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Audoin (; AD 609 – on 24 August 684), venerated as Saint Audoin, was a Frankish bishop, courtier, hagiographer and saint. He authored ''Vita Sancti Eligii'' which outlines the life and deeds of Eligius, his close friend and companion in the royal court and the Church.


Life

Audoin came from a wealthy aristocratic Frankish family who held lands in the upper
Seine The Seine ( , ) is a river in northern France. Its drainage basin is in the Paris Basin (a geological relative lowland) covering most of northern France. It rises at Source-Seine, northwest of Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plat ...
and
Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...
valleys. His father was Authaire (Audecharius). Audoin was a first cousin of
Agilbert Agilbert ( 650–680) was the second bishop of the West Saxon kingdom and later Bishop of Paris. He is venerated as a saint within the Catholic Church, with his feast day falling on 11 October. The date and place of Agilbert's birth are unknown ...
, bishop of the
West Saxons The Kingdom of the West Saxons, also known as the Kingdom of Wessex, was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom in the south of Great Britain, from around 519 until Alfred the Great declared himself as King of the Anglo-Saxons in 886. The Anglo-Saxons beli ...
. He spent his childhood at
Ussy-sur-Marne Ussy-sur-Marne (, literally ''Ussy on Marne'') is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. Demographics Inhabitants of Ussy-sur-Marne are called ''Ussois''. Notable people * André the Gi ...
, and was then sent to be educated at the
Abbey of Saint-Médard de Soissons The Abbey of Saint-Médard de Soissons was a Rule of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery, at one time held to be the greatest in France.
. From there he went to the court of
Chlothar II Chlothar II, sometimes called "the Young" ( French: le Jeune), (May/June 584 – 18 October 629) was king of the Franks, ruling Neustria (584–629), Burgundy (613–629) and Austrasia (613–623). The son of Chilperic I and his third wife, Fred ...
(d.629), where training both military and literary was given to young noblemen, he served
Dagobert I Dagobert I (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...
as one of his referendaries (administrators).Fouracre, Paul and Gerberding, Richard A., ''Late Merovingian France'', Manchester University Press, 1996
"Clothar's household seems to have been of particular importance in determining who was to be of political importance for the next two reigns."Wood, Ian. ''The Merovingian Kingdoms 450-751'', Routledge, 2014


Court official

He was part of a group of young courtiers like
Wandrille Saint Wandregisel () (c. 605–668 AD) was a Frankish courtier, monk, and abbot. Life The son of Walchisus, a kinsman of Pepin of Landen, he was born around 605, near Verdun in the region then known as Austrasia. He was educated at the Frankish ...
and
Didier of Cahors Saint Didier, also known as Desiderius ( AD – November 15, 655), was a Merovingian-era royal official of aristocratic Gallo-Roman extraction. He succeeded his own brother, Rusticus of Cahors, as bishop of Cahors after the latter's murder. Did ...
and was a close friend of Eligius, whose ''vita'' he wrote. He and Eligius served as royal envoys to persuade Amadus to baptize Dagobert's son. According to Ian Wood, "...Audoin and Eligius were arguably the most influential churchmen in
Francia The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest History of the Roman Empire, post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks, Frankish Merovingian dynasty, Merovingi ...
during the seventh century." In 634 Audoin was ordained priest by Dieudonné,
Bishop of Mâcon A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of dioceses. The role ...
. The following year, he and his brothers Ado and Rado founded Rebais Abbey, on land donated by King Dagobert. Audoin appointed his relative,
Agilus Saint Agilus (or Agilo, Ayeul, Aisle, Ail, Aile; c. 580–650) was a Frankish nobleman who became a Christian missionary in Bavaria and later was abbot of Rebais monastery near Paris, France. He was considered a saint, and his feast day is 30 Au ...
, as first abbot. He also took part in the founding of Saint-Wandrille monastery in Rouen, and a nunnery at Fécamp.
Fredegar The ''Chronicle of Fredegar'' is the conventional title used for a 7th-century Franks, Frankish chronicle that was probably written in Burgundy. The author is unknown and the attribution to Fredegar dates only from the 16th century. The chronic ...
reports that even as court referendary, Audoin had a reputation of being a religious man. According to
Wilhelm Levison Wilhelm Levison (27 May 1876 – 17 January 1947) was a German Jewish medievalist. He was well known as a contributor to ''Monumenta Germaniae Historica'', especially for the vitae from the Merovingian era. He also edited Wilhelm Wattenbach's ' ...
in his ''Vita Audoini episcopi Rotomagensis'', Audoin spent a year in evangelical exile as a missionary in Spain just prior to becoming bishop.Levison, Wilhelm, ''Life of Audoin, Bishop of Rouen'' (''Vita Audoini episcopi Rotomagensis'', BHL 750, CPL 2088), 1910, pp. 553-567. translated by Fouracre and Gerberding 1996, pp. 152-65. Summary by Benjamin Savill, 9 May 2019, ''The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity Database'', University of Oxford
E06275
retrieved 24 June 2024


Bishop

In 641 he succeeded
Romanus Romanus (Latin for "Roman"), hellenized as Romanos (Ῥωμανός) was a Roman cognomen and may refer to: People * Adrianus Romanus, Flemish mathematician (1561–1615) *Aquila Romanus, Latin grammarian * Franz Conrad Romanus (1671-1746), Mayor ...
as
bishop of Rouen The Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Archbishop of Rouen's ecclesi ...
. Through his influence,
Erchinoald Erchinoald (also ''Erkinoald'' and, in French, ''Erchenout'') succeeded Aega as the mayor of the palace of Neustria in 641 and succeeded Flaochad in Burgundy in 642 and remained such until his death in 658. Family According to Fredegar, he was ...
donated to
Wandregisel Saint Wandregisel () (c. 605–668 AD) was a Frankish courtier, monk, and abbot. Life The son of Walchisus, a kinsman of Pepin of Landen, he was born around 605, near Verdun in the region then known as Austrasia. He was educated at the Frankish ...
the land for Fontenelle Abbey in Normandy. He developed theological studies and participated in the fusion of the rule of Saint Colomban and that of Saint Benedict. During the regency of Queen Bathilde, Audoin became one of the first counsellors of the queen. He was an advisor of
Theuderic III Theuderic III (also spelled Theuderich, Theoderic or Theodoric; , 651–691) was King of the Franks in the 7th century. He ruled Neustria and Burgundy on two occasions (in 673 and again from 675 to 691), as well as Austrasia from 679 until his ...
and upheld the policy of
Ebroin Ebroin (died 680 or 681) was the Frankish mayor of the palace of Neustria on two occasions; firstly from 658 to his deposition in 673 and secondly from 675 to his death in 680 or 681. In a violent and despotic career, he strove to impose the ...
, the
mayor of the palace Under the Merovingian dynasty, the mayor of the palace or majordomo, ( or ) was the manager of the household of the Frankish king. He was the head of the Merovingian administrative ladder and orchestrated the operation of the entire court. He ...
, to such a degree that he was involved in the mistreatment of
Leodegar Leodegar of Poitiers (; ; 615 – October 2, 679 AD) was a martyred Burgundian Bishop of Autun. He was the son of Saint Sigrada and the brother of Saint Warinus. Leodegar was an opponent of Ebroin, the Frankish Mayor of the Palace of Neustria, ...
. The bishop's position was strengthened when Theuderic confirmed to him the right to elect and approve the Count of Rouen. Around 675 Audoin made a pilgrimage to Rome. There he visited the sanctuaries, distributed alms to the poor of Rome, and collected relics to bring back to Rouen. After Ebroin's death in 681, he went to Cologne and succeeded in restoring peace between Neustria and Austrasia, but died shortly thereafter at the royal villa at Clichy on 24 August 684. He was buried in the Church of Sant-Peter which he himself had built. The former abbot of Fontenelle,
Ansbert Ansbert may refer to: * Ansbert (6th century), Frankish nobleman *Ansbert of Rouen Ansbert (died c. 695), sometimes called Ansbert of Chaussy, was a Frankish monk, abbot and bishop of Rouen, today regarded as a saint in the Catholic Church and ...
, succeeded Audoin as Bishop and had his predecessor reburied behind the high altar, the equivalent of a canonization. Audoin wrote a ''vita'' of his friend, Eligius. This biography, which is one of the most authentic historical monuments of the seventh century, contains a store of valuable information regarding the moral and religious education of that time, and also testifies to the life of Aurea of Paris. A poem on Audoin's life was written in the tenth century by
Frithegod Frithegod, (flourished ''circa'' (''c.'') 950 to ''c.'' 958) was a poet and clergyman in the mid 10th-century who served Oda of Canterbury, an Archbishop of Canterbury. As a non-native of England, he came to Canterbury and entered Oda's service a ...
, but it is now lost. The author of the '' Liber Historiae Francorum'', thoroughly hostile to the memory of Ebroin, invariably referred to Audoin as "blessed" or "sainted", and in describing his death said he "migravit ad Dominum", a phrase he otherwise reserved in the original part of his history for the death of the "glorious lord of good memory,
Childebert III Childebert III (or IV), called the Just () ( 678/679 – 23 April 711), was the son of Theuderic III and Chrothildis (or Doda) and sole king of the Franks (694–71 He was seemingly but a puppet of the mayor of the palace, Pepin of Heristal, t ...
, the just king".''
Monumenta Germaniae Historica The (Latin for "Historical Monuments of Germany"), frequently abbreviated MGH, is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of parts of Northwestern, Central and Souther ...
, Scriptorum Rerum Merovingicarum'' t. II, pp. 320–322, 324.


See also

*
Church of Saint-Ouen-le-Vieux The Church of Saint-Ouen-le-Vieux () or the Church of Vieux-Saint-Ouen (') is a Roman Catholic church dedicated to St. Ouen and located in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis, France. It was listed as a Historic Monument ...
* Church of Saint Ouen, Jersey * Church of Saint Audoen, London * Church of saint Audoen, Rosnoen (catholic, France) *
St. Audoen's Church, Dublin (Church of Ireland) St Audoen's Church (, ) is the church of the parish of Saint Audoen in the Church of Ireland, located south of the River Liffey at Cornmarket in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. This was close to the centre of the medieval city. The parish ...
* St. Audoen's Church, Dublin (Roman Catholic)


Notes


References


Sources

* ''Alban Butler's Lives of the Saints, edited, revised and supplemented'' by Thurston and Attwater. Christian classics, Westminster, Maryland. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Audoin 609 births 686 deaths 7th-century Frankish bishops 7th-century Frankish saints 7th-century Frankish writers 7th-century writers in Latin Bishops of Rouen Colombanian saints