St. Veranus of Cavaillon

Feastday: October 19
Birth: 513
Death: 590

As a priest of France, Veranus devoted his energies to serving God and saving and sanctifying souls. In the course of his pastoral labors, he worked several miracles that gave him a widespread reputation for holiness. Fearful of the attention drawn to him, Veranus withdrew to live in solitude in the mountain wilderness of Vaucluse. He subsequently embarked upon a pilgrimage to Rome. While passing through Sardinia on the way back from Rome, he obtained the conversion of an entire town (Albenga) to the Christian faith. After returning to France, he was chosen to become bishop of Cavaillon. In 585, at a Church synod in Macon, he manifested extraordinary zeal in defending the Church's ecclesiastical discipline. There is a legend that Veranus captured and expelled a winged dragon that had been terrorizing the region near his hermitage in Vaucluse. Making the sign of the cross, he commanded the creature "by the living and eternal God" never to harm anyone again. In the Middle Ages, mothers often prayed to Saint Veranus for the health of their small children.

"Saint Véran" redirects here. For the village, see Saint-Véran.

Saint Veranus of Cavaillon (French: Véran, Vrain; Italian: Verano) (died c. 590) was a French saint, with a cultus in Italy. He was born at Vaucluse and was bishop of Cavaillon.

Gregory of Tours writes of miracles performed by Veranus, including the expulsion of a dragon. He is also remembered as a leader in charitable works and as a patron of local monasteries, not only in France but also in Italy, particularly in the city of Albenga, where he was instrumental in the conversion of the people to Christianity.

In the early 11th century some of his relics were transferred from his place of burial to Orléans. In the 13th century most were transferred again, to Cavaillon Cathedral, which is dedicated to him, but some were sent to Albenga Cathedral in Liguria, where they are still preserved in a shrine.

Placenames

The French village of Saint-Véran is named after him.

In Fontaine de Vaucluse there is a church called after the Saint. It was the place of his birth and in the small church there is a tomb reputed to be that of the Saint.

Notes

1. ^ In the U.S., localities seemingly dedicated to the saint, such as Fort Saint Vrain, Colorado, and St. Vrain, New Mexico, as well as the St. Vrain Creek in Colorado, are mostly derived from Ceran St. Vrain (May 5, 1802 - October 28, 1870), co-founder of the Bent-St. Vrain Company.