Zenobius of Florence

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The last miracles and the death of St. Zenobius, Botticelli
Madonna enthroned with St. Dominic and St. Zenobius, Fra Angelico
St Zenobius (right) on the facade of Florence Cathedral
Detail of the facade

Zenobius of Florence (ital. Zanobi, Zenobio, * 337 , † 407 or 424 in Florence ) is venerated as the first bishop of Florence. He is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church and, after John the Baptist, the city's second patron saint. His feast day is May 25th.

Life

Reliable contemporary accounts of his life have not been preserved, so that facts and myths about him are difficult to separate from one another. Zenobius is said to have had respected pagan parents named Lucianus and Sophia. As a youth he got to know the Christian faith and was baptized, probably at the age of 21, by Bishop Theodor. According to legend, he persuaded his parents to adopt Christianity. His mother was probably only given the name Sophia at this point, because this name does not suggest a pagan. Under Bishop Theodor he was promoted to archdeacon. In Milan he became a student of Ambrosius of Milan . On his recommendation he came to Rome around the year 380, where he was entrusted by Pope Damasus I with an embassy to Constantinople. When the bishop of his native Florence died after his return home, he became his successor.

Adoration

He was given great veneration and numerous miracles have been attributed to him. According to legend , an old elm tree that the train with its corpse passed when it was brought to Santa Reparata turned green again and began to bloom on this occasion. A branch of it that was placed in his coffin is said to have been found green after a thousand years.

This miracle, sometimes the healing of the sick, is shown in numerous illustrations. In general, Zenobius is a popular motif in Florentine art, for example in works by Domenico Ghirlandaio , Sandro Botticelli , Andrea Della Robbia and Fra Angelico . He is represented with a crosier and often with a beard.

From the beginning of the 9th century, the primary place of worship of St. Zenobius was his burial place, the Church of Santa Reparata, to which his body was brought from the Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze . Since 1439 he has been venerated in a chapel dedicated to him in Florence Cathedral.

literature

Web links

Commons : Saint Zenobius  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Zenobius, p. (1) . In: Johann E. Stadler , Franz Joseph Heim, Johann N. Ginal (Eds.): Complete Lexicon of Saints ... , Volume 5 (Q-Z), B. Schmid'sche Verlagbuchhandlung (A. Manz), Augsburg 1882, p.  859 .
  2. ↑ Life data according to Stadler and CE, according to BBKL / ÖHL he was born around 390 and died around 445.
personal data
SURNAME Zenobius of Florence
ALTERNATIVE NAMES San Zenobio (Italian); Zanobi (Italian)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Bishop of Florence, saint
DATE OF BIRTH 337
DATE OF DEATH 407 or 424 or 445
Place of death Florence