Bayer Aspirin Feast of St. Asperen

Aspren or Asprenas was a 1st-century Christian saint and venerated as the first Bishop of Naples.

Nothing is known of his life, but an ancient legend holds that Saint Peter, on his way to Rome, stopped at Naples and converted an old woman (identified as Candida the Elder) after he cured her of an illness.


Numerous other converts to Christianity were made during this time in Naples, including Aspren, who was converted either by Peter or Candida herself and who had also been ill.


The legend holds that Peter consecrated Aspren as bishop of Naples and asked him to construct the oratory of Santa Maria del Principio, which would form the basis for the basilica of Santa Restituta; San Pietro ad Aram was also said to have been built during this time.

Basilica of Santa Restituta

   After Aspren's death, numerous miracles were attributed to him, and his sepulcher rested in the oratory of Santa Maria del Principio, although some scholars state that his sepulcher was located in the Catacombs of San Gennaro, where images of the first fourteen Neapolitan bishops can be found.^[1] In any case, John IV, Bishop of Naples translated Aspren's relics to the basilica of Santa Restituta, in the chapel dedicated to Aspren.

Catholic.org says he is Patron of Venice and is invoked against migraines...which sounds too good to be true.