Emilian of Ireland

Emilian of Ireland (Emiliano) was an Irish bishop and monk who died around 780 near Faenza in Italy. He is venerated as a saint in the Western Church and commemorated on 6 November.

It is known that Irish monks lived in the region of Ravenna in the early Middle Ages. According to the earliest accounts, Emilian reached Romagna on his return from a pilgrimage to the tombs of the apostles Peter and Paul at Rome. He fell ill and died near Faenza.

His body was kept first in the church of San Clemente, then in Santa Maria del Conte, called Sant'Emiliano at least from the 12th century. A synod of 1321 extended the cult to the whole city of Faenza, and the feast became a holy day of obligation in 1512. After the Napoleonic suppressions the body was moved to the cathedral, where it remains today in a marble ark of the 15th century.