Saint Ottone Frangipane

Ottone Frangipane (1040 – 23 March 1127), also known as Saint Ottone (or Saint Otho), was a Benedictine monk and a hermit. He is patron saint of Ariano Irpino and the diocese of Ariano Irpino-Lacedonia. Ottone is believed to have belonged to the Frangipani family, a powerful baronial family occupying a prominent position in Rome from the 11th to the 13th century. Manoeuvring cleverly between the Empire and the Papacy, they were instrumental in the appointment of at least two popes: Honorius II and Innocent II. Around 1058, Ottone, then a knight, took part in a military action in defence of the Pope against rebel lords in the area of Frascati. He was captured and put in chains in a cell in a tower, from which he escaped after beseeching the intercession of the patron saint of the imprisoned, Saint Leonard of Limoges, who appeared to him in the night and released him from his chains. Thus miraculously set free, he went on pilgrimage to the Abbey of Cava de' Tirreni, where under the direction of the abbot Pietro, he followed the Rule of St Benedict, dedicating himself to prayer and manual labour. He then went to Montevergine Abbey, where he came to know Saint William of Vercelli and developed his vocation to asceticism. In about 1117, Ottone went to Ariano Irpino. At this time, the city was a transit point for pilgrims travelling from Naples and Benevento towards Bari to take ship for the Holy Land. Ottone dedicated himself to their care and, to accommodate them, founded the hospital of San Giacomo (Saint James). In 1120, he decided to enter upon the life of a hermit and withdrew into seclusion close to the church of Saint Peter, now known as San Pietro dei Reclusi, and built a small cell where he prayed, kept vigil, did penance, and fasted. He also dug out a tomb for himself, to remind himself continually that death was close. The reputation for sanctity quickly spread around him, and many miraculous events were reported. Ottone died on 23 March 1127.