Willicaire (Wilicarius), was arch bishop of Vienne, in Dauphine,

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in the eighth century. He is considered a saint of the Catholic Church locally.

Archbishop of Vienne

Willicaire (sometimes Wilicaire, or Vulchaire) was archbishop of Vienna around the years 740. He received from

Pope Gregory III Pope Gregory III ( la, Gregorius III; died 28 November 741) was the bishop of Rome from 11 February 731 to his death. His pontificate, like that of his predecessor, was disturbed by Byzantine iconoclasm and the advance of the Lombards, in which ...

(731-741), the

Pallium The pallium (derived from the Roman ''pallium'' or ''palla'', a woolen cloak; : ''pallia'') is an ecclesiastical vestment in the Catholic Church, originally peculiar to the pope, but for many centuries bestowed by the Holy See upon metropolit ...

. Louis Duchesne reports that according to the writings of Adon de Vienne (799-875), he "transported the relics of Saints Ferreol and Julien to Vienne as the previous basilica housing them having been burnt down by the Muslims" 1, around 731–734. Wilicaire succeeded Austrebert as Bishop of Vienne. Following the invasion of the Saracens, he had the bones of Blessed Ferreol transferred with the head of the martyr Julien intra muros, and with them he buried martyrs of t the invasion. St Wilicarius (Wilicaire) left his see in c.752 when it fell under Frankish persecution. He took refuge in Rome and then finally retired to the monastery of St Maurice where he died in 765. He is revered as a saint, with a feast held on 13 June.

Retirement

"Wounded by the procedures of
Charles Martel Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesma ...
, retired to the monastery of Agaune", he seems to resign his office at the beginning of the 740s to retire to the monastery of Saint-Maurice d'Agaune, in Valais. Ulysse Chevalier, in the Regeste Dauphinois (1912), gives c. 552.

Life in Saint-Maurice d'Agaune

The historian Chevalier says that "he becomes abbot, then bishop of Sion" . It was mentioned In 765, that Bishop Wilcarius, who leads the community. The list of abbots produced by Leon Dupont Lachenal mentions him as abbot from 760 to 782, "Vulchaire, former Archbishop of Vienne and Bishop of Mentana ( Nomentum) near

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus (legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, Abbot of St-Maurice and Bishop of Sion". During the Council of Attigny, convened around 762/765 by king Pepin le Bref, he was present and signed as archbishop of the abbey of Saint-Mauriceâ.

Louis Duchesne Louis Marie Olivier Duchesne (; 13 September 1843 – 21 April 1922) was a French priest, philologist, teacher and a critical historian of Christianity and Roman Catholic liturgy and institutions. Life Descended from a family of Breton sailors, ...

sayys that he was mentioned in Agaune, in 771. He should not be confused with Abbot Willicaire d'Agaune, who became archbishop of Sens in 769. His death is placed in the year 782.Leon Dupont Lachenal, Â« Les abbés de St-Maurice d'Agaune rchiveÂ», Ã‰chos de Saint-Maurice, 1944 (édition numérique 2012), tome 42, p. 85-86, Â« Abbés de Saint-Maurice et évÃªques de Sion Â» et Â« Mainmise des Rodolphiens et des Savoie. Les Praets Â»

References

{{reflist Saints 8th-century archbishops Archbishops of Vienne