VITTRIO (Victricius), bishop of Rouen, saint. — Born ca. 330 on the extreme borders of the Empire (Britain or Gaul?), bishop of Rouen from ca. 385 to ca. 407–409. Feast day: August 7.
He pursued a military career but, upon converting to Christianity, dramatically abandoned arms, even risking his life. He miraculously escaped the death penalty, being pardoned by Caesar Julian (361) or Emperor Valentinian (366–67) during one of their stays in Gaul. He enjoyed the friendship of St. Ambrose, St. Martin of Tours, and St. Paulinus of Nola, meeting the latter in Vienne ca. 386. The Christian community of Rouen chose him as bishop ca. 385, and V. became one of the most celebrated prelates of Gaul, both for his apostolic zeal in converting pagans (extending his missionary activity as far as Morinia and probably Menapia and Nervia in Belgica II) and for his opposition to Arianism. In 396, he was summoned to Britain by the local bishops to restore peace among them. He introduced monastic life into his diocese, for both men and women, founded several rural churches, and rebuilt his cathedral, enriching it with a significant number of relics, which he received on two occasions. The solemn reception of the second group of relics (15, including Apostles and martyrs; 8 on the first occasion) around 396 provided him with the occasion to compose the *De laude sanctorum* (PL 20, 443–58; the ed. by E.-P. Sauvage-A. Tougard, Paris 1895, does not offer a better text; note the variants indicated by A. Wilmart, *Unus oublié de l'opuscule de s. Victrice*, in *Rev. bénéd.*, 31 [1914–19], pp. 333–42). In this work, he elegantly and soundly expounds, above all, the question of the cult of the saints and relics. Nothing remains of his correspondence. In 403, he had to present himself in Rome to clear himself of a doctrinal accusation; Pope Innocent I, fully satisfied with his justification, later sent him the important decretal of February 15, 404 (PL 20, 470–81; Jaffé-Wattenbach, 286), which V. widely disseminated. The name of V. has also been associated with the authorship of the *Quicumque* (v.) symbol, whose concepts and expressions are echoed in the fine profession of faith at the beginning of the *De laude sanctorum* (PL 20, 446–47).
Accounts of V.’s life, beyond the autobiographical notes in the *De laude sanctorum*, are known from the letters: XVIII (399) and XXXVII (403) of Paulinus of Nola (ed. G. V. Hartel, in *CSEL*, XXIX [1894], pp. 128–37, 316–23) and from the *Dialogus* (III, 11: PL 20, 213) of Sulpicius Severus.