St. Andrew Zorard
| Saint Andrew Zorard | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born | c. 980 Opatowiec, Kazimierza, Poland |
| Died | 1009, 1010, 1030 or 1034 Mount Zobor, Tribeč, Kingdom of Hungary (today: Slovakia) |
| Venerated in |
Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Canonized | 1083 or 1085 by Pope Gregory VII |
| Major shrine | St. Emmeram's Cathedral |
| Feast | June 13 (in Poland), July 17 (in Slovakia) |
| Patronage | Hungary, Diocese of Nitra, Diocese of Tarnów, St. Andrew Abbey in Cleveland |
Saint Andrew Zorard (Polish: Andrzej Świerad, Żurawek, Żórawek, Świrad, and Wszechrad; Slovak: Svorad, Czech: Sverad; German: Zoërard, Latin: Zoerardus) was a Benedictine monk, now venerated as a saint.
Zorard was born around 980 in Opatowiec, a small village in Poland. A tradition in the small village of Tropie holds that in his youth he lived near there as a monk. At around the year 1000, at about the age of 20, he began living as a hermit and a missionary, evangelizing in Olawa, Silesia (modern Poland). At some time, he also traveled to northern Hungary (Slovakia)
Around the year 1003 Zorard settled in Hungary, becoming a Benedictine monk at the St. Hippolytus Monastery on Mount Zobor near Nitra—then part of the Kingdom of Hungary. He took the name "Andrew". There he became the spiritual guide of Benedict of Szkalka. Andrew and Benedict, with the permission of their superior Philip, later left the monastery and became hermits in a cave along the Vág River near Trenčín in modern Skalka nad Váhom. Andrew died of natural causes in 1009 (or 1010, 1030 or 1034). He practiced such severe austerities that, according to legend, the iron chain, which he wore wrapped around the belt, eventually grew into his body.
Benedict continued to live in the cave for three years until he was murdered by a gang of thieves looking for treasure. In 1083 Andrew's relics were transferred to St. Emmeram's Cathedral in Nitra where they remain to this day. A biography of Benedict and Andrew was written by St. Maurus, Bishop of Pécs, in which it says that Svorad led a hermit life living in a small cave near the monastery. The cave has since been called Svoradova.
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