 The saint was likewise attributed for the 1301 lifting of the siege in Messina that could have seen hundreds die from starvation had it not been for his intervention.His beatification received approval in 1454 from Pope Nicholas V and he was canonized sometime later in mid-1476; some sources suggest that Pope Callixtus III canonized the saint on 15 October 1457.Alberto degli Abati was born circa 1240 in Trapani as the sole child to the nobles (of Florentine origin) Benedetto degli Abati and Giovanna Palizi.