Saint Germerius (french: Saint Germier) (ca. 480- ca. 560 AD) was
bishop of Toulouse
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Toulouse (–Saint Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux) ( la, Archidioecesis Tolosana (–Convenarum–Rivensis); French: ''Archidiocèse de Toulouse (–Saint-Bertrand de Comminges–Rieux-Volvestre)''; Occitan: ''A ...
from 510 to 560 AD. There is some question as to whether he actually existed. He is 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 ...
of the abbey of
Lézat.
[Remembering Kings Past by Amy G. Remensnyder. Cornell University Press, 1995.](_blank)
. retrieved 5 June 2007].
He was a native of
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
, or possibly of
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
.
After coming to
Gaul
Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only during ...
from Jerusalem, he was ordained a
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...
. He then received an instruction from an
angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...
, telling him to go to Paris where he would be made a
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 ...
at the age of thirty. He did so, and was made the bishop of Toulouse there.
According to one version of his story, on his way to Toulouse, he was summoned by the king
Clovis I
Clovis ( la, Chlodovechus; reconstructed Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first king of the Franks to unite all of the Frankish tribes under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a single kin ...
to the royal palace. There, Germerius gave the
Eucharist
The Eucharist (; from Greek , , ), also known as Holy Communion and the Lord's Supper, is a Christian rite that is considered a sacrament in most churches, and as an ordinance in others. According to the New Testament, the rite was instit ...
to the king and his sons and heard their confessions. Later, Clovis asked for the bishop's prayers and offered in exchange whatever Germerius asked. Germerius told him that he wanted an estate in the Toulouse area, exactly, as much area as the shadow of his cloak could cover in Ducorum.
Clovis agreed to give Germerius an area of six miles around Ducorum, and issued a written charter of liberty to substantiate as much. Clovis then requested the bishop to remain a further twenty days, and he agreed to do so.
Upon his arrival in his new territory, Germerius founded two churches. One was dedicated to
Saint Martin and the other to
Saint Saturninus. The former has subsequently been identified as either the church of Saint-Martin in
Ox, a village roughly 4 kilometers southwest of
Muret
Muret (; in Gascon Occitan ''Murèth'') is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. Its inhabitants are called ''Muretains''.
It is an outer suburb of the city o ...
, or the church of Saint-Martin of Roziniac. Both of these churches fell under the possession of the monastic community Germerius founded. Germerius also established the monastery of
Saint-Germier, which took possession of all these properties.
Clovis is also reported to have given Germerius a number of other gifts, including
vestments
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; this w ...
, the articles required for liturgical practices.
This version of the story is explicitly included in the life of Germerius published by the abbey, as it makes it clear that the estates of the monastery were given to it by the king himself.
He died at Ducorum. 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 May 16.
References
External links
St. Germerius
{{DEFAULTSORT:Germerius
480 births
560 deaths
6th-century Frankish saints
6th-century bishops in Gaul
Bishops of Toulouse
People whose existence is disputed
Year of birth uncertain
Year of death uncertain