Nonnosus
Encyclopedia
Saint Nonnosus was a prior
at Monte Soratte and later a monk at Suppentonia, near Civitacastellana, during the sixth century. He was a contemporary of Saint Benedict of Nursia. Alban Butler
has written that “so little information has survived about Nonnosus that he is not especially interesting in himself.” His name does not appear in any ancient martyrology. He is mentioned in a 12th century collection of legends from Austria
. Nonnosus' cult was strong in Bavaria
. Veneration of Nonnosus was also established at Monte Soratte in the 1650s, due to the efforts of Andrea di San Bonaventura, a Cistercian monk, and in 1661 some of his relics returned to Monte Soratte and Nonnosus' cult spread across central Italy.
The sole source on Nonnosus' life is St. Gregory the Great, who wrote about Saint Nonnosus after being asked by some friends to create a compendium of miracle stories associated with Italian saints.
Maximian, bishop of Syracuse, provided Gregory with information about Nonnosus, after Gregory had forgotten the details of the stories associated with Nonnosus -details in turn acquired from Laurio, an old monk of the monastery of Suppentonia. Laurio had been a friend of Nonnosus while the two lived the monastic life there under the Abbot St. Anastasius of Suppentonia
.
According to Gregory, Nonnosus was a particularly good-natured man and was buried at Monte Soratte.
A re-interpretation for the origins of Nonnosus was posited by archaeological excavations at the village of Molzbichl, near Spittal an der Drau
, Carinthia
, Austria
. There, a tombstone carries an early Christian inscription plate that reads: “Here rests the servant of Christ, Nonnosus, deacon, who lived more or less for 103 years. He died on September 2 at this place died on July 20...three years after the consulate of the illustrious men Lampadius and Orestes [i.e. in 533].”
The plate may have been translated to the church from the ancient city of Teurnia (today St. Peter in Holz), where Nonnosus could have served as a deacon in the troubled border area near the Danube
. St. Peter in Holz was, from the 9th century, under the jurisdiction of the bishops of Freising, so relics could have been transferred to Freising from St. Peter in Holz.
–fifty pairs of oxen had not been able to move it; that he miraculously restored a glass lamp that had been shattered against the floor; and that he completely filled several receptacles with olive oil
after the a particularly bad harvest for the olive crop. The legends told of him tell of his ability to calm his abbot, who was a despotic and irascible man.
forces at the end of the 9th century, Nonnosus’ relics were taken to Suppentonia, and then, around 1050, to Freising
in Bavaria. This occurred during the episcopate of Bishop Nitker of Freising (r. 1039 -1052).
A fire damaged the cathedral of Freising in 1159, and in 1161, while the foundations of the church were being dug, remains of three people were discovered, identified as the relics of Nonnosus, and two other saints: Alexander and Justin. The relics were reburied in the crypt of the cathedral, after being translated
there by Bishop Albert I (1158–1184) in the presence of the Archbishop of Salzburg, Eberhard I
.
In 1708, they were rediscovered again when a brick wall collapsed –but no one could remember their origin. Nevertheless, Prince Bishop Johann Franz von Eckher (1696–1727) identified them as belonging to Nonnosus' and buried the relics in 1709 with great pomp in the crypt again, and the cathedral became a popular pilgrimage site.
Nonnosus' head was taken to Bamberg
at an uncertain date.
In Germany, Nonnosus was prayed to by sufferers from diseases of the kidneys. At Freising, these sufferers performed a ritual that involved crawling three times around Nonnosus' sarcophagus on all fours, while praying for the saint’s help, a ritual called the reptatio per cryptam or Durchschlüpfsbrauch.
Prior
Prior is an ecclesiastical title, derived from the Latin adjective for 'earlier, first', with several notable uses.-Monastic superiors:A Prior is a monastic superior, usually lower in rank than an Abbot. In the Rule of St...
at Monte Soratte and later a monk at Suppentonia, near Civitacastellana, during the sixth century. He was a contemporary of Saint Benedict of Nursia. Alban Butler
Alban Butler
Alban Butler , English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer, was born at Appletree, Northamptonshire.He was educated at the English College, Douai, where on his ordination to the priesthood in 1735 he held successively the chairs of philosophy and divinity...
has written that “so little information has survived about Nonnosus that he is not especially interesting in himself.” His name does not appear in any ancient martyrology. He is mentioned in a 12th century collection of legends from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. Nonnosus' cult was strong in Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Veneration of Nonnosus was also established at Monte Soratte in the 1650s, due to the efforts of Andrea di San Bonaventura, a Cistercian monk, and in 1661 some of his relics returned to Monte Soratte and Nonnosus' cult spread across central Italy.
The sole source on Nonnosus' life is St. Gregory the Great, who wrote about Saint Nonnosus after being asked by some friends to create a compendium of miracle stories associated with Italian saints.
Maximian, bishop of Syracuse, provided Gregory with information about Nonnosus, after Gregory had forgotten the details of the stories associated with Nonnosus -details in turn acquired from Laurio, an old monk of the monastery of Suppentonia. Laurio had been a friend of Nonnosus while the two lived the monastic life there under the Abbot St. Anastasius of Suppentonia
Anastasius of Suppentonia
Saint Anastasius of Suppentonia , or Anastasius of Castel Sant'Elia, was an abbot of Suppentonia . A source on Anastasius’ life is St. Gregory the Great, who wrote that an angel appeared to summon Anastasius and all of the abbot’s monks. Anastasius and all of his monks all subsequently died one...
.
According to Gregory, Nonnosus was a particularly good-natured man and was buried at Monte Soratte.
A re-interpretation for the origins of Nonnosus was posited by archaeological excavations at the village of Molzbichl, near Spittal an der Drau
Spittal an der Drau
Spittal an der Drau is located in the western part of the Austrian federal state of Carinthia and the administrative centre of the federal state's second largest district, Spittal an der Drau. It lies between the Lurnfeld area and the Lower Drava Valley. The city consists of the seven...
, Carinthia
Carinthia (state)
Carinthia is the southernmost Austrian state or Land. Situated within the Eastern Alps it is chiefly noted for its mountains and lakes.The main language is German. Its regional dialects belong to the Southern Austro-Bavarian group...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. There, a tombstone carries an early Christian inscription plate that reads: “Here rests the servant of Christ, Nonnosus, deacon, who lived more or less for 103 years. He died on September 2 at this place died on July 20...three years after the consulate of the illustrious men Lampadius and Orestes [i.e. in 533].”
The plate may have been translated to the church from the ancient city of Teurnia (today St. Peter in Holz), where Nonnosus could have served as a deacon in the troubled border area near the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
. St. Peter in Holz was, from the 9th century, under the jurisdiction of the bishops of Freising, so relics could have been transferred to Freising from St. Peter in Holz.
Legends
Miracles told of Nonnosus, as recorded by St. Gregory, state that Nonnosus removed an enormous rock that had occupied land on which he wanted to grow cabbageCabbage
Cabbage is a popular cultivar of the species Brassica oleracea Linne of the Family Brassicaceae and is a leafy green vegetable...
–fifty pairs of oxen had not been able to move it; that he miraculously restored a glass lamp that had been shattered against the floor; and that he completely filled several receptacles with olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
after the a particularly bad harvest for the olive crop. The legends told of him tell of his ability to calm his abbot, who was a despotic and irascible man.
Veneration
When Monte Soratte was attacked by MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
forces at the end of the 9th century, Nonnosus’ relics were taken to Suppentonia, and then, around 1050, to Freising
Freising
Freising is a town in Bavaria, Germany, and capital of the district Freising. Total population 48,500.The city is located north of Munich at the Isar river, near the Munich International Airport...
in Bavaria. This occurred during the episcopate of Bishop Nitker of Freising (r. 1039 -1052).
A fire damaged the cathedral of Freising in 1159, and in 1161, while the foundations of the church were being dug, remains of three people were discovered, identified as the relics of Nonnosus, and two other saints: Alexander and Justin. The relics were reburied in the crypt of the cathedral, after being translated
Translation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
there by Bishop Albert I (1158–1184) in the presence of the Archbishop of Salzburg, Eberhard I
Eberhard of Salzburg
Eberhard was Archbishop of Salzburg, Austria. Eberhard was born to a noble family of Nuremberg, Germany, he became a Benedictine in 1125 at Pruffening, Germany. Later he was made Abbot of Biburg near Regensburg. Eberhard was later appointed Archbishop of Salzburg in 1146...
.
In 1708, they were rediscovered again when a brick wall collapsed –but no one could remember their origin. Nevertheless, Prince Bishop Johann Franz von Eckher (1696–1727) identified them as belonging to Nonnosus' and buried the relics in 1709 with great pomp in the crypt again, and the cathedral became a popular pilgrimage site.
Nonnosus' head was taken to Bamberg
Bamberg
Bamberg is a city in Bavaria, Germany. It is located in Upper Franconia on the river Regnitz, close to its confluence with the river Main. Bamberg is one of the few cities in Germany that was not destroyed by World War II bombings because of a nearby Artillery Factory that prevented planes from...
at an uncertain date.
In Germany, Nonnosus was prayed to by sufferers from diseases of the kidneys. At Freising, these sufferers performed a ritual that involved crawling three times around Nonnosus' sarcophagus on all fours, while praying for the saint’s help, a ritual called the reptatio per cryptam or Durchschlüpfsbrauch.