the Adige, which he did in order to feed himself (rather than as recreation), saw a peasant crossing the river in a horse and cart. The horses began to get strangely skittish. Zeno, believing this to be the work of the devil, made the sign of the cross, and the horses calmed down. Zeno was often said to combat the devil, and is sometimes depicted treading on a demon. Another story relates that he exorcised a demon from the body of the daughter of the Emperor Gallienus (though Zeno probably did not live during the reign of Gallienus). The story relates that the grateful Gallienus allowed Zeno and other Christians freedom of worship in the empire. Saint Gregory the Great, at the end of the 6th century, relates a miracle associated with the divine intercession of Zeno. In 588, the Adige flooded its banks, inundating Verona. The floodwater reached the church dedicated to Saint Zeno, but miraculously did not enter it, even though the door was wide open. The church was donated to Theodelinda, an alleged eyewitness to the miracle and wife of king Authari. Zeno is most often represented with fishing-related items such as a fish, fishing rod, or as a bishop holding a fishing rod, or with a fish hanging from his crozier. "Local tradition says the bishop was fond of fishing in the nearby river Adige," writes Alban Butler, "but it is more likely that originally it was a symbol of his success in bringing people to baptism." References Nicholas Everett, Patron Saints of Early Medieval Italy AD c.350-800 (PIMS/ Durham University Press, 2016), pp. 60–72. External links Patron Saint index The Lives or the Fathers, Martyrs and Other Principal Saints as reprinted by Eternal Word Television Network Documenta Catholica Omnia San Zeno (Zenone) di Verona Zeno of Verona – Following the footsteps of a saint in Europe: article series with photographic documentation and maps Saints from Mauretania Caesariensis Italian saints 4th-century deaths Bishops of Verona 4th-century Christian martyrs 4th-century Romans 300 births 4th-century Berber people Berber Christians 4th-century Latin writers