Conrad of Piacenza
Italian Franciscan tertiary and hermit
Feast: 19 February (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Who they were
Conrad, of one of the noblest families of Piacenza, started a fire while hunting that burned fields and forest. When a poor man was condemned to death for it, Conrad confessed his guilt and sold all he had to repair the damage.
His wife entered the Poor Clares and he became a hermit of the Third Order of St Francis. For thirty years he lived a most austere life in Sicily and worked many miracles. He died at Noto on 19 February 1351.
The miracles
In 1515 Pope Leo X allowed Noto to keep his feast, later extended by Urban VIII to the whole Franciscan Order. He bears the title of saint but was never formally canonised.
Why that counted as sanctity
A nobleman who confessed his fault to save an innocent man, and gave everything to penance.
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Conrad of Piacenza
- Wikidata Q2541815 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Conrad of Piacenza (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.