Saint Galdino

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Saint Galdino (d. 1176) is a Christian saint and anti-Lombard.

He was born of the Milanese Della Scala family and was a strong supporter of the Roman papacy in the schism that erupted in 1159 after the death of Pope Adrian IV. Pope Alexander III was the Roman candidate, while Antipope Victor IV was supported by Frederick Barbarossa and his cardinals. Galdino's Milanese church supported Alexander III, and Galdino, as archdeacon of the church, took a very public stand. Frederick came to besiege Milan and reduced it within six months.

Galdino joined Alexander III in Genoa and followed him to Maguelonne, Montpellier, and Clermont. He later followed him to Sicily and Rome upon his return in 1165. When Alexander returned to the papacy in 1165, he named Galdino cardinal of Santa Sabina, and the year later made him archbishop of Milan. The year after that, Alexander III made Galdino the apostolic legate for Lombardy.

When the Lombard League expelled Barbarossa, Galdino took possession of his see and began deposing any Lombard priests who were faithful to Victor IV. He consecrated new bishops at Lodi, Alba, Cremona, Vercelli, Asti, Turin, Navarre, Brescia, and Alexandria. He died in the pulpit as he was preaching in 1176.

His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is April 18.