Cerbonius

Cerbonius (* 493 in North Africa , † 573 on the island of Elba ) was bishop of Populonia for about 30 years . He was canonized and is the patron saint of the city of Massa Marittima in Tuscany , in whose cathedral San Cerbone he is buried. Patronage festival is on October 10th.

Life and legends

St. Cerbonius and the bears. Relief on the lintel of the San Cerbone Cathedral, Massa Marittima

According to tradition, Cerbonius was driven from his homeland by the Vandals and fled to what is now Tuscany . There he entered the service of Bishop Florentius of Populonia around 540 and was his successor.

The following legends, which are depicted several times in the Cathedral of San Cerbone (in the lintel of the central portal, in reliefs on his sarcophagus, on the rose window in the facade), are documented from his life:

• The Ostrogoth king Totila , who controlled central Italy in the 6th century, had Bishop Cerbonius arrested because he had hidden some Roman soldiers from the king's troops. The prisoner was thrown in an arena by a bear, but the bear did not attack him, but licked his feet. The audience was deeply impressed, and Totila released him again.
• Zerbonius is of the faith community Populonia to Pope Vigilius cited to Rome because some believers him a heretic hold after he had expressed, during the morning Mass Angels songs to hear. On the trip to Rome, the bishop heals some lepers , milks hinds and meets geese with whom he learns to speak. He asks them to accompany him to Rome and the animals follow him (geese are therefore the iconographic attribute of this saint). In the end, Pope Cerbonius believes his story. They celebrate Mass together in St. Peter's Basilica and both declare by mutual agreement to hear the Gloria of the Angels.
• Towards the end of his life, Cerbonius had to flee from the Longobards to the island of Elba. In his will he ordered that he wanted to be buried in Populonia; but after his burial his followers were to return to the island immediately. The friends obeyed the will on the day of his death. The ship got caught in a severe storm, but arrived unscathed in the port of Populonia. After the burial in the local cemetery, the crew quickly returned to the ship despite the storm and sailed back to Elba with their combined forces. The Lombard king took Populonia by force that night; Cerbonius had foreseen this and saved his friends.

Almost three centuries later, Populonia was attacked by Greek pirates. In 835 the then Bishop of Populonia fled with the bones of his holy predecessor on a hill on the edge of the Colline Metallifere high above the marshland of the Maremma . This is the nucleus of today's city of Massa Marittima.

literature

• Albert Christian Sellner: Everlasting Holy Calendar, Frankfurt / Main 1993
• Pietro Torriti: Massa Marittima, Firenze 2003

Web links

Commons : Cerbonius  - collection of images, videos and audio files