Simeon of Mantua
Saint Simeon of Mantua | |
---|---|
Born |
10th century Armenia |
Died |
AD 1016 Mantua |
Venerated in | Catholic Church |
Beatified | 1024[1] by Pope Benedict VIII |
Canonized | 1049 by Pope Leo IX |
Feast | July 26 |
Simeon of Mantua (9??–1016) was a Benedictine monk of Armenian origin who was canonized as a saint in the late 11th century.
Little is known of Simeon's early life, but at some time he left his homeland and spent some years living as a hermit in Palestine. After this, he is known to have visited Rome, where his exoticism led to his harassment by a Roman mob. Papal intervention calmed this situation. In the following period Simeon traveled across Italy, France, and Spain before returning to northern Italy, joining a Benedictine monastery at Mantua, where he became known for his kindness and generosity. He died in Mantua in 1016.
His tomb was a reported cite of numerous miracles, which contributed to his canonization in the latter 11th century. A local noble, Marchese Bonifacio III of Montferrat (not to be confused with either Pope Boniface III or the famous Boniface of Montferrat), later rebuilt a local church and dedicated it in Simeon's honor.
References
Sources
- Southern, R.W.. The Making of the Middle Ages. Yale University Press, 1953, p. 70.
- Benedictine Monks of st Augustines Abbey Ramsgate. Book of the Saints. A & C Black Publishers Ltd, 2003, p. 245
- Visual Italy: San Benedetto Po, Abbazia di Polirone, http://www.visual-italy.it/EN/lombardia/mantova/san-benedetto-po/abbazia-polirone/