Saint Caprasius, sometimes Caprasius of Lérins ( fr , Caprais; died 430), was a
hermit
A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions.
Description
In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
.
Caprasius was born sometime in the fourth century in Gaul. He came from a rich and distinguished family, but gave up great worldly prospects to live as a hermit on the Îles de Lérins in the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Gaul. He was joined by Saint Honoratus and Honoratus' brother Venantius, two youths who wished to become hermits as well. The three decided to go on pilgrimage to the
Holy Land
The Holy Land; Arabic: or is an area roughly located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Eastern Bank of the Jordan River, traditionally synonymous both with the biblical Land of Israel and with the region of Palestine. The term "Holy ...
and visit the holy places of
Palestine
__NOTOC__
Palestine may refer to:
* State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia
* Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia
* Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East ...
and the
lavra
A lavra or laura ( el, Λαύρα; Cyrillic: Ла́вра) is a type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center. It is erected within the Orthodox and other Eastern Chr ...
s of
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...
Methoni, Messenia
Methoni ( el, Μεθώνη, it, Modone, vec, Modon) is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Pylos-Nestoras, of which it is a municipal uni ...
, and Caprasius and Honoratus cut short their voyage.St. Caprasius - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online /ref>
Caprasius and Honoratus returned to Gaul, where they established themselves in the hills near
Fréjus
Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458.
It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north of ...
before returning to Lérins, where they wished to imitate the
Desert Fathers
The Desert Fathers or Desert Monks were early Christian hermits and ascetics, who lived primarily in the Scetes desert of the Roman province of Egypt
, conventional_long_name = Roman Egypt
, common_name = Egypt
, subdivision = Province
, na ...
. There they were joined by many others, and the hermits were inspired by the monastic rule of
Saint Pachomius
Pachomius (; el, Παχώμιος ''Pakhomios''; ; c. 292 – 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, ...
.
Lérins Abbey
Lérins Abbey () is a Cistercian monastery on the island of Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands, on the French Riviera, with an active monastic community.
There has been a monastic community there since the 5th century. The construction ...
grew up on the site of this community. According to one scholar, Caprasius may not have been the official leader of the community at Lérins, since he may have been advanced in years at this time or else lacked the charisma of Honoratus.
Veneration
Hilarius of Arles
Hilary of Arles, also known by his Latin name Hilarius (c. 403–449), was a bishop of Arles in Southern France. He is recognized as a saint by the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, with his feast day celebrated on 5 May.
Life
In h ...
, who had been a monk at Lérins before becoming
bishop of Arles
The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal see in the city of Arles, in southern France.Abbey of San Caprasio in
Aulla
Aulla is a ''comune'' in the province of Massa and Carrara, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located in the valley of the River Magra.
Geology
In 1977, the Italian geologist Augusto Azzaroli discovered a series of mammal rests with a correlated f ...
in north
Tuscany
Tuscany ( ; it, Toscana ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of about 3.8 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence (''Firenze'').
Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, art ...
. The monastery was established by the Benedictine order as a hostel on the
Via Francigena The Via Francigena () is an ancient road and pilgrimage route running from the cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and Switzerland, to Rome and then to Apulia, Italy, where there were ports of embarkation for the Holy Land. It w ...
, the pilgrimage route to Rome. Originally titled Santa Maria, in 1077 it was dedicated to San Caprasio, as the patron of the town and a patron saint of pilgrims.
Caprasius should not be confused with another French saint of the same name, the martyr
Caprasius of Agen
Saint Caprasius of Agen (french: Saint Caprais) is venerated as a Christian martyr and saint of the fourth century. Relics associated with him were discovered at Agen in the fifth century.Alban Butler, David Hugh Farmer, Paul Burns, ''Butler' ...