Barbatus of Benevento
| Saint Barbatus of Benevento | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 610 Cerreto Sannita, Italy |
| Died | 682 |
| Venerated in |
Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Major shrine | The Duomo of Benevento, where his relics have been preserved beneath the main altar since 1687 |
| Feast | February 19 |
| Attributes | Crozier |
| Patronage | Benevento |
Saint Barbatus of Benevento (Italian: San Barbato) (c. 610 – February 29, 682), also known as Barbas, was a bishop of Benevento from 663 to 682. He succeeded Hildebrand in this capacity. He assisted in a church council called by Pope Agatho in Rome in 680 and in 681 attended the Third Council of Constantinople against the Monothelites.
He was born in the village of Vandano, near Cerreto Sannita, then part of the Duchy of Benevento, toward the end of the papacy of Gregory the Great. At that time, Benevento had recently (in 590) been captured by Arian Lombards from the Trinitarian Romans.
According to his saint's life (which was written later), he received a Christian education, and spent a good deal of time studying the Christian scriptures. He took holy orders as soon as allowed to do so, and was immediately employed by the local bishop as a preacher, a task for which he had considerable talent. Shortly thereafter, he was made the curate of St. Basil's Church in nearby Morcone. The parishioners there objected to Barbatus' remarking upon their falling short of the Christian ideal, and persecuted him to quiet him. He continued in the same vein, causing these same people to slander his character. He was eventually obliged to cease his charitable works because of these slanders.
He later returned to Benevento, where he was welcomed back by those who remembered him from earlier. At the time, the people of Benevento still practiced paganism, including veneration of a golden viper and a local tree, and also held games to which Barbatus strongly objected. The local Lombard prince, Romuald I son of the Arian Lombard King Grimoald I, was himself seriously involved in these activities. Barbatus regularly preached against them only to be ignored.
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