the epitaph of St. Valens, who is given by all as the immediate successor to St. Verecundus. It is found in the church of St. Peter de Arce, and is, as Panvinio reports Antiquitates Veronenses, page 120., of this tenor: "Here rests in peace St. Valens, bishop, who lived years more or less XXXXV, and sat in the episcopate (sic) years VII, months VII and days XVIII, and departed on the day VII of the Kalends of August (26th of July) after the consulship of Lampadius and Orestes, most illustrious men, in the VII Indiction." But Biancolini observes Notizie, book 1, page 130. that this reading of Panvinio is by no means accurate. "Although," he says, "that stone is not now so entire, yet it is not so damaged that it is not clearly seen that Panvinio blundered very much in the numbers." The learned man then testifies that he took care, with all the diligence that could be used, that the inscription should be rendered exactly as it still was in his age, a facsimile of which he also inserted in his Notizie, with this interpretation: "Here rests ... who lived years more or less LXXXV, and sat in the episcopate years VIII, months VIII and days XIX, and departed on the day VIII of the Kalends of Aug. after the consulship of Lampadius and Orestes ... Ind. IX." Whence it follows that absolutely all the sigla or
numerical notes read by Panvinio are false. Biancolini adds that the chief source of the error lies in this, that he confused the numerical note which has the form of a Greek character with the Roman note V, whereas in reality it is equivalent to VI. Moreover, in Biancolini's facsimile the year of age 85 is clearly expressed, and not 45, as Panvinio teaches. Finally, the day VII or VIII of the Kalends of Aug. after the consulship of Lampadius and Orestes coincides with the year of Christ 531 Art de vérifier les dates, page 336., to which, from the ordinary Tables Ibid. page 11., the IX Indiction is suited, and not the VII. If these things are admitted, the death of St. Verecundus will have to be assigned to the year of Christ 522, as anyone will find who compares the day of the deposition of St. Valens with the number of years and months during which he presided.
[3] of whom more things are reported, not sufficiently proved; Far other things are read in the little Work on the saints of Verona which the Reverend D. Giovanni Giacomo Marchese Dionisi, canon of Verona, published in the year 1817. The sum of the narration is of this kind. The impious Arian king Theodoric was reigning in Italy, who had fixed his seat at Verona. This above all was among his wishes, that throughout his whole dominion bishops should be elected who were followers of Arius; and there were already not a few men of this doctrine who presided over churches. Not so, however, at Verona, where St. Theodore held the insignia. He, having called together the people and clergy, designated as his successor, with the approval of all, St. Verecundus. When St. Theodore therefore died, St. Verecundus ascended the chair. The Arians, deceived in their hope, raging incredibly, go to Theodoric, and exasperate more and more his mind, already bitter enough against the faithful, especially on this head, that Theodore while living had chosen a successor for himself, not without disparagement, as they said, of the royal majesty. But since they easily perceived that Theodoric was not so ready as to undertake anything graver against the Prelate of Verona, they impelled him to send the holy Bishop to Ravenna, where he had proclaimed a council to be celebrated on the occasion of a tumult that had arisen between the people and the Hebrews; which, however, the supreme pontiff resisting, was not held. But Verecundus, well understanding at what that heretical cunning aimed, shows himself ready indeed to obey the royal command, but at the same time also to guard against the evil intended by the sectaries. Wherefore he gathers the people with the clergy, whom he persuades that, since he is forced to be absent, they should substitute for him St. Valens, who on Sunday, the 6th of the month of November in the year 522, undertook the episcopal burden, having received consecration with the consent of the comprovincial prelates. These things done, St. Verecundus departed to Ravenna, where he remained until in the year 524 he went to Constantinople together with St. John the pope, for the purpose of meeting the emperor Justinian, who in the aforesaid year had provided by law that the Arians should not have churches. Returning from the East, he stayed again at Ravenna, either because prudence so counselled, or because he judged that he would be of more profit to the church there than at Verona. Meanwhile Theodoric was raging. He was putting to death St. John the pope, Boethius, Symmachus, the chief defenders of the catholic cause in Italy at that time. How St. Verecundus himself escaped the hands of the raging tyrant no one could easily say. While, therefore, the holy Bishop was living as an exile far from Verona, the Arians, judging the time opportune, resolved to carry out their perverse counsels, electing a pontiff of their own doctrine. But behold, St. Valens is at hand, to fill the place of the exiled shepherd. The furious sectaries go to Theodoric, inflame his mind, so that he commands that the church of St. Stephen, in which the episcopal chair then was, be overthrown from its foundations, and the catholics be direly harassed. While this storm lasted, St. Valens lay hidden in the caverns of the hill of St. Peter, from which there was access to an oratory placed on the summit. At length, Theodoric having died on the 29th day of August 526, Athalaric succeeded, and with him peace was restored to the church. Then St. Verecundus returned from his long exile, whom the whole catholic people with the clergy and St. Valens ran to meet with jubilation, to congratulate their chief shepherd, and they conduct him to the aforesaid oratory of St. Peter, in which the pontifical see now was. From then SS. Verecundus and Valens began to administer the church of Verona together and to heal its manifold wounds inflicted by the Arians, until on the 24th day of July in the year 531 St. Valens died in the 85th year of his age, and was buried at St. Peter in Arce. St. Verecundus survived a little more than two years, and died his last day on the 22nd of October in the year 533, Athalaric reigning and Justinian Augustus being Consul for the third time. And these things indeed thus the Reverend D. Dionisi; whence he drew or received them I am altogether ignorant. This is certain, that nothing of the kind is found in the ancient monuments which we have praised above, in which St. Valens is everywhere given as successor to St. Verecundus. Let the credit of the narration therefore rest with the reverend canon; for which for my part I should in no way dare to make myself surety. See the Sylloge of St. Theodore written by our Stilting at the 19th of September Acta SS. vol. VI of September, page 23 – 26., where it is concluded that nothing certain can be determined either about the deeds or about the age of St. Theodore. And there is added from Luigi Lippomano, formerly bishop of Verona Ibid. page 25.: "The Saints of my church not only this city, but almost the whole world venerates and looks up to; but if I were to bring forward their lives as they are had, I should not only act against my purpose, but should also expose myself to be laughed at by all." And Stilting adds Ibid. page 26.: "From which it is plain that I must not labour to procure the life of St. Theodore," nor I either for that of St. Verecundus.
[4] his relics preserved to this day. These things therefore are proved: that St. Verecundus presided over the see of Verona, whence too his name is read inscribed on a Chasuble or Planeta, which is kept in the sacristy of the monastery of Classe at Ravenna, reproducing the image of diptychs; it is woven of silver silk, and the often-mentioned Biancolini treats of it professedly, but in another work [Dei vescovi e governatori di Verona dissertazioni due, page 1 and following. Verona, 1757.]. It is certain again that the feast of St. Verecundus, both at Verona and in the whole diocese, by the synodal constitution of the year 1503, is kept on the 22nd of October. Finally there is no doubt that the body of the holy Man rested in the church of St. Peter de Arce. Maffei indeed asserts that the Relics are no longer found there; but, replies Biancolini Notzie, book I, page 105., "no document of translation exists, so far as I know, and it is certain that they were still in the said church of St. Peter in the year 1493, as the following inscription, placed above the epitaph, gives proof: Here rests in peace the body of St. Verecundus, bishop, MCCCCLXXXXIII." The replies which I have received in these days from Verona agree, in which the fortunes and present state of the Relics are thus briefly set out: "The body of St. Verecundus was buried in the church of St. Peter de Arce, near St. Valens. Then in the year 1493 a solemn recognition of both bodies was made, when they were both taken out of the ancient coffer and laid in two marble sepulchres. In the year 1801, the church of St. Peter having been levelled to the ground by the military forces, a certain pious priest kept the remains of those holy prelates unharmed, which thenceforward remained deposited in the episcopal palace until the year 1817, when the Most Reverend D. Innocenzo Liruti, bishop of Verona, on the 16th day of November placed them with solemn rite in a new and magnificent marble resting place on the altar of St. Anno; and so on the same altar the bodies of SS. Valens, Verecundus and Anno, prelates of the chair of Verona, are religiously kept together, with this epigraph added:
The bones of SS. Valens and Verecundus, Bishops of Verona, From the ruined temple of St. Peter in the castle, Here beside the ashes of St. Anno, Likewise bishop of Verona, Innocenzo Liruti, their successor, Translated with Christian rite. In the year of the Lord m. ⅠƆ. CCCXVII. On the XVI of the Kalends of December."
The foundations both of the church of St. Peter and of the Citadel were exhumed and explored in the year 1855, namely when a new military barracks, and that fortified, was built there. But nothing was found in this investigation which pertains to the memory of St. Verecundus, as the documents sent to us from Verona expressly state.