Gerald of Aurillac

Icon of Gerald of Aurillac

Statue of Gerald of Aurillac

Gerald von Aurillac (French Géraud d'Aurillac ), (* around 855 in the castle Saint-Étienne in Aurillac ; † October 13, 909 in Cezeinac , Quercy (according to another opinion in Pousthomy , Aveyron )) is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church , but also other Christian denominations . He is one of the few medieval saints who never held an ecclesiastical office.

origin

Gerald von Aurillac was the son of Géraud, Seigneur d'Aurillac, and the also canonized Adaltrude . Through his mother he was a descendant of Aredius of Limoges and Caesarius of Arles (both 6th century).

Life

Gerald von Aurillac's life is best known through the contemporary description of Odo von Clunys , the Vita Geraldi Auriliacensis from the years 930/931. There it is reported how Duke Wilhelm the Pious (ruled 909-918) asked Gerald to leave the militia regia , the service of King Charles the Simple (ruled 898-922) and pay homage to him, Wilhelm. Gerald, who had recently received the title of count (although Aurillac was not a county), declined, preferring to hold on to the feudal oath to the weak and distant king.

According to Odo, Gerald was a sickly child, also disfigured by acne , which is why his parents prepared him for a church life should he prove unsuitable for a worldly life. He also went blind in later years. Gerald considered establishing an order of monks, but was dissuaded by his friend Gausbert, who later became Bishop of Rodez , on the grounds that his social position as a layperson meant that he could achieve more.

Gerald founded an abbey on his estate in Aurillac in 899, in the church of which he was also buried after he died in Cezeinac, a place that belonged to his estate, the church of which was dedicated to Saint Quiricus ( Saint Cirice ), who but so far could not be clearly identified; Saint-Cirgues (Lot), 50 km from Aurillac, is considered likely .

Adoration

Gerald von Aurillac, who is considered an example of a celibate Christian aristocrat, is the patron saint of counts and bachelors , beyond Odo von Cluny's vita also the patron saint of the physically handicapped, and the patron saint of the upper Auvergne . Several churches, especially in the Auvergne, bear his patronage ; his feast day is October 13th.

presentation

Gerald von Aurillac was rarely portrayed. In two well-known depictions he carries a church in his hand, which identifies him as a founder or a founder.

literature

• Dom Gérard Sitwell OSB: St. Odo of Cluny, Being the Life of St. Odo of Cluny by John of Salerno and the Life of St. Gerald of Aurillac by St. Odo (The Makers of Christendom), London 1958 (online at [ 1] )
• Dom Gérard Sitwell OSB: The life of saint Gerald of Aurillac. Odo of Cluny. In: Soldiers of Christ. Saints and Saint's Lives. 1995, pp. 293-362

Web links

Commons : Gerald von Aurillac  - Collection of images, videos and audio files