Saint Bononio (or Bononius) (died August 30, 1026) was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

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 ...

and saint of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. Bononio was born in Bologna sometime in the latter part of the tenth century. He became a monk at an early age, and while on a pilgrimage to the East settled in Egypt to live as a hermit during the reign of Fatamid Caliph Al-Aziz Billah. Noted for both his asceticism and charitable works, Bononio acquired some influence at court, and was permitted to build a few churches. When Peter, bishop of Vercelli, was captured by

Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

forces after the

Battle of Stilo The Battle of Stilo (also known as Cape Colonna and Crotone) was fought on 13 or 14 July 982 near Crotone in Calabria between the forces of Holy Roman Emperor Otto II and his Italo-Lombard allies and those of the Kalbid emir of Sicily, Abu'l- ...

, Bononio assisted in the bishop's release, and then retired to live as a hermit in the Sinai.Pomi, Damiano. "San Bononio", Santi e Beati
/ref> In gratitude for Bononio's assistance, when Peter returned to Italy, he named him abbot of the monastery of Lucedio. At Lucedio, Bononio restored discipline amongst the monks and provided for the surrounding population. He died in Lucedio on August 30, 1026. Bononio was canonized by

Pope John XIX Pope John XIX ( la, Ioannes XIX; died October 1032), born Romanus, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 1024 to his death. He belonged to the family of the powerful counts of Tusculum, succeeding his brother, Benedict VIII ...

. The saint's festival is celebrated on that day in the Piedmont liturgical calendar. The village of San Bononio is part of the municipality of

Curino Curino is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Biella in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northeast of Biella. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 480 and an area of .All demographics an ...

. It celebrates its patron's feast with a three-day festival of concerts, art exhibitions, and lanterns on the canal. The story that Bononio was a disciple of

Saint Romuald Romuald ( la, Romualdus; 951 – traditionally 19 June, c. 1025/27 AD) was the founder of the Camaldolese order and a major figure in the eleventh-century "Renaissance of eremitical asceticism".John Howe, "The Awesome Hermit: The Symbolic ...

is based on a much later spurious ''vita'' fabricated by a Camaldolese abbot.Tabacco, Giovanni. "Bobonio, Saint", ''Treccari'' vol. 12, 1971
/ref>

References

External links

St. Bononius
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bononio Italian Roman Catholic saints 1026 deaths Italian hermits Egyptian hermits Clergy from Bologna Italian Benedictines 11th-century Italian clergy 11th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown Lucedio Abbey