CATALDUS OF RACHAU, ST.

Bishop and patron of Taranto; b. Ireland, early seventh century; d. Taranto, Italy, c. 671. Everything known concerning him is based on legends dating from the 12th century. He was born close to the monastery of Lismore, became a monk there, and then later became bishop of Rachau. On the return from a pilgrimage to the Holy Land, he was shipwrecked off the Gulf of Taranto. Supposedly he then became bishop of Taranto, where he was considered a great reformer and builder of churches. He is venerated as a miracle worker in Italy, especially at his see city, where his body was buried in the cathedral, and also at Sens and Auxerre in France.

Feast: May 10.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum May 2 (1863) 568–577. f. ughelli, Italia sacra, ed. n. coleti, 10 V. in 9 (2d ed. Venice 1717–22) 9:121. b. morone, Vitaemiracoli di S. Cataldo …, 2 pts. (Naples 1779). c. stornajolo, "Crocetta aurea opistografa della cattedrale di Taranto," Nuovo bollettino di archeologia cristiana 21 (1915) 83–93. g. blandamura, Un cimelio del s. VII esistente nel duomo di Taranto (Lecce 1917). j. f. kenney, The Sources for the Early History of Ireland, v. 1, Ecclesiastical (New York 1929) 185. f. lanzoni, Le diocesi d'Italia dalle origini al principio de sec. VII (an. 604), 2 v. (Faenza 1927) 1:79. a. m. tommasini, Irish Saints in Italy, tr. j. f. scanlan (London 1937) 401–432. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienhereux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes (Paris 1935–56) 5:196. Martyrologium Romanum, ed. h. delehaye (Brussels 1940) 183.

[r. e. geiger]