Also known as
- Nilus of Calabria
- Nilus of Rossano
Profile
Son of Greek immigrants to Italy. Led a wild and mis-spent youth. Worked as a treasury official. Believed to have been married, and certainly the father of one daughter. In quick succession, his wife died, his daughter died, and Nilus suffered a life-threatening illness; all this at the age of 30 led to a conversion, and his life’s work proved it was a true conversion. Basilian monk at the abbey of Saint Adrian in Calabria, Italy. Fluent in Greek and Latin. Hymnographer. Lived sometimes as a hermit, and sometimes he travelled from one monastery to another. Supported Pope Gregory V when he was driven out of Rome, then opposed him when Gregory and Emperor Otto III when they used excessive force against the forces of the anti-pope. Abbot of Saint Adrian. In 981 the invading Saracens drove the monks into exile at Vellelucio. On his deathbed, Nilus proclaimed Vellelucio to be the new home city for the abbey, and the house of Grottaferrata has been there since. Spiritual director of Saint Bartholomew of Rossano.
Born
Died
- 27 December 1005 at Grottaferrata, Frascati, Italy of natural causes
Additional Information
- Book of Saints, by the Monks of Ramsgate
- Catholic Encyclopedia, by Adrian Fortescue
- Orthodox England
- Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints, by Matthew Bunson, Margaret Bunson, and Stephen Bunson
MLA Citation
- “Saint Nilus the Younger”. Saints.SQPN.com. 11 November 2009. Web. {today’s date}. <http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-nilus-the-younger/>