The reign of John the Good is remembered for the return of the bishop to the town of Milan after an exile of more than 70 years. Actually in 569, the Lombards invaded Northern Italy and conquered its center, Milan, which was recovering from the terrible Gothic War. The bishop of Milan, Honoratus escaped to Genoa and Honoratus' successors remained in Genoa.[3] Genoa was then a suffragan diocese of Milan but still under the control of the Byzantine Empire.
John the Good was born in the diocese of Genoa in the village of Recco (although the nearby town of Camogli also claims to be his birthplace). It is not exactly known when he became bishop of Milan, but it is believed that his election was in consequence of the 641 conquest of Genoa by the King of the Lombards Rothari.[2] John as bishop returned to reside in Milan. [4]
In 649, John was invited to participate to the Lateran Council, but he arrived in Rome when the council had already ended. He still however subscribed to all the documents issued by the council.[3]
There are two main sources for John's life: the Catalogue of the Bishops of Milan (dated from about the 10th century) and a poem (Italian: Carme)[5] in his honor, which can be dated from the 11th to the 13th century. According to this carme, John was distinguished for his generosity and charity, from which he was given the sobriquet the Good (Latin: Bonus). Also according to the carme, he accomplished miracles, he moved some of the relics of Saint Syrus of Genoa to Desio which he erected as ecclesiastical/administrative territory (Pievan Church) and he died in 669 leaving all his properties, including estates in the area of Genoa, to the Church of Milan. The 669 as date of his death is however not coherent with the catalogue, which suggests a ten years reign, i.e. a death no later than the 659.[2]
John died on 2 January according to the Catalogue, or on 10 January according to the carme. The latter date became his initial feast day, and it is still his feast day in the Eastern Orthodox Church to this day.[1] Today, his feast is celebrated on 2 January (or 15 January in the cathedral of Milan, together with all the canonised bishops of Milan on 25 September).[3]
The body of John was initially buried in the little church of Saint Michaelin Domo in Milan and the first survey on his relics was made by archbishop Aribert (1018–1045). On 24 May 1582, shortly before the demolition of the Church of St. Michael, cardinal Carlo Borromeotranslated the body of John to the south transept of the cathedral of Milan, where it is still venerated.[3] The body of the saint is 1.90 metres (6ft 3in) in height.[2]
↑ The book of saints: a dictionary of servants of God canonised by the Catholic Church: extracted from the Roman & other martyrologies. Whitefish, MT: Kessinger Publishing. 2001 [1921]. p.147. ISBN978-0-7661-7269-2.
The Archdiocese of Milan is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has long maintained its own Latin liturgical rite usage, the Ambrosian rite, which is still used in the greater part of the diocesan territory. Among its past archbishops, the better known are Ambrose, Charles Borromeo, Pope Pius XI and Pope Paul VI.
Galdino della Sala, Galdinus or Galdimus, was a Roman Catholic saint from Milan in northern Italy. He was a cardinal elevated in 1165 and he also served as Archbishop of Milan from 1166 to his death in 1176. He was a staunch supporter both of Pope Alexander III, and of Milan and its neighbours in Lombardy, in their joint and parallel struggles against the Antipope Victor IV, supported by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa.
Saint Honoratus of Amiens was the seventh bishop of Amiens. His feast day is May 16.
Simplician was Bishop of Milan from 397 to 400 or 401 AD. He is honoured as a Saint in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches and his feast day is August 14.
Eustorgius II was Archbishop of Milan from c. 511 to 518. He is honoured as a saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is June 6.
Evasius is believed to have been a missionary and bishop of Asti, in north-west Italy. He was forced to flee to the great Padan forest known as the Selva Cornea, where he and numerous followers were beheaded by pagan, or alternatively by Arian enemies, in the area of what is now Casale Monferrato. He is venerated as a saint of the Roman Catholic Church and is the patron of a number of towns in Piedmont and Lombardy. His cult is liveliest at Casale, where his remains are conserved in the cathedral dedicated to him.
Benedict was Archbishop of Milan from c. 685–732. He is honoured as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Maternus was Archbishop of Milan from c. 316 to c. 328. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is on July 18.
Calimerius was an early bishop of Milan. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and his feast day is on July 31.
Castritian was Bishop of Milan in mid 3rd-century. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is on December 1.
Monas was Bishop of Milan from the end 3rd-century to early 4th-century. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is on October 12.
Dionysius was bishop of Milan from 349 to 355. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and his feast day is 25 May.
Caius was Bishop of Milan in early 3rd-century. He is considered by the Orthodox tradition the first Bishop of Milan in the 1st century. He is honoured as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church and his feast day is on 27 September.
Anathalon was the first recorded Bishop of Milan and lived at the end 2nd-century or early 3rd-century. A later tradition made him the also the first bishop of Brescia. He is honoured as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, which celebrate his feast day on 24 September. In Milan, however, this is commemorated on 25 September.
Theodorus I was Archbishop of Milan from 475 to 490. He is honoured as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Church, and his feast day is 27 July.
Lawrence I was Archbishop of Milan from 490 to c. 511. He is honoured as a saint in the Catholic Church and his feast day is July 25.
Magnus was Archbishop of Milan from 518 to c. 530. He is honoured as a saint in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Church.
Natalis was Archbishop of Milan in the mid-8th century. He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church. His feast day is May 13.
Mansuetus was Archbishop of Milan from 676 to 685. He is honoured as a saint in the Catholic Church.
Ampelius was Archbishop of Milan from 671 to 676. He is honoured as a saint in the Catholic Church.
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