St. Nonnosus was born in 500, in what is believed to be, Mt. Soratte, near Rome. He had a remarkable life and his works of faith were recorded by Pope St. Gregory I the Great. Nonnosus was a prior at the San Silvestre Monastery on Monte Soratte, north of Rome. He later was a Monk at Suppenntonia, near Civitah. He was a contemporary of St. Benedictine of Nursia. Very little information survived the centuries.

The sole source of Nonnosus’ life is Pope Gregory I, who wrote about St. Nonnosus after being asked by some friends to create a compendium of miracle stories associated with Italian Saints. Maximilan was the Bishop of Syracuse, and provided Pope Gregory I with some information about Nonnosus. Another source that Pope Gregory drew from was Laurio, an old monk of the Monastery Suppentonia. Laurio had been a great friend of Nonnosus, while the two lived the monastic life there, under the Abbot St. Anastasius. According to Gregory, Nonnosus was a particularly good-natured man and was buried at Monte Soratte. A tablet at his burial site reads “Here rests the servant of Christ, Nonnosus, Deacon”.

Miracles told of Nonnosus, as recorded by St. Gregory, state that Nonnosus removed an enormous rock that had occupied land on which he wanted to grow cabbage. Fifty pairs of oxen had not been able to move it, after many attempts. He miraculously restored a glass lamp that had been shattered against the floor. He also completely filled many receptacles with olive oil, after a particularly bad harvest for the olive crop, so the people would not go without. He also had the ability to calm his Abbot, who was sometimes easily upset and frustrated.

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