Bassianus of Lodi ( it, Bassiano di Lodi, la, Bassianus Laudensis; c. 320 – 413) was an Italian saint, the

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

Lodi Lodi may refer to: Places Canada * Lodi, Ontario, a community in North Stormont, Ontario, Canada Italy * Lodi, Lombardy, in the Province of Lodi of the Lombardy region ** Treaty of Lodi, 1454 between Italian city-states ** Battle of Lodi, 1796 in ...

and Pizzighettone in Italy.

Biography

Born in

Syracuse, Sicily Syracuse ( ; it, Siracusa ; scn, Sarausa ), ; grc-att, Συράκουσαι, Syrákousai, ; grc-dor, Συράκοσαι, Syrā́kosai, ; grc-x-medieval, Συρακοῦσαι, Syrakoûsai, ; el, label=Modern Greek, Συρακούσε� ...

, to Sergius,

prefect Prefect (from the Latin ''praefectus'', substantive adjectival form of ''praeficere'': "put in front", meaning in charge) is a magisterial title of varying definition, but essentially refers to the leader of an administrative area. A prefect's ...

of the city, Bassianus was sent to

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in order to complete his studies. There, he was converted to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesu ...

by a priest named Giordano much against his parents' will.Van den Akker sj, A., "Bassianus van Lodi", Heiligen
/ref> Bassianus's father, who wanted his son to

apostatize Apostasy (; grc-gre, ἀποστασία , 'a defection or revolt') is the formal disaffiliation from, abandonment of, or renunciation of a religion by a person. It can also be defined within the broader context of embracing an opinion that is ...

, asked him to return to Syracuse. Bassianus refused and fled to a relative, Urso, Bishop of Ravenna. There Bassianus took up the life of a hermit near

Sant'Apollinare in Classe The Basilica of Sant' Apollinare in Classe ("Saint Apollinaris in Classe") is a church in Classe, Ravenna, Italy, consecrated on 9 May 549 by the bishop Maximian and dedicated to Saint Apollinaris, the first bishop of Ravenna and Classe. ...

. When the

bishop of Lodi The Diocese of Lodi ( la, Dioecesis Laudensis) is an Italian Roman Catholic territorial entity that existed since the 4th century; it is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Milan.Ambrose of Milan Ambrose of Milan ( la, Aurelius Ambrosius; ), venerated as Saint Ambrose, ; lmo, Sant Ambroeus . was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promo ...

and Urso of Ravenna. Bassianus built a church dedicated to the

Apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...

, consecrating it in 381 in the presence of Ambrose and

Saint Felix of Como Saint Felix of Como (died on October 8, 391 AD) is venerated as the first bishop of Como. He was a friend of Saint Ambrose, who praised him for his missionary activity and ordained him a priest in 379 and a bishop in 386. When Bassianus of Lodi b ...

. He participated in the

Council of Aquileia in 381 The Council of Aquileia in 381 AD was a church synod which was part of the struggle between Arian and orthodox ideas in Christianity. It was one of five councils of Aquileia. The council was held in September 381 AD and summoned by Gratian, the ...

Paulinus of Milan. ''Life of Saint Ambrose'', (Mary Simplicia Kaniecka, trans.), Arx Publishing, LLC, 2020, p. 54, n.5
/ref> and may perhaps have participated in the

Council of Milan The Synod of Milan or Council of Milan may refer to any of several synods which occurred in late Roman Mediolanum or medieval Milan in northern Italy's Po valley: Synod of 345 In 353 or 354, Pope Liberius wrote thus: ''"Eight years ago the Eusebi ...

(390), in which

Jovinian Jovinian ( la, Iovinianus; died c. 405) was an opponent of Christian asceticism in the 4th century and was condemned as a heretic at synods convened in Rome under Pope Siricius and in Milan by Ambrose in 393, because of his anti-ascetic views. ...

was condemned. Bassianus's signature is found together with Ambrose's in a letter sent to

Pope Siricius Pope Siricius (334 – 26 November 399) was the bishop of Rome from December 384 to his death. In response to inquiries from Bishop Himerius of Tarragona, Siricius issued the ''Directa'' decretal, containing decrees of baptism, church discipline ...

. In 397, Bassianus was present at the death of his friend Ambrose. Bassianus died around 413. He was known as a caring shepherd and was believed to have the gift of healing the sick.

Veneration

In 1158, when

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard language, Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the List of cities in Italy, second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 ...

ese forces destroyed Lodi, his

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

were taken to Milan. They were returned in 1163, when Lodi was rebuilt by

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt ...

, and enshrined in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lodi.Cambielii, P., "Lodi Celebrates St. Bassianus", ''Dooid Magazine'', January 2019
/ref> Bassianus is the patron saint of Lodi and is invoked against leprosy.
/ref> His feast day is January 19, the occasion of the St. Bassianus’ Fair in Lodi.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bassianus 320 births 409 deaths People from Syracuse, Sicily 5th-century Christian saints Bishops of Lodi 4th-century Italian bishops