Nilus the Younger

Saint Nilus the Younger was born around 910 in Rossano, Calabria, into a Greek-speaking Byzantine-rite family. In his early years he was married and had a daughter, but a serious illness became the turning point that awakened him to deeper conversion. Embracing the monastic life, he devoted himself to ascetic prayer and learning, and became a fervent promoter of the Rule of Saint Basil in southern Italy, helping to shape what would be known as Italo-Byzantine monasticism. For a time Nilus lived as a hermit, yet his holiness drew disciples. When talk arose of making him a bishop, he fled quietly to Capua, choosing humility over honor, and spent many years guiding souls through monastic foundations and restorations. He also maintained fraternal charity with Latin monasteries, including Monte Cassino, urging peace amid liturgical tensions: though differing, all should seek God’s glory. In 1004 he founded the renowned monastery of Grottaferrata near Rome, where the Byzantine tradition endures. He died in 1005 at Sant’Agata in Tusculum. He is patron of Grottaferrata and Rossano, and is also revered as patron of scribes and calligraphers. His feast day is September 26.