Conrad of Piacenza
Encyclopedia
Saint Conrad, T.O.S.F., was an Italian
penitent and hermit
of the Third Order of St. Francis
.
, the place of his birth. The date of his birth, however, is uncertain. He married an aristocratic
young woman named Ephrosyne when he was quite young, and, though pious, he led the standard way of life for a man of his station.
One day, when he was engaged in his usual pastime of hunting, he ordered his attendants to set fire to some brushwood in which game had taken refuge. The prevailing wind caused the flames to spread rapidly, and the surrounding fields and forest were soon in a state of conflagration. A peasant who happened to be found near the place where the fire had originated, was accused of being the author of the blaze. He was imprisoned, tortured to confess and condemned to death. As the poor man was being led to execution, Conrad, stricken with remorse, made an open confession of his guilt; and in order to repair the damage he had caused, was obliged to sell all his possessions.
Thus reduced to poverty, and seeking penance
for his act of cowardice, Conrad and his wife saw the hand of God in this event. As a result, they agreed to separate and Conrad retired to a hermitage
some distance from Piacenza, joining a community of hermits, who were Franciscan tertiaries
, while his wife became a nun
of the Order of Poor Clares.
He soon developed a reputation for holiness, and the flow of visitors left him unable to keep the solitude he sought. He then went to Rome, and from there to an isolated site near Noto
, Sicily
, where he settled and for thirty-six years lived a most austere and penitential life of solitude, working numerous miracles, until his death on February 19, 1351. He died while in prayer, kneeling before a crucifix
. He was canonized
in 1625 and his liturgical feast day
is celebrated in the Franciscan Order on the day of his death.
. In the year 1515, Pope Leo X
permitted the town of Noto to celebrate his feast. Later permission was granted by Pope Urban VIII
for his feast to be celebrated throughout the whole Order of St Francis. In Vietnam
there is a popular devotion to St Conrad.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
penitent and hermit
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
of the Third Order of St. Francis
Third Order of St. Francis
The Third Order of St. Francis is a third order within the Franciscan movement of the Roman Catholic Church. It includes both congregations of vowed men and women and fraternities of men and women living standard lives in the world, usually married...
.
Biography
Conrad belonged to one of the noblest families of the city of PiacenzaPiacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
, the place of his birth. The date of his birth, however, is uncertain. He married an aristocratic
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...
young woman named Ephrosyne when he was quite young, and, though pious, he led the standard way of life for a man of his station.
One day, when he was engaged in his usual pastime of hunting, he ordered his attendants to set fire to some brushwood in which game had taken refuge. The prevailing wind caused the flames to spread rapidly, and the surrounding fields and forest were soon in a state of conflagration. A peasant who happened to be found near the place where the fire had originated, was accused of being the author of the blaze. He was imprisoned, tortured to confess and condemned to death. As the poor man was being led to execution, Conrad, stricken with remorse, made an open confession of his guilt; and in order to repair the damage he had caused, was obliged to sell all his possessions.
Thus reduced to poverty, and seeking penance
Penance
Penance is repentance of sins as well as the proper name of the Roman Catholic, Orthodox Christian, and Anglican Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation/Confession. It also plays a part in non-sacramental confession among Lutherans and other Protestants...
for his act of cowardice, Conrad and his wife saw the hand of God in this event. As a result, they agreed to separate and Conrad retired to a hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
some distance from Piacenza, joining a community of hermits, who were Franciscan tertiaries
Tertiary
The Tertiary is a deprecated term for a geologic period 65 million to 2.6 million years ago. The Tertiary covered the time span between the superseded Secondary period and the Quaternary...
, while his wife became a nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
of the Order of Poor Clares.
He soon developed a reputation for holiness, and the flow of visitors left him unable to keep the solitude he sought. He then went to Rome, and from there to an isolated site near Noto
Noto
Noto is a city and comune in the Province of Syracuse, Sicily . Its located 32 km southwest of the city of Syracuse at the foot of the Iblean Mountains and gives its name to the surrounding valley, Val di Noto...
, Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, where he settled and for thirty-six years lived a most austere and penitential life of solitude, working numerous miracles, until his death on February 19, 1351. He died while in prayer, kneeling before a crucifix
Crucifix
A crucifix is an independent image of Jesus on the cross with a representation of Jesus' body, referred to in English as the corpus , as distinct from a cross with no body....
. He was canonized
Canonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
in 1625 and his liturgical feast day
Calendar of saints
The calendar of saints is a traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the feast day of said saint...
is celebrated in the Franciscan Order on the day of his death.
Veneration
Saint Conrad is especially invoked for the cure of herniaHernia
A hernia is the protrusion of an organ or the fascia of an organ through the wall of the cavity that normally contains it. A hiatal hernia occurs when the stomach protrudes into the mediastinum through the esophageal opening in the diaphragm....
. In the year 1515, Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X
Pope Leo X , born Giovanni di Lorenzo de' Medici, was the Pope from 1513 to his death in 1521. He was the last non-priest to be elected Pope. He is known for granting indulgences for those who donated to reconstruct St. Peter's Basilica and his challenging of Martin Luther's 95 Theses...
permitted the town of Noto to celebrate his feast. Later permission was granted by Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII
Pope Urban VIII , born Maffeo Barberini, was pope from 1623 to 1644. He was the last pope to expand the papal territory by force of arms, and was a prominent patron of the arts and reformer of Church missions...
for his feast to be celebrated throughout the whole Order of St Francis. In Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
there is a popular devotion to St Conrad.