Obitius ( it, Sant'Obizio) (February 4, c. 1150 - December 6, c. 1204) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

. He was born in

Niardo Niardo ( Camunian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. Neighbouring comuni are Braone, Breno, Losine and Prestine. It was the birthplace of Saint Obitius (Obizio), who is one of the town's patron saints. Geog ...

, in the

province of Brescia The Province of Brescia ( it, provincia di Brescia; Brescian: ) is a Province in the Lombardy administrative region of northern Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia. With an ar ...

, around 1150 (tradition holds that the day was February 4). His father, Gratiadeus (Graziodeo), was a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

and governor of

Valcamonica Val Camonica (also ''Valcamonica'' or Camonica Valley, Eastern Lombard: ''Al Camònega'') is one of the largest valleys of the central Alps, in eastern Lombardy, Italy. It extends about from the Tonale Pass to Corna Trentapassi, in the ...

. Obitius was devoted to

Margaret the Virgin Margaret, known as Margaret of Antioch in the West, and as Saint Marina the Great Martyr ( grc-gre, Ἁγία Μαρίνα) in the East, is celebrated as a saint on 20 July in the Western Rite Orthodoxy, Roman Catholic Church and Anglicanism, o ...

as a youth, and displayed an image of this virgin martyr and his armorial device.Sant' Obizio da Niardo
/ref> His family had connections with the local religious community. An uncle had founded two

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...

and another relative had befriended

Constantius of Perugia Constantius of Perugia (also known as Costantius, Constance or Costanzo) (died c. 170 AD) is one of the patron saints of Perugia, Italy. Legend According to his legend, of which four versions exist, he was arrested during the persecutions of Ant ...

, the other

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Niardo. Obitius nevertheless became a knight and married the countess Inglissenda Porro, with whom he had four children: Jacopo, Berta, Margherita, and Maffeo. Obitius had a successful military career as a knight, and participated in the wars between Cremona and Brescia.

Conversion

An event led Obitius to abandon his military career. On July 7, 1191, at the Battle of the Malamorte, on the

Oglio River The Oglio (; Latin ''Ollius'', or ''Olius''; Lombard ''Òi''; Cremonese ''Ùi'') is a left-side tributary of the river Po in Lombardy, Italy. It is long. In the hierarchy of the Po's tributaries, with its of length, it occupies the 2nd plac ...

, in Brescian territory, Obitius was leading an army against the Bergamaschi. The Bergamese retreated across a wooden bridge, and they were pursued by Obitius and his fellow knights. The collective weight of the soldiers, the knights’ armor, and the knights' horses caused the bridge to collapse, and Obitius and all the combatants plunged into the water. According to his legend, while he was in the water, he had a terrifying vision of

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...

. Obitius managed to escape from

drowning Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer a ...

and thereafter decided to dedicate himself to a spiritual life. Despite resistance to this idea from his family, Obitius’ determination eventually swayed them, and two of his children, Margherita and Maffeo, also became a nun and monk, respectively. Obitius lived in completely poverty,

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of Repentance (theology), repentance for Christian views on sin, sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic Church, Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox s ...

, and prayer and dedicated himself to working for 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 ...

convent A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. In 1197, he was eventually allowed to become an

oblate In Christianity (especially in the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person who is specifically dedicated to God or to God's service. Oblates are individuals, either laypersons or clergy, normally livi ...

in the monastery of Santa Giulia in

Brescia Brescia (, locally ; lmo, link=no, label= Lombard, Brèsa ; lat, Brixia; vec, Bressa) is a city and ''comune'' in the region of Lombardy, Northern Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Garda and Iseo. ...

. Obitius spent the rest of his life at the monastery, performing various acts of

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

Miracles A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

were attributed to him. He was buried with great honor at the monastery church of Santa Giulia in Brescia.

Veneration

In 1498, it was reported that the

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape or ...

containing Obitius’

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

began to miraculously issue water. His relics were translated to the altar of Santa Giulia and in 1553, the same phenomenon was again reported. In the

jubilee year A jubilee is a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term is often now used to denote the celebrations associated with the reign of a monarch after a milestone number of ...

of 1600, his cult was approved by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

. In 1526-7,

Romanino Girolamo Romani, known as Romanino (c. 1485 - c. 1566), was an Italian High Renaissance painter active in the Veneto and Lombardy, near Brescia. His long career brought forth several different styles. Biography Romani was born in Brescia. Hi ...

painted the story of Obitius’ life in a series of frescoes (''Storie di sant'Obizio''), in the basilica of San Salvatore at Brescia. When the monastery of Santa Giulia was suppressed in 1797 during the era of the

Cisalpine Republic The Cisalpine Republic ( it, Repubblica Cisalpina) was a sister republic of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802. Creation After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organized t ...

, Niardo demanded the relics of Obitius from Brescia and are today contained in the main altar of the parish church of Niardo.

Notes

External links

Obitius

Sant' Obizio da Niardo
{{authority control Italian saints Italian Benedictines Religious leaders from the Province of Brescia 1150s births 1204 deaths 13th-century Christian saints