AMATUS OF NUSCO, ST.

Bishop and abbot; b. Nusco, Italy, c. 1104; d. Aug. 6, 1193. The chronology of his life and many of its details are uncertain because there are two quite different versions, the earliest of which was written after 1460. The later version appears the more reliable and was favored by the bollandists. According to this account (Acta Sanctorum Aug. 6:901–928) Amatus was born at Nusco in southern Italy of noble parents. He entered the religious life and after a short period as archpriest of Nusco became a benedictine. In 1142 he founded the Abbey of Fontignano near Orvieto, and in 1154 he was made bishop of Nusco. He was a zealous and popular bishop and a generous benefactor of religious houses. He is said to have worked many miracles both before and after his death. The other version of the saint's life (Acta Sanctorum Aug. 6:844–847) states that he was born in the early eleventh century, was consecrated bishop in 1048 or 1071, when the Diocese of Nusco was created, and died in 1093.

Feast: Sept. 30 (Nusco); Aug. 31 (Benedictines).

Bibliography: a. palmieri, Dictionnaire d'histoire et de géographie ecclésiastiques, ed. a. baudrillart et al. (Paris 1912) 2:993–994. a. m. zimmermann, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 2 1:420. a. m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum, (Metten 1933–38) 2:642, 644. g. taglialatela, Orazione panegirica di s. Amato, primo vescovo e patrono di Nusco (Naples 1890). g. passaro, Un testamento e una compravendita: analisi paleografica comparata (Naples 1973). Enciclopedia ecclesiastica, ed. a. bernareggi (Milan 1942–) 1:130.

[j. l. grassi]