Magneric of Trier (also called Magnerich, or Magnericus) (born c. 522, died c. 596) was a

Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...

bishop of Trier The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

and

Orthodox Orthodox, Orthodoxy, or Orthodoxism may refer to: Religion * Orthodoxy, adherence to accepted norms, more specifically adherence to creeds, especially within Christianity and Judaism, but also less commonly in non-Abrahamic religions like Neo-pag ...

saint In Christianity, Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of sanctification in Christianity, holiness, imitation of God, likeness, or closeness to God in Christianity, God. However, the use of the ...

, with a

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 does n ...

on July 25. Magneric was one of the first bishops with a Germanic name. He was a friend and admirer of

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

, mentioned in his ''History of the Franks'', and ordained St Géry, one of his disciples, who became bishop of Cambrai-Arras on the ascent of King

Childebert II Childebert II ( – 596) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia (which included Provence at the time) from 575 until his death in March 596, and the king of Burgundy from 592 to his death, as the adopted son of his uncle Guntram. Childh ...

Venantius Fortunatus Venantius Honorius Clementianus Fortunatus ( 530 600/609 AD; ), known as Saint Venantius Fortunatus (, ), was a Latin poet and hymnographer in the Merovingian Court, and a bishop of the Early Church who has been venerated since the Middle Ages. ...

described the Bishop as virtuous and charitable, and an "ornament of bishops".

Biography

Magneric was born and grew up in Trier, Germany. Not much is known about his early life. Once installed as bishop, he continued the work begun by his predecessor of restoring the city of Trier and its environs. He founded several clerical communities, including St. Eucharius and St. Paulin. He had a great devotion to

Saint Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hungary), he converted to ...

, and built several monasteries and churches dedicated to him. He converted the Holy Cross Church in Trier to an oratory in honour of St Martin; it later became the Abbey of St. Martin or the Deumelberg. Other churches Magneric dedicated to St Martin are in

Yvois Carignan () is a commune in the Ardennes department in northern France. It is the seat of a canton. It was known as Yvoy or Yvois until 1662. History Carignan was, under the name ''Epoissium'', ''Eposium'', ''Epusum'' or ''Ivosium'', a milita ...

, Karden on the Moselle, and a second one in Trier. He gave sanctuary to bishop Theodore of Marseille when he was exiled by

Guntram Saint Gontrand ( 532 in Soissons – 28 March 592 in Chalon-sur-Saône), also called Gontran, Gontram, Guntram, Gunthram, Gunthchramn, and Guntramnus, was the king of the Kingdom of Orléans from AD 561 to AD 592. He was the third-eldest and seco ...

in 585, and pleaded with King

on behalf of the bishop. He lived in the residence of bishop Nicetius, and accompanied the bishop into exile when Nicetius was banished by King

Chlothar I Chlothar I, sometime called "the Old" (French: le Vieux), (died December 561) also anglicised as Clotaire from the original French version, was a king of the Franks of the Merovingian dynasty and one of the four sons of Clovis I. With his eldes ...

. This was an act of revenge for the King being excommunicated. Magneric returned to Trier the next year. He was ordained by Nicetius in 566. Magneric was close to the Merovingian royal house and Childebert II, who made him godfather of his son

Theudebert II Theudebert II () (c.585–612), King of Austrasia (595–612 AD), was the son and heir of Childebert II. He received the kingdom of Austrasia plus the cities (''civitates'') of Poitiers, Tours, Le Puy-en-Velay, Bordeaux, and Châteaudun, as ...

in 586. In 587 he attended a family congress of kings Childebert and Guntram, which nearly cost him his life. At the meeting, Duke Gontran Boson, who had been condemned by the King, fled to his house and took the Bishop hostage. The house was set on fire at the King's command. The proximity to the Merovingian family and his influence on the fortunes of Austrasia and the Gallic Church helped him maintain urban and regional domination until his death.Peter Krause: ''Rechtswissenschaften in Trier''. (Köln u.a. 2007), p410. He was buried in the cemetery of St. Martin's Abbey in Trier. Around the year 1000 Abbot Eberwin wrote a hagiography of the Bishop, whereupon his worship spread throughout Lorraine. In 1506 his grave was opened, and after the destruction of the church his remains disappeared.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Magneric of Trier 520s births 590s deaths 6th-century Frankish bishops 6th-century Christian saints Roman Catholic bishops of Trier Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain