Saint Nicodemus of Mammola (or ''of Cirò'') ( it, San Nicodemo da Cirò) (ca. 900—March 25, 990 AD) is venerated as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

Calabria , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

. His exact place of birth is unknown but has been identified as ''Ypsicron'' (present-day Cirò). Nicodemus’ parents were named Theophanus and Pandia, and they entrusted their son's spiritual education to a priest named Galato (Galatone). Early on, Nicodemus was attracted to the monastic life, and wished to join the

ascetics Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

who had established themselves in the zone known as the ''Mercurion'', on the cliffs of the

Pollino The Pollino (Italian: ''Massiccio del Pollino'') is a massif in the southern Apennines, on the border between Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy. It became part of the Pollino National Park in 1992. The main peaks include Monte Pollino (2,2 ...

in Calabria. He was at first refused entry into the community by the austere abbot Saint Fantinus (Fantino), who did not think Nicodemus could endure the penances and mortifications, but eventually the abbot relented. The reputation for holiness and austerity of these Calabrian monks, whose number included Saint Nilus of Rossano (San Nilo di Rossano), was such that they received praise by Orestes, patriarch of Jerusalem. Eventually, Nicodemus withdrew to Mount Cellerano (or Kellerano, today San Nicodemo) in the area known as

Locride Locride is an area of Calabria, Italy around the town of Locri in the Province of Reggio Calabria. The term takes origin from the Locris, an ancient Greek region. It is divided into 5 areas: * Vallata dello Stilaro * Vallata del Torbido * Epizef ...

, where his fame attracted a new community of monks there. This community was threatened by

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

raids, and so Nicodemus relocated to

Gerace Gerace (; , ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria, Calabria, southern Italy. Gerace is located some inland from Locri, yet the latter town and the sea can be seen from Gerace's perch atop a vertical rock. T ...

and thence to

Mammola Mammola is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Reggio Calabria in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about northeast of Reggio Calabria. Mammola borders the following municipalities: Agna ...

, where a monastery was later established. He died at an advanced age on March 25, 990.

Veneration

Miracles were reported at Nicodemus’ tomb, and he was considered a saint. In 1080, under the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

, the small oratory on the site was transformed into a larger church. The monastery at Mammola was also restored and privileges and assets were granted to it. Nicodemus' relics were

translated Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

to a new church at Mammola in 1580. Nicodemus was proclaimed patron of the city in 1630, and the

feast day The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...

was established as March 12.

References

External links

Santi e Beati

* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080719115026/http://www.prolocomammola.org/san_nicodemo_maggio.htm Page on the Sanctuary from the official site of the Pro Loco di Mammola
Vita di san Nicodemo ''l’Umile
', digilander.libero.it/ortodossia {{DEFAULTSORT:Nicodemus of Mammola Italian saints Italian hermits 900s births 990 deaths People from the Province of Crotone 10th-century Christian saints Year of birth uncertain