Saint Ansovinus () (d. 816) was a bishop of Camerino, and is the patron saint of agriculture. His feast day is 13 March.

Life

He was educated at the cathedral school of Pavia. After ordination to the priesthood, he became a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

at Castel Raimondo near Torcello.Butler, Alban. "St. Ansovinus, bishop", ''Butler's Lives of the Saints: November'', Liturgical Press, 1995
, p. 143 Before being elected bishop of Camerino, he served as confessor to Louis II, Holy Roman Emperor. Ansovinus refused to accept the office of bishop until Louis was agreed that his see be kept exempt from the conscription of the locals into the soldiery. During this time, bishops were often required to be responsible for recruiting men for the imperial army.Boccanera, Giacomo. "Sant' Ansovino di Camerino", Santi e Beati, February 1, 2001
/ref> He was consecrated at

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

Pope Leo IV Pope Leo IV (died 17 July 855) was the bishop of Rome and ruler of the Papal States from 10 April 847 to his death in 855. He is remembered for repairing Roman churches that had been damaged during the Arab raid against Rome, and for building the ...

, and returned to this city for the Council of Rome held by Pope Nicholas I in 861, where records show he signed as ''Ansuinus Camerinensis''. His episcopate was characterized by his generosity to the poor and his pacification of the city's various factions. The gift of multiplying food was attributed to Ansovinus. He fed thousands of starving people from the regional granary at Castel Raimondo, but the grain never ran out.Realy, Margaret Rose. "The Pope's Prayer for Small Farmers", ''Aleteia'', April 3, 2016
/ref>

Veneration

His feast day is 13 March. The cathedral at Camerino includes the marble medieval arch of Sant'Ansovino. A monumental sarcophagus erected around 1390 holds his relics. His festival was once celebrated by Camerino and the nobles of other castles in the region. The church of Santi Venanzio e Ansovino at Rome was dedicated to him.Melchiorri, Giuseppe. ''Guida metodica di Roma e suoi contorni''
Rome (1836); page 425. Additionally, there are rural churches dedicated to him at Avacelli, Casenove, Bevagna, and Monsammartino. Ansovinus is the patron saint of small farmers.

Notes

External links

Saints of March 13: Ansovinus of Camerino
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ansovinus Bishops in le Marche People from the Province of Macerata 9th-century Italian bishops 840 deaths Italian hermits 9th-century Christian saints Medieval Italian saints Year of birth unknown