THOMAS, Abbot of FARFA, saint. — Historical and legendary tradition of the monastery of Farfa (q.v.) recalls with great veneration T. of Moriana, a monk of Frankish origin.
He is said to have lived for three years in Jerusalem and for three years in Ephesus, and upon his return from his pilgrimage, enlightened by a vision, he rebuilt in 680 the monastery of Farfa, which had been destroyed by the Lombards, with the support of the now Catholic dukes of Spoleto (notably Faroald II) and of the popes, especially John VII. The foundation of a monastery in a key position between the ancient Duchy of Rome and the Duchy of Spoleto, where a *fara* (Fara Sabina) had already been established, held particular political and religious importance, which the rapid development of the monastery confirms. Tradition also links T. of Moriana to the foundation of the monastery of St. Vincent at Volturno. Recent studies suggest the hypothesis that T. was not originally from Frankish Moriana, but from Mauriana, a quarter of Constantinople, and that he belonged to that group of missionaries of Eastern origin (hinted at in the tradition of his pilgrimage and his stay in the East) whom the Holy See used at that time to evangelize the Arian Lombards. To this same circle would also have belonged Bishop Laurence, whose Syrian origin is explicitly mentioned, and who is said to have founded the monastery much later than tradition claims.