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Saint Gratus of Oloron (french: Grat d'Oloron; ca, Grat d'Auloron; also known, from his place of birth, as ''Grat de Lichos'') (born 5th century; died after 506) was the first
Odden, Per Einar, "Den hellige Gratus av Oloron ( -~506)", Den katolske kirke, 28 November 2015
/ref> where 34 Catholic bishops of the Visigothic kingdom met under the chairmanship of Saint
Nominis.fr: Saint Grat d'Oloron
* Vrais Chrétiens Orthodoxes Francophones: Grat de Lichos {{DEFAULTSORT:Gratus of Oloron 5th-century births 6th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Bishops of Oloron Gallo-Roman saints 6th-century bishops in Gaul
Saint Gratus of Oloron (french: Grat d'Oloron; ca, Grat d'Auloron; also known, from his place of birth, as ''Grat de Lichos'') (born 5th century; died after 506) was the first bishop of Oloron The former Roman Catholic Diocese of Oloron was a Latin rite bishopric in Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, Aquitaine region of south-west France, from the 6th to the 19th century.
History
The diocese of Oleron already existed in the 6th cen ...
. He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...
and Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
.
Life
He was born in the 5th century at Lichos, in the lower valley of the River Saison, into aCatholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
family.
During his youth Catholics were persecuted by the Arian Euric
Euric (Gothic: ''* Aiwareiks'', see '' Eric''), also known as Evaric, or Eurico in Spanish and Portuguese (c. 420 – 28 December 484), son of Theodoric I, ruled as king (''rex'') of the Visigoths, after murdering his brother, Theodoric II, ...
, king of the Visigoths (466-485). Euric's successor, Alaric II
Alaric II ( got, 𐌰𐌻𐌰𐍂𐌴𐌹𐌺𐍃, , "ruler of all"; la, Alaricus; – August 507) was the King of the Visigoths from 484 until 507. He succeeded his father Euric as king of the Visigoths in Toulouse on 28 December 484; he wa ...
(485-507), was tolerant towards them, permitting among other things the creation of Catholic bishoprics, including that of Oloron, of which Gratus was the first bishop. He took part in 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 m ...
in 506,/ref> where 34 Catholic bishops of the Visigothic kingdom met under the chairmanship of Saint
Caesarius of Arles
Caesarius of Arles ( la, Caesarius Arelatensis; 468/470 27 August 542 AD), sometimes called "of Chalon" (''Cabillonensis'' or ''Cabellinensis'') from his birthplace Chalon-sur-Saône, was the foremost ecclesiastic of his generation in Merovingia ...
.
In 507, the Visigoths were defeated by Clovis at the Battle of Vouillé
The Battle of Vouillé (from Latin ''Campus Vogladensis'') was fought in the northern marches of Visigothic territory, at Vouillé, near Poitiers (Gaul), in the spring of 507 between the Franks, commanded by Clovis, and the Visigoths, comman ...
. After the death of Clovis in 511, however, there was a still a strong Visigothic presence south of the Garonne
The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna
or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – ...
(Aquitaine
Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Janu ...
). Gratus is believed to have died at Jaca
Jaca (; in Aragonese: ''Chaca'' or ''Xaca'') is a city of northeastern Spain in the province of Huesca, located near the Pyrenees and the border with France. Jaca is an ancient fort on the Aragón River, situated at the crossing of two great ...
during this period, from where his body was retrieved and brought to its place of permanent rest in Oloron-Sainte-Marie
Oloron-Sainte-Marie (; oc, Auloron e Senta Maria; eu, Oloroe-Donamaria) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (before 2015: Aquitaine), southwestern France.
History
The town was founded by the ...
.
His feast day is 11 October.
The Cathedral of Oloron-Sainte-Marie was decorated with five gilt and polychrome wooden panels depicting the scenes from the earth and heaven life of Saint Gratus
Notes and references
Sources
Nominis.fr: Saint Grat d'Oloron
* Vrais Chrétiens Orthodoxes Francophones: Grat de Lichos {{DEFAULTSORT:Gratus of Oloron 5th-century births 6th-century deaths Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Bishops of Oloron Gallo-Roman saints 6th-century bishops in Gaul