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Vigilius of Trent
bishop, martyr and saint
SaintResearchedAncient RomeDate unknown
Feast: 26 June (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
353
verified
Died
26 June 405
verified
Beatified
—
not on record
Canonised
—
not on record
Who they were
Vigilius, whose mother and brothers are also honoured as saints, studied at Athens and was acclaimed Bishop of Trent in 380, supported by St Ambrose.
He worked tirelessly to convert Arians and pagans and founded some thirty parishes. Preaching in the mountains, he was stoned to death by idolaters on 26 June 405. He is patron of Trent and the Tyrol.
The miracles
Benedict XIV called him the first martyr canonised by a pope, Innocent I; there was never a formal cause in the later sense.
Why that counted as sanctity
A missionary bishop martyred in the Alps.
Connected on this site
- Saint Maxentia Saint Mother, Parent
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Vigilius
- Wikidata Q194395 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Vigilius of Trent (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.