Saint Genesius of Lyon (Genestus, Genes; died 679) was the 37th

Archbishop of Lyon The Archdiocese of Lyon (Latin: ''Archidiœcesis Lugdunensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Lyon''), formerly the Archdiocese of Lyon–Vienne–Embrun, is a Latin Church metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The Archbishops o ...

Life

He was a native of France and became a religious and abbot (though not of Fontenelle Abbey), attached to the court and camp of

Clovis II Clovis II (633 – 657) was King of Neustria and Burgundy, having succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanthild until her ...

. There he acted as chief

almoner An almoner (} ' (alms), via the popular Latin '. History Christians have historically been encouraged to donate one-tenth of their income as a tithe to their church and additional offerings as needed for the poor. The first deacons, mentioned ...

to the queen, Bathildis.Mershman, Francis. "Genesius." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 6. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 23 October 2017 He succeeded the murdered

Annemund Saint Annemund, also known as Annemundus, Aunemundus, Ennemond and Chamond, was an archbishop of the Archdiocese of Lyon. Annemund was a councillor of Clovis II and a friend of Wilfrid of York. The year of his death is variously given as either 6 ...

in the See of Lyon, and was consecrated in 657 or 658. His name is found for the first time as bishop in a signature of 6 September 664, attached to a charter drawn up by Bertefred, bishop of Amiens, for the

Abbey of Corbie Corbie Abbey is a former Benedictine monastery in Corbie, Picardy, France, dedicated to Saint Peter. It was founded by Balthild, the widow of Clovis II, who had monks sent from Luxeuil. The Abbey of Corbie became celebrated both for its library ...

. On 26 June 667, he subscribed another charter framed by Drauscius, Bishop of Soissons, for a convent of the Blessed Virgin founded by Ebroin, mayor of the palace, and his wife Leutrude. In the conflict between Ebroin and St. Leger (Leodegarius), Bishop of Autun, Genesius (675-76) took the part of the bishop and was in consequence attacked by an armed band sent by Ebroin to expel him from Lyons; but Genesius collected a force and successfully defended his city. In September, 677, he assisted at an assembly held at Maslay-le-Roi or more probably

Marly-le-Roi Marly-le-Roi () is a commune in the Yvelines department in the administrative region of Île-de-France, France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the centre of Paris. Marly-le-Roi was the location of the Château de Marly, t ...

. He was succeeded at Lyon by Landebertus otherwise Lambertus. His body remained in the

Saint-Nizier Church The Church of Saint-Nizier (French: ''Église Saint-Nizier'') is a church in the Presqu'île district of Lyon, France, in the 2nd arrondissement, between the Place des Terreaux and the Place des Jacobins. Its name refers to Nicetius of Lyon, a b ...

till the beginning of the fourteenth century, when it was transferred to

Chelles Abbey Chelles Abbey (french: Abbaye Notre-Dame-des-Chelles) was a Frankish monastery founded around 657/660 during the early medieval period. It was intended initially as a monastery for women; then its reputation for great learning grew, and with the ...

.“Saint Genesius of Lyons”. ''New Catholic Dictionary''. CatholicSaints.Info. 7 November 2016
/ref> He is a Catholic saint, feast day 1 November.

References

;Attribution * {{authority control 679 deaths Archbishops of Lyon 7th-century Christian saints Year of birth unknown 7th-century archbishops Colombanian saints