| Saint Galdino della Sala | |
|---|---|
Urn of Saint Galdino in the Cathedral of Milan |
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| Cardinal and Archbishop of Milan | |
| Born | ca. 1096 Milan, Italy |
| Died | April 18, 1176 Milan, Italy |
| Honored in | Roman Catholic Church (especially those that follow the Ambrosian Rite) |
| Feast | April 18 |
Saint Galdino della Sala (c. 1096 – 18 April 1176), or Saint Galdinus (or Galdimus), is a Christian saint from Milan in northern Italy. He was a staunch supporter both of Pope Alexander III, and of Milan and its neighbours in Lombardy, in their joint and parallel struggles against the Antipope Victor IV, supported by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I Barbarossa. He is remembered also for his charity in Milan to the poor and to those imprisoned for debt.
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He was born at Milan in the late 11th or early 12th century[1] into the della Sala family, minor nobility of the city.
He 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, Novara, Brescia, and Alessandria.
On April 18, 1176 Galdino della Sala died in his pulpit, having just completed a sermon against the Cathars, who were seen by orthodox Catholics as ‘heretics’.[2]
His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church, celebrated particularly in churches which follow the Ambrosian Rite, is April 18, the anniversary of his death.