Draft:Priscus of Nocera

Priscus of Nocera (Nuceria Alfaterna, 3rd century – Nuceria Alfaterna, 3rd century) was the first bishop of Nocera, patron saint of the city of Nocera Inferiore and of the diocese of Nocera Inferiore-Sarno.

In the liturgical year its religious anniversary is May 9th, celebrated in Nocera Inferiore great celebrations, being his birthday a city holiday.

Christian literature
The first author to write about San Priscus was the Italian bishop Saint Pontius Anicius Meropius Paolinus in his book Carme or Carmen, vol. XIX, who recalls how his cult was practiced in 405 in Nola, as well as in Nuceria Alfaterna. The testimony of the saint from Nolan is precious because it represents an ante quem term to date the life of Priscus.

Another author who mentioned the life of Saint Prisco was saint Adonis of Vienne in one of his volumes, called the Martyrology.

Other authors
Giovanni Antonio Remondini also took up a very brief description of the holy bishop in one of his texts.

Finally we have a quote about San Prisco by the author Gennaro Orlando, in his book History of Nocera de' Pagani, where the figure of the holy bishop is also described.

Critical authors
Vincenzo D'Avino in his book the Ecclesiastic's Encyclopedia, volume 3, even if he cites two authors who speak of the exploits of San Priscus, the first Saint Pontius Anicius Meropius Paolinus and the second, more recent Ludovico Antonio Muratori famous presbyter, Italin historian, expressly states that there is no certain prood of his life.

Miracles
The Roman fountain, believed to be a gift from the pontiff to the bishop.

Popular tradition ascribes many miracles to the saint.

Accused of heresy for having celebrated mass at dawn in solitude, he was taken while still wearing cassocks and forced to go to Rome to clear his name in front of the Pope. Having nothing to offer as a gift to the pontiff, he convinced some geese to follow him to Lazio to make a gift to Peter's successor.

Angels appeared in front of the Pope who totally exonerated him. Impressed by this miracle, the pontiff gave Priscus a large marble fountain which the saint transported to Nocera with the sole aid of two vaccarelle (cows). Furthermore, to satisfy the needs of his thirsty companions, the saint made a doe appear out of nowhere who quenched their thirst with her own milk, heating them with burning embers that she had kept under her tunic.

Close to death, he decided to lie down in the same tomb that welcomed his sisters, asking their skeletons to move to make room for him, a wish which was granted.

Finally, the miracle of the separation of the split mountain, a pass (probably Roman work) located on the border between the municipalities of Nocera Inferiore and Castel San Giorgio, as reported in the first volume of the historical novel by Andrea Calenda di Tavani, entitled:  Ramondello Orsino, storia napoletana del Trecento .

Cult
He was initially buried in a tuff tomb in one of the necropolises of Nuceria Alfaterna; his body, the object of growing popular attention, which later became devotion, was moved just west of the ancient city, to an area that would take the name of vescovado, initially to a Benedictine abbey. With the restoration of the diocese in 1386 the abbey church was elevated to the rank of cathedral.

The archaeological research that has taken place inside the Cathedral of Nocera Inferiore has once again made entirely visible the place in which the saint's remains were buried together with those of his two sisters Marzia and Marina, also venerated as saints. The strigilated sarcophagus refers to examples from the 3rd-4th century. The osteological data are pertinent to an elderly and large man.

In addition to the diocese of Nocerina, the cult of San Prisco is also reserved for Sant'Agnello, a municipality on the Sorrento coast where in 1827 a church dedicated to Saints Prisco and Agnello of Naples was consecrated.

Some relics of the sisters of San Prisco are also preserved in a chapel in the crypt of the Salerno cathedral. They were placed there in the Middle Ages by Bishop Alfano I.

The patronal feast is on May 9th.

Bubbetella, the soup from San Prisco di Nocera
Bubbetella is a bean soup that is eaten during the celebration of the patron saint of Nocera Inferiore.

History of the religious complex
The Cathedral Basilica of San Prisco is a cathedral that stands in the current city of Nocera Inferiore, (formerly Nocera de' Pagani).

Before the construction of the cathedral, there was a church, where the faithful of Nocera gathered for functions. It was built following the disappearance of San Prisco, who died near the church of San Filippo alle Macerie (formerly located outside the city walls).

In the 12th century, the Benedictine monks had the modern monastery and the adjoining church dedicated to the saint built there.

The monastery was elevated to a cathedral by Pope Urban VI in 1385, so the entire religious complex was transformed into a bishopric.

At the end of May 2024, several million euros were obtained directly from the Italian Ministry of Culture for the adaptation of the entire religious complex, as the building needed major redevelopments after the 1980 Irpinia earthquake.

Chapel dedicated to San Prisco
Inside the cathedral there is a chapel dedicated to the patron saint, furthermore there is a stone sarcophagus containing his remains.

Martyrium of San Prisco
The Martyrium of San Prisco was discovered in recent times, under the main apse of the cathedral. The Martyrium of Saint Priscus is in the shape of a semi-annular crypt.

The opening of the diocesan museum dedicated to the saint
The diocesan museum dedicated to San Prisco di Nocera was opened on the initiative of the then bishop of Agro-Nocerino-Sarnese Gioacchino Illiano in 2008, to enhance and preserve the works of art of the area.

The museum is located in a wing of the Diocesan Seminary of Nocera, a structure that is part of the current offices of the Curia.

In the museum there are various finds from the countryside of valuable artistic and cultural value and also the famous silver bust, with gilded parts and containing precious stones of San Prisco, created around 1771 by the artist Savero Manzone at the behest of the then bishop of Nocera de' Pagani Benedetto dei Monti Sanfelice (in ancient times Nocera was a single municipality until the definitive division of the two cities occurred in 1851).

The restoration of the silver bust of San Prisco
After several months of restoration of three works: the bust of San Prisco, the canvas of the Coronation of Santa Rosa da Lima and the wooden statue of the Virgin of Sorrows, they return to the diocesan museum to be exhibited to the public again, during the evening of 13 September 2019 the restorations were presented at the museum during an evening event.

On May 8, 2021, a new miter for the silver statue of San Prisco was presented. == Bibliography ==