ON ST. BENEDICT OF COMO, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR, IN LOMBARDY,
IN THE YEAR 692.
SYLLOGE.
Benedict, bishop of Como in Italy. (S.)
R. D. B.
§ Sole. The cult of St. Benedict in the diocese of Como.
In the Sanctuary or Martyrology of the Church of Como, written in the year 1675 by Primo Luigi de Tatti of Como, St. Benedict, bishop at the end of the seventh century, at the 30th day of October we read: At Como, in the church of St. Abundius outside the walls of the city, of St. Benedict, bishop of Como and confessor, who, called in the time of the Lombards to the rule of this church, illustrated it by the examples and holiness of a distinguished life, and departing from this life adorned it with his precious body. Few things are to be said of Bl. Benedict, bishop of Como, since nearly all that certainly regard him have already been narrated in our Work [Acta SS., tom. VIII of Oct., pag. 904; tom. X, pag. 106. Cf. Oltrocchi, Eccl. Mediolan. hist., pag. 486, 612 et seqq. Cantù, Storia di Como, tom. I, pag. 157.]. And first that he was of the family named Benedicta, extinct for several centuries, was judged by Ughelli Italia sacra, tom. V, col. 262. and Ballarini Compendio delle croniche di Como, pag. 106.: but they confirm this opinion by no argument. Moreover since after St. Octavian, who is said to have ordained him, he sat in the episcopal chair from about the year 680 to the year 692 Cf. Tatti, Annali sacri di Como, tom I, pag. 716., he seems to be numbered among the bishops who were not averse to the schism of Aquileia: which schism took its beginning about the year 557, and ceased about the year 700, as was shown in our Acts. Ughelli also reports that he built at Como a parish church in honor of St. Benedict the abbot: but Tatti rightly notes that this structure is with better right attributed to Benedict II, who presided over the Church of Como in the fourteenth century Ibid..
[2] he is venerated at Como. Long ago our Benedict was certainly adorned with the title of saint [Cf. Bened. Jovius, Hist. Novocomensis, lib. II, in Grævius, Thesaurus antiq. et hist. Ital., tom. IV, part. II, col. 102. Ballarini, Compendio delle croniche, pag. 106.], yet with no liturgical office carried out in his honor: this cult was first conferred on him by Lazzaro Caraffino, bishop of Como, inscribing his name about the year 1650, together with the names of some other bishops of Como, in the Calendar of Como, and honoring them with an ecclesiastical office Cf. Acta SS., tom. VIII of Oct., pag. 904; tom. X, pag. 106 et seq.. But this displeased the Sacred Congregation of Rites, which willed that the feast of St. Benedict and the other bishops should be celebrated in the basilica of St. Abundius alone, on account of the presence of the bodies, as Tatti, in a book published in the year 1663, testifies Tatti, Annali sacri di Como, tom. I, pag. 708 and 716.. For this reason in the martyrology of the same Tatti it is openly indicated, as we saw at the beginning of this sylloge, that the feast of St. Benedict was kept not through the whole diocese of Como, but only in the church of St. Abundius, outside the walls of the city. Afterwards however, but I know not in what way, the feast of St. Benedict and of a good many other bishops was introduced into the liturgy of the whole diocese of Como. And in the Order of Como for reciting the divine office and celebrating Mass for the year 1847, the clerics are ordered to venerate St. Benedict, at the 30th day of October, with double rite. Ballarini judges this to have been the day of his death Compendio delle croniche, pag. 106.: which, however, Ughelli holds to be the 3rd day of October Italia sacra, tom. V, col. 262.. Of the deeds of St. Benedict nothing has become known to us besides what we have reported in the preceding number.