Saint Benedict of Szkalka

Memorial

• 1 May
• 13 June on some calendars
• 17 July on some calendars

Profile

Benedictine monk at the Saint Hippolyte monastery on Mount Zobor outside Nitra in modern Slovakia, taking the name Benedict. Spiritual student of Saint Andrew Zorard. With his abbot‘s permission, Benedict withdrew from communal life to live nearby as a hermit. Noted for his ascetic lifestyle. Killed by a gang of thieves who believed he was hiding treasure in his cave. His biography was written by Saint Maurus of Pécs.

Born

• 10th century Nitra (in modern Slovakia) as Stojislav

Died

• strangled by thieves in 1012 on Mount Zobor, Slovakia
• body throw into the River Váh
• a year later his perfectly perserved body was found in the river, watched over by an eagle
• relics transferred to the Cathedral of Saint Emmeram in Nitra, Slovakia in 1083

Canonized

• 1085 by Pope Saint Gregory VII

Patronage

• sailors on the River Váh

Representation

• eagle by a river

Additional Information

• Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
• Catholic Online
• Kirken i Norge
• Medieval Religion Listserv, by Terry Morgan
• Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints

MLA Citation

• “Saint Benedict of Szkalka“. Saints.SQPN.com. 30 April 2013. Web. 25 May 2013. <>