Frediano, Saint

FREDIANO, santo. - Bishop of Lucca, lived in the 6th century, born almost certainly in Ireland, perhaps of royal lineage. He was educated at Dromore by St. Colman and on the island of Aran by St. Enda. He made a pilgrimage to Rome, after returning from which he settled at Moville and founded a monastery there. He soon took the road to Italy again, settling to lead a hermit's life in the surroundings of Lucca. When the fame of his virtues spread, around 560, he was elected bishop of Lucca. According to tradition he died on 18 March 588. Some of the many miracles attributed to him are reported by St. Gregory the Great (Dialog., III, 9). Feast 18 March, translation 18 Nov.

It is difficult to reconstruct the life of F., especially before his episcopate, since it is not unlikely that it contains elements of some other Irish monk of almost the same name. Likewise there has been dispute about the chronology of F.'s episcopate, which some, basing themselves on the order of an ancient catalogue of the bishops of Lucca, have assigned to the 3rd-4th century. However, tradition, the mention that St. Gregory makes of him precisely in the Dialogues, and other considerations, lead rather to assigning him to the 6th century. - See rev. CXIX.

Vincenzo Menachino