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Feast Day: June 17
Blessed Ranieri Scacceri, also known as Ranieri Scacchieri, Ranieri of Pisa, Ranieri de Aqua, Rainer, Rainerius, Rainier, Raniero, Raynerius, and Regnier, was born in 1117 in Pisa, Italy. He was the son of a wealthy merchant and grew up in privilege. However, he lived a wild and sinful youth, indulging in a life of luxury and pleasure as a wandering minstrel and musician.
One fateful evening, while performing for a joyous crowd in a castle, Ranieri encountered a holy man named Blessed Alberto Leccapecore. They spoke, and Ranieri felt a deep connection to the holy man. He asked for Alberto's prayers, and their conversation ignited a powerful conversion experience within him. In a radical gesture, Ranieri burned his fiddle and renounced his former life as a minstrel.
Drawing upon his merchant background, Ranieri became a successful trader, engaging with sailors and traveling from port to port. Though his material wealth increased, he remained caught up in worldly pursuits. However, one day, he noticed that his fortune emitted an unpleasant odor, which he interpreted as a sign from God. In response, he distributed all his wealth to the needy and embraced a life of poverty and penance as a monk.
Ranieri embarked on numerous penitential pilgrimages to holy shrines, including Jerusalem. He became a conventual oblate at the Benedictine Abbey of Saint Andrew in Pisa in 1153 and later an oblate at the Abbey of San Vito (Saint Guy) in Pisa. Known for his dedication to studying the Bible, Ranieri occasionally delivered sermons, leveraging his experience as a former minstrel to captivate his audience. His eloquence and charisma made him a popular figure, often romanticized as the troubadour who surrendered his music to serve God. Additionally, he became reputed for his ability to heal the sick through the use of holy water.
Blessed Ranieri Scacceri is typically represented in various forms. Depictions include a bearded hermit clad in a hairshirt while holding a rosary, a dying man wearing a hairshirt, a minstrel burning his instrument while raising his arms towards God, a monk being lifted up by devils, and a young pilgrim donned in a hairshirt as he carries a banner featuring the Pisan cross.
Ranieri Scacceri died in 1161 at the Abbey of Saint Vito in Pisa, Italy, from natural causes. His mortal remains were laid to rest in the Pisa Cathedral. Pope Alexander III recognized his sanctity and beatified him, granting a confirmation of cultus. Today, Blessed Ranieri Scacceri is celebrated and honored on his feast day, which falls on June 17th.