Severus of Antrodoco

Severus of Antrodoco (Severo di Antrodoco) was a priest and saint who evangelized the valley of Antrodoco, in the 4th and 5th centuries. Pope Gregory the Great mentions him briefly in the first book of the Dialogues, calling him a man of a life greatly admirable. Despite the scarcity of information, his existence is marked by humility and industry: in Gregory's narrative Severus is shown pruning the vineyard. His most notable miracle is the raising of a dead man, in whose telling there is also a curious picture of the world beyond.

Until the 10th century the saint's body rested at Antrodoco, and the relics were later moved to Trier. The cult spread quickly through the Equician monks in the province of Valeria; places dedicated to Severus are found in Abruzzo, at Arischia and at L'Aquila. The liturgical memorial is on 15 February. A saint of the undivided Church, venerated in the West.