Feastday: September 25 Patron: Diocese of Macerata-Tolentino Birth: 1745 Death: 1824
Vincent Strambi was the son of a druggist, and was born on January 1 at Civitavecchia, Italy. He resisted his parents' wish that he become a diocesan priest, and though he studied at the diocesan seminary and was ordained in 1767, he joined the Passionists in 1768 after attending a retreat given by St. Paulof the Cross. Vincent became a professor of theology, was made provincial in 1781, and in 1801, was appointed bishop of Macera and Tolentino. He was expelled from his See when he refused to take an oath of alliance to Napoleon in 1808, but returned in 1813 with the downfall of Napoleon. When Napoleon escaped from Elba, Murat made Macerta his headquarters, and when his troops were defeated by the Austrians, Vincent dissuaded him from sacking and destroying the town. He imposed reform in his See that caused threats to his life, labored for his people during a typhus epidemic, and resigned his See on the death of Pope Pius VII to become one of the advisers of his old friend Pope Leo XII in Rome. Vincent died on January 1, and was canonized by Pope Pius XII in 1950. His feast day is September 25.
Vincenzo Strambi (1 January 1745 - 1 January 1824) - in religious Vincenzo Maria di San Paolo - was an ItalianRoman Catholic prelate who was a professed member from the Passionistsand served as the Bishop of Macerata-Tolentino from 1801 until his resignation in 1823. Strambi became a Passionist despite its founder Saint Paul of the Cross refusing him several times due to Strambi's frail constitution. But he practiced Passionist austerities which continued after his appointment as a bishop that saw him favor his religious habit rather than the usual episcopal garb. He was known for his charitable projects that included the care of the poor and the reduction of diocesan expenditures in order to provide for them; he took special interests in the education and ongoing formation of priests.[2]
Strambi was exiled from his diocese 1808 after he refused to take an oath of allegiance to the First French Empireunder Napoleon who had annexed Macerata as part of his empire. He spent that time in Novara and Milan before he managed to return to his see in a triumphant return in 1814.[3] He served as bishop for the remainder of the pontificate of Pope Pius VII before his successor Pope Leo XII accepted Strambi's resignation and summoned him to Rome as his advisor. But the sudden illness of the pope - which seemed to prove fatal - prompted Strambi to offer his own life to God so that the pope could live. Leo XII rallied to great surprise but Strambi died of a stroke within the week.[4]
His canonization cause opened after his death on 25 June 1845 and he was named as Venerable on 1 April 1894. Pope Pius XI beatified Bishop Strambi in 1925 while Pope Pius XII later canonized him a couple of decades later in 1950.[3]
Contents
1Life
1.1Education and priesthood
1.2Episcopate
1.3Declining health and death
2Sainthood
3References
4Further reading
5External links
Life
Education and priesthood
Vincenzo Strambi was born in 1745 in Civitavecchia[5] as the last of four children to Giuseppe Strambi and Eleonora Gori; his three elder siblings all died in childhood. His father served as a pharmacist known for his charitable works and his mother was noted for her piety.
He was often a troublesome child who excelled in athletics and became more devout in his adolescence. The Friars Minor oversaw his education and he taught his fellow students the catechism. His desire to become a priest was met encouragement from his parents and he commenced his ecclesial studies in November 1762. It was at this time that he became quite attracted to the notion of the religious life though his frail health saw him refused admission into the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin and the Vincentians. Strambi was noted for his oratorical gifts and so was sent to Romefor studies in Sacred Eloquence and thereafter continued his theological studies with the Dominicans at Viterbo. While still a student he was appointed prefect of the seminarians in Montefiascone and thereafter acting-rector of seminarians at Bagnorea.
Before his ordination to the priesthoodhe made a retreat at the convent in Vetralla which belonged to the Passionists; it was here that he met the founder Saint Paul of the Cross. Strambi became impressed and enthralled with what he had seen and admired their ardent devotion. This made him ask the founder to be admitted into the order. But he was refused since Paul of the Cross believed that Strambi did not have the stamina for the Passionist life. Strambi left the convent on 18 December 1767 since he was to be ordained.[4]
He was received into the diaconate in Bagnoregio on 14 March 1767.[3] Strambi was ordained to the priesthood on 19 December 1767 and then returned to Rome to further his theological studies. Here he was noted for his studies of the life and works of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He still felt called to the Passionists and made several trips to see Paul of the Cross to beg to be admitted into the order. In September 1768 the founder relented and Strambi commenced his novitiate assuming the name Vincenzo Maria di San Paolo. His parents were not too pleased with this and his father objected to the decision citing his son's frail health as a sign that Strambi would die due to the rigid penances. He made his profession on 24 September 1769 and continued his studies with a particular emphasis on the Church Fathers and on Sacred Scripture.
Strambi preached missions - a focal point of the Passionist charism - and drew large crowds due to the effectiveness of his preaching. There were even several occasions where he preached before bishops and cardinals. In 1773 he was made a professor of theological studies at the order's house in Rome - at Santi Giovanni e Paolo - and it was here that he was present at the death of Paul of the Cross. The founder said to Strambi on his deathbed: "You will do great things! You will do great good!"[2] It was after this that he occupied several high offices in the order such as the rector of the Roman house and the provincial for the Roman province. In 1784 he was relieved of these duties in order to write a biographical account of Paul of the Cross[5] which was later published in London (Blessed Dominic Barberi wrote the preface). The Napoleonic invasion in the Papal Statesand the anti-religious decrees forced Strambi to flee Rome in 1798, though it was in vain as the French forces in May 1799 took him prisoner. He managed to return to Rome not long after this.
Episcopate
The death of Pope Pius VI saw his friend Cardinal Leonardo Antonelli nominate him for the papal see and he even received five votes in the conclave. The new Pope Pius VII - in mid-1801 - appointed Strambi as the Bishop of Macerata-Tolentino[5] and he became the first bishop to come from the Passionists. This news - before it was made public - surprised and frightened him and he rushed to Rome in an effort to get the appointment cancelled before it was publicized. Even his good friend Cardinal Antonelli counselled him to accept the nomination for the welfare of the Church. Strambi took his case to the pope who listened and told Strambi the decision to name him a bishop was "a divine inspiration" he was firm on. Cardinal Antonelli presided over his episcopal consecration at Santi Giovanni e Paolo. But he continued to wear his Passionist habit in private despite his higher office. His episcopate was marked with a concern for the poor and he even begged on their behalf on occasion. He took great care in the education of diocesan priests and paid close attention to the teaching standards in the diocesan seminaries. His charitable works included the establishment of orphanages and homes for the aged. He still practiced the frugalities the Passionists advocated and this applied to his living and eating habits: he never did permit more than two dishes for his meals.[2]
Napoleon - in 1809 - issued a decree that annexed Macerata as part of the French Empire. The French ordered that this decree be read in all churches but Strambi refused to do so. He also refused to provide the French with a list of all the men in his diocese who would be suitable for service in the armed forces. The French arrested him in September 1808 for refusing to take the oath of allegiance to the French invaders and was then exiled and cut off from his diocese. He was first sent to Novara but was sent in October 1809 to Milan where he spent the remainder of his exile as a guest of the Barnabites.[4][3] He returned to his see in 1814 with vast crowds lining the route of his return. Pius VII had returned from his own exile and remarked:
"This holy man overwhelms me".[6]
The invaders had left much damage in their wake - not just destruction to infrastructure - but a lax sense of morals and values which Strambi worked hard to rebuild. He instituted strict reforms that ended corruption to the point where he received some death threats. Strambi was also the spiritual director of Blessed Anna Maria Taigi - a friend - as well as Saint Gaspare del Bufalo and Saint Vincenzo Pallotti.[3]
But the French returned to Macerata in 1817, to set up their headquarters aiming to use that location to attack the Austrian forces. The people turned to Bishop Strambi for fear of what the French would do. His response was to gather priests and seminarians in his private chapel to beg for God's intercession and after one and a half hours he rose and declared that Macerata would be saved through the intercession of the Mother of God. The French were indeed defeated though the local people feared what would happen during their retreat. Strambi met with the leader of the French forces and begged him not to enter the town to which General Murat agreed. Strambi then secured the assurances of the Austrian generals that the French soldiers would not be slaughtered.
He was a close friend of Carlo Odescalchi and was pleased to learn that the pope named him as a cardinal on 10 March 1823. Strambi tried several times to secure his resignation from Pius VII but on one occasion the pope reprimanded him for using ill health as a vain excuse and dismissed him. Strambi tried once again in 1823 in a letter to Cardinal Ercole Consalvi to the pope but the letter arrived in Rome when the pontiff broke his thigh in a fall and died soon after.[4]
Declining health and death
In 1823 his health started to decline and Pope Leo XII gave him his permission to retire. He was then appointed as Leo XII's personal advisor and took up residence at the Quirinal Palace in Rome. It was during his time in this office that Napoleon's sister Pauline returned to the faith with Strambi's guidance. Strambi's last private aide around this stage was Monsignor Catervo Serrani.[2] When the pope fell ill he asked God that his life should be taken rather than that of the pope. The pope recovered on 24 December 1823 and Strambi died in 1824 within the week due to a stroke he had suffered on the previous 27 December.[3] His remains were placed at the Quirinal Palace for mourners to see and was then buried in the Santi Giovanni e Paolo church. Mourners who viewed his mortal remains included Cardinal Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari - future pope - who took Strambi's right hand in his own and formed it with the greatest of ease into the sign of the cross.[4] His remains were later transferred on 12 November 1957 to the Chiesa di San Filippo in Macerata.
Sainthood
The cause for Strambi's canonization opened on a diocesan level for the collection of testimonies and documents in relation to his life and his episcopal works. The formal introduction did not come until 25 June 1845 when he was named as a Servant of God. The recognition of his life of heroic virtue led Pope Leo XIII to name him as Venerableon 1 April 1894.[4]
Pope Pius XI presided over the beatification rites on 26 April 1925 and signed a decree on 25 November that allowed the cause to continue. Pope Pius XII canonized Strambi in Saint Peter's Basilica on 11 June 1950.
priest with Iraja (Herais). with brother, Abadir. We are children martyrs of St. Basilides sister. Basilides is called the Father of Kings. We were brought under arrest to Antinoe, Kemet, beheaded with 3685 companions and other martyrs with Cluthus, a physician and priest. Also martyred with us were Apa Paphnutius of Tentyra, priest; Apa Isaac of Tiphre, priest; Apa Shamul of Taraphia, priest; Apa Simeon of Tapcho, priest; Sissiniusof Tantatho, priest; Moses of Psammanius, priest; Philotheus of Pemdje, priest; Macarius, of Fayum, priest; Maximus of Vuchim, priest; Macroni of Thoni, priest; Senuthius, of Buasti, priest; Simeon of Thou, priest; priest Ptolemaeus, son of the Eparch, priest; Thomas of Tanphot, priest. Coptic calendar, 25 Sept.
Abadir and Iraja are saints in the Coptic Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
They are reported to have been children of the sister of Basilides, the father of kings. According to their legendstory, Abadir and Iraja fled from Antioch to Alexandria, were arrested there, brought to Antinoe, Kemet (the Ancient African name of Egypt) and beheaded there with Cluthus, a physician and priest, and other 3,685 companions.[1] These included the following priests:
Apa Paphnutius of Tentyra
Apa Isaac of Tiphre
Apa Shamul of Taraphia
Apa Simon of Tapcho
Sissinus of Tantatho
Theodore of Shotep
Moses of Psammaniu
Philotheus of Pemdje
Macarius of Fayum
Maximus of Vuchim
Macroni of Thoni
Senuthius of Buasti
Simeon of Thou
Ptolemaeus, son of the Eparch, and
Thomas of Tanphot.
Abadir and Iraja had a church dedicated to them in Asyut in Egypt. Their feast dayis on September 25 (Gregorian Calendar) and October 8 (Julian Calendar). The text of their Passion exists in both Sahidic and Bohairic Coptic and fragments can be found at the National Library, Vienna, Wiener Papyrussammlung, K2563 a-l, ed. Orlandi, 1974, the National Library, Paris, Copte 129.16.104 and the Vatican Library, Rome, Copti 63, fols. 1-65, ed. Hyvernat, 1886-1887.[2]
A summary of their lives, commemorated on Tout 28 (October 8), can be found in the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion.[3]
with Iraja (Herais), with brother, Abadir. We are children martyrs of St. Basilides sister. Basilides is called the Father of Kings. We were brought under arrest to Antinoe, Kemet, beheaded with 3685 companions and other martyrs with Cluthus, a physician and priest.
Also martyred with us were Apa Paphnutius of Tentyra, priest; Apa Isaacof Tiphre, priest; Apa Shamul of Taraphia, priest; Apa Simeonof Tapcho, priest; Sissinius of Tantatho, priest; Theodore of Chotep, priest; Mosesof Psammanius, priest; Macarius, of Fayum, priest; Maximus of Vuchim, priest; Macroni of Thoni, priest; Senuthius, of Buasti, priest; Simeon of Thou, priest; priest Ptolemaeus, son of the Eparch, priest; Thomas of Tanphot, priest. Coptic calendar, 25 Sept.
Abadir and Iraja are saints in the Coptic Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
They are reported to have been children of the sister of Basilides, the father of kings. According to their legendstory, Abadir and Iraja fled from Antioch to Alexandria, were arrested there, brought to Antinoe, Kemet (the Ancient African name of Egypt) and beheaded there with Cluthus, a physician and priest, and other 3,685 companions.[1] These included the following priests:
Apa Paphnutius of Tentyra
Apa Isaac of Tiphre
Apa Shamul of Taraphia
Apa Simon of Tapcho
Sissinus of Tantatho
Theodore of Shotep
Moses of Psammaniu
Philotheus of Pemdje
Macarius of Fayum
Maximus of Vuchim
Macroni of Thoni
Senuthius of Buasti
Simeon of Thou
Ptolemaeus, son of the Eparch, and
Thomas of Tanphot.
Abadir and Iraja had a church dedicated to them in Asyut in Egypt. Their feast dayis on September 25 (Gregorian Calendar) and October 8 (Julian Calendar). The text of their Passion exists in both Sahidic and Bohairic Coptic and fragments can be found at the National Library, Vienna, Wiener Papyrussammlung, K2563 a-l, ed. Orlandi, 1974, the National Library, Paris, Copte 129.16.104 and the Vatican Library, Rome, Copti 63, fols. 1-65, ed. Hyvernat, 1886-1887.[2]
A summary of their lives, commemorated on Tout 28 (October 8), can be found in the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion.[3]
Martyred husband and wife. Paul and Tatta were a married couple in Damascus who, with their sons were put to death by Roman authorities during the persecution of the Church. The died under torture.
priest, Iraja (Herais). with brother, Abadir. We are children martyrs of St. Basilides' sister. Basilides is called the Father of Kings. We were brought under arrest to Antinoe, Kemet. Beheaded with 3685 companions and other martyrs with Cluthus, a physician and priest. Also martyred with us were Apa Paphnutius of Tentyra, priest; Apa Isaac of Tiphre, priest; Apa Shamul of Taraphia, priest; Apa Simeon of Tapcho, priest; Sissinius of Tantatho, priest; Theodore of Chotep, priest; Moses of Psammanius, priest; Philotheus of Pemdje, priest; Maximus of Vuchim, priest; Macroni of Thoni, priest; Senuthius, of Buasti, priest; Simeon of Thou, priest; Ptolemaeus, priest,son of the Eparch, priest; Thomas of Tanphot, priest. Coptic calendar, 25 Sept.
Abadir and Iraja are saints in the Coptic Church and the Roman Catholic Church.
They are reported to have been children of the sister of Basilides, the father of kings. According to their legendstory, Abadir and Iraja fled from Antioch to Alexandria, were arrested there, brought to Antinoe, Kemet (the Ancient African name of Egypt) and beheaded there with Cluthus, a physician and priest, and other 3,685 companions.[1] These included the following priests:
Apa Paphnutius of Tentyra
Apa Isaac of Tiphre
Apa Shamul of Taraphia
Apa Simon of Tapcho
Sissinus of Tantatho
Theodore of Shotep
Moses of Psammaniu
Philotheus of Pemdje
Macarius of Fayum
Maximus of Vuchim
Macroni of Thoni
Senuthius of Buasti
Simeon of Thou
Ptolemaeus, son of the Eparch, and
Thomas of Tanphot.
Abadir and Iraja had a church dedicated to them in Asyut in Egypt. Their feast dayis on September 25 (Gregorian Calendar) and October 8 (Julian Calendar). The text of their Passion exists in both Sahidic and Bohairic Coptic and fragments can be found at the National Library, Vienna, Wiener Papyrussammlung, K2563 a-l, ed. Orlandi, 1974, the National Library, Paris, Copte 129.16.104 and the Vatican Library, Rome, Copti 63, fols. 1-65, ed. Hyvernat, 1886-1887.[2]
A summary of their lives, commemorated on Tout 28 (October 8), can be found in the Copto-Arabic Synaxarion.[3]
Archbishop of Lyons, France, who suffered considerably from the political upheavals in the region following the death of Sigismund, King of Burgundy.
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Lyon(Latin: Archidioecesis Lugdunensis; French: Archidiocèse de Lyon), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Roman CatholicMetropolitan archdiocese in France. The title of Archbishop is currently vacant.[2]The Archbishops of Lyon serve as successors to Saint Pothinus and Saint Irenaeus, the first and second bishops of Lyon, respectively,[4] and are also called Primate of the Gauls.[5] It is one of the more prestigious archbishoprics within the French church, and its holder is usually promptly elevated to being a Cardinal. Currently, the Archdiocese is run by apostolic administrator Michel Dubost.[3]
Contents
1History
1.1Persecution
1.2Merovingian period
1.3Carolingian period
1.4Agobard
1.5Sovereignty
1.6Later Middle Ages
1.7Montazet controversy
1.81800s
1.91900s
2Saints
3Suffragan
3.1Dioceses
3.2Province
4Prelates
4.1Bishops of Lyon
4.2Archbishops of Lyon
4.3Primates of Gauls and Archbishop of Lyon
4.4Primates of Gauls and Archbishop of Lyon-Vienne
5See also
6References
7Bibliography
7.1Reference works
7.2Studies
7.3Sources
8External links
History
Persecution
The "Deacon of Vienne", who was martyred at Lyon during the persecution of 177, was probably a deacon installed at Vienne by the ecclesiastical authority of Lyon. The confluence of the Rhône and the Saône, where sixty Gallic tribes had erected the famous altar to Rome and Augustus, was also the centre from which Christianity was gradually propagated throughout Gaul. The presence at Lyon of numerous Asiatic Christians and their almost daily communications with the Orient were likely to arouse the susceptibilities of the Gallo-Romans. A persecution arose under Marcus Aurelius. Its victims at Lyon numbered forty-eight, half of them of Greek origin, half Gallo-Roman, among others Saint Blandina, and Saint Pothinus, first Bishop of Lyon, sent to Gaul by Saint Polycarp about the middle of the 2nd century. The legend according to which he was sent by Saint Clementdates from the 12th century and is without foundation. The letter addressed to the Christians of Asia and Phrygia in the name of the faithful of Vienne and Lyon, and relating the persecution of 177, is considered by Ernest Renan as one of the most extraordinary documents possessed by any literature; it is the baptismal certificate of Christianity in France. The successor of Saint Pothinus was the illustrious Saint Irenaeus (177-202).[citation needed]
The discovery on the Hill of Saint Sebastian of ruins of a naumachiacapable of being transformed into an amphitheatre, and of some fragments of inscriptions apparently belonging to an altar of Augustus, has led several archæologists to believe that the martyrs of Lyon suffered death on this hill. Very ancient tradition, however, represents the church of Ainay as erected at the place of their martyrdom. The crypt of Saint Pothinus, under the choir of the church of St. Nizier, was destroyed in 1884. But there are still revered at Lyon the prison cell of Saint Pothinus, where Anne of Austria, Louis XIV, and Pius VII came to pray, and the crypt of Saint Irenaeus built at the end of the 5th century by Saint Patiens, which contains the body of Saint Irenaeus. There are numerous funerary inscriptions of primitive Christianity in Lyon; the earliest dates from the year 334. In the 2nd and 3rd centuries, the See of Lyon enjoyed great renown throughout Gaul: witness the local legends of Besançon and of several other cities relative to the missionaries sent out by Saint Irenaeus. Faustinus, bishop in the second half of the 3rd century, wrote to Saint Cyprian and Pope Stephen I, in 254, regarding the Novatian tendencies of Marcian, Bishop of Arles. But when Diocletian's new provincial organization (tetrarchy) had taken away from Lyon its position as metropolis of the three Gauls, the prestige of Lyon diminished for a time.
Merovingian period
At the end of the empire and during the Merovingian period several saints, as follows, are counted among the Bishops of Lyon. Saint Justus (374-381) who died in a monastery in the Thebaid (Egypt) and was renowned for the orthodoxy of his doctrine in the struggle against Arianism (the church of the Maccabees, whither his body was brought, was as early as the 5th century a place of pilgrimage under the name of the collegiate church of Saint Justus). Saint Alpinus and Saint Martin (disciple of Saint Martin of Tours; end of 4th century); Saint Antiochus (400-410); Saint Elpidius (410-422); Saint Sicarius (422-33); Saint Eucherius (c. 433-50), a monk of Lérins and the author of homilies, from whom doubtless dates the foundation at Lyon of the "hermitages" of which more will be said below; Saint Patiens (456-98) who successfully combated the famine and Arianism, and whom Sidonius Apollinarispraised in a poem; Saint Lupicinus (491-94); Saint Rusticus (494-501); Saint Stephanus (d. before 515), who with Saint Avitus of Vienne convoked a council at Lyon for the conversion of the Arians; Saint Viventiolus (515-523), who in 517 presided with Saint Avitus at the Council of Epaone; Saint Lupus, a monk, afterwards bishop (535-42), probably the first archbishop, who when signing in 438 the Council of Orléans added the title of "metropolitanus"; Saint Sardot or Sacerdos (549-542), who presided in 549 at the Council of Orléans, and who obtained from King Childebert the foundation of the general hospital; Saint Nicetius or Nizier (552-73), who received from the pope the title of patriarch, and whose tomb was honoured by miracles. The prestige of Saint Nicetius was lasting; his successor Saint Priseus (573-588) bore the title of patriarch, and brought the council of 585 to decide that national synods should be convened every three years at the instance of the patriarch and of the king; Saint Ætherius (588-603), who was a correspondent of Saint Gregory the Great and who perhaps consecrated Saint Augustine, the Apostle of England; Saint Aredius (603-615); Saint Annemundus or Chamond (c. 650), friend of Saint Wilfrid, godfather of Clotaire III, put to death by Ebrointogether with his brother, and patron of the town of Saint-Chamond, Loire; Saint Genesius or Genes (660-679 or 680), Benedictine abbot of Fontenelle, grand almoner and minister of Queen Bathilde; Saint Lambertus (c. 680-690), also abbot of Fontenelle.[citation needed]
At the end of the 5th century Lyon was the capital of the Kingdom of Burgundy, but after 534 it passed under the domination of the kings of France. Ravaged by the Saracens in 725, the city was restored through the liberality of Charlemagne who established a rich library in the monastery of Ile Barbe. In the time of Saint Patiens and the priest Constans (d. 488) the school of Lyon was famous; Sidonius Apollinaris was educated there. The letter of Leidrade to Charlemagne (807) shows the care taken by the emperor for the restoration of learning in Lyon. With the aid of the deacon Florus he made the school so prosperous that in the 10th century Englishmen went there to study.
Carolingian period
Under Charlemagne and his immediate successors, the Bishops of Lyon, whose ascendancy was attested by the number of councils over which they were called to preside, played an important theological part. Adoptionism had no more active enemies than Leidrade (798-814) and Agobard (814-840). When Felix of Urgel continued rebellious to the condemnations pronounced against adoptionism from 791-799 by the Councils of Ciutad, Friuli, Ratisbon, Frankfort, and Rome, Charlemagne conceived the idea of sending to Urgel with Nebridius, Bishop of Narbonne, Benedict of Aniane, and Archbishop Leidrade, a native of Nuremberg and Charlemagne's librarian. They preached against Adoptionism in Spain, conducted Felix in 799 to the Council of Aachenwhere he seemed to submit to the arguments of Alcuin, and then brought him back to his diocese. But the submission of Felix was not complete; Agobard, "Chorepiscopus" of Lyon, convicted him anew of adoptionism in a secret conference, and when Felix died in 815 there was found among his papers a treatise in which he professed adoptionism. Then Agobard, who had become Archbishop of Lyon in 814 after Leidrade's retirement to the Abbey of St. Medard, Soissons, composed a long treatise against that heresy.[citation needed]
Agobard
Agobard displayed great activity as a pastor and a publicist in his opposition to the Jews and to various superstitions. His rooted hatred for all superstition led him in his treatise on images into certain expressions which savoured of Iconoclasm. The five historical treatises which he wrote in 833 to justify the deposition of Louis the Pious, who had been his benefactor, are a stain on his life. Louis the Pious, having been restored to power, caused Agobard to be deposed in 835 by the Council of Thionville, but three years later gave him back his see, in which he died in 840. During the exile of Agobard the See of Lyon had been for a short time administered by Amalarius of Metz, whom the deacon Florus charged with heretical opinions regarding the "triforme corpus Christi", and who took part in the controversies with Gottschalk on the subject of predestination.[citation needed]
Amolon (841-852) and Saint Remy (852-75) continued the struggle against the heresy of Valence, which condemned this heresy, and also was engaged in strife with Hincmar. From 879-1032 Lyon formed part of the Kingdom of Provenceand afterwards of the second Kingdom of Burgundy. In 1032 Rudolph III of Burgundy died and his kingdom eventually went to Conrad II.[6] The portion of Lyon situated on the left bank of the Saône became, at least nominally, an imperial city. Finally Archbishop Burchard II, brother of Rudolph,[7] claimed rights of sovereignty over Lyon as inherited from his mother, Matilda, daughter of Louis IV of France; in this way the government of Lyon, instead of being exercised by the distant emperor, became a matter of dispute between the counts who claimed the inheritance and the successive archbishops.
Lyon attracted the attention of Cardinal Hildebrand, who held a council there in 1055 against the simoniacal bishops. In 1076, as Gregory VII, he deposed Archbishop Humbert (1063–76) for simony.
Saint Gebuin (Jubinus), who succeeded Humbert, was the confidant of Gregory VII and contributed to the reform of the Church by the two councils of 1080 and 1082, at which were excommunicated Manasses of Reims, Fulk of Anjou, and the monks of Marmoutiers.
It was under the episcopate of Saint Gebuin that Gregory VII (20 April 1079) established the primacy of the Church of Lyon over the Provinces of Rouen, Tours, and Sens, which primacy was specially confirmed by Callistus II, despite the letter written to him in 1126 by Louis VIin favour of the church of Sens. As far as it regarded the Province of Rouen this letter was later suppressed by a decree of the king's council in 1702, at the request of Jacques-Nicolas Colbert, Archbishop of Rouen.
Hugh of Die (1081–1106), the successor of Saint Gebuin, friend of Saint Anselm, and for a while legate of Gregory VII in France and Burgundy, had differences later on with Victor III, who excommunicated him for a time. The latter pope came to Lyon in 1106, consecrated the church of Ainay Abbey, and dedicated one of its altars in honour of the Immaculate Conception. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception was solemnized at Lyon about 1128, perhaps at the instance of Saint Anselm of Canterbury, and Saint Bernard wrote to the canons of Lyon to complain that they should not have instituted a feast without consulting the pope.
Sovereignty
As soon as Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, had been proclaimed Blessed (1173), his cult was instituted at Lyon. Lyon of the 12th century thus has a glorious place in the history of Catholicliturgy and even of dogma, but the 12th century was also marked by the heresy of Peter Waldo and the Waldenses, the Poor Men of Lyon, who were opposed by John of Canterbury (1181–1193), and by an important change in the political situation of the archbishops.[citation needed]
In 1157 Emperor Frederick Barbarossaconfirmed the sovereignty of the Archbishops of Lyon; thenceforth there was a lively contest between them and the counts. An arbitration effected by the pope in 1167 had no result, but by the treaty of 1173, Guy, Count of Forez, ceded to the canons of the primatial church of St. John his title of count of Lyon and his temporal authority.
Then came the growth of the Commune, more belated in Lyon than in many other cities, but in 1193 the archbishop had to make some concession to the citizens. The 13th century was a period of conflict. Three times, in 1207, 1269, and 1290, grave troubles broke out between the partisans of the archbishop who dwelt in the château of Pierre Seize, those of the count-canons who lived in a separate quarter near the cathedral, and partisans of the townsfolk. Gregory Xattempted without success to restore peace by two Acts, 2 April 1273 and 11 November 1274. The kings of France were always inclined to side with the commune; after the siege of Lyon by Louis X (1310), the treaty of 10 April 1312 definitively attached Lyon to the Kingdom of France, but until the beginning of the 15th century the Church of Lyon was allowed to coin its own money.
If the 13th century had imperiled the political sovereignty of the archbishops, it had on the other hand made Lyon a kind of second Rome. Gregory X was a former canon of Lyon, while Innocent V, as Peter of Tarantaise, was Archbishop of Lyon from 1272 to 1273. Innocent IVand Gregory X sought refuge at Lyon from the Hohenstaufen, and held there two general councils of Lyon. Local tradition relates that it was on seeing the red hat of the canons of Lyon that the courtiers of Innocent IV conceived the idea of obtaining from the Council of Lyon its decree that the cardinals should henceforth wear red hats. The sojourn of Innocent IV at Lyon was marked by numerous works of public utility, to which the pope gave vigorous encouragement. He granted indulgences to the faithful who should assist in the construction of the bridge over the Rhône, replacing that destroyed about 1190 by the passage of the troops of Richard Cœur de Lion on their way to the Crusade. The building of the churches of St. John and St. Justus was pushed forward with activity; he sent delegates even to England to solicit alms for this purpose and he consecrated the high altar in both churches.
At Lyon were crowned Clement V (1305) and Pope John XXII (1310); at Lyon in 1449 the antipope Felix V renounced the tiara; there, too, was held in 1512, without any definite conclusion, the last session of the schismatical Council of Pisaagainst Julius II. In 1560 the Calvinists took Lyon by surprise, but they were driven out by Antoine d'Albon, Abbot of Savigny and later Archbishop of Lyon. Again masters of Lyon in 1562, they were driven thence by the Maréchal de Vieuville. At the command of the famous Baron des Adrets they committed numerous acts of violence in the region of Montbrison. It was at Lyon that Henry IV of France, the converted Calvinist king, married Marie de' Medici (9 December 1600).
Later Middle Ages
Gerson, whose old age was spent at Lyon in the abbey of St. Paul, where he instructed poor children, died there in 1429. Saint Francis de Sales died at Lyon on 28 December 1622. The Curé Colombet de St. Amour was celebrated at St. Etienne in the 17th century for the generosity with which he founded the Hôtel-Dieu (the charity hospital) and free schools, and also fed the workmen during the famine of 1693.[citation needed]
M. Guigue has catalogued the eleven "hermitages" (eight of them for men and three for women) which were distinctive of the ascetical life of Christian Lyon in the Middle Ages; these were cells in which persons shut themselves up for life after four years of trial. The system of hermitages along the lines described by Grimalaius and Olbredus in the 9th century flourished especially from the 11th to the 13th century, and disappeared completely in the 16th. These hermitages were the private property of a neighbouring church or monastery, which installed therein for life a male or female recluse. The general almshouse of Lyon, or charity hospital, was founded in 1532 after the great famine of 1531, under the supervision of eight administrators chosen from among the more important citizens.
The institution of the jubilee of Saint Nizier dates beyond a doubt to the stay of Innocent IV at Lyon. This jubilee, which had all the privileges of the secular jubilees of Rome, was celebrated each time that Low Thursday, the feast of Saint Nizier, coincided with 2 April, i.e. whenever the feast of Easter itself was on the earliest day allowed by the paschal cycle, namely 22 March. In 1818, when this coincidence occurred, the feast of Saint Nizier was not celebrated. But the cathedral of St. John also enjoys a great jubilee each time that the feast of Saint John the Baptist coincides with Corpus Christi, that is, whenever the feast of Corpus Christi falls on 24 June. It is certain that in 1451 the coincidence of these two feasts was celebrated with special splendour by the population of Lyon, then emerging from the troubles of the Hundred Years' War, but there is no document to prove that the jubilee indulgence existed at that date. However, Lyonnese tradition places the first great jubilee in 1451; subsequent jubilees took place in 1546, 1666, 1734 and 1886.
"Among the Churches of France", wrote Saint Bernard to the canons of Lyon, "that of Lyon has hitherto had ascendancy over all the others, as much for the dignity of its see as for its praiseworthy institutions. It is especially in the Divine Office that this judicious Church has never readily acquiesced in unexpected and sudden novelties, and has never submitted to be tarnished by innovations which are becoming only to youth."
Montazet controversy
In the 18th century Archbishop Antoine de Montazet, contrary to the Bull of Pius V on the breviary, changed the text of the breviary and the missal, from which there resulted a century of conflict for the Church of Lyon. The efforts of Pope Pius IX and Cardinal Bonald to suppress the innovations of Montazet provoked resistance on the part of the canons, who feared an attempt against the traditional Lyonnese ceremonies. This culminated in 1861 in a protest on the part of the clergy and the laity, as much with regard to the civil power as to the Vatican. Finally, on 4 February 1864, at a reception of the parish priests of Lyon, Pius IX declared his displeasure at this agitation and assured them that nothing should be changed in the ancient Lyonnese ceremonies; by a Brief of 17 March 1864, he ordered the progressive introduction of the Roman breviary and missal in the diocese. The primatial church of Lyon adopted them for public services on 8 December 1869. One of the rites of the ancient Gallican liturgy, retained by the Church of Lyon, is the blessing of the people by the bishop at the moment of Communion.[citation needed]
1800s
The Concordat of 1801 assigned as the boundaries of the Archdiocese of Lyon the Departments of the Rhône and Loireand the Ain and as suffragans the Dioceses of Mende, Grenoble, and Chambéry. The Archdiocese of Lyon was authorized by Letters Apostolic of 29 November 1801, to unite with his title the titles of the suppressed metropolitan Sees of Vienne and Embrun.[4] Thus the dioceses of Belley and Mâcon, were suppressed on November 29, 1801 with all of Belley's and some of Mâcon's territory added to the Archdiocese. The Diocese of Belley was restored on October 6, 1822, while the Archdiocese's name changed to Lyon-Vienne,[2] with the title of Embrun passing to the Archbishop of Aix (from whence, 2008, to the Bishop of Gap).
1900s
A new diocese of Saint-Étienne was erected on December 26, 1970, from the Archdiocese's territory. The Archdiocese's name returned to Lyon on December 15, 2006[2] (with the title of Vienne passing to its suffragan Grenoble).
Saints
The Diocese of Lyon honours as saints: Saint Epipodius and his companion Saint Alexander, probably martyrs under Marcus Aurelius; the priest Saint Peregrinus (3rd century); Saint Baldonor(Galmier), a native of Aveizieux, at first a locksmith, whose piety was remarked by the bishop, Saint Viventiolus: he became a cleric at the Abbey of St. Justus, then subdeacon, and died about 760; the thermal resort of "Aquæ Segestæ", in whose church Viventiolus met him, has taken the name of Saint Galmier; Saint Viator (d. about 390), who followed the Bishop Saint Justus to the Thebaid; Saints Romanus and Lupicinus (5th century), natives of the Diocese of Lyon, who lived as solitaries within the present territory of the Diocese of Saint-Claude; Saint Consortia, d. about 578, who, according to a legend criticized by Tillemont, was a daughter of Saint Eucherius; Saint Rambert, soldier and martyr in the 7th century, patron of the town of the same name; Blessed Jean Pierre Néel, b. in 1832 at Ste. Catherine sur Riviere, martyred at Kay-Tcheou in 1862.[citation needed]
Suffragan
Prelates
Bishops of Lyon
incomplete
Saint Pothinus ( –177)
Saint Irenaeus[4]
Archbishops of Lyon
incomplete
Zechariah of Lyon (195 – after 202)
Helios of Lyon
Faustinus (second half of the 3rd century)
Lucius Verus
Julius
Ptolémaeus
Vocius fl.314
Maximus (Maxime)
Tétradius (Tetrade)
Verissimus fl. 343
St. Justus (374–381)
St. Alpinus fl.254
St. Martin (disciple of St. Martin of Tours; end of 4th century)
St. Antiochus (400–410)
St. Elpidius (410–422)
St. Sicarius (422–433)
St. Eucherius (c. 433–450)
St. Patiens (456–498) who successfully combated the famine and Arianism, and whom Sidonius Apollinaris praised in a poem
St. Lupicinus (491–494)
St. Rusticus (494–501)
St. Stephanus (501 – Before 515), who with St. Avitus of Vienne, convoked a council at Lyon for the conversion of the Arians
St. Viventiolus (515–523), who in 517 presided with St. Avitus at the Council of Epaone
St. Lupus (535–542), a monk, probably the first archbishop, who when signing in 538 the Council of Orléans added the title of "metropolitanus"
Licontius (Léonce)
St. Sardot or Sacerdos (549–552)
St. Nicetius or Nizier (552–73), Patriarch
St. Priscus of Lyon (573–588), Patriarch
St. Ætherius (588–603), who was a correspondent of St. Gregory the Great and who perhaps consecrated St. Augustine, the Apostle of England
St. Aredius (603–615)
St. Viventius
St. Annemund or Chamond (c. 650), friend of St. Wilfrid, godfather of Clotaire III, put to death by Ebroin together with his brother, and patron of the town of Saint-Chamond, Loire
St. Genesius or Genes (660–679 or 680), Benedictine Abbot of Fontenelle, grand almoner and minister of Queen Bathilde
St. Lambertus (c. 680–690), also Abbot of Fontenelle
Leidrade (798–814)
Agobard, Chorbishop ( –814)
Agobard (814–834, 837–840)
Amalarius of Metz (834–837) administrator[4]
Amulo, (840-852)
Remigius (852–875)
Burchard II of Lyon (?–?)[7]
Burchard III of Lyon (?–1036)[9]
Halinard (1046–1052)[10]
Primates of Gauls and Archbishop of Lyon
incomplete
1077-1082 Saint Gebuin [4]
1081-1106 Hugh of Die
1128-1129 Renaud of Semur
1131-1139 Peter I
fl. 1180 Guichard of Pontigny
1193–1226 Renaud de Forez
1289 Bérard de Got
1290-1295 Louis of Naples
1301-1308 Louis de Villars
1308-1332 Peter of Savoy
1340-1342 Guy III d'Auvergne, Cardinal de Boulogne, papal diplomat
1342-1354 Henri II de Villars
1356-1358 Raymond Saquet
1358-1365 Guillaume II de Thurey
1365-1375 Charles d'Alençon
1375-1389 Jean II de Talaru
1389-1415 Philippe III de Thurey
1415-1444 Amédée II de Talaru
1444-1446 Geoffroy II de Versailles
1447-1488 Charles II of Bourbon
1488-1499 Hugues II de Talaru
1499-1500 André d'Espinay(cardinal)
1501-1536 François II de Rohan
1537-1539 John, Cardinal of Lorraine
1539-1551 Ippolito II d'Este, whom king Francis I of France named Cardinal protector of the crown of France at the court of Pope Paul III, and a patron of scholars
1551-1562 Cardinal François de Tournon, who negotiated several times between Francis I and Emperor Charles V, combated the Reformation and founded the Collège de Tournon, which the Jesuits later made one of the most celebrated educational establishments of the kingdom
1562-1564 Ippolito II d'Este, whom king Francis I of France named Cardinal protector of the crown of France at the court of Pope Paul III, and a patron of scholars
1564-1573 Antoine d'Albon, editor of Rufinus and Ausonius
1573-1599 Pierre d'Epinac, active auxiliary of the League
1612-1626 Denis-Simon de Marquemont
1628-1653 Alphonse-Louis du Plessis de Richelieu (Sep 1628 – 23 Mar 1653)
1653-1693 Camille de Neufville de Villeroy
1714-1731 François-Paul de Neufville de Villeroy (15 Aug 1714 – 6 Feb 1731)
1732-1739 Charles-François de Châteauneuf de Rochebonne
1740-1758 Pierre Guérin de Tencin(11 Nov 1740 – 2 Mar 1758)
1758-1788 Antoine de Malvin de Montazet (16 Mar 1758 – 2 May 1788), of Jansenist tendencies, and who had published for his seminary by the Oratorian Joseph Valla six volumes of "Institutiones theologicæ" known as "Théologie de Lyon", and spread throughout Italy by Scipio Ricci until condemned by the Index in 1792
1788-1799 Yves-Alexandre de Marbeuf (12 May 1788 – 15 Apr 1799)
1791-1794 Antoine-Adrien Lamourette (1742-1794), constitutional bishop of Lyon from 27 March 1791 to 11 January 1794, the date of his death on the scaffold.
Primates of Gauls and Archbishop of Lyon-Vienne
(Cardinal) Joseph Fesch (29 Jul 1802 – 13 May 1839) Archbishop of Lyon-Vienne-Embrun (until 1822)
(Cardinal) Joachim-Jean d'Isoard(13 Jun 1839 – 7 Oct 1839)
(Cardinal) Louis-Jacques-Maurice de Bonald (4 Dec 1839 – 25 Feb 1870)
Jacques-Marie Ginoulhiac (2 Mar 1870 – 17 Nov 1875), known for his "Histoire du dogme catholique pendant let trois premiers siècles".
(Cardinal) Louis-Marie Caverot (20 Apr 1876 – 23 Jan 1887)
(Cardinal) Joseph-Alfred Foulon (23 Mar 1887 – 23 Jan 1893)
(Cardinal) Pierre-Hector Coullie (14 Jun 1893 – 11 Sep 1912)
(Cardinal) Hector Sévin (2 Dec 1912 – 4 May 1916)
(Cardinal) Louis-Joseph Maurin (1 Dec 1916 – 16 Nov 1936)
(Cardinal) Pierre-Marie Gerlier (30 Jul 1937 – 17 Jan 1965)
(Cardinal) Jean-Marie Villot (17 Jan 1965 – 7 Apr 1967)
(Cardinal) Alexandre Renard (28 May 1967 – 29 Oct 1981)
(Cardinal) Albert Decourtray (29 Oct 1981 – 16 Sep 1994)
(Cardinal) Jean Marie Balland (27 May 1995 – 1 Mar 1998)
(Cardinal) Louis-Marie Billé (10 Jul 1998 – 12 Mar 2002)
(Cardinal) Philippe Barbarin (16 Jul 2002 – 6 Mar 2020)[1]
Feastday: September 25 Patron: of Cork, Diocese of Cork Birth: 550 Death: 620
He was the son of an artisan and a lady of the Irish royal court. Born in Connaught, Ireland, and baptized Lochan, he was educated at Kilmacahil, Kilkenny, where the monks named him Fionnbharr (white head) because of his light hair; he is also known as Bairre and Barr. He went on pilgrimage to Rome with some of the monks, visiting St. David in Wales on the way back. Supposedly, on another visit to Rome the Pope wanted to consecrate him a bishop but was deterred by a vision, notifying the pope that God had reserved that honor to Himself, and Finbar was consecrated from heaven and then returned to Ireland. At any rate, he may have preached in Scotland, definitely did in southern Ireland, lived as a hermit on a small island at Lough Eiroe, and then, on the river Lee, founded a monastery that developed into the city of Cork, of which he was the first bishop. His monastery became famous in southern Ireland and attracted numerous disciples. Many extravagant miracles are attributed to him, and supposedly, the sun did not set for two weeks after he died at Cloyne about the year 633. His feast day is September 25th.
Saint Finbar, Finnbar, or Finnbarr, in IrishFionnbharra, very often abbreviated to Barra, (c. 550–25 September 623) was Bishop of Cork and abbot of a monastery in what is now Cork city, Ireland. He is patron saint of the city and of the Diocese of Cork.[1] His feast day is September 25.
Contents
1Life
2Legacy
3Other Saint Finbarrs
4References
Life
Gougane Barra
Lived in Templemartin, near Bandon, and originally named Lóchán (modern form, Loan), he was the son of Amergin of Maigh Seóla, a skilled craftsman originally from Galway.[2] He studied in Ossory, corresponding approximately to the present County Kilkenny. He was renamed "Fionnbharra" (Fairhead in Irish), reportedly when, on being tonsured, the presiding cleric remarked: "Is fionn barr(find barr, in the Irish of the time) Lócháin", meaning, "Fair is the crest of Loan"), and he then became known as "Findbarr" ("Fionnbarra" in modern Irish).[3] He went on pilgrimage to Rome with some of the monks, visiting St David in Wales on the way back.[4]
On completion of his education he returned home and lived for some time on an island in the small lake then called Loch Irce.[5] The island is now called Gougane Barra (the little rock-fissure of Finnbarr). He is reputed to have built small churches in various other places, including one in Ballineadig, County Cork, called Cell na Cluaine, anglicised as Cellnaclona and sometimes referred to as Cloyne, causing it to be confused with Cloyne (Cluain Uamha) in east Cork.[3]
Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral
He settled for about the last seventeen years of his life in the area then known as Corcach Mór na Mumhan(the Great Marsh of Munster), now the city of Cork, where he gathered around him monks and students. This became an important centre of learning, giving rise to the phrase Ionad Bairre Sgoil na Mumhan.[6]"Where Finbarr taught let Munster learn", is the motto of today's University College Cork in English but is not a translation of the Irish motto Ionad Bairre Sgoil na Mumhan which means "Finbarr's foundation, the School of Munster".
The church and monastery he founded in 606 were on a limestone cliff above the River Lee, an area now known as Gill Abbey, after a 12th-century Bishop of Cork, Giolla Aedha Ó Muidhin.[3] It continued to be the site of the cathedral of his diocese. The present building on the site, owned by the Church of Ireland, is called Saint Fin Barre's Cathedral. The people of Cork often refer to the nearby Catholic church, also dedicated to St Finbarr, in Dunbar Street in the South Parish as 'the South Chapel', distinguishing it from the North Cathedral, the Catholic Cathedral of Saint Mary and Saint Anne, sometimes called 'the North Chapel'.[7]
Finnbarr died at Cell na Cluaine, while returning from a visit to Gougane Barra. He was buried in the cemetery attached to his church in Cork.[3]
Legacy
There are at least six St. Finbarr's schools in England, Chelsea, and Australia – at Ashgrove, Byron Bay, Invermay, Tasmania, Sans Souci (South Sydney, spelt St Finbar), East Brighton (Melbourne), Quilpie (South West Queensland) and Glenbrook, in the Blue Mountains. There is a St. Finbarr's school in Lagos, Nigeria.[8] There is also a St. Finn Barr school in San Francisco, California. [9] The original cathedral of the Diocese of Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States was named in honour of St. Finbarr and remained standing until the Great Fire of Charleston during the Civil War. It is believed to have been named so because John England, the first bishop of Charleston was originally from the County Cork and was consecrated a bishop in Saint Fin Barre's Church before travelling to the United States.[10] In Coventry, England, St Finbarr's Social Club was named in honour of the saint during the late 1980s attracting large numbers from an Irish background to socialise. Upon demolition in 2006, a new housing scheme was completed in 2008 on the same site with the new road name of Finbarr Close.
Other Saint Finbarrs
Portal of Cille Bharra on Barra Island
There are five Irish saints named Finnbarr.[1] One scholar has theorized that the Cork saint is identical with Finnian of Moville, a teacher of Colm Cille.[5]
Scotland has place names that refer to Saint Finnbarr, perhaps due to devotion to him having been carried there by disciples.[5] One such place is the Gaelic-speaking island of Barra, where there is a ruined church called Cille Bharra (Church of Finnbarr).[11] Tradition identifies that Finnbarr with the Cork saint, but it has been argued that he was Scottish
Benedictine abbot who founded Causance Monastery in France. He was a monk at Luxeuil and was trained by St. Waldeburt in the great monastic traditions of the era.
