Andrew of Fiesole, St.
ANDREW OF FIESOLE, ST.
Archdeacon of Fiesole, Italy; of Scottish or possibly Irish birth; d. c. 877. He accompanied (St.) Donatus to Rome on a pilgrimage. On their return they passed through the town of Fiesole near Florence, where the episcopal see was vacant. The clergy and people were assembled in the cathedral praying for a pious and worthy bishop when Andrew and Donatus entered. At once, reportedly, the bells began to ring and candles and lights were illumined by superhuman power. Donatus was elected bishop, and he ordained Andrew as his archdeacon. Andrew restored the church of San Martino di Mensola at Fiesole and built a monastery there. In 1284 his relics were found in the church where they are still preserved. His acta of the fourteenth or fifteenth century are too late to be of any value.
Feast: Aug. 22.
Bibliography: a. m. tommasini, Irish Saints in Italy, tr. j. f. scanlan (London 1937). s. ammirato, Vescovi di Fiesole, di Volterra e d'Arezzo (Florence 1637; reprinted Bologna 1976). Acta Sanctorum Feb. 1:245–248; Aug. 4:539–548. a. m. zimmermann, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 1:515–516. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, ed. h. thurston and d. attwater (New York 1956) 3:382.
[r. t. meyer]