Syrus of Genoa

Saint Syrus of Genoa was born in Struppa, a neighborhood of Genoa, and from an early age was known for holiness and ardent zeal. Tradition remembers signs of God’s favor in his youth: he is said to have restored his pet blackbird to life, and, while walking with his father in the hills, to have prayed and seen the wind cease so a ship halted at sea—then return so it could safely enter the harbor. As a priest he served the faithful at Saint Romulus, and later succeeded Saint Felix as bishop of Genoa, shepherding the Church in the fourth century with steady devotion. Legends also tell of his courage against evil, including the banishing of a fearsome basilisk from a well near the Church of the Twelve Apostles, a memory long preserved in local art and devotion. Saint Syrus died peacefully at an advanced age around 381 and was buried in Genoa. He is honored as the principal patron of Genoa and is also invoked as patron of Roburent. His feast day is June 29.