St. Romanus of Rouen October 23

 St. Romanus of Rouen

Feastday: October 23

Patron: of then Archdiocese of Rouen; City of Rouen

Death: 639

 

Bishop of Rouen, France. He owed his elevation to the bishopric to the patronage of the Frankish king Clotaire II in whose court Romanus had grown up. As bishop, he worked to extirpate all lingering paganism, and per­sonally tore down a temple to Venus. He also cared for condemned prisoners. Romanus was famous for performing miracles.

Saint Romanus of Rouen (French: Romain; reconstructed Frankish: *Hruomann; died c. 640 AD) was a scribe, clerical sage, and bishop of Rouen. He would have lived under Dagobert I (629–39), though his date of birth is unknown. His life is known in legend and tradition[1] and is shown in the stained glass windows (c. 1521) and south gate of Rouen Cathedral and the stained glass windows of the église Saint-Godard (1555). The Catholic Encyclopedia claims that his legend has little historical value[2] with little authentic information.[3] He was both Lord Chancellor of France and Référendaire of France. (For Saint Romanus, Martyr, please see Romanus of Caesarea).

The city's autumn "foire Saint-Romain" was set to his feast day on the "10th day of the Kalends of November" (i.e. 23 October) around 1090, at the same date as his cult was spread to the whole diocese of Rouen