Liberalis of Treviso

:"Another St. Liberalis was bishop of Embrun from 920-940. He died in 940 at Brive, his birthplace. It is also another name for Saint Eleutherius, venerated with Saint Antia."Infobox Saint
name=Saint Liberalis
birth_date=4th century
death_date=400
feast_day=April 27
venerated_in=

---

imagesize=250px
caption="Madonna and Child Between St. Francis and St. Liberalis" ("Castelfranco Madonna"), ca. 1503.
birth_place=
death_place=
titles=
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=depicted as a knight
patronage=Castelfranco Veneto
major_shrine=Treviso
suppressed_date=
issues=

Saint Liberalis of Treviso ( _it. San Liberale) is a saint of the 4th century. Tradition states that he was a priest who opposed Arianism and who worked to convert Arians and that he was persecuted at Ancona. [ [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4275 St. Liberalis - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online ] ]

Legend

A legend, composed around the 10th century and incorporating elements from other saints’ hagiographies, states that Liberalis was a native of Altinum, born to a noble equestrian family. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] According to the legend, he was educated in the Christian faith by Heliodorus of Altino (Eliodoro), first Christian bishop of the city. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] Liberalis practiced extreme mortifications and fasts after his conversion. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ]

Faced with growing opposition from both Arianism and paganism in the see, Heliodorus retired as bishop and lived as a hermit on a desert island in the lagoons near Altino, entrusting the see to a man named Ambrose. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] Worried about Ambrose’s ability to handle the rise of Arianism in the see, Liberalis decided to look for Heliodorus and attempt to convince him to come back to his see. On the way, Liberalis fell asleep in a church and experienced a strange dream, in which a angel, resplendent in white, encouraged him in his mission and also announced his imminent death. Liberalis traveled onward to Castrazone where there was a church dedicated to Saint Lawrence. He was unable to find a way to reach Heliodorus’ island and decided instead to lead the life of a hermit. However, he fell ill and died on April 27. He was buried in the Castrazone church in a marble sepulcher. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ]

Veneration

His relics were carried to Treviso from Altinum around 452 to safeguard them against the Hunnish invasions, or perhaps later, when the threat came from the Lombards rather than the Huns. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] Liberalis' relics may have been enshrined with those associated with the martyrs Theonistus, Tabra, and Tabratha ("Teonisto, Tabra e Tabrata") at the cathedral of Torcello after 639 AD. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] However, the presence of these martyrs’ relics in Treviso is also attested, and a strong cultus took hold there, with documentation attesting to the cultus dating from 1082 onwards. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] In the twelfth century, Liberalis was proclaimed patron saint of Treviso, and was patron of the cathedral, along with Saint Peter and Saint Paul. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] Liberalis became patron of Castelfranco Veneto as a result of the fact that citizens of Treviso founded that town in 1199. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] In art he is either depicted with a dalmatic or in a soldier’s cloak. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ] Giorgione depicts him as a knight clad in armor carrying Treviso’s banner. [ [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale ] ]

References

ource

* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4275 Saint Liberalis]
*it icon [http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/51000 San Liberale]