Saint of the Day – 31 October – Saint Arnulf of Novalesa OSB (Died c840) Martyr

Saint of the Day – 31 October – Saint Arnulf of Novalesa OSB (Died c840) (Ordo Sancti Benedicti – OSB) Monk, Martyr. Also known as – Arnolfo, Arnulfo. Additional Memorial – 13 March on some calendars.

Arnulf was a Benedictine Monk in the Benedictine Monastery of Novalesa in Piedmont, Italy. It was located at the foot of the Alps and at the mouth of the Susa Valley on the Italian side of Mont Cenis in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy and boasted a large community of 500 Monks.

Arnulf is said to have been murdered around 840 by the Saracens, the medieval term for Muslims. His and Saint Heldrad ‘s Relics were transferred to the Parish Church in Novalesa upon the arrival of the French troops in 1794. His memorial day is 31 October, together with St Heldrad (on the Benedictine calendar) but St Heldrad is remembered on 13 March on the universal calendar.

Some sources date his Martyrdom to the early 10th Century, which seems likely. In 906 Italy was invaded by the Saracens. A group of them moved from Frassineto (near today’s Saint-Tropez) in the direction of the Monastery in Novalesa. Abbot Donniverto heard of the impending danger, so together with most of the Monks he made it to safety in the Church of Sts Andrew and Clement (today’s Consolata) in Turin and brought with him the most sacred, indispensable and valuable objects as well as manuscripts from the library. The Saracens looted the Monastery and set fire to the buildings.

Some Monks from Novalesa had sought shelter in the Monastery of Oulx in the Susa Valley on the present border with France but there they were discovered and slaughtered. Two Monks escaped, Saints Justus and Flavian, who hid in a cave in the Arbour above Beaulard. From there they saw the Martyrdom of their brothers and that Angels brought their souls to Heaven. Then, they decided to go down into the Valley again and join their fellow brothers, where they too suffered Martyrdom. The Novalesa Monastery was rebuilt only in the 11th Century.

St Heldrad has been celebrated here on 13 March:
https://anastpaul.com/2020/03/13/saint-of-the-day-13-march-st-heldrad-of-novalese-died-c-875/