Caprasius, sometimes Caprasius of Lérins (; died 430), was a

hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...

who lived in Lérins,

Provence Provence is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which stretches from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border to the east; it is bordered by the Mediterrane ...

. Caprasius was born sometime in the fourth century in Gaul. He came from a rich and distinguished family, but gave up great worldly prospects to live as a hermit on the Îles de Lérins in the Mediterranean off the coast of southern Gaul. He was joined by

Honoratus Honoratus (; – 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 north of Gaul to a consular ...

and Honoratus' brother Venantius, two youths who wished to become hermits as well. The three decided to go on pilgrimage to the

Holy Land The term "Holy Land" is used to collectively denote areas of the Southern Levant that hold great significance in the Abrahamic religions, primarily because of their association with people and events featured in the Bible. It is traditionall ...

and visit the holy places of

Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...

and the

lavra A lavra or laura (; Cyrillic: Ла́вра) is a type of monastery consisting of a cluster of cells or caves for hermits, with a church and sometimes a refectory at the center. Lavra monasteries operate within the Orthodox and other Eastern Chri ...

s of

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

.Arduino, Fabio. "San Caprasio Lérins", ''Santi e Beati'', April 23, 2006
/ref> However, Venantius died at

Methoni, Messenia Methoni (), formerly Methone or Modon (), is a village and a former municipality in Messenia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality of Pylos-Nestor, of which it is a municipal unit. The municip ...

, and Caprasius and Honoratus cut short their voyage.St. Caprasius - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online
/ref> Caprasius and Honoratus returned to Gaul, where they established themselves in the hills near

Fréjus Fréjus (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (department), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, Var, Saint-Raphaël ...

before returning to Lérins, where they wished to imitate the

Desert Fathers The Desert Fathers were early Christian hermits and ascetics, who lived primarily in the Wadi El Natrun, then known as ''Skete'', in Roman Egypt, beginning around the Christianity in the ante-Nicene period, third century. The ''Sayings of the Dese ...

. There they were joined by many others, and the hermits were inspired by the monastic rule of

Pachomius the Great Pachomius (; ''Pakhomios''; ; c. 292 – 9 May 348 AD), also known as Saint Pachomius the Great, is generally recognized as the founder of Christian cenobitic monasticism. Coptic churches celebrate his feast day on 9 May, and Eastern Orthodox ...

Lérins Abbey Lérins Abbey () is a Cistercian monastery on the island of Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands, on the French Riviera, with an active monastic community. There has been a monastic community there since the 5th century. The constructio ...

grew up on the site of this community. According to one scholar, Caprasius may not have been the official leader of the community at Lérins, since he may have been advanced in years at this time or else lacked the charisma of Honoratus.

Veneration

Hilarius of Arles Hilary of Arles, also known by his Latin name Hilarius (c. 403–449), was a bishop of Arles in Southern France. He is venerated as a saint in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, with 5 May being his feast day. Life In his ea ...

, who had been a monk at Lérins before becoming

bishop of Arles The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal seat in the city of Arles, in southern France. At the apex of the delta (Camargue) of the Rhone River, some 40 miles from the sea, Arles grew under Liburnian, Celtic, and Punic in ...

, composed a ''laudatio'' in honor of Caprasius after the latter's death, which is the main source for Caprasius’ life. His relics are preserved in the Abbey of San Caprasio in

Aulla Aulla is a ''comune'' in the province of Massa and Carrara, Tuscany, central Italy. It is located in the valley of the Magra, River Magra. Geology In 1977, the Italian geologist Augusto Azzaroli discovered a series of mammal rests with a correl ...

in north

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

. The monastery was established by the Benedictine order as a hostel on the

Via Francigena The Via Francigena (), also known as Francisca or Romea, is an ancient road and Christian pilgrimage, pilgrimage route running from the City status in the United Kingdom#Cathedral towns, cathedral city of Canterbury in England, through France and ...

, the pilgrimage route to Rome. Originally titled Santa Maria, in 1077 it was dedicated to San Caprasio, as the patron of the town and a patron saint of pilgrims. Caprasius should not be confused with another French saint of the same name, the martyr Caprasius of Agen.

References

External links

Catholic Online: CaprasiusSaint of the Day, June 1
at ''SaintPatrickDC.org'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Caprasius, Saint 4th-century births 430 deaths 5th-century Christian saints French hermits Gallo-Roman saints Aulla