Saint Ennodius
Saint Ennodius of Pavia (born November 17, 473 AD in Arles, Gaul; died July 17, 521 AD in Pavia, Italy) was a Latin poet, rhetorician, and Bishop of Pavia during the late Roman and Ostrogothic period. He is notable for his extensive Latin literary output — panegyrics, poems, letters, and the life of Saint Epiphanius of Pavia — and for his two legations to Constantinople on behalf of Pope Hormisdas to resolve the Acacian Schism. He is one of the last major classical Latin prose stylists. His feast day is July 17.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Ennodius
| Saint Ennodius | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | July 17 |
| Profession | Bishop; rhetorician; Latin poet; papal legate |
| Rel. Affiliation | Catholic Church; Bishop of Pavia 514–521 |
| Patronage | Pavia; Latin literature; rhetoricians |
| Attributes | Bishop's vestments; pen and manuscript; book |
| Birthplace | Arles, Provence, Gaul (modern France) |
| Death Place | Pavia, Liguria, Italy (now Lombardy) |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes |
| Primary Shrine | Cathedral of Pavia, Pavia, Lombardy — his burial place; he is patron of Pavia |
| Liturgical Class | Not in universal Roman Calendar; feast observed locally in Diocese of Pavia on July 17 |
| Historic Class | Not included |
Biography
Magnus Felix Ennodius was born in 473 in Arles in Roman Gaul, of a noble Gallo-Roman family. He was orphaned young and raised by an aunt in Liguria. He received an excellent classical education in rhetoric. After being educated, he became a lector and then deacon at Pavia, where he was formed by Bishop Epiphanius of Pavia (whose biography he would later write). After Epiphanius's death, he moved to Milan, where he served as deacon under Bishop Laurence.
His literary output during these years was prolific: panegyrics to King Theodoric the Ostrogoth, poems, epithalamia, school exercises, letters, and his major prose work, the Vita Epiphani (Life of Saint Epiphanius of Pavia), a valuable historical source for late 5th-century Italy.
He was ordained Bishop of Pavia in 514, succeeding to the see his mentor Epiphanius had once held. As bishop, he was an active defender of Papal authority. In 515 and 517 he led two embassies from Pope Hormisdas to Emperor Anastasius I in Constantinople, attempting to resolve the Acacian Schism (a schism between Rome and Constantinople over the nature of Christ). Both missions failed to achieve reunion during Anastasius's lifetime, but the schism was healed in 519 after Anastasius's death.
He died at Pavia on July 17, 521, and was immediately venerated as a holy bishop. His feast day in the local church is July 17. His collected works survive in medieval manuscripts and were published in the Patrologia Latina.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Arles, Provence, Gaul (modern France)
Death location: Pavia, Liguria, Italy (now Lombardy)
Notable location: His episcopal see; he was Bishop of Pavia from 514 until his death in 521; Pavia was the capital of the Ostrogothic kingdom (Pavia, Lombardy, Italy)
Notable location: He was a deacon at Milan under Bishop Laurence before becoming bishop; Milan was a key seat of the western church (Milan, Italy)
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Parishes
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Shrines
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Known shrines
- Cathedral of Pavia (Duomo di Pavia), Pavia, Lombardy — his burial place; he is patron of Pavia.
Feast day
July 17
Veneration
Saint Ennodius is venerated in the Diocese of Pavia with a feast day on July 17.
Prayers
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