Terenzio of Luni

Who they were

Terenzio was bishop of the ancient see of Luni, known for his charity to the poor; he was martyred by brigands near the river Lavenza at Avenza, close to Carrara, and his remains were later moved to San Terenzo Monti in the Lunigiana, where they are still venerated on the high altar of the parish church. Later legends made him a Scottish bishop killed by raiders, but this confuses his story with that of the later Bishop Ceccardo, killed by Vikings a century afterward; in fact Terenzio was probably a native of the area, from the Roman family of the Terenzi of Luni, and his martyrdom is placed at the start of the 7th century.

His veneration appeared between the end of the 7th and the start of the 8th century, connected with his efforts to convert the Arian Lombards settled in the mountains of the Lunigiana. The dioceses of La Spezia-Sarzana-Brugnato and Massa Carrara-Pontremoli, heirs to ancient Luni, keep his memory on 15 July, though he is not listed in the Roman Martyrology.

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 Luni martyred by brigands near Avenza for his work among the poor and the Arian Lombards; feast 15 July.