Obitius () (February 4, c. 1150 - December 6, c. 1204) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

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 ...

. He was born in

Niardo Niardo ( Camunian: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Brescia, in Lombardy. Neighbouring comuni are Braone, Breno, Losine and Prestine. It was the birthplace of Saint Obitius (Obizio), who is one of the town's patron saints. Ge ...

, in the

province of Brescia The province of Brescia (; Brescian: ) is a Provinces of Italy, province in the Lombardy region of Italy. It has a population of some 1,265,964 (as of January 2019) and its capital is the city of Brescia.With an area of 4,785 km2, it is the ...

, around 1150 (tradition holds that the day was February 4). His father, Gratiadeus (Graziodeo), was a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

and governor of Valcamonica. Obitius was devoted to

Margaret the Virgin Margaret, known as Margaret of Antioch in the West, and as Saint Marina the Great Martyr () in the East, is celebrated as a saint on 20 July in Western Christianity, on 30th of July (Julian calendar) by the Eastern Orthodox Church, and on Epip ...

as a youth, and displayed an image of this virgin martyr and his armorial device.Sant' Obizio da Niardo
/ref> His family had connections with the local religious community. An uncle had founded two

monasteries A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which m ...

and another relative had befriended

Constantius of Perugia Constantius of Perugia (also known as Costantius, Constance or Costanzo) (died ) is one of the patron saints of Perugia, Italy. Legend According to his legend, of which four versions exist, he was arrested during the persecutions of Antoninus ...

, the other

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 Niardo. Obitius nevertheless became a knight and married the countess Inglissenda Porro, with whom he had four children: Jacopo, Berta, Margherita, and Maffeo. Obitius had a successful military career as a knight, and participated in the wars between Cremona and Brescia.

Conversion

An event led Obitius to abandon his military career. On July 7, 1191, at the Battle of the Malamorte, on the

Oglio River The Oglio (; or ; , ) is a left-side tributary of the river Po in Lombardy, Italy. It is long. In the hierarchy of the Po's tributaries, with its of length, it occupies the 2nd place per length (after the river Adda), while it is the 4th pe ...

, in Brescian territory, Obitius was leading an army against the Bergamaschi. The Bergamese retreated across a wooden bridge, and they were pursued by Obitius and his fellow knights. The collective weight of the soldiers, the knights’ armor, and the knights' horses caused the bridge to collapse, and Obitius and all the combatants plunged into the water. According to his legend, while he was in the water, he had a terrifying vision of

Hell In religion and folklore, hell is a location or state in the afterlife in which souls are subjected to punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history sometimes depict hells as eternal destinations, such as Christianity and I ...

. Obitius managed to escape from

drowning Drowning is a type of Asphyxia, suffocation induced by the submersion of the mouth and nose in a liquid. Submersion injury refers to both drowning and near-miss incidents. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where othe ...

and thereafter decided to dedicate himself to a spiritual life. Despite resistance to this idea from his family, Obitius’ determination eventually swayed them, and two of his children, Margherita and Maffeo, also became a nun and monk, respectively. Obitius lived in completely poverty,

penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...

, and prayer and dedicated himself to working for a

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

convent A convent is an enclosed community of monks, nuns, friars or religious sisters. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The term is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. In 1197, he was eventually allowed to become an

oblate In Christianity (specifically the Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Lutheran, Anglican and Methodist traditions), an oblate is a person associated with a Benedictine monastery or convent who is specifically dedicated to God and service. Oblates are i ...

in the monastery of Santa Giulia in

Brescia Brescia (, ; ; or ; ) is a city and (municipality) in the region of Lombardy, in Italy. It is situated at the foot of the Alps, a few kilometers from the lakes Lake Garda, Garda and Lake Iseo, Iseo. With a population of 199,949, it is the se ...

. Obitius spent the rest of his life at the monastery, performing various acts of

charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...

Miracles A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...

were attributed to him. He was buried with great honor at the monastery church of Santa Giulia in Brescia.

Veneration

In 1498, it was reported that the

urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...

containing Obitius’

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 ...

began to miraculously issue water. His relics were translated to the altar of Santa Giulia and in 1553, the same phenomenon was again reported. In the

jubilee year A jubilee is often used to refer to the celebration of a particular anniversary of an event, usually denoting the 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th, and the 70th anniversary. The term comes from the Hebrew Bible (see, "Old Testament"), initially concerning ...

of 1600, his cult was approved by the

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Geography * Vatican City, an independent city-state surrounded by Rome, Italy * Vatican Hill, in Rome, namesake of Vatican City * Ager Vaticanus, an alluvial plain in Rome * Vatican, an unincorporated community in the ...

. In 1526-7,

Romanino Girolamo Romani, known as Romanino ( – ), was an Italian High Renaissance painter active in the Veneto and Lombardy, near Brescia. His long career brought forth several different styles. Biography Romani was born in Brescia. His early trai ...

painted the story of Obitius’ life in a series of frescoes (''Storie di sant'Obizio''), in the basilica of San Salvatore at Brescia. When the monastery of Santa Giulia was suppressed in 1797 during the era of the

Cisalpine Republic The Cisalpine Republic (; ) was a sister republic or a client state of France in Northern Italy that existed from 1797 to 1799, with a second version until 1802. Creation After the Battle of Lodi in May 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte organized two ...

, Niardo demanded the relics of Obitius from Brescia and are today contained in the main altar of the parish church of Niardo.

Notes

External links

Obitius

Sant' Obizio da Niardo
{{authority control Italian saints Italian Benedictines Religious leaders from the Province of Brescia 1150s births 1204 deaths 13th-century Christian saints

Conversion

Veneration

See also

Notes

External links