Serenicus

Serenicus (French: Céneri or Sérène; c. 620 – c. 669) was an Italian Benedictine monk. He was an early evangelist in Normandy, and founded a monastery and a chapel in a village in Orne that later took the name of Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei.

Serenicus
Saint Serenicus shown in the Church of Saint-Céneri-le-Gére
Bornc. 620
Spoleto, Italy
Diedc. 669 (aged approx. 48–49)
Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei, France
FeastMay 7

Serenicus is venerated as a saint. His feast day is celebrated on May 7 with his brother Serenidus of Saulges, or locally on August 16. He is a patron against skin diseases, colic, and infertility.[1]

Background

Born into a noble family in Umbria around 620, Serenicus travelled to the province of Maine in 649 during the reign of the Merovingian king Clovis II with his brother, Serenidus, to live a life of contemplation and penance.[2] At first, he lived with Serenidus as a hermit and an ascetic near Saulges in the diocese of Le Mans.[3]

At some point, Serenicus departed Saulges and began to live near a village in Orne near the Sarthe river. He started accepting disciples and found a church dedicated to Martin of Tours and an accompanying monastery. He ended up accepting a few disciples and built a church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours and a monastic establishment.[3] The church was completed by Bishop, and saint, Milehard de Sées.[1]

It is said that after a long journey Serenicus settled in Orne, where he experienced a miracle in answer to his prayer for water to quench his thirst. According to legend a spring, located near the banks of the Sarthe, sprang up in answer to his prayer. It is believed that the water from the spring has the ability to cure eye problems.[4]

Serenicus is thought to have died around 669.[5]

Further reading
  • Cerenicus, S. (in German). Vol. 1. Augsburg: Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon. 1858. p. 596.

See also

References
  1. Bargellini, Piero (1977). Mille santi del giorno (in Italian). Florenz: Vallecchi. p. 255. ISBN 978-8884270993.
  2. "Saint Céréné". Nominis (in French). Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  3. "Sts. Serenicus and Serenus of Spoleto". City Desert. May 8, 2014.
  4. "Visit Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei". Normandy Tourism, France. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  5. Manoëlle Miquel-Regnauld (2003). Les saints normands au Moyen Âge (in French). ISBN 2-84706-017-0.
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