![[Saint Cerbonius of Populonia]](http://saints.sqpn.com/wp-content/gallery/saint-cerbonius-of-populonia/saint-cerbonius-of-populonia.jpg "jpg photograph of a bas-relief of Saint Cerbonius of Populonia on the Cathedral of Massa Marittima, Tuscany, Italy; taken on 7 April 2006 by Ulrich Mayring; swiped off the Wikipedia web site")
Also known as
- Cerbonius of Piombino
- Cerbonius of Massa Marittima
- Cerbo of ….
- Cerbone of ….
- Cerbonio of ….
Profile
Raised in a Christian family in North Africa. Priest, ordained by Saint Regulus. He and most other Christians in his area fled ahead of the Vandal persecutions; he and many other moved to the Tuscany region of Italy and lived as hermits.
His reputation for holiness spread, and Cerbonius was chosen bishop of Populonia, Italy c.544; he soon became unpopular as he conducted Sunday Mass at dawn, forcing his flock to get up in the middle of the night. Pope Vigilius summoned him to Rome to answer the complaints. When he arrived, Cerbonius woke the pope at dawn for Mass; the two heard the singing of angels, Vigilius gave him permission to say Mass whenever he thought proper, and sent him home.
For hiding Roman soldiers who were fleeing invading Ostrogoths, Cerbonius was ordered to be executed by being thrown to a bear. The bear was terrified of Cerbonius, fell to the ground and began licking the bishop‘s feet. Cerbonius was exiled to the island of Elba, Italy instead, where he spent the rest of his life as a prayerful hermit.
Born
- c.493 in North Africa
- 575 in Elba, Italy
- buried at his request in Populonia, Italy
- at Populonia there is a fountain and chapel dedicated to Saint Cerbonius; local lore says that “Whoever does not drink from the fountain of Saint Cerbonius is a thief or a rascal.”
- relics re-located to the Saint Cerbonius cathedral in Massa Marittima, Italy
- with Pope Vigilius
- bishop with a bear licking his feet
- bishop healing three men dying of fever
- geese (on the trip to Rome to answer the summons of Pope Vigilius, he turned a flock of geese into pets by making the Sign of the Cross over them; when they reached Saint Peter’s Basilica, he made the Sign again and freed the birds)
- priest or bishop celebrating Mass at dawn
- pastoral staff
Additional Information
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Online
- Ecumenical Glossary
- For All The Saints
- Kirken i Norge
- Massa Marittima
- New Dictionary of Saints: East and West, by Michael Walsh
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
- Santi e Beati
- Stadlers Vollständiges Heiligenlexikon
- Wikipedia
MLA Citation
- “Saint Cerbonius of Populonia”. Saints.SQPN.com. 9 May 2010. Web. 19 June 2013. <http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-cerbonius-of-populonia/>