Saint Prosper of Reggio ( it, San Prospero; died 25 June c. 466) is an Italian

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Or ...

. Tradition holds that he was a

bishop of Reggio Emilia A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is c ...

for twenty-two years. Little is known of his life, but documents attest that he was indeed bishop of Reggio Emilia in the fifth century.San Prospero di Reggio Emilia
/ref> Remembered for his sense 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 * C ...

, he is the

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 Reggio Emilia, although its

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

is not dedicated to him. Instead, the church of San Prospero, which Prosper himself had built and dedicated to Saint Apollinaris, commemorates his episcopate. He died at Reggio Emilia.

Veneration

Tradition holds that the Bishop Prosper was able to deflect the onslaught of

Attila the Hun Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and E ...

by miraculously calling for a fog to hide the city. The patron saint of Modena, Bishop Geminianus is also said to have performed the same miracle. His cult was ancient and was diffused during the eleventh to fourteenth centuries. Prosper was venerated in

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, music, art, prosciutto (ham), cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 inhabitants, Parma is the second m ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different na ...

Lucca Lucca ( , ) is a city and ''comune'' in Tuscany, Central Italy, on the Serchio River, in a fertile plain near the Ligurian Sea. The city has a population of about 89,000, while its province has a population of 383,957. Lucca is known as one ...

, and other cities beyond Reggio. Some thirty-one churches and chapels were dedicated to him in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

. However, after the

Council of Trent The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...

, his cult once again was confined only to Reggio. The Reggio diocese celebrates his cult locally on 24 November but 25 June is his feast day on general calendars. The painting by

Giovanni Soncini Giovanni Soncini was a painter from Reggio Emilia, Italy, who was active in Parma during the Renaissance.Vaccaro, Mary. "Artists as godfathers: Parmigianino and Correggio in the baptismal registers of Parma." ''Renaissance Studies'' 21 (3), 3 ...

of Saints Bernard and Prosper is the only known painting by this artist.Musei Civici di Reggio Emilia – Palazzo dei Musei – La Madonna col Bambino in trono fra i santi Bernardo e Prospero

Relics

His

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 ...

were translated in 703 to a new church built in his honor by Thomas, a subsequent bishop of Reggio. They lay alongside those of

Venerius the Hermit Saint Venerius ( San Venerio) (ca. 560–630) was a monk and hermit. He is venerated as a saint by the Catholic Church and is the patron saint of the Gulf of La Spezia and, as of 1961, the patron saint of lighthouse keepers. Life Venerius wa ...

and

Cosmas and Damian Cosmas and Damian ( ar, قُزما ودميان, translit=Qozma wa Demyaan; grc-gre, Κοσμᾶς καὶ Δαμιανός, translit=Kosmás kai Damianós; la, Cosmas et Damianus; AD) were two Arab physicians in the town Cyrrhus, and were r ...

. In the tenth century, Reggio being vulnerable to attacks from the sea, Bishop Ermenald (Ermenaldo) transported his relics to the Cathedral of Santa Maria in the center of the city while the church dedicated to Prosper was being built. This was completed by his successor Tenzo (Tenzone) (979).

Pope Gregory V Pope Gregory V ( la, Gregorius V; c. 972 – 18 February 999), born Bruno of Carinthia, was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 3 May 996 to his death. A member of the Salian dynasty, he was made pope by his cousin, Emperor ...

consecrated the church in 997. In the 16th century, the church was rebuilt; Prosper's body lies under the great altar.

References

External links

Saints of June 25: Prosper of Reggio

San Prospero di Reggio Emilia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prosper Of Reggio Italian saints Bishops in Emilia-Romagna 5th-century Italian bishops 466 deaths 5th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown

Veneration

Relics

See also

References

External links