What is Saint Remigius?

Saint Remigius
Saint Remigius baptizes Clovis I, by the Master of Saint Gilles, c. 1500 (National Gallery of Art, Washington)
Bishop
Born	c. 437, Cerny-en-Laonnois
Died	January 13 533)
Feast	October 1
Attributes	dove, book, lamp
Patronage	France

Saint Remigius (French Saint Rémi or Saint Rémy), Bishop of Reims, Apostle of the Franks, (c. 437–January 13 533) effected the conversion to Christianity of Clovis, King of the Franks, at Christmas, 496, one of the turning points in the success of Catholicism and a climactic moment in European history.

Life

Remigius was born, traditionally at Cerny-en-Laonnois, near Laon, into the highest levels of Gallo-Roman society. He is said to have been son of Emilius, count of Laon (who is not otherwise attested) and of Celina, daughter of the bishop of Soissons, which Clovis had conquered in 486. He studied at Reims and soon became so noted for learning and sanctity (Catholic Encyclopedia) in addition to his high status, that he was elected bishop of Reims in his twenty-second year, though still a layman.

The story of the return of the sacred vessels (most notable the Vase of Soissons), which had been stolen from the church of Soissons testifies to the friendly relations existing between him and Clovis, King of the Franks, whom he converted to Christianity with the assistance of Saint Vedast (Vedastus, Vaast, Waast) and Clotilde, the Burgundian princess who was wife to Clovis. Even before he embraced Christianity, Clovis had showered benefits upon Remigius and the Christians of Reims, and after his victory over the Alamanni in the battle of Tolbiac (probably 496), he requested Remigius to baptize him at Reims (December 24, 496) in the presence of a large company of Franks and Alamanni: according to Gregory of Tours, 3000 Franks were baptized with Clovis. (The legend of the ampulla of holy oil that was used to anoint the kings crowned at Reims originated after Remigius' time, with bishop Hincmar of Reims.)

Clovis granted Remigius stretches of territory, in which the latter established and endowed many churches. He erected bishoprics at Tournai; Cambrai; Thérouanne, where he personally ordained the first bishop in 499; Arras, where he installed St. Vedast; and Laon, which he gave to his niece's husband Gunband. In 530 he consecrated Medardus, bishop of Noyon. Remigius' brother Principius was bishop of Soissons and also corresponded with Sidonius Apollinaris (Book IX.viii), whose letters give a sense of the highly cultivated courtly literary Gallo-Roman style all three men shared. The chroniclers of Gallia Christiana record that numerous donations were made to Remigius by the Frankish nobles, which he presented to the cathedral at Reims.

Though Remigius never attended any of the church councils, in 517 he held a synod at Reims, at which after a heated discussion he converted a bishop of Arian views. Although St. Remigius's influence over people and prelates was extraordinary, upon one occasion his condoning of the offences of one Claudius, a priest whom Remigius had consecrated, brought upon him the rebukes of his episcopal brethren, who deemed Claudius deserving of degradation. The reply of Remigius, still extant, is able and convincing.

Few authentic works of Remigius remain: his Declamations were elaborately admired by Sidonius Apollinaris, in a finely-turned letter to Remigius (Book IX.vii) but are lost. Four letters survive: one containing his defence in the matter of Claudius, two written to Clovis, and a fourth to bishop Falco of Tongeren. The Testament of St. Remigius is apocryphal. A brief and strictly legendary Vita was formerly ascribed to Venantius Fortunatus. Another, according to Jacobus de Voragine, was written by Ignatius, bishop of Reims. A letter congratulating Pope Hormisdas upon his election (523) is apocryphal, and "the letter in which Pope Hormisdas appears to have appointed him vicar of the kingdom of Clovis is proved to be spurious; it is presumed to have been an attempt of Hincmar to base his pretensions for the elevation of Reims to the primacy, following the alleged precedent of Remigius" (Hauck).

A Commentary on the Pauline Epistles (edited Villalpandus, 1699) is not his work, but that of another Remigius, bishop of Auxerre (Encyclopaedia Britannica 1911). His relics were kept in the cathedral of Reims, whence Hincmar had them translated to Epernay during the Viking invasions and thence, in 1099, at the instance of Pope Leo IX, to the Abbey of Saint-Rémy. His feast is celebrated 1 October.

Preceded by Bennage

Archbishop of Reims 459–533

Succeeded by Romanus

See also

• Vase of Soissons

External links

• Catholic Encyclopedia: Remigius
• Philip Schaff, The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge: entry by A. Hauck

References

• Jacobus de Voragine, Golden Legend: "Of the life of St. Remigius"