Conon (3 June 1139 – 28 March 1236) was a
Basilian
Basilian may refer to a number of groups who are followers of Saint Basil the Great and specifically to:
* Basilian monks (founded c. 356), monks who follow the rule of Saint Basil the Great, in modern use refers to monks of Eastern Catholic Chur ...
abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fem ...
at
Naso,
Sicily
(man) it, Siciliana (woman)
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.
Religious life
A famous tale from the life of Conon tells that he made a
pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, aft ...
to
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, and whilst there he received a vision. In this vision, Conon witnessed a priest he knew being suffocated by a snake. Having returning from the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
, he went directly to this priest and told him what he had seen. The priest at once confessed to Conon that he was taking church funds and keeping them for himself. Conon then persuaded his fellow priest to change his ways.
Another tale tells of how Conon healed a Sicilian boy of his
apoplexy
Apoplexy () is rupture of an internal organ and the accompanying symptoms. The term formerly referred to what is now called a stroke. Nowadays, health care professionals do not use the term, but instead specify the anatomic location of the bleedi ...
.
Legacy and veneration
In 1571,
Naso was in the midst of a dire famine. The people of the city prayed for the intercession of Conon, their
patron
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...
. Conon then appeared to a ship captain, who brought grain to Naso, and thus the people of Naso survived the famine.
References
Sources
St. Conon Catholic Online.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Conon Of Naso
Italian Roman Catholic saints
Eastern Orthodox saints
13th-century Christian saints
1236 deaths
1139 births
Religious leaders from the Province of Messina
Sicilian saints
Basilian saints