Saint Agricius, also Agritius (c. 260 – c. 335) was the first historically documented

bishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier, in English historically also known as ''Treves'' (IPA "tɾivz") from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Diocletian Diocletian (; la, Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus, grc, Διοκλητιανός, Diokletianós; c. 242/245 – 311/312), nicknamed ''Iovius'', was Roman emperor from 284 until his abdication in 305. He was born Gaius Valerius Diocles ...

's reorganization of the divisions of the

empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

Augusta Treverorum Trier in Rhineland-Palatinate, whose history dates to the Roman Empire, is often claimed to be the oldest city in Germany. Traditionally it was known in English by its French name of Treves. Prehistory The first traces of human settlement in ...

, now Trier, was the capital of

Belgica Prima Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and Germany. In 50 BC, af ...

, the chief city of Gaul, and frequently the residence of the emperors. There were Christians among its population as early as the second century, and probably as early as the third century there was a bishop at Trier, which is the oldest episcopal see in Germany. The first clearly authenticated bishop is Agricius, who took part in the Council of Arles in 314.

History

Little else is known about Agricius. There are stories about him, but these are based in part on Altmann's dubious ''Vita Helenae'' of about 850. Agricius was born about the year 260,"The Holy Agricius of Trier (~ 260-329)", Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo
/ref> in Syria.Monks of Ramsgate. "Agritius". ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 13 May 2012
/ref> An 11th-century tradition states that he had been a priest of

Antioch Antioch on the Orontes (; grc-gre, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου, ''Antiókheia hē epì Oróntou'', Learned ; also Syrian Antioch) grc-koi, Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπὶ Ὀρόντου; or Ἀντιόχεια ἡ ἐπ� ...

, and that he was moved to the See of Trier by

Pope Sylvester I Pope Sylvester I (also Silvester, 285 – 31 December 335) was the bishop of Rome from 31 January 314 until his death. He filled the see of Rome at an important era in the history of the Western Church, yet very little is known of him. The acco ...

at the request of the

Empress Helena Flavia Julia Helena ''Augusta'' (also known as Saint Helena and Helena of Constantinople, ; grc-gre, Ἑλένη, ''Helénē''; AD 246/248– c. 330) was an '' Augusta'' and Empress of the Roman Empire and mother of Emperor Constantine th ...

. He was present at the Council of Arles in 314, where he signed the acts immediately after the presiding bishop of that diocese. This indicated that, at least in the fourth century, Trier laid claim to the primacy of

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, a claim his successor Saint Maximin reinforced.Grey, Francis. "St. Agricius." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1907. 4 Aug. 2014
/ref> This story seems to have developed in order to promote the primacy of Trier over other sees in Gaul and Germany.Drijvers,Jan Willem. ''Helena Augusta'', Brill, 1992
"Saint Agritius laboured zealously and successfully during twenty years at the conversion of Gaul and of Western Germany." Medieval tradition dates to Agricius' time the construction of the first cathedral in Trier, which was said to have been built over the Empress Helena's palace which she gave for that purpose. The ''Heiliger Rock'' (the "Holy Gown") is said to be the robe (the "seamless garment") which Jesus wore before His crucifixion and for which, according to the

Gospel of St. John The Gospel of John ( grc, Εὐαγγέλιον κατὰ Ἰωάννην, translit=Euangélion katà Iōánnēn) is the fourth of the four canonical gospels. It contains a highly schematic account of the ministry of Jesus, with seven "sig ...

, the Roman soldiers cast lots. Part of this robe is said to have been found by Helena, mother of Constantine the Great, who gave it to Agricius.

Saint Athanasius Athanasius I of Alexandria, ; cop, ⲡⲓⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲡⲓⲁⲡⲟⲥⲧⲟⲗⲓⲕⲟⲥ or Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ ⲁⲑⲁⲛⲁⲥⲓⲟⲩ ⲁ̅; (c. 296–298 – 2 May 373), also called Athanasius the Great, ...

, who came as an exile to Trier in 335 or 336, speaks of the large numbers of faithful whom he found there and the number of churches in the course of being built. The famous relics of Trier - the above-named "Heiliger Rock", the Nail of the

True Cross The True Cross is the cross upon which Jesus was said to have been crucified, particularly as an object of religious veneration. There are no early accounts that the apostles or early Christians preserved the physical cross themselves, althoug ...

, and the body of

Matthias Matthias is a name derived from the Greek Ματθαίος, in origin similar to Matthew. People Notable people named Matthias include the following: In religion: * Saint Matthias, chosen as an apostle in Acts 1:21–26 to replace Judas Iscariot * ...

the Apostle - are all said to have been brought there by Agricius.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agricius of Trier 260 births 330s deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain 4th-century bishops in Germania Saints of Germania 4th-century Christian saints Roman Catholic bishops of Trier