Germanus of Auxerre

Statue of St. Germanus in the church of Trébédan , Brittany

Figure of St. Germanus on a stained glass window in the church of St-Germain-l'Auxerrois in Paris

Germanus of Auxerre ( French Saint Germain , * around 378 in Auxerre ; † July 31, 448 (or already 437 ) in Ravenna ) was a late antique bishop . His feast day for Catholics is July 31st, the day of his death, for Orthodox Christians it is April 23rd .

swell

The main source of his life is an account by Constantius of Lyons . In addition, Welsh tradition presents a number of details and church endowments related to a Saint Germanus, who could also be another person.

Vita

Germanus came from a noble Gallo-Roman family from Burgundy . After studying law in Rome , he became an attorney ( advocatus ) for the prefect of his hometown Auxerre and possibly also commander-in-chief ( dux ) of the Roman troops in his province. He later retired from political life, began a monastic - ascetic life, became a priest and in 418 Bishop of Auxerre. He was the teacher of St. Patrick , later the patron saint of Ireland , and worked against Pelagianism during a visit to the British Isles (429) . He may also have been involved in military operations on the island due to his military experience. Together with his wife Eustochia, he promoted monasticism in Gaul .

Germanus died in Ravenna during a petition trip to the imperial court to indulge the inhabitants of Aremorica ( Brittany ). The influential Roman army master ( Magister militum ) Aëtius had sent an Alan punitive expedition against the Bagauden there , who had risen under the leadership of a certain Tibatto .

Adoration

According to St. Germanus of Auxerre (Saint Germain) are named over 100 places in France. In addition, numerous churches in France and other European countries bear his name; one of the most famous is Saint Germain l'Auxerrois in Paris .

Germanus von Auxerre is the patron saint against several diseases (including diarrhea, abdominal pain, rabies and insanity) and against perjury.

presentation

Medieval representations of St. Germanus from Auxerre are extremely rare. Modern representations as bishops are more common; His attributes include the miter , the crook and sometimes a dragon . As he is said to have been a passionate hunter , he is rarely shown in hunting clothes; Game killed then lies at his feet .

literature

• John Robert Martindale: Germanus 1. In: The Prosopography of the Later Roman Empire (PLRE). Volume 2, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 1980, ISBN 0-521-20159-4 , pp. 504-505.
• Friedrich Wilhelm Bautz :  Germanus of Auxerre. In: Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL). Volume 2, Bautz, Hamm 1990, ISBN 3-88309-032-8 , Sp. 225-226.

Web links

Commons : Germanus von Auxerre  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Germanus von Auxerre in the Ecumenical Lexicon of Saints

predecessor	Office	successor
Amatre	Bishop of Auxerre 418–448	Fratern