Saint Zenobius
Encyclopedia
Saint Zenobius (337–417) is venerated as the first bishop of Florence
. His feast day is celebrated on May 25.
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 Christianity
. He embraced the clerical state, and rapidly rose to the position of archdeacon
, when his virtues and notable powers as a preacher made him known to Saint Ambrose, at whose instance Pope Damasus I
(366-86) called him to Rome
, and employed him in various important missions, including a legation to Constantinople
. 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 deacon
s are venerated as St. Eugene and St. Crescentius. He evangelized Florence and its outskirts completely and combated Arianism
.
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 I
(d. 417) was at the time pope
, the date is uncertain.
There is ground for believing that he actually died in 417, on 25 May, on which day the ancient tower
where he is supposed to have lived, near the Ponte Vecchio
, was annually decorated with flowers.
His body was first buried in the Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze
(consecrated by St. Ambrose in 393), and was later translated to the church of Santa Maria del Fiore
.
In the back of the middle of the three apse
s is the altar of Saint Zenobius. Its silver shrine
, designed around 1440, a masterpiece of Ghiberti
, contains the urn
with his relics. The central compartment shows us one his miracles, the reviving of a dead child. Above this shrine is the painting Last Supper
by Giovanni Balducci
. There was also a glass-paste mosaic
panel The Bust of Saint Zanobius by the 16th century miniaturist Monte di Giovanni, but it is now on display in the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
.
s, including several instances of the restoration of the dead to life, are attributed to him. Zenobius is said to have resurrected
several dead people. It is also said that after his death, a dead elm
burst into life after his body touched it while being borne to the cathedral
for burial.
A legend states that a child was once run over by a cart
while playing. His mother, a widow, wailed as she brought the dead child to Zenobius' deacon
. By means of a prayer, St. Zenobius revived the child and restored him to his mother.
Sandro Botticelli
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 baptism
of the young Zenobius and his mother, and on the right his ordination
as bishop
.
On the wall of the Palazzo Vecchio
are fresco
es by Domenico Ghirlandaio
, painted in 1482. The apotheosis
of St. Zenobius was painted with a perspectival illusion of the background.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
. His feast day is celebrated on May 25.
Life
Born of a Florentine noble family, he was educated by his paganPaganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
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 Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. He embraced the clerical state, and rapidly rose to the position of archdeacon
Archdeacon
An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and 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 I
Pope Damasus I
Pope Saint Damasus I was the bishop of Rome from 366 to 384.He was born around 305, probably near the city of Idanha-a-Velha , in what is present-day Portugal, then part of the Western Roman Empire...
(366-86) called him to Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, and employed him in various important missions, including a legation to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. 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 deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry 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 Arianism
Arianism
Arianism is the theological teaching attributed to Arius , a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt, concerning the relationship of the entities of the Trinity and the precise nature of the Son of God as being a subordinate entity to God the Father...
.
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 I
Pope Innocent I
-Biography: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 and laity to succeed -Biography:He was,...
(d. 417) was at the time pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
, the date is uncertain.
There is ground for believing that he actually died in 417, on 25 May, on which day the ancient tower
Tower
A tower is a tall structure, usually taller than it is wide, often by a significant margin. Towers are distinguished from masts by their lack of guy-wires....
where he is supposed to have lived, near the Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio
The Ponte Vecchio is a Medieval stone closed-spandrel segmental arch 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 jewellers, art dealers and souvenir sellers...
, was annually decorated with flowers.
His body was first buried in the Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze
Basilica di San Lorenzo di Firenze
The 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 Fiore
Santa Maria del Fiore
The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore is the cathedral church of Florence, Italy. The Duomo, as it is ordinarily called, was 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 apse
Apse
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 shrine
Shrine
A shrine is a holy or sacred place, which is dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon 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
Lorenzo Ghiberti
Lorenzo Ghiberti , born Lorenzo di Bartolo, was an Italian artist of the early Renaissance best known for works in sculpture and metalworking.-Early life:...
, contains the urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, 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 Supper
Last Supper
The Last Supper is the final meal that, according to Christian belief, Jesus shared with his Twelve Apostles in Jerusalem before his crucifixion. The Last Supper provides the scriptural basis for the Eucharist, also known as "communion" or "the Lord's Supper".The First Epistle to the Corinthians is...
by Giovanni Balducci
Giovanni Balducci
Giovanni 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 mosaic
Mosaic
Mosaic 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 Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Florence)
The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo in Florence, Italy is a museum containing many of the original works of art created for the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the cathedral of Florence. The museum is located just east of the Duomo, near its apse...
.
Miracles
Extraordinary miracleMiracle
A miracle often denotes an event attributed to divine intervention. Alternatively, it may be an event attributed to a miracle worker, saint, or religious leader. A miracle is sometimes thought of as a perceptible interruption of the laws of nature. Others suggest that a god may work with the laws...
s, including several instances of the restoration of the dead to life, are attributed to him. Zenobius is said to have resurrected
Resurrection
Resurrection refers to the literal coming back to life of the biologically dead. It is used both with respect to particular individuals or the belief in a General Resurrection of the dead at the end of the world. The General Resurrection is featured prominently in Jewish, Christian, and Muslim...
several dead people. It is also said that after his death, a dead elm
Elm
Elms are deciduous and semi-deciduous trees comprising the genus Ulmus in the plant family Ulmaceae. The dozens of species are found in temperate and tropical-montane regions of North America and Eurasia, ranging southward into Indonesia. Elms are components of many kinds of natural forests...
burst into life after his body touched it while being borne to the cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
for burial.
Cart
A cart is a vehicle 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' deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry 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 Botticelli
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter of 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 baptism
Baptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
of the young Zenobius and his mother, and on the right his ordination
Ordination
In 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 bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, 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 Vecchio
Palazzo Vecchio
The Palazzo Vecchio is the town hall of Florence, Italy. This massive, Romanesque, crenellated fortress-palace is among the most impressive town halls of Tuscany...
are fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es by Domenico Ghirlandaio
Domenico Ghirlandaio
Domenico Ghirlandaio was an Italian Renaissance painter from Florence. Among his many apprentices was Michelangelo.-Early years:Ghirlandaio's full name is given as Domenico di Tommaso di Currado di Doffo Bigordi...
, painted in 1482. The apotheosis
Apotheosis
Apotheosis is the glorification of a subject to divine level. The term has meanings in theology, where it refers to a belief, and in art, where it refers to a genre.In theology, the term apotheosis refers to the idea that an individual has been raised to godlike stature...
of St. Zenobius was painted with a perspectival illusion of the background.