Serenicus

Saint Serenicus ( or ; ) was an Italian Benedictine monk. He was an early evangelist in Normandy, and founded a monastery and a chapel in a village in Orne that later took the name of Saint-Céneri-le-Gérei.

Serenicus is venerated as a saint. His feast day is celebrated on May 7 with his brother Serenidus of Saulges, or locally on August 16. He is a patron against skin diseases, colic, and infertility.

Background Born into a noble family in Umbria around 620, Serenicus travelled to the province of Maine in 649 during the reign of the Merovingian king Clovis II with his brother, Serenidus, to live a life of contemplation and penance. At first, he lived with Serenidus as a hermit and an ascetic near Saulges in the diocese of Le Mans.

At some point, Serenicus departed Saulges and began to live near a village in Orne near the Sarthe river. He started accepting disciples and found a church dedicated to Martin of Tours and an accompanying monastery. He ended up accepting a few disciples and built a church dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours and a monastic establishment.

Serenicus is thought to have died around 669.