Also known as:
St. Germanus of Auxerre;
French: Saint Germain d'Auxerre;
Italian: San Germano d'Auxerre;
Latin: Germanus Autissiodorensis
GERMANUS OF AUXERRE, Saint. - Born at Auxerre around 378, died at Ravenna on 31 July 448. Of a noble and wealthy family, he completed his primary studies in Gaul, then studying eloquence and law in Rome. He served as an advocate in the courts of a prefect (it is not known whether of the city or of the praetorium), afterwards becoming rector of a province, which was probably the Fourth, of Lyons, to which Auxerre belonged. The election made by the clergy and the people, as in the case of St. Ambrose, forced him to leave his political magistracies in order to assume the episcopate in his native city, around 418, after the death of Bishop Amator.
GERMANO of AUXERRE, saint - Choir of the Church of St. G. of Auxerre (13th cent., with later alterations) - Paris.(from V. Christ, Eglises parisiennes, Paris 1917, pl. 77)
He held the office for 30 years, leading a most austere life and making himself a champion of the monastic movement. He was certainly in contact with the monks of Lérins and with St. Hilary of Arles. He fought Pelagianism in Britain on two journeys that he made there: one in 429, sent by Celestine I (he remained there until about 431), and the other probably after 444, when the Saxons had already seized part of the island. He also had some influence on the Church of Ireland, especially through sending St. Patrick to that island.
Besides spiritual interests, he looked after the material interests of his diocese: in 435 he obtained from the prefect Auxiliaris a reduction of taxes; he saved Armorica from the Alan invasions; and he went to Ravenna to Galla Placidia and her son Valentinian III to obtain pardon for a revolt of the Armoricans. It was on this occasion (448?) that he died at Ravenna, afterwards being carried, in accordance with his wish, to Auxerre. His relics were profaned and scattered by the Huguenots in 1567. His cult spread rapidly, and he is one of the most popular saints of France.
Bibliography5 worksThe life, written around 480 by the priest Constantius, critically edited by B. Krusch and W. Levison, in MGH, Script. rer. Merov., VII, pp.
BIBL.: The life, written around 480 by the priest Constantius, critically edited by B. Krusch and W. Levison, in MGH, Script. rer. Merov., VII, pp. 247-83; W. Levison, Bischof German von Auxerre und die Quellen zu seiner Geschichte, in Neues Archiv, 29 (1904), pp. 97-175; L. Prunel, St-Germain d'Auxerre, Paris 1920; P. Grosjean, Notes de hagiographie celtique, in Anal. Boll., 63 (1945), pp. 73-79; cf. BHL, coll. 2453-63.
Ghinato, Alberto. “Germano di Auxerre, santo.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, coll. 177–179. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951. https://azioneromana.com/article/germano-di-auxerre-santo.
MLA
Ghinato, Alberto. “Germano di Auxerre, santo.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VI, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1951, coll. 177–179. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/germano-di-auxerre-santo.
BibTeX
@incollection{ec6_germano_di_auxerre_santo,
author = {Ghinato, Alberto},
title = {Germano di Auxerre, santo},
booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
volume = {VI},
pages = {177--179},
note = {Cited by column},
publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
address = {Città del Vaticano},
year = {1951},
url = {https://azioneromana.com/article/germano-di-auxerre-santo}
}
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