Saint Galdino Of Milan – Saint Of The Day – 18 April
Saint Galdino of Milan. Cardinal and Archbishop. A fierce fighter against heresy until the last breath of his life.
Galdino (1096–1176) was from the family della Sala, a family of minor nobility in Milan. He was a Catholic cardinal from Milan and served as Archbishop of Milan for 10 years, from 1166 to his death in 1176. He was a fierce fighter with heresy.
In 1162 he witnessed the destruction of the city ordered by the Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa who was of German origin. When the reconstruction of the city began in 1167 he was one of the activists helping in the process of restoration.
He reorganized the Church in Lombardy and planed relief for the poor. To make priests remember the purpose of their service, Galdino has ordered to make an engraving on the wall:
“You are only here to serve the poor”.
He is remembered also for his charity in Milan to the poor and to those imprisoned for debt.
He died in 1176 on the pulpit of the church of Santa Tecla, after a sermon (Avvenire).
He was very sick, worn out from his many labors. When he went to celebrate Mass, he found himself without the strength to say it. But, he was so opposed to the enemy that, even in this weak state, he ascended to the pulpit and gave a great sermon against the heretics, a sermon more energetic and ardent than all the others he had delivered before. This was his last act… after that he died.
Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira (1908–1995), Brazilian intellectual and Catholic activist
Saint Galdino of Milan is a patron saint of Lombardy.
Symbols in visual art: Pastoral staff – Attributes of a warrior – Cathedral of Milan
In visual arts St Galdino is often confused with the depiction of such saints as St Vincent Ferrer (holding a model of a cathedral in hand) and St Ambrose (on horseback). Unfortunately, most (if not all) artistic images which could be found online have no reference of the artist’s name of the any other source and that’s why those images can not be trusted as a reference.
