Venerius the Hermit

Saint Venerius (San Venerio) was a monk and hermit of the seventh century, patron of the Gulf of La Spezia and, since 1961, of lighthouse keepers. Our sources show him venerated in the Catholic Church and say that the traditions about him are very uncertain; they show no Orthodox glorification. He is commemorated on 13 September.

He was born around 560 on the island of Palmaria. From his youth he led a life full of humility, poverty, repentance and prayer in the nearby monastery of Portovenere. He was abbot at Portovenere, appointed by Pope Gregory the Great and by Bishop Venantius of Luni, and for a time he was also in Corsica, where he gave rise to new monastic communities. According to the English source, he became a hermit in a monastery on the island of Tino in the Ligurian Sea and later served as abbot until his death in 630. According to legend, a raven brought him food every day. He spent his last years in absolute solitude on the island of Tino in the La Spezia archipelago, in the Ligurian Sea, to which the islands of Tinetto and Palmaria also belong. He would usually light fires on the summit of the island of Tino to show sailors the way on stormy nights. According to popular tradition, Venerius introduced the use of the lateen sail in the area of the Gulf of La Spezia.

He died in 630 on the island of Tino. At his grave a small church was first built (seventh century), and later a Benedictine monastery (eleventh century), named in his honour, whose remains can be seen on the northern coast of the island. The saint's relics seem to have rested at Luni, but because of attacks by Vikings and Moors the episcopal seat was moved to Sarzana. The relics of Venerius were, however, sent to Reggio Emilia, where they were placed beside those of Saint Prosper of Reggio and those of Saints Cosmas and Damian, the unmercenary physicians. Later they were moved to Tino, now in the diocese of La Spezia, in a solemn ceremony.

The island of Tino has restricted access, being a military zone, but an exception is made on 13 September, the feast of Saint Venerius. On that day a statue of Venerius is carried by sea from La Spezia to the island, and the bishop blesses all the boats in the Gulf of La Spezia. The San Venerio Lighthouse bears his name, as does the Pieve di San Venerio in La Spezia, and the town of Porto Venere takes its name from him.