Ferreolus of Uzès

Ferreolus of Uzès ( French Saint Ferréol ; Catalan Sant Ferriol ; * around 520 in or near Narbonne ; † January 4, 581 in Uzès ) was bishop of Uzès from 553 to 581 . He is venerated as a saint in the Catholic Church .

Confusion by name with the martyr Ferreolus of Vienne († around 305) and the bishop Ferreolus of Limoges († 591) is possible, although these are only rarely venerated or in other regions.

Vita

Ferreolus's father was Ambert , his mother was Blitildis , an (alleged) daughter of the Frankish king Chlothar I - both came from the Merovingian community . His sister Tarsitia is also venerated as a saint. His uncle and predecessor in office was St. Firminus of Uzès .

As a bishop, Ferreolus founded the Ferréolac monastery, for which he wrote a monk rule that has been preserved in a copy - in this he equated the manual work of a monk with that in the scriptorium .

During his tenure he tried to convert the Jews of his diocese to Christianity; However, his good relationship with the Jews of Septimania led to his interim dismissal by Childebert I. After his return to the episcopate, he continued his efforts to Christianize the Jews; the unruly, however, were expelled from the city.

Adoration

Ferreolus of Uzès is worshiped mainly in southwest France and northern Catalonia ; several places and numerous churches bear his name. His feast day is January 4th.

Representations

Medieval representations of the saint are not known. From the 17th century he was portrayed as a bishop in sculptures and stained glass.

Web links

• Ferreolus of Uzès - Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
• Tarsitia - Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints
• Ferreolus of Uzès - Enciclopedia dei Santi (Italian)