Saint Peter Damian Biography
Saint Peter Damian Biography, Feast Day, Date of Birth, Country of Birth, Profession, Place of Work, Date of Death, Place of Death, Beatification Date, Canonization Date |
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| Date of Birth | 1007 AD |
|---|---|
| Country of Birth | Italy in Europe |
| Matrimony/Holy Orders | Saints who were Bishops |
| Profession | Missionary |
| Place of Work | Italy |
| Date of Death | 22 February 1072 |
| Place of Death | Ravenna, Italy |
| Feast Day | February 21 |
| Beatification | Beatified by N/A |
| Canonization | Canonized by Pope Leo XII in 1823 |
| Patron Saint of | Faenza, Italy |
Saint Peter Damian Biography
Saint Peter Damian was the youngest child in a large but poor family of the local nobility. He was orphaned young and sent to live with a brother who mistreated and forced him to work as a swineherd. As a religious boy, Peter was eventually sent to live with another brother, Damian, a priest in Ravenna, Italy where he was so grateful that he took the name, Damian. Peter got a good education in Ravenna and eventually became a Professor. He was known to be a strict auster.
In 1035, Peter gave up teaching to retire from the world and become a Benedictine monk. His health deteriorated, especially when he tried to replace sleep with prayer. He was forced to spend time in recovery where he used it to study Scripture, and when he was healthy, he was assigned to teach his brother monks and then the public. Peter then became the prior of the house in 1043, a post in which he served for the rest of his life. He expanded the monastery, greatly improved its library, and founded sister hermitages in San Severino, Gamugno, Acerata, Murciana, San Salvatore, Sitria, and Ocri. fHe was a great friend of the future Pope Saint Gregory VII.
Peter attended a synod in Rome in 1047 and encouraged Pope Gregory VI to support a restoration of Church zeal and clerical discipline. Wrote Liber Gomorrhianus, which described the vices of priests mainly in their concern with worldly matters such as money and the evil of simony. He was later made the cardinal–bishop of Ostia on 30 November 1057 where he fought simony. He tried to restore primitive discipline among priests and religious who were becoming more and more worldly and was Strongly opposed to anti-pope Benedict X.
He wrote dozens of sermons, seven biographies (including a one of Saint Romuald), and poetry including some of the best Latin of the time. Peter tried to retire to live as a monk but was often recalled as papal legate, also called to make peace between arguing monastic houses, clergymen, and government officials, etc. He was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1828.
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