Palerio di Telese

Who they were

Saints Palerio and Equizio are closely tied to the origins of the diocese of Telese and its earliest bishops. Their story, handed down through a twelfth-century inscription and ancient remains, is filled with revelations, chance discoveries and popular devotion. The inscription, found in 1712 among the ruins of the church of San Palerio, tells of a miraculous burial at San Martino Valle Caudina.

The remains, examined at Benevento, were later transferred and placed beneath the high altar of the church of San Giovanni Battista. Palerio and Equizio are still venerated today: Palerio's liturgical memorial falls on 16 June, Equizio's on 18 June.

The miracles

There was never a formal cause: he has been honoured as a saint since before the Church's formal processes began.

Why that counted as sanctity

Bishop of Telese, honoured since the early Middle Ages; his relics were rediscovered in 1712 and his feast fixed for 16 June.