San Mauro di Piacenza

Saint Mauro of Piacenza lived in the first half of the fifth century in northern Italy, in the Western Roman Empire along the Po. Tradition holds that in the year 420 he was chosen as the third bishop of Piacenza, succeeding Saint Savinus. News of his earlier life remains scarce; he is known chiefly through the local tradition of the Church of Piacenza as a faithful pastor in a turbulent age of imperial decline.

As bishop he gave himself especially to the cult of the saints. He spread the memory of his predecessor Savinus so that the Church might honor him as a saint, and he likewise labored for the recognition of Victoria, Eusebius, Gelasus, and the deacons Victor and Donninus. In 448, when the body of Saint Germanus of Auxerre was carried from the imperial court at Ravenna toward Auxerre, Mauro arranged an honorable passage through his diocese.

He died, according to tradition, on 13 September 449 (some sources give 448 or 449). He was buried in the church delle Mose beside Saint Savinus; that church no longer stands, and his remains rest in the basilica of San Savino in Piacenza. In the Middle Ages he was honored as a saint. He is commemorated on 26 October together with the other holy bishops of the Church of Piacenza. The oldest known image of him dates from the fifteenth century and is found in the crypt of the Basilica of San Savino; later portraits appear in the cathedral, the seminary, and the episcopal palace, including works by Gaetano Collani, Enrico Prati, Eugenio Cisterna, and Luigi Morgari.

May Saint Mauro intercede for us, that we may foster true devotion to the saints and serve the Church with steadfast fidelity.