Saint Lupus (french: Loup, Leu, ( cy, Bleiddian) ( 383 – c. 478 AD) was an early
bishop of Troyes
The Diocese of Troyes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Trecensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Troyes'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Troyes, France. The diocese now comprises the ''département'' of Aube. Erect ...
. Around 426, the bishops in Britain requested assistance from the bishops of Gaul in dealing with
Pelagianism.
Germanus of Auxerre and Lupus were sent.
Life
Born at
Toul, he was the son of a wealthy nobleman, Epirocus of Toul. He has been called the brother of
Vincent of Lérins
Vincent of Lérins ( la, Vincentius; died ) was a Gallic monk and author of early Christian writings. One example was the '' Commonitorium'', c.434, which offers guidance in the orthodox teaching of Christianity. Suspected of semipelagianis ...
. Having lost his parents when he was an infant, Lupus was brought up by his uncle Alistocus. Lupus was brother-in-law to
Hilary of Arles, as he had married one of Hilary's sisters, Pimeniola. Lupus held a number of estates in Maxima Sequanorum, and worked as a
lawyer. After six years of marriage, he and his wife parted by mutual agreement.
Lupus sold his estate and gave the money to the poor. He entered
Lérins Abbey, a community led by
Saint Honoratus
Honoratus (french: Saint Honorat; c. 350 – 6 January 429) was the founder of Lérins Abbey who later became an early Archbishop of Arles. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches.
Life
Honoratus was born in the n ...
, where he stayed about a year. In 427 Honoratus was named Bishop of Arles, and Hilary accompanied him to his new see. Lupus retired to
Macon where he came to the attention of
Germanus of Auxerre, who appointed Lupus bishop of Troyes. Lupus was reluctant to assume this office and at first declined, but eventually relented.
In the autumn of 429, the Council of Arles, at the request of the bishops in Britain, sent Lupus and
Germanus of Auxerre to combat
Pelagianism.
As such, Lupus is remembered in
Wales as ''Bleiddian'' and appears in early
Welsh Literature such as the
Bonedd y Saint The ''Bonedd y Saint'' or ''Seint'' ( Welsh for "Descent of the Saints") is a Welsh genealogical tract detailing the lineages of the early British saints
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional de ...
. He is venerated at
Llanblethian
Llanblethian ( cy, Llanfleiddian) is a village in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales which sits upon the River Thaw. It makes up part of the community of Cowbridge with Llanblethian, which consists of the village itself, the larger market town of Co ...
in the
Vale of Glamorgan. They returned to Gaul just after Easter in the spring of 430. Lupus was bishop for fifty-two years and died at Troyes in 479.
Sidonius Apollinaris called him "The father of fathers and bishop of bishops, the chief of the Gallican prelates, the rule of manners, the pillar of truth, the friend of God, and the intercessor to him for men." He was a friend of Bishop
Euphronius of Autun
Saint Euphronius of Autun (died after 472) was a bishop of Autun between 450 and 490. According to Dom Basil Watkins OSB, Euphronius "was one of the greatest bishops of Gaul..."in the 5th century.[Troyes
Troyes () is a commune and the capital of the department of Aube in the Grand Est region of north-central France. It is located on the Seine river about south-east of Paris. Troyes is situated within the Champagne wine region and is near to ...]
from the
Huns under
Attila
Attila (, ; ), frequently called Attila the Hun, was the ruler of the Huns from 434 until his death in March 453. He was also the leader of a tribal empire consisting of Huns, Ostrogoths, Alans, and Bulgars, among others, in Central and E ...
, in 451.
[St. Lupus - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online](_blank)
/ref> According to the accounts, after praying for many days, Lupus, dressed in full episcopal
Episcopal may refer to:
*Of or relating to a bishop, an overseer in the Christian church
*Episcopate, the see of a bishop – a diocese
*Episcopal Church (disambiguation), any church with "Episcopal" in its name
** Episcopal Church (United State ...
regalia, went to meet Attila at the head of a procession of the clergy. Attila was allegedly so impressed with Lupus that he spared the city. Attila went on to lose the Battle of Châlons. Lupus ran into trouble when Attila asked the bishop to accompany him and his army after Châlons; Attila believed that Lupus’ presence would spare his army from extermination. However, Lupus was accused by the Romans of helping the Huns escape. Lupus was forced to leave Troyes, and he became a hermit in the mountains. But "many scholars doubt the veracity of the account of the Attila incident."[Attwater, Donald. ''The Penguin Dictionary of Saints'',(1945) Reprint: 1981, p. 223.] However, the historical kernel it might contain is that Troyes was spared being sacked by Attila's army and that its inhabitants considered this a miraculous deliverance.
References
External links
Lupus of Troyes
website with thousands of saints, and sources. (an archived, earlier version of "Saint of the Day" at www.saintpatrickdc.org)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lupus Of Troyes
Bishops of Troyes
5th-century bishops in Gaul
380s births
478 deaths
People from Toul
5th-century Christian saints
Gallo-Roman saints
5th-century Latin writers
Latin letter writers