Caesarius of Clermont

ON ST. CAESARIUS OF CLERMONT, BISHOP OF THE ARVERNI IN GAUL,

ABOUT THE YEAR DCCXL.

Caesarius, bishop of the Arverni. (S.)

BY C. D. S.

St. Caesarius, bishop of the Arverni, is praised in these few words by Savaron in his French work written on the history of the city of Clermont, Testimonies concerning St. Caesarius of Savaron and Saussay; where he treats of the bishops of Clermont who have been enrolled among the saints: Twenty-second, St. Caesarius died on the first day of November. The church of Clermont celebrates his feast, and an old martyrology mentions him Les origines de la ville de Clairmont en Auvergne, p. 142. (2nd ed., p. 54). : a manuscript, namely, of the same church, which is there cited in the margin. More fully Saussay in the Gallican Martyrology at the 1st day of November: At Clermont, of St. Caesarius, bishop and confessor of the same municipality of the Arverni, who, made successor in that see of St. Justus, the follower of Avolus, in view of his conspicuous virtue and wisdom, so conducted himself in that office that by the urgency of his doctrine and the examples of a heavenly life he brought very many men to the cultivation of justice and piety, and carried all away to admiration and veneration of himself. When he was strong in this glory, invited to the Council of Reims, which came together under Sonatius from nearly all the provinces of Gaul, he took part in it in a worthy place with the principal pontiffs of the Gauls, and subscribed to the twenty-seven canons which were issued there for the comeliness of the Church and the constitution of sacred polity. Hence he was held in particular honour by Desiderius, the most holy and most learned prelate of Cahors, on account of his reputation for much sanctity, doctrine and experience of sacred affairs, and was also greeted with a synodical letter. But not only by those commendations, that he was celebrated in his age in the episcopate, in the opinion of notable men, did Caesarius consecrate his memory to posterity, but by holy deeds, to which, applying himself with all zeal, at last, famous for the praise of a life led divinely, he departed to eternal glory. The church of Clermont, holding his name in veneration nearly from the time of his death, inscribed it on its tablets: and from then till today it honours his passing with the praise due to his beatitude Martyrol. Gallican., p. 813. .

[2] few things about him are preserved in the old monuments. Thus far Saussay, who I wish had indicated from where he gathered that Caesarius was inscribed immediately after his death in the calendar of saints of the church of the Arverni, and had drawn the other things which he proclaims of his virtues. For no other distinct mention of Caesarius of Clermont could be found in the ancient monuments apart from among the names of the bishops of Gaul who, forty in number, subscribed to the Council of Paris or Clichy in the year 628 [In Euseb. Amort., Elementa juris canonici veteris et moderni, vol. II, p. 421; J. Friedrich, Drei unedierte Concilien aus der Merovingerzeit.] , and of those who, likewise more than forty in number, took part in the Council of Reims under Bishop Sonatius Flodoard., Hist. eccl. Rem., bk. II, ch. 5 (P. L., vol. CXXXV, p. 102). . That Council of Reims the collectors of the Councils, after Sirmond Conc. Gall., vol. I, p. 479. , attached to the year 630. Yet Sirmond himself professed that this year was not indicated by him with sufficient certainty. For concerning the year of the council (he says) it is not clear. However, that it was held under King Dagobert, who succeeded his father Clotaire in the year of Christ DCXXVIII, is proved, in the catalogue of the bishops who were present, by Rusticus, bishop of Cahors: who, created bishop from a cleric of Dagobert's palace, presided for only seven years, and had as successor Desiderius in the 7th year of the same Dagobert, that is, in the year of Christ DCXXXV. But if the discussion is about the years of Dagobert in which he reigned in Austrasia before his father's death, a somewhat earlier year of Christ will suit this synod Ibid., p. 619. .

[3] [From the time of the celebration of the Council of Reims, which from the age of those who took part in it] And yet that the Council of Reims was in truth celebrated while Clotaire II, who died in the year 628, was still reigning, Le Cointe clearly demonstrates Annal. eccl. Franc., at the year 625, n. 14. by this twofold argument. First, namely, in a diploma of Clotaire for the monastery of Saint-Bénigne Gallia Christ., vol. IV, p. 523. there is named Bertoald, bishop of Langres, successor Gallia Christ. vol. IV, p. 523. of Modoald, who took part in the Council of Reims Cf. Flodoard., loc. cit. . Moreover in the Life of St. Leodegar, which Ursinus composed at the order of Ansoald, prelate of Poitiers Act. SS., vol. I Oct., p. 485. , it is indicated that Dido, the predecessor of Ansoald himself, occupied that see in the time of Clotaire II. For the blessed Leodegar, as Ursinus writes Ibid. , sprung from the high and most noble offspring of the Franks, from the infancy of his first age was handed over by his parents in the palace to King Lothar; and by the same king not long afterwards he was given to Dido, prelate of the city of Poitiers, his uncle namely, to be imbued in the study of letters. Now Dido was appointed in place of John, who is reported by Flodoard among the Fathers of the Council of Reims.

[4] it may be indicated with sufficient certainty, From these things, therefore, we certainly gather that the Council of Reims was held not later than the year 628. Indeed neither may it be set within the two years above, since Senoc, bishop of Eauze, also took part in it Flodoard., loc. cit. ; and he, by the testimony of Fredegar Chronic., ch. 54 (Bouquet, vol. II, p. 434). , was driven into exile in the forty-third year of Clotaire, or the year of our era 626. There took part also Arnulf of Metz, who in the year 627 gave up the episcopate Cf. Bonnell, Die Anfänge des Karolingischen Hauses, pp. 98, 189–190. . On the other hand, St. Sulpicius the Pious, bishop of Bourges, who succeeded St. Austregisilus in the year 624, subscribed to the Council of Reims Gallia Christ., vol. II, p. 16. . From all these things, therefore, it must be concluded that the time of the celebration of the Council of Reims must be contracted to between the years 624 and 626, and accordingly that it is not undeservedly connected by Le Cointe Annal. eccl. Franc., at the year 625, n. 14. and other more recent writers [Mansi, Conc., vol. X, p. 591 note (where a double typographical fault occurs in the numbers, since at the beginning 638 is printed for 628 and at the end 623 for 625); Hefele, Conciliengesch., vol. III (2nd ed.), p. 74.] with the year 625 or 624.

[5] it is gathered that Caesarius flourished around the year 625. Hence it appears that it must be held for certain that our Caesarius flourished in the episcopal dignity in this same year, and that James Branche shamefully blunders when he ascribes Caesarius to the times of Charlemagne and the Council of Reims, in which he took part, to the year 813 La vie des saincts et sainctes d' Auvergne et de Velay, p. 628. . Hence also deservedly, after Le Cointe At the year 625, n. 1. , the Sammarthani Gallia Christ., vol. II, p. 244. reprove the writer of the Acts of St. Maximus

abbot of Limonicum on the Rhône, edited by our predecessors at the 2nd day of January, who at this year mentions a bishop of the Arverni named Augustine, and makes him, with Paschasius bishop of Vienne, equally unknown, a witness of the death of St. Maximus.

[6] Letter of St. Desiderius of Cahors to St. Caesarius. Another notice, such as it is, concerning our saint is dug out from the letter which is read as addressed to Bishop Caesarius among the letters of St. Desiderius of Cahors, ordained bishop in the year 629 Le Cointe, at the year 629, n. 3. : whence it is gathered that Caesarius held the see of the Arverni in this year or even afterwards. And although this letter contains nothing further that helps to illustrate his history, yet since it is sufficiently brief, it will not irk us to recite it in this place, lest we seem to defraud the reader of any document relating to the praise of our saint. It is framed in these words: To his ever lord Bishop Caesarius, Desiderius a sinner. Desirable joys come to us as often as an approach presents itself by which we can direct the letters of our littleness to your kindliness; and therefore, the courtesies of greeting being set first, we admonish you with fraternal charity that you labour with all effort and every endeavour to attain the things on which our mutual conversation turned, that is, those which are known to pertain to the profit of the soul, just as on the contrary you strive with all your strength to flee those things which evidently hinder the salvation of the soul. And since charity bears all things, as you see us bearing solicitude for your salvation, so do you also deign to be solicited concerning our smallness, lest, which God forbid, any fault hidden from us should be published to our neighbours and at some time be set against us as a reproach. Moreover I believe that it is not hidden from you either what want we have in this city of Cahors of water furnished by a fountain. But the will is in us, if possis * permits, that we should bring water to the city itself through wooden pipes by subterranean work. Accordingly, since we know that you have craftsmen skilled in this, we pray that you make a provision of them, and we will most fully serve you in whatever you command. Let your apostolic person so act both concerning the aforesaid admonition and concerning the last suggestion, as we in all things effectively trust on your part. May the divine piety keep your pontificate unharmed P. L., vol. LXXXVII, p. 255. .

[7] [The burial of St. Caesarius. His cult is now approved by the authority of the holy see.] St. Caesarius is reported to have been buried in the church of St. Mary Magdalene, which was situated in the quarter of the city of Clermont still called Bois-de-Cros Resie (L. E. de), Histoire de l'Eglise d'Auvergne, vol. II, p. 16. . But none of his relics now survive, nor are his deeds known, which the Proper of Clermont approved by Pius IX of happy memory also indicates [Edit. by order of the Most Ill. and Most Rev. Lord Louis Charles Féron, Paris, Adrien Le Clere and Co., year 1855.] , in the feast of All the Saints of Auvergne at the 5th day of November, listing among the Pontiffs of the Arverni Leogontius, Avolus, Justus, CAESARIUS, Gallus the second of this name, Felix, of whom only the names and the memory of their virtues have remained Autumn Part, p. 68, lesson IV end. .

* potestas?