Domitian of Huy ( la, Domitianus; also, of Maestricht) was a Gaulish

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the sixth century who is noted for both his generosity and writings against

heresy Heresy is any belief or theory that is strongly at variance with established beliefs or customs, in particular the accepted beliefs of a church or religious organization. The term is usually used in reference to violations of important religi ...

. He is venerated as a

saint In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of Q-D-Š, holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and Christian denomination, denominat ...

Life

Domitian was chosen

bishop of Tongeren The Diocese of Tongeren (and Maastricht) was an ancient bishopric of Belgium, now a Latin titular bishopric in present Belgium. History In 344, it was established as Diocese of Tongeren on territory split off from the then Roman Catholic Dioc ...

, but later moved his see to

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

. He was present at the

Council of Clermont (535) The Council of Clermont (''Concilium Arvernense'') of 535 was one of the early Frankish synods. Held at '' Arvernum'', (the later Clermont, conquered by Clovis I in 507), it was attended by fifteen prelates of the kingdom of Austrasia under t ...

. Domitian is notable for speaking out convincingly against heretics, especially at the

Fifth Council of Orléans The Fifth Council of Orléans (28 October 549) assembled nine archbishops and forty-one bishops. Sacerdos of Lyon presided over this council. The presence of these bishops indicates both the wide spread of Christianity in Gaul by the sixth century, ...

in 549."St. Domitian of Huy", ''Catholic Review'', Archdiocese of Baltimore
/ref> He encouraged the development of

polemic Polemic () is contentious rhetoric intended to support a specific position by forthright claims and to undermine the opposing position. The practice of such argumentation is called ''polemics'', which are seen in arguments on controversial topics ...

against heresy in the early church, and worked to evangelize the Meuse Valley."Domitian of Maastricht", Catholic News Service, May 7, 2017
/ref> He is occasionally referred to as the "Apostle of the Meuse Valley" for his efforts there. Domitian also constructed churches and hospices in order to care for people spiritually and physically. He was well known for his generosity, as well as his ability to procure money via fund-raising, a talent that once helped to ease a

famine A famine is a widespread scarcity of food, caused by several factors including war, natural disasters, crop failure, Demographic trap, population imbalance, widespread poverty, an Financial crisis, economic catastrophe or government policies. Th ...

in his bishopric.

Veneration

Domitian's

relic In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tangi ...

s are kept and venerated at the Church of Notre-Dame in

Huy Huy ( or ; nl, Hoei, ; wa, Hu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Huy lies along the river Meuse, at the mouth of the small river Hoyoux. It is in the ''sillon industriel'', the former industrial ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, the city of which he is now the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

. He is also invoked against fevers.

References

Sources

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Domitian of Huy Year of birth unknown 560 deaths 6th-century Christian saints Belgian Roman Catholic saints 6th-century Frankish bishops Huy