Leoluca, also known as Leone Luca, Leo Luke of Corleone, or Luke of Sicily ( – ) was the

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

and

wonderworker Thaumaturgy () is the practical application of magic to effect change in the physical world. Historically, thaumaturgy has been associated with the manipulation of natural forces, the creation of wonders, and the performance of magical feats t ...

of the monastery of Mount Mula in

Calabria Calabria is a Regions of Italy, region in Southern Italy. It is a peninsula bordered by the region Basilicata to the north, the Ionian Sea to the east, the Strait of Messina to the southwest, which separates it from Sicily, and the Tyrrhenian S ...

, and a founder of Italo-Greek monasticism in southern Italy. He is venerated as a

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

in the

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

and

Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy, otherwise known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity or Byzantine Christianity, is one of the three main Branches of Christianity, branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholic Church, Catholicism and Protestantism ...

churches. Born in the Sicilian town of

Corleone Corleone (; or ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' of roughly 11,158 inhabitants in the Metropolitan City of Palermo, in Sicily. Many Sicilian Mafia, Mafia bosses both in Sicily and the United States have come from the town of Corleone, inclu ...

, he died about a hundred years later, after eighty years of

monastic life Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...

, in Monteleone Calabro, now

Vibo Valentia Vibo Valentia (; Monteleone before 1861; Monteleone di Calabria from 1861 to 1928; or ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Italian region of Calabria, near the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital of the province of Vibo Valentia, and ...

. Today he is a

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of both towns, and his

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 does n ...

is celebrated on 1 March. In 2006 Leoluca's

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...

were found in the municipality of

San Gregorio d'Ippona San Gregorio d'Ippona () is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Vibo Valentia in the Italian region Calabria, located about southwest of Catanzaro and about southeast of Vibo Valentia. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 2,2 ...

, about 2 km southeast of the city of

.
Trovate le spoglie di San Leoluca
" ''LA SICILIA.'' DOMENICA 10 DICEMBRE 2006.

Hagiographic sources

The text of the ''Life'' of Leo Luke of Corleone was published in 1657 in the Sicilian martyrology of

Jesuit The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

Ottavio Gaetani Ottavio Gaetani (22 April 1566 - 8 March 1620) was an Italian Jesuit and historian, writing exclusively in Latin and most notable for his ''Vitae Sanctorum Siculorum''. He is held to be the founder of hagiography in his native Sicily and one of t ...

(''"Vitae Sanctorum Siculorum"''). He was said to have derived it from three manuscripts discovered in Sicily: one from

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

, another from

Mazara Mazara del Vallo (; is a city and in the province of Trapani, northwestern Sicily, Italy. It lies mainly on the left bank at the mouth of the Mazaro river. It is an agricultural and fishing centre and its harbor, port gives shelter to the lar ...

and a third from

.Professor Maria Stelladoro.
Leone Luca di Corleone (sec. IX-X) BHL 4842
'' ITALIA MEDIEVALE (Associazione Culturale Italia Medievale). 11 Aprile 2003. Later, the

Bollandist The Bollandist Society (; ) is an association of scholars, philologists, and historians (originally all Jesuits, but now including non-Jesuits) who since the early seventeenth century have studied hagiography and the cult of the saints in Christia ...

s published another ''Life'', in Latin, found in the library of Joseph Acosta. None of the Latin manuscripts of the hagiography of Leo Luke refer to an original Greek source. However the presence of Greek anthroponyms (such as Leone, Teotiste, Christopher, Teodoro, Eutimio) may postulate an original source in Greek. The hagiography was likely composed immediately after the death of Leoluca in Calabria, but may have been passed down orally and then in writing at a later date and in another place.

Life

In Sicily

Leoluca was born in

, Sicily in the 9th century AD (c.815 to 818 AD), on the eve of the Saracen invasion of Sicily. His parents Leo and Theoktiste

baptized Baptism (from ) is a Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by sprinkling or pouring water on the head, or by immersing in water either partially or completely, traditionally three ...

him Leo, in honour of his father. They were a pious and wealthy family who raised him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. He was orphaned at an early age when his parents died, and devoted himself to managing the estate and supervising the herds as a shepherd. In the solitude of the fields he realized that he had a call to religious life, so he sold the estate, gave the money to the poor, and went to the monastery of St.

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

Agira Agira (; ; ) is a town and municipality (''comune'') in the province of Enna in the region of Sicily in Italy. It is located in the mid-valley of the River Salso, from Enna. Until 1861 it was called San Filippo d'Argiriò, in honour of its sa ...

, in the province of

Enna Enna ( or ; ; , less frequently ), known from the Middle Ages until 1926 as Castrogiovanni ( ), is a city and located roughly at the center of Sicily, southern Italy, in the province of Enna, towering above the surrounding countryside. It has e ...

, Sicily. It is not known how long he stayed at the monastery at

, but due to the raids of the Saracens, he left from there and went to Calabria. Before going to Calabria however, he made a special point of going on

pilgrimage A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

to visit the tombs of

Saint Peter Saint Peter (born Shimon Bar Yonah; 1 BC – AD 64/68), also known as Peter the Apostle, Simon Peter, Simeon, Simon, or Cephas, was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus and one of the first leaders of the Jewish Christian#Jerusalem ekklēsia, e ...

and

Paul the Apostle Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...

in Rome.

In Calabria

Anachronistic map of Mercurion and Latinion

In Calabria, he went to the Monastery of Mula, at Mount Mula (''Monte La Mula ''), one of the highest peaks of the Orsomarso mountains (1935 m). Here he became a monk, excelling in the virtues and in

obedience Obedience, in human behavior, is a form of "social influence in which a person yields to explicit instructions or orders from an authority figure". Obedience is generally distinguished from compliance, which some authors define as behavior infl ...

, remaining there for six years. Afterwards he departed together with the

Hegumen Hegumen, hegumenos, or igumen (, trans. ), is the title for the head of a monastery in the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic Churches, or an archpriest in the Coptic Orthodox Church, similar to the title of abbot. The head of a convent of ...

of the monastery Christopher, and they made their way to the mountainous region of Merkourion in northern Calabria, in the

Pollino The Pollino (Italian: ''Massiccio del Pollino'') is a massif in the southern Apennines, on the border between Basilicata and Calabria, southern Italy, being the highest point of both regions. It became part of the Pollino National Park in 1992. ...

area of the Southern Apennines. This territory was an important center of monastic settlement which is referred to in several of the ''Vitae'' as the "New

Thebaid The Thebaid or Thebais (, ''Thēbaïs'') was a region in ancient Egypt, comprising the 13 southernmost nome (Egypt), nomes of Upper Egypt, from Abydos, Egypt, Abydos to Aswan. Pharaonic history The Thebaid acquired its name from its proximit ...

", situated along the Calabrian-Lucanian border. Here they founded a new monastery, probably at

Mormanno Mormanno ( Calabrian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Cosenza in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It is located in the heart of the National Park of Pollino, near the course of the Lao River. It is home to a Cathedral in Neap ...

, living there in

asceticism Asceticism is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures through self-discipline, self-imposed poverty, and simple living, often for the purpose of pursuing Spirituality, spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world ...

for another seven years. Once more they left and moved on to Vena (modern Avena, Calabria) to continue the spiritual struggle for another ten years. Here they built another monastery, which by the time of

Christopher's death had more than one-hundred monks in it. Leoluca himself lived the solitary life nearby at

, Calabria. A little later, after the death of Abbot Christopher, Leoluca became abbot of the monastery of Mount Mula. According to tradition,

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

granted to him the gift of

Wonderworking Thaumaturgy () is the practical application of magic to effect change in the physical world. Historically, thaumaturgy has been associated with the manipulation of natural forces, the creation of wonders, and the performance of magical feats th ...

, and many faithful flocked to him to receive his

blessing In religion, a blessing (also used to refer to bestowing of such) is the impartation of something with doctrines of grace, grace, Sacred, holiness, spiritual Redemption (theology), redemption, or Will of God, divine will. Etymology and Germani ...

and be healed. The Venerable Luke was thought to have healed the sick, exorcized demons, raised paralytics, and guided the lost towards the path of

salvation Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

. He

prayed File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)'' rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...

without ceasing, and remained out in the cold up to twenty days, in order to intensify his ascetic struggle.

Departure

It is said that he lived the last days of his life in

meditation Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...

fasting Fasting is the act of refraining from eating, and sometimes drinking. However, from a purely physiological context, "fasting" may refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight (before "breakfast"), or to the metabolic sta ...

and ecstatic raptures. In old age, he called the monks to come to him, and foretold his end. He delegated the responsibility of the position of

to the monk Theodore, and assigned the priest Euthymios as his assistant. Having received

Holy Communion The Eucharist ( ; from , ), also called Holy Communion, the Blessed Sacrament or the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite, considered a sacrament in most churches and an ordinance in others. Christians believe that the rite was instituted by J ...

, the Venerable Luke fell asleep in peace and was buried in the church of the Blessed

Theotokos ''Theotokos'' ( Greek: ) is a title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity. The usual Latin translations are or (approximately "parent (fem.) of God"). Familiar English translations are "Mother of God" or "God-beare ...

Veneration

Duomo Santa Maria Maggiore - Vibo Valentia - Calabria - Italy - July 21st 2013 - 03

News of Leoluca's death spread slowly to

, and it is only in the 13th century that there is evidence of a church dedicated to him in his birthplace. In 1420 there are also references to a ''Brotherhood of San Leoluca''. '' San Leoluca.'' Italian Wikipedia. Leoluca's intercession is credited with saving the city of Corleone during an outbreak of the plague of 1575, and he was made the patron saint of that town. In 1624 he was made the

as well. In addition, the apparition of Saint Leo Luke and Saint Anthony is credited with preventing a Bourbon invasion of Corleone on 27 May 1860. In

in Calabria, during his feast day on 1 March, the local fire brigade pay him homage by placing a crown of flowers at the feet of his statue which is located high on the façade of the Cathedral Church of ''Santa Maria Maggiore e San Leoluca'', using a

turntable ladder A fire engine or fire truck (also spelled firetruck) is a vehicle, usually a specially designed or modified truck, that functions as a firefighting apparatus. The primary purposes of a fire engine include transporting firefighters and water t ...

to perform the act.

Relics

Some historians assert that Leoluca was buried in Monteleone Calabro, now

, in Calabria, in the church of ''Santa Maria Maggiore.'' (i.e. Cathedral Church of ''Santa Maria Maggiore e San Leoluca''). However, on Sunday 10 December 2006 the Italian daily newspaper ''

La Sicilia ''La Sicilia'' is an Italian national daily newspaper for the island of Sicily. Published in Catania, it is the second best-selling newspaper in Sicily. It was first published in 1945. History and profile ''La Sicilia'' was founded and first pu ...

'', based in Catania, Sicily, ran a full page story stating that the

of Leoluca had been found in the municipality of

, about 2 km southeast of the city of

. It stated that they were located in the grotto of the Church of Santa Ruba (''La Chiesa di Santa Ruba''), and that they were confirmed by paleontological analysis. According to professor Gregorio Vaianella, the church of Santa Ruba was dedicated to 'Our Lady of Health' (''Madonna della Sanità'').
Santa Ruba
'' San Gregorio D'ippona.

Notes

References

Sources

*
March 1
'' Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome. * Lynn White Jr. "The Byzantinization of Sicily." ''The American Historical Review.'' Vol. 42, No. 1 (Oct., 1936). p. 5. * Rosemary Morris. ''Monks and Laymen in Byzantium, 843-1118.'' Cambridge University Press, 2003. 356pp. * Robert E. Sinkewicz. "Italo-Greek". In: Richard Barrie Dobson. ''Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, Volume 2 (K-Z)''. Eds.: André Vauchez, Michael Lapidge. Transl: Adrian Walford. Routledge, 2000. p. 974. * Ann Wharton Epstein. "The Problem of Provincialism: Byzantine Monasteries in Cappadocia and Monks in South Italy." ''Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes''. Vol. 42 (1979), pp. 28–46. *
Saint Leolucas of Corleone
'' Saints.SPQN.com. 25 February 2010. * '' Luke of Sicily.'' OrthodoxWiki.

In Greek

* Great Synaxaristes:
Ὁ Ὅσιος Λουκᾶς ὁ ἐκ Σικελίας
'' 1 Μαρτίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.

In Latin

.
Vitae Sanctorum Siculorum ex antiquis Graecis Latinisque monumentis
'' Tomus Secundus. Gesuiti : Preposto generale, Gesuiti : Collegio Romano. 1657. pp. 80–84. * "TESTIMONIUM CORILIONENSIUM DE CULTU ET ACTIS ANTIQUIS. (S. Leo Lucas Corilionensis, Abbas Mulensis in Calabria)." In:
ACTA SANCTORUM, MARTII TOMUS PRIMUS
'' PARISIIS ET ROMÆ APUD VICTOREM PALMÉ, BIBLIOPOLAM. 1865. pp. 98–102.

In Italian

* Professor Maria Stelladoro.
Leone Luca di Corleone (sec. IX-X) BHL 4842
'' ITALIA MEDIEVALE (Associazione Culturale Italia Medievale). 11 Aprile 2003. *
San Leone Luca (Leoluca) di Corleone
'' SANTI, BEATI E TESTIMONI. * '' San Leoluca.'' Italian Wikipedia. *
SAN LEOLUCA
'' Enrosadira. * Giorgio Leone. ''I BENI CULTURALI DEL VIBONESE. SITUAZIONE ATTUALE – PROSPETTIVE FUTURE.'' 27 – 28 – 29 DICEMBRE 1995. *
Trovate le spoglie di San Leoluca
'' LA SICILIA. DOMENICA 10 DICEMBRE 2006. *

'' San Gregorio D'ippona. {{DEFAULTSORT:Leoluca 810s births 910s deaths 9th-century Byzantine monks 10th-century Byzantine monks 10th-century Christian saints Basilian saints Byzantine abbots 10th-century Christian abbots Byzantine saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church Christian hagiography Italian abbots Italian men centenarians Medieval Italian saints People from Corleone People from the Province of Vibo Valentia Religious leaders from the Metropolitan City of Palermo Sicilian Christian monks Sicilian saints Christian miracle workers