Saint Zenobius (337 – 417) is venerated as the first bishop of
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
. His feast day is celebrated on May 25.
Born of a Florentine noble family, he was educated by his
paganPaganism is a word with several different meanings.In its broadest definition, pagan denotes all non-Abrahamic religions, that is to say it denotes all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.Other usages are:*Paganism may mean Polytheism: The group so defined includes most of the...
parents. He came early under the influence of the holy bishop Theodore, was baptized by him, and succeeded, after much opposition, in bringing his father and mother to the
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
. He embraced the clerical state, and rapidly rose to the position of
archdeaconA position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
, when his virtues and notable powers as a preacher made him known to Saint Ambrose, at whose instance
Pope Damasus IPope Saint Damasus I was Pope from 366 to 384.He was born around 305, probably near the city of Idanha-a-Velha , in what is present-day Portugal, or near the city of Castelo Branco , then part of the Western Roman Empire...
(366-86) called him to
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, and employed him in various important missions, including a legation to
ConstantinopleConstantinople was the imperial capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire...
.
Saint Zenobius (337 – 417) is venerated as the first bishop of
FlorenceFlorence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence...
. His feast day is celebrated on May 25.
Life
Born of a Florentine noble family, he was educated by his
paganPaganism is a word with several different meanings.In its broadest definition, pagan denotes all non-Abrahamic religions, that is to say it denotes all religions other than Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.Other usages are:*Paganism may mean Polytheism: The group so defined includes most of the...
parents. He came early under the influence of the holy bishop Theodore, was baptized by him, and succeeded, after much opposition, in bringing his father and mother to the
ChristianityChristianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as presented by the revelations in the New Testament....
. He embraced the clerical state, and rapidly rose to the position of
archdeaconA position of archdeacon is a senior position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, and in some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church...
, when his virtues and notable powers as a preacher made him known to Saint Ambrose, at whose instance
Pope Damasus IPope Saint Damasus I was Pope from 366 to 384.He was born around 305, probably near the city of Idanha-a-Velha , in what is present-day Portugal, or near the city of Castelo Branco , then part of the Western Roman Empire...
(366-86) called him to
RomeRome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated municipality , with over 2.7 million residents in , while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat to be 3.46 million. The metropolitan area of Rome is estimated by OECD to have a population of 3.7 million...
, and employed him in various important missions, including a legation to
ConstantinopleConstantinople was the imperial capital of the Roman Empire , the Byzantine/Eastern Roman Empire , the Latin Empire , and the Ottoman Empire...
. On the death of Damasus he returned to his native city, where he resumed his apostolic labours, and on the death of the bishop of that see, Zenobius, to the great joy of the people, was appointed to succeed him. His
deaconDeacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
s are venerated as
St. Eugene and
St. Crescentius. He evangelized Florence and its outskirts completely and combated
ArianismArianism is the theological teaching of Arius , a Christian priest, who was first ruled a heretic at the First Council of Nicea of 325, later exonerated in 335 at the First Synod of Tyre, and then pronounced a heretic again after his death at the First Council of Constantinople of 381...
.
According to his biographer and successor in the See of Florence, Antonius, he died in his ninetieth year, in 424; but, as Antonius says that
Pope Innocent IPope Saint Innocent I was pope from 401 to March 12, 417.He was, according to his biographer in the Liber Pontificalis, the son of a man called Innocens of Albano; but according to his contemporary Jerome, his father was Pope Anastasius I , whom he was called by the unanimous voice of the clergy...
(d. 417) was at the time
popeThe pope is the Bishop of Rome and, as such, is leader of the worldwide Catholic Church...
, the date is uncertain.
There is ground for believing that he actually died in 417, on 25 May, on which day the ancient
towerTowers are tall structures that are almost always taller than they are wide, usually by a significant margin. Towers are generally built to take advantage of their height, and can stand alone or as part of a larger structure.- History :...
where he is supposed to have lived, near the
Ponte VecchioThe Ponte Vecchio is a Medieval bridge over the Arno River, in Florence, Italy, noted for still having shops built along it, as was once common. Butchers initially occupied the shops; the present tenants are jewelers, art dealers and souvenir sellers...
, was annually decorated with flowers.
His body was first buried in the
Basilica di San Lorenzo di FirenzeThe Basilica di San Lorenzo is one of the largest churches of Florence, Italy, situated at the centre of the city’s main market district, and the burial place of all the principal members of the Medici family from Cosimo il Vecchio to Cosimo III...
(consecrated by St. Ambrose in 393), and was later translated to the church of
Santa Maria del FioreThe Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church of Florence, Italy, begun in 1296 in the Gothic style to the design of Arnolfo di Cambio and completed structurally in 1436 with the dome engineered by Filippo Brunelleschi...
.
In the back of the middle of the three
apsethumb|250px|Triple apse of [[Basilica di Santa Giulia]], northern [[Italy]].In architecture, the apse is a semicircular recess covered with a hemispherical vault or semi-dome...
s is the altar of Saint Zenobius. Its silver
shrineA shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint or similar figure of awe and respect, at which they are venerated or worshipped. Shrines often contain idols, relics, or other such objects associated with the figure being venerated...
, designed around 1440, a masterpiece of Ghiberti, contains the
urnAn urn is a vase, ordinarily covered and without handles, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
with his relics. The central compartment shows us one his miracles, the reviving of a dead child. Above this shrine is the painting
Last SupperIn the Christian Gospels, the Last Supper was the last meal Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles and disciples before his death...
by
Giovanni BalducciGiovanni Balducci, called Il Cosci after his maternal uncle, was an Italian mannerist painter. Born in Florence, he was trained by Giovanni Battista Naldini...
. There was also a glass-paste
mosaicMosaic is the art of creating images with an assemblage of small pieces of colored glass, stone, or other materials. It may be a technique of decorative art, an aspect of interior decoration, or of cultural and spiritual significance as in a cathedral...
panel
The Bust of Saint Zanobius by the 16th century miniaturist Monte di Giovanni, but it is now on display in the Museum Opera del Duomo.
Miracles
Extraordinary
miracleA miracle is a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature, such that can be attempted to be explained by divine intervention, and is sometimes associated with a miracle worker. Many folktales, religious texts, and people claim various events they refer to as "miraculous". People in different...
s, including several instances of the restoration of the dead to life, are attributed to him. Zenobius is said to have
resurrectedThe resurrection of dead humans is a central doctrine of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It may refer either to the resurrection of particular individuals, or a general resurrection of humanity....
several dead people. It is also said that after his death, a dead
elmElm leaves are alternate, with simple, single- or, most commonly, doubly-serrate margins, usually asymmetric at the base and acuminate at the apex. The genus is hermaphroditic, having perfect flowers which, being wind-pollinated, are apetalous. The fruit is a round wind-dispersed samara...
burst into life after his body touched it while being borne to the
cathedralA cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
for burial.
A legend states that a child was once run over by a
cartA cart is a vehicle or device designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
while playing. His mother, a widow, wailed as she brought the dead child to Zenobius'
deaconDeacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
. By means of a prayer, St. Zenobius revived the child and restored him to his mother.
In art
Zenobius is often depicted with a dead child or man in his arms, or a flowering elm, both in reference to his miracles.
Sandro BotticelliAlessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli or Il Botticello was an Italian painter of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance...
depicted the life and work of St. Zenobius on four paintings. In the first scene, St Zenobius is shown twice: he rejects the bride that his parents intended him to take in marriage and walks thoughtfully away. The other episodes show the
baptismIn Christianity, baptism is the ritual act, with the use of water, by which one is admitted to membership of the Christian Church and, in the view of some, as a member of the particular Church in which the baptism is administered.The usual form of baptism among the earliest Christians was for the...
of the young Zenobius and his mother, and on the right his
ordinationIn general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
as
bishopA bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
.
On the wall of the
Palazzo VecchioThe Palazzo Vecchio ; Italian for "Old Palace") is the town hall of Florence, central Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany...
are
frescoFresco is any of several related painting types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco , which has Latin origins...
es by
Domenico GhirlandaioDomenico Ghirlandaio was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Among his many apprentices was Michelangelo.-Early years:...
, painted in 1482. The
apotheosisApotheosis , refers to the exaltation of a subject to divine level...
of St. Zenobius was painted with a perspectival illusion of the background.
External links