Zeno (d. 303) was a soldier martyred at Nicomedia (modern Turkey). He was seized and condemned to death for laughing while Emperor Diocletian offered a sacrifice to the Roman god Ceres. Zeno had his jaws shattered and was then beheaded. His feast day is December 22.

The statue of the Laughing San Zeno, dating from the 13th century, inside the Basilica di San Zeno in Verona. Photo credit: Paul Turner