Saint Lycerius Relicary Saint Lizier de Couserans - Image de pèlerinage - 15e siècle

Saint Lycerius (sometimes also

Glycerius Glycerius () was Roman emperor of the Western Roman Empire, West from 473 to 474. He served as ''comes domesticorum'' (commander of the palace guard) during the reign of Olybrius, until Olybrius died in November 472. After a four-month interre ...

; french: Saint Lizier; ca, Sant Lliceri) (died 548) was a

bishop of Couserans The former French Catholic diocese of Couserans existed perhaps from the fifth century to the French Revolution in the late eighteenth century. It covered the former province of Couserans, in south-west France. Its episcopal seat was in Saint-Lizi ...

in the late 5th and 6th centuries. Bishop Glycerius is recorded as having attended the

Council of Agde The Council of Agde was a regional synod held in September 506 at Agatha or Agde, on the Mediterranean coast east of Narbonne, in the Septimania region of the Visigothic Kingdom, with the permission of the Visigothic King Alaric II. The Council ...

in 506. After his death in 548 he was buried in what is now

Saint-Lizier Cathedral Saint-Lizier Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Saint-Lizier de Saint-Lizier) is one of two former co-cathedrals of the town of Saint-Lizier in southern France. The other is the Notre-Dame-de-la-Sède Cathedral. The Saint-Lizier Cathedral is dedicated ...

and honored as a saint. He is the patron of a number of places in south-western France, notably

Saint-Lizier Saint-Lizier (; oc, Sent Líser) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France, situated on the river Salat. History Saint-Lizier has a rich history stretching back to pre Gallo-Roman times. In 72 BC, Pompey, returning from h ...

, where the cathedral is also dedicated to him; Saint-Lizier d'Ustou (Ariège); and Saint-Lizier-du-Planté (Gers). His feast day is 27 August. Lycerius is also linked with

Lleida Lleida (, ; Spanish: Lérida ) is a city in the west of Catalonia, Spain. It is the capital city of the province of Lleida. Geographically, it is located in the Catalan Central Depression. It is also the capital city of the Segrià comarca, as ...

(Lérida) in

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a ''nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the north ...

, where there is a tradition (undocumented) of a bishop of the same name in the 3rd century. It is not clear to what extent the Catalan traditions reflect a confusion between two separate individuals, if indeed there is any foundation to them. In Lleida his feast is celebrated on 1 September. He is the secondary patron of

, and the patron of

Sant Antoni de Vilamajor Sant Antoni de Vilamajor is a village in the comarca of Vallès Oriental in the province of Barcelona and autonomous community of Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous comm ...

. According to tradition, which cannot be verified, he was a native of ''Civitas Bigorra'', the present

Saint-Lézer Saint-Lézer is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France. See also *Communes of the Hautes-Pyrénées department An intentional community is a voluntary residential community which is designed to have a high de ...

, near

Tarbes Tarbes (; Gascon: ''Tarba'') is a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. It is the capital of Bigorre and of the Hautes-Pyrénées. It has been a commune since 1790. It was known as ''Turba'' ...

. He studied with the

bishop of Tarbes The Roman Catholic Diocese of Tarbes et Lourdes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Tarbiensis et Lourdensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Tarbes et Lourdes'') is a Roman Catholic Latin Rite diocese in France. Until 2002 Tarbes was a suffragan of the Archdiocese of A ...

, and later with Quintí,

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 ...

, who ordained him priest. On account of the sanctity of his life he was elected bishop of Couserans, and also administered the diocese of Tarbes during its vacancy from 506 to 541. He is credited with many miracles of healing. Lycerius is shown wearing bishop's robes standing between two bulls.

Notes

Sources

Catholic Encyclopedia
Bishops of Couserans 6th-century Frankish bishops 6th-century Frankish saints 548 deaths Year of birth unknown {{france-RC-bishop-stub