Isaac of Spoleto

Holy Venerable Isaac of Spoleto was a Syrian monk who came to Italy in the sixth century and founded a monastery near Spoleto, dying in 550 or, by other dates, around 552. He should not be confused with Saint Isaac the Syrian, bishop of Nineveh, of the seventh century.

Having come from Syria to Spoleto, he asked the church wardens for permission to stay in the church and prayed there for two and a half days. One of the wardens accused him of hypocrisy and struck him on the cheek; then God's punishment came upon the man, and the devil threw him at the saint's feet, crying: "Isaac, cast me out." As the saint bent over the man, the unclean spirit fled.

The news quickly spread through the city and people began to come to him, offering help and the means to build a monastery. The humble monk refused, left the city and settled in a desolate place, where he made a small cell. Disciples gathered around him and a monastery was formed. When the disciples asked why he had declined the gifts, he answered: "A monk who acquires possessions is no longer a monk."

He had the gift of foresight; Saint Gregory the Dialogist speaks of this in his "Dialogues". Once he told the monks to leave their spades in the garden overnight, and in the morning asked them to prepare food for the workers. Robbers, equal in number to the spades, had come to rob the monastery, but the power of God forced them to give up: they took the spades and began to work, and when the monks reached the garden, all the ground had been dug. The saint welcomed them kindly to a meal, then urged them to stop stealing and allowed them to come openly to gather the fruit of the garden. Another time, two almost naked men asked him for clothing; the saint told them to wait and sent a monk into the forest, who found in the hollow of a tree the fine clothes the two had hidden to deceive the abbot. The saint gave them the clothes, and they, seeing their trick exposed, were left ashamed. In this way he uncovered people's sins wisely and without malice, desiring the salvation of all.