THOMAS OF FARFA, ST.

Restorer of Farfa Abbey; b. Maurienne (Savoy), France, ca. 648; d. Dec. 10, ca. 720. The Chronicon of Farfa claims that Thomas was already a monk and a priest when he left his homeland for a pilgrimage to Rome and the Holy Land. The Blessed Virgin reportedly appeared to him in a vision in Jerusalem and bade him go to farfa Duchy of Spoleto.

Farfa, founded by St. Lawrence Siro in the fourth century, was then in ruins. Thomas returned to Italy and began the difficult task of rebuilding the abbey, in which he was aided by the Lombard Faroaldo II, duke of Spoleto, who introduced him to Pope John VII. Thomas's sanctity brought the restored abbey many vocations, including the three noble Benevantans, Paldo, Taso, and Tato, who later founded the Abbey of san vincenzo al volturno. Thomas cared for his own sanctification and for the spiritual growth of his disciples, while faithfully administering the abbey's temporalities. In its liturgy Farfa invoked him among the saints of the monastery. sant' eutizio di norcia and San Vincenzo al Volturno followed suit. The Congregation of Rites approved his feast for Farfa (2d class) in 1921.

Feast: Dec. 10.

Bibliography: gregorio di catino, Il Chronicon Farfense, ed. u. balzani, 2 v. (Rome 1903). j. mabillon, Acta sanctorum ordinis S. Benedicti, 9 v. (Paris 1668–1701; 2d ed. Venice 1733–40) 3:276–282. i. schuster, "Spigolature Farfensi," Rivista storica benedettina 5 (1910) 42–88; Martyrologium Pharphense (Maredsous 1910); L'imperiale abbazia di Farfa (Rome 1921). a.m. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige, 4 v. (Metten 1933–38) 3:414–416. p. pirri, L’abbazia di Sant'Eutizio (Rome 1960).

[s. baiocchi]