Saint Paris

Saint Paris of Teano is traditionally said to have been born in Athens in Roman Greece, though history preserves with certainty only that he became a bishop in the Italian town of Teano. Ordained Bishop of Teano by Pope Sylvester I, Paris shepherded the faithful in a time when the Gospel was still taking root amid lingering pagan customs. Devout tradition remembers him as an apostolic figure for the region, preaching with courage and drawing many to Christ. Local legend tells that when he arrived, the people were caught up in rites honoring a serpent-like deity. Paris confronted this darkness with the power of God, reputedly taming or defeating a dragon that lived near the town and leading it to its end by the Savone River. In gratitude, the first cathedral, San Paride ad Fontem, rose near the spring where he preached, marking the place where faith overcame fear. Saint Paris died in Teano around 346, and his relics are honored there to this day. He is venerated as patron of Teano. His feast day is August 5.