23-457: San Zeno is the Italian name of Zeno of Verona , an Italian Catholic saint. It may also refer to: Zeno of Verona 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 believed to have either served as Bishop of Verona or died as a martyr . He is venerated as a saint in
46-512: A peasant crossing the river in a horse and cart. The horses became strangely skittish. Zeno, believing this behavior to be the work of the devil , made the sign of the cross , and the horses calmed down. Zeno was often said to combat the devil, and is sometimes depicted treading on a demon. Another story relates that he exorcised a demon from the body of the daughter of the Emperor Gallienus , although Zeno probably did not live during
69-401: Is an invention of the poet. In general, the poet's non-classical usages contrast with his evident learnedness. His verses are marked by "syllabic irregularities" among other anomalies. The Versus are sometimes classified as "popular" poetry, on the basis of their vulgarisms . This generally assumes that the poet was writing in an uneducated manner, but this is unsatisfactory in the case of
92-647: Is described as a confessor of the faith in early martyrologies . Saint Gregory the Great calls him a martyr in his Dialogues , though Saint Ambrose , a contemporary of Zeno, does not. Ambrose speaks of Zeno's "happy death", although as a confessor, Zeno may have suffered persecution (but not execution) during the reigns of Constantius II and Julian the Apostate . The entry in the modern Roman Martyrology lists his death date as 12 April, but makes no mention of martyrdom. The first evidence for his existence
115-574: Is more likely that originally it was a symbol of his success in bringing people to baptism." Versus de Verona The Versus de Verona , also Carmen Pipinianum or Rhythmus Pipinianus ( Ritmo Pipiniano ), was a medieval Latin poetic encomium on the city of Verona , composed during the Carolingian Renaissance , between 795 and 806. It was modeled on the Laudes Mediolanensis civitatis (c.738), which
138-484: Is preserved today only in a Veronese manuscript. The anonymous Versus have been ascribed to Pacificus , archdeacon at Verona from 803 until his death in 846, but this ascription is unlikely. The poem consists of thirty-three strophes and three verses. Contextually, the Versus were composed in a city that had undergone a recent ecclesiastical reform—under its bishops Eginus (c.780) and Ratold (799)—and
161-571: Is similar to a list of bishops embroidered on the Velo di Classe of bishop Anno ( c .760). The return of the relics of Firmus and Rusticus , which had first been taken to Africa , then to Capodistria and finally to Trieste , before bishop Anno brought them back around 760 and re-buried them in their original sarcophagus, inspired reference to these saints. The anonymous poet, in competition with Milan , lists some Milanese saints (lines 63–64) and some cities which praise Verona, "the gateway to
184-475: Is the patron saint of fishermen and anglers, the city of Verona, newborn babies, and children learning to speak and walk. Some 30 churches or chapels have been dedicated to him, including Pistoia Cathedral . According to legend, he was stolen at birth and briefly replaced by a demonic changeling . One story relates that Saint Zeno, fishing on the banks of the Adige , which he did in order to feed himself, saw
207-458: Is well known for its bronze doors (c. 1100 – c. 1200) which depict, besides stories from the Bible, images drawn from the stories of the miracles of Saint Zeno including those recorded by the notary Coronato. The church is also known for the facade sculpture signed by Nicholaus and an associate Guglielmus, and the rose window (c. 1200), which is the work of Brioloto. Zeno
230-538: The Agape feast was celebrated and forbade that funeral masses be accompanied by attendees' loud groans and wailing. Zeno's other reforms included instructions concerning adult baptism , which occurred by complete immersion . He instituted the issuing of medals to people newly baptized in the Catholic faith. Zeno's episcopate lasted for about ten years; the date of his death is sometimes given as 12 April 371. Zeno
253-580: The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church . A Veronese author named Coronato, who was a notary in the 7th century, claimed that Zeno was a native of Mauretania who taught children of Africa about the Catholic religion and also helped them with their education. Another claim was that Zeno was a follower of Athanasius , patriarch of Alexandria , and accompanied his master when the latter visited Verona in 340. The literary style of
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#1732781109532276-599: The Versus , probably a monk, stresses not only the glory of Verona's Christian present, but departs from his model, the Versum , to praise its pagan past: fana, tempora, constructa a deorum nomina ("its shrines and temples were built and dedicated to the gods", line 13). The monuments specifically referred to are the Roman amphitheatre and the Ponte di Pietra . The Versus can form a valuable source for early medieval Verona, since
299-475: The beginning of the tenth century by Hungarians, though the relics of Zeno remained safe. The basilica was rebuilt, making it larger and stronger. Financial support was provided by Otto I , and it was re-consecrated in 967 at a ceremony presided over by Bishop Ratherius of Verona. The present church of San Zeno in Verona is for the most part a work of the twelfth, thirteenth, and early fifteenth centuries. It
322-461: The bounds of Liguria ": Aquileia , Mantua , Brescia , Pavia , Rome , and Ravenna ; Milan is notably omitted. The anonymous poet was inventive in his use of language. He praises Verona in line 2 for its pre-eminence among the cities in partibus Venetiarum, ut docet Isidorus , "in the area of the Veneto, as Isidore teaches." In fact, Isidore teaches no such thing, and the plural form Venetiarum
345-440: The city in verse, states that Zeno was the eighth bishop of Verona. Zeno's liturgical feast day is celebrated on 12 April, but in the diocese of Verona, it is also celebrated on 21 May, in honor of the translation of his relics on 21 May 807. Tradition states that Zeno built the first basilica in Verona, probably situated in the area occupied by the present-day cathedral. His eponymous church in its present location dates to
368-491: The city was partially destroyed by the earthquake of 3 January 1117 . In lines 22–24, the Veronese poet does lament the evil of the city's pagan founders. Thereafter the Versus is dedicated to the thirty-five saints , forty martyrs , and twelve apostles associated with Verona. The list of Veronese bishops after line 40 does not appear to be based on the earlier Sermo de Vita S. Zenonis or Vita Zenonis , but
391-420: The door was wide open. The church was then donated to Theodelinda , an alleged eyewitness to the miracle and wife of king Authari . Zeno is most often represented with fishing-related items such as a fish or 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
414-464: The early ninth century, when it was endowed by Charlemagne and his son Pepin, King of Italy . It was consecrated on 8 December 806. Two local hermits , Benignus and Carus, were assigned the task of translating Zeno's relics to a new marble crypt . King Pepin was present at the ceremony, as were the Bishops of Cremona and Salzburg , and an immense crowd of townspeople. The church was damaged at
437-437: The establishment of an abbey and basilica dedicated to the patron Saint Zeno outside the walls of the city and the establishment of the orthodox Cathedral of Maria Matricolare within the walls. In 799 Pippin of Italy had moved his royal court from Pavia to Verona. At the time Verona possessed newly rebuilt walls, studded with forty regular towers and eighth tall ones at the gates, referred to in lines 4–6. The poet of
460-485: 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 [ Wikidata ] . Zeno had "received a good classical education ". As bishop he baptized many people and won converts back from Arianism . He lived a life of poverty. He trained priests to work in the diocese and set up a convent for women. In addition, he reformed how
483-479: The more than 90 Sermones attributed to Zeno is also considered evidence of his African origins, since Christian African writers of the time frequently used neologisms and wordplay. Many of the Sermones concern Old Testament exegesis and are said to "have a definite anti-Semitic element in them". This interpretation is not shared by Giuseppe Laiti, expert on San Zeno's work. Staying in Verona, Zeno entered
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#1732781109532506-480: The reign of Gallienus. The story relates that the grateful Gallienus allowed Zeno and other Christians freedom of worship in the empire. Saint Gregory the Great, at the end of the 6th century, related a miracle associated with the divine intercession of Zeno. 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
529-462: Was found in a letter written by Saint Ambrose to Bishop Syagrius [ Wikidata ] in which Ambrose referred to the holiness of Zeno. Later, Bishop Saint Petronius of Verona [ Wikidata ] (r. 412–429) wrote of Zeno's virtues and also confirmed the existence of a cult dedicated to Saint Zeno. A poem written between 781 and 810, called the Versus de Verona , an elegy to
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