Who Was Saint Cono di Naso?

Saints

Saint Cono di Naso, a abbot and monastic leader, is remembered by the Church though the record of this life (March 28, 1236, Naso, Italy (aged about 96)) is honestly sparse.

Saint Cono di Naso was a Basilian abbot who led a monastic community at Naso, in Sicily, dying there on March 28, 1236, at the remarkable age of about ninety-six. The Church remembers Cono for his exceptionally long life given wholly to monastic leadership, guiding his community through nearly a century marked by the transition of Sicily between Byzantine, Norman, and Hohenstaufen rule.

No known portrait of Saint Cono Di Naso
No portrait or image of Saint Cono Di Naso is known to survive; this icon marks pages without an identifiable image.

Quick Facts

  • Died: March 28, 1236, Naso, Italy (aged about 96)
  • Feast Day: March 28
  • Canonised: 1630
  • Venerated as: Basilian abbot

Who Was Saint Cono di Naso?

Saint Cono di Naso was a Basilian abbot who led a monastic community at Naso, in Sicily, dying there on March 28, 1236, at the remarkable age of about ninety-six.

Historical Setting

Basilian monasticism, following the Rule of Saint Basil in the Byzantine tradition, was deeply rooted in Sicily and southern Italy from centuries of Greek Christian settlement, and continued to flourish there even after the region came under Norman and later Latin rule.

Why the Church Remembers Saint Cono di Naso

The Church remembers Cono for his exceptionally long life given wholly to monastic leadership, guiding his community through nearly a century marked by the transition of Sicily between Byzantine, Norman, and Hohenstaufen rule.

Canonization and Feast Day

Available records for this saint show a formal canonisation entry from 1630, confirming a cult that by that date had already been sustained locally for four centuries.

What Catholics Can Learn Today

Cono’s near-century of monastic service is a witness to perseverance across a whole lifetime of change and upheaval around him. Catholics can find in him encouragement to remain steady in vocation even as the world around them shifts.

A Prayer to Saint Cono di Naso

Saint Cono di Naso, abbot of nearly a century’s service, you remained steadfast through great change. Help us to persevere faithfully across the whole span of our lives. Amen.

Sources

  • Roman Martyrology
  • New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia
  • Sicilian diocesan historical records