Saint Paulinus of Nola

Paulinus was born in Bordeaux in 355, into a family of senators and consuls: his father was prefect of Aquitaine. He studied law and philosophy, and at just over twenty he was already one of the six hundred senators of Rome. In 378, when his term was over, he was entitled to govern a province, and he chose Campania. Instead of living in Capua, the capital, he preferred Nola, where he owned property. At Cimitile, just outside Nola, Saint Felix was venerated, and Paulinus was deeply struck: before going back to Aquitaine he cut off his beard and consecrated it to him, following a custom that came from the pagan world. Then his life broke apart in his hands: he lost a newborn son, and together with his wife Therasia he decided to change everything. They sold an enormous fortune, gave it to the poor, and returned to Nola to live beside the tomb of Felix. He became its bishop in 409. He was a friend and correspondent of Augustine, Ambrose and Jerome, and he was a true poet: his poems are among the finest works of Christian Latin. Tradition credits him with bringing bells into churches, which is why he is the patron saint of bell ringers; the Latin word *campana* comes from Campania itself. He died in Nola on June 22, 431. The Festa dei Gigli in Nola, which every year carries eight wooden obelisks, twenty-five meters tall, through the streets, grew out of the memory of his return to the city. If your name is Paolino, today is your name day.