JOHN CALYBITA, Saint. - According to legend, he was born in Constantinople to a noble family at the beginning of the 5th century. As a young boy, John ran away together with an Acoemetae monk to withdraw to a monastery. After 6 years of religious life he returned to his paternal home, living for 3 years, unknown to his parents, in a hovel (καλύβης), whence the epithet "Calibita."

Shortly before dying he revealed himself to his family, who afterward transformed the hovel into a church. He is commemorated by both the Greeks and the Latins on 15 January. In Rome a church was built in his honor on the Tiber Island, already mentioned in the 9th century by Anastasius the Librarian, who translated the life of Giovanni into Latin. Later it was believed that the paternal home of Giovanni, thought to be Roman, was there. The first authentic pontifical document concerning the Roman church dates from 1018.

Bibliography

BIBL.: PG 114, 567-82: Anastasius, Vita s. Johannis Calbinae, in Anal. Boll., 15 (1896), pp. 257-67: Acta SS. Iannarii, II, Paris 1863, pp. 311-20: Synax. Constantinop., p. 393: C. Huelsen, Le chiese di Roma nel medioevo, Florence 1927, p. 275 s.c.

Agostino Amore

@incollection{ec6_giovanni_calibita_santo, author = {Amore, Agostino}, title = {Giovanni Calibita, santo}, booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica}, volume = {VI}, pages = {530}, note = {Cited by column}, publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico}, address = {Città del Vaticano}, year = {1951}, url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/giovanni-calibita-santo} }

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John Calybita, Saint

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