Saint Dalmatius of Rodez (french: Saint Dalmas, Dalmace) was a
bishop of Rodez
The Diocese of Rodez (–Vabres) ( la, Dioecesis Ruthenensis (–Vabrensis); French: ''Diocèse de Rodez (–Vabres)'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The episcopal see is in Rodez. The ...
from 524 to 580.
Dalmatius was born in the late 400s in Gaul; he became bishop of Rodez in 524 at a relatively young man age. He is considered by the
Catholic Church to have suffered at the hands of
Amalaric
Amalaric ( got, *Amalareiks; Spanish and Portuguese: ''Amalarico''; 502–531) was king of the Visigoths from 522 until his death in battle in 531. He was a son of king Alaric II and his first wife Theodegotha, daughter of Theoderic the Great.
Bi ...
, who was a follower of
Arianism
Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God ...
. In 535, Dalmatius attended the
Council of Arvernum, which among its sixteen decrees, held that the granting of episcopal dignity must be according to the merits and not as a result of intrigues. In 541, he attended the Fourth Council of Orléans and on his return made a pilgrimage to the tomb of
Martin of Tours
Martin of Tours ( la, Sanctus Martinus Turonensis; 316/336 – 8 November 397), also known as Martin the Merciful, was the third bishop of Tours. He has become one of the most familiar and recognizable Christian saints in France, heralded as the ...
.
Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours (30 November 538 – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of the area that had been previously referred to as Gaul by the Romans. He was born Georgius Florenti ...
reports that Dalmatius built a church, but tore it down so often for improvements, that it was left unfinished at his death. Dalmatius' testament requested from
Childebert II that the bishop's successor not be a stranger to the see, or covetous, or married. His successor should be someone who spent all of his time praising
God. His
feast day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is November 13.
Odden, Per Einer. "Den hellige Dalmatius av Rodez (d. 580)", Den katolske kirke
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References
6th-century Frankish bishops
Bishops of Rodez
580 deaths
6th-century Frankish saints
Year of birth unknown
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