Gaudentius of Novara

Last updated

Saint Gaudentius of Novara
Saint Gaudentius (cropped).jpg
Gaudentius, on a glass of Basilica di San Vittore (Intra)
BornIvrea
Diedearly 5th century
Venerated in Roman Catholic Church, Orthodox Church
Feast 22 January

Saint Gaudentius (fl. end of 4th century-early 5th century) was a bishop of Novara, considered the first of that city. [1] Tradition states that he was born to a pagan family at Ivrea, and was then converted to Christianity by Eusebius of Vercelli. Some sources say that Eusebius ordained Gaudentius a priest, and that Gaudentius was sent to Novara by Eusebius to assist a Christian priest named Laurence (Laurentius) there. [1]

Contents

Biography

Eusebius of Vercelli was exiled after a synod held at Milan (355); some sources state that Gaudentius accompanied him in exile. [1] Eusebius ordered him back to Novara, where Laurence had been killed. Gaudentius was supported in his mission by a new ally: Saint Ambrose, bishop of Milan. Simplician, Ambrose's successor, consecrated Gaudentius as bishop of Novara in 398 AD. [1]

Basilica of San Gaudenzio Novara novara.jpg
Basilica of San Gaudenzio

Gaudentius preached and ordained many new clergymen. A miracle reported of his death states that Gaudentius’ head continued to speak after the saint had died, so that the clergy could record and repeat his sermons. [1]

The Basilica of San Gaudenzio in Novara, as well as numerous churches throughout the region, is dedicated to him. Gaudentius is depicted holding a model of a church. [2]

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.