Baculus of Sorrento
Encyclopedia
Saint Baculus of Sorrento is venerated as a bishop of Sorrento.
The Life of Saint Antoninus
, Abbot of Sorrento, composed in the 9th century or sometime after, mentions some patron saints of Sorrento: the bishops Renatus, Athanasius, and Baculus. The Life includes a description of the saints obtained from painting hanging at the time in the cathedral of Sorrento.
The time when Baculus is supposed to have been bishop of the city is uncertain. Ferdinando Ughelli
, basing his findings on a manuscript dating from after the 12th century found in Sorrento Cathedral, believed that Baculus’ episcopate occurred in the 7th century. The Bollandists believed Baculus lived around 660 AD. Francesco Lanzoni, however, writes that “the Vita Sancti Baculi, in the section that concerns the episcopate of its hero, does not contain any chronological detail concerning the same. Nothing, therefore, can prevent us from believing that he may have lived in the fourth or fifth centuries.”
to the church of San Felice. From the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries there existed a chapel dedicated to Baculus.
The church of Santi Felice e Baccolo in Sorrento, also known as the Chiesa del Rosario, is partly dedicated to him. His relics rest in this church.
The Life of Saint Antoninus
Antoninus of Sorrento
Antoninus of Sorrento was an Italian abbot, hermit, and saint.Born at Campagna, he left his native town to become a monk at Monte Cassino. During that time, Italy was suffering from barbarian invasions and Antoninus was forced to leave this monastery. Monte Cassino had been plundered by the...
, Abbot of Sorrento, composed in the 9th century or sometime after, mentions some patron saints of Sorrento: the bishops Renatus, Athanasius, and Baculus. The Life includes a description of the saints obtained from painting hanging at the time in the cathedral of Sorrento.
The time when Baculus is supposed to have been bishop of the city is uncertain. Ferdinando Ughelli
Ferdinando Ughelli
Ferdinando Ughelli was an Italian Cistercian monk and church historian.-Biography:He was born in Florence. He entered the Cistercian Order and was sent to the Gregorian University in Rome, where he studied under the Jesuits Francesco Piccolomini and John de Lugo.He filled many important posts in...
, basing his findings on a manuscript dating from after the 12th century found in Sorrento Cathedral, believed that Baculus’ episcopate occurred in the 7th century. The Bollandists believed Baculus lived around 660 AD. Francesco Lanzoni, however, writes that “the Vita Sancti Baculi, in the section that concerns the episcopate of its hero, does not contain any chronological detail concerning the same. Nothing, therefore, can prevent us from believing that he may have lived in the fourth or fifth centuries.”
Veneration
The traditional date of Baculus’ death was August 27, which became his feast day, celebrated by Sorrento. Baculus’ relics were initially buried in the wall of the city, but were then translatedTranslation (relics)
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony...
to the church of San Felice. From the fifteenth to eighteenth centuries there existed a chapel dedicated to Baculus.
The church of Santi Felice e Baccolo in Sorrento, also known as the Chiesa del Rosario, is partly dedicated to him. His relics rest in this church.