Paris of Teano

Saint Paris of Teano was bishop of the city of Teano in Campania, near Naples, ordained by Pope Sylvester I. He reposed in the year 346.

The only definite fact seems to be that he was a bishop of Teano; he was succeeded by Saint Amasius. Pious legends say that he was born in Athens and was the apostle and first bishop of Teano. He is said to have miraculously tamed or killed a dragon living in a cave near the town; another version says that when he arrived the people were engaged in a pagan ritual honoring a snake god, and he challenged the cult by capturing the monster with a stick and leading it to die along the river Savone. His veneration spread to other parts of Italy, and Baronius included his name in the Roman Martyrology at the request of the church authorities of Teano. He is commemorated on 5 August as a saint of the undivided Church, by the New Calendar.