Benedict the Moor – Saint

Devout son of slaves was canonised by a Pope

Benedict the Moor was recognised for his
compassion towards the poor and his forbearance

An Afro-Sicilian Franciscan friar known as Benedict the Moor, who was made a saint nearly 300 years after his birth, was born on this day in 1526 in San Fratello in Sicily.

Benedict was the son of African slaves who had been captured and taken to work in San Fratello, which is a small town in the province of Messina.

His parents were given Italian names, Cristoforo and Diana Massaneri, and were converted to Christianity. They were granted freedom for their son before his birth because of what was then described as their loyal service to their master.

Benedict is also sometimes referred to as Benedict of Palermo, Benedict the Black, or Benedict the African. He worked as a shepherd during his youth and often gave the money he had earned to the poor.

Although Benedict did not attend school and was illiterate, he became well known for his charity.

As an adult he was publicly insulted because of his colour and his forbearance at the time was noticed by the leader of an independent group of hermits. They were living on Monte Pellegrino, an isolated rocky promontory on the northern coast of Palermo, following rules that had been written by St Francis of Assisi.

Benedict was invited to join the community and he gave up all his earthly possessions. He worked as the cook for the community and went on to become their leader when he had reached the age of 28.

A statue of Benedict the Moor at the
Minneapolis Institute of Art 

In 1564, Pope Pius IV disbanded all independent groups of hermits, ordering them to join established religious orders. Benedict was assigned to the Franciscan Friary of St Mary of Jesus in Palermo.

He started as a cook, but was soon appointed as a master of novices and later as a guardian of the community, although he was a lay brother rather than a priest. He helped the order to adopt a stricter version of Franciscan rule and became respected for his intuitive knowledge of theology and scripture.

It is claimed that he kept seven 40-day fasts throughout the year and slept for only a few hours each night. 

He was often sought after for counselling and developed a reputation for being able to heal the sick.

When Benedict died at the age of 65 it was claimed he had passed away at the very hour, and on the very day, that he had himself predicted. 

At the entrance to his cell in the Franciscan friary there is a plaque inscribed with the words: ‘This is the cell where Saint Benedict lived,’ which gives the dates of his birth and death.

After his death, King Philip III of Spain ordered a magnificent tomb to be built to house Benedict’s remains in the friary church in Palermo.

Benedict was beatified by Pope Benedict XIV in 1743 and canonised by Pope Pius VII in 1807. It is claimed his body was found incorrupt upon exhumation at the time. His major shrine was in Palermo, but the church and his relics were almost completely destroyed during wildfires in 2023.

He is remembered for his patience and understanding when confronted with racial abuse and taunts and, because of this, he has been declared a patron saint of African Americans. Several Catholic parishes in the United States are named after him.

San Fratello sits on a spectacular rocky outcrop in
countryside from which many emigrated to the US

Travel tip:

San Fratello, where Saint Benedict was born, is a municipality in the Nebrodi mountains in the northeast corner of Sicily. It was founded by the Normans in the 11th century. Their Gallo-Italic dialect is still spoken in the area. Situated about 110km (68 miles) east of Palermo and about 90km (56 miles) west of Messina, it takes its name from three pious brothers: Alfio, Cirino and Filadelfo, in whose honour a festival is held annually on May 10. It is said that the village sits on the site of the ancient Greek city of Apollonia, exactly on the summit of Monte Vecchio where the ruins are visible. The area has become increasingly prone to landslides, with more than one third of the population forced to evacuate the village in 2010, when extensive damage occurred. The village currently has just under 4,000 inhabitants but was once home to more than 10,000, its numbers diminishing in the early part of the 20th century when many residents left the area to emigrate, especially to the United States, where it is estimated there are 5,000 people who can trace their roots back to San Fratello. These include the ancestors of the American actor Al Pacino, whose father, Salvatore, returned to visit the area in 2002.

The Monte Pellegrino promontory seen across
the harbour at Palermo in western Sicily

Travel tip:

Monte Pellegrino, where Saint Benedict once lived with other hermits,  is an isolated carbonate rock promontory on the northern coast of Palermo. It is 606 meters above sea level, making it the highest peak in the area, and it has become one of Palermo’s most  frequently represented symbols. It was described by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German writer and polymath, as the most beautiful promontory in the world and is seen by many Palermitani as giving protection to their city. The mountain is home to the Sanctuary of Santa Rosalia, a pilgrim hermitage named in honour of Rosalia, patron saint of Palermo.  Called Monti Piddirinu in Sicilian dialect, it is a mountain range 609 metres high, characterised by steep slopes over whose surfaces the water does not flow, but instead filters through numerous cracks and crevices.

More reading:

Saint Rosalia, the Norman noblewoman credited with saving Palermo from plague

Why hundreds of thousands take to the streets of Catania to celebrate Saint Agatha

The Caravaggio masterpiece depicting the burial of Santa Lucia

Also on this day:

1752: The birth of composer Niccolò Antonio Zingarelli

1951: The birth of singer-songwriter Francesco De Gregori

1960: The birth of businesswoman Daniela Riccardi

1963: The birth of journalist and politician Irene Pivetti

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