Dionysius of Augsburg

Dionysius of Augsburg († around 306), whose life dates and curriculum vitae are almost unknown, is a saint and martyr of the Roman Catholic Church , he is said to have been the first bishop of Augsburg . All statements are based on traditions and historical fragments . His ecclesiastical feast day is celebrated on the day his bones are raised , on February 26th.

Life

Dionysius is said to be the brother of St. Hilaria and thus uncle of St. Afra . It is also recorded that he was baptized around 304 by Narcissus of Girona , who is said to have fled to Augsburg , and that he was supposedly ordained the first bishop of Augsburg. Augsburg has only been occupied as a bishopric since the 6th century . On the bishop's question:

“As for Dionysius, there is no doubt that he will soon be the priest and head of the clergy at the funeral of St. Afra attended and also obtained the martyr's crown. But there is nothing in writing about this ... At the same time, another five and twenty people, male and female, were beheaded in Augsburg for their Christian faith. Their twelve are known to us by name ... So that it was around the year 304, in which the martyrdom of St. Afra is believed by most to have given a not entirely inconsiderable Christian community with priests and clergy and with a Christian prayer house in Augsburg, is beyond doubt. Dionysius, who, as the most distinguished of the clergy, supervised the Christian parish there, can be deduced from the whole story, but not that he was a bishop. Who would have ordained him bishop, since according to the old church histories (vid. Not. 7.) such ordination had to be carried out by several bishops and Narcissus alone could not do it? I consider Dionysius to be the first historical pastor in Bavaria. Even the Augsburg catalogs begin the order of their bishops not with Dionysius, but with Zosimus from the year 590. "

- Franz Xaver Mayer: Tiburnia or Regensburg, and the oldest bishops in Bavaria from Roman and Agilolfing times.

Martyrdom and Adoration

Dionysius should soon after the martyrdom of St. Afra, who was ordered by governor Gaius, to have also been beheaded or burned. During the necessary construction work under the Sankt Ulrich Church in Augsburg, relics were found, the origin of which is attributed to the alleged bishop Dionysius. On February 26, 1258, Pope Alexander IV (1254–1261) caused the bones to be raised. The martyr, venerated as a saint, whose name is “the one consecrated to God” (Dionysus = Greek god of the wine house) is represented as a bishop and carries a palm branch as a sign of martyrdom . Bishop Heinrich IV introduced cultic veneration in 1508 , and several churches and parishes bear the name of St. Dionysius of Augsburg.

Web links

Diocese of Augsburg: saints
Entry in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
Church site of the Diocese of Münster: St. Dionysius
Saints and namesake

Individual evidence

↑ St. Hilaria of Augsburg heiligenlexikon.de
^ Franz Xaver Mayer: (1833). Tiburnia or Regensburg, and the oldest bishops in Bavaria from Roman and Agilolfing times. Brenck 1833, p. 177 ( books.google.de , accessed April 22, 2015).

personal data
SURNAME	Dionysius of Augsburg
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Martyr and saint
DATE OF BIRTH	3rd century
DATE OF DEATH	at 306
Place of death	augsburg

[1] St. Hilaria of Augsburg heiligenlexikon.de

[2] Franz Xaver Mayer: (1833). Tiburnia or Regensburg, and the oldest bishops in Bavaria from Roman and Agilolfing times. Brenck 1833, p. 177 ( books.google.de , accessed April 22, 2015).