Saint Castor of Apt (died ca. 420) was a bishop of Apt, in

Gaul Gaul ( la, Gallia) was a region of Western Europe first described by the Romans. It was inhabited by Celtic and Aquitani tribes, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, most of Switzerland, parts of Northern Italy (only durin ...

. He was born in Nîmes and may have been the brother of

Saint Leontius of Fréjus In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

. Castor was a lawyer and married to a wealthy

widow A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can ...

. He lived in

Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Fra ...

. His wife, however, allowed him to enter the religious life; she herself entered a

nunnery A convent is a community of monks, nuns, religious brothers or, sisters or priests. Alternatively, ''convent'' means the building used by the community. The word is particularly used in the Catholic Church, Lutheran churches, and the Anglican ...

. Castor founded the

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

of Manauque (Monanque) in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the France–Italy border, Italian border ...

which followed the monastic rule of

John Cassian John Cassian, also known as John the Ascetic and John Cassian the Roman ( la, Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, ''Ioannus Cassianus'', or ''Ioannes Massiliensis''; – ), was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern ...

. He was subsequently made bishop of

Apt Apt. is an abbreviation for apartment. Apt may also refer to: Places * Apt Cathedral, a former cathedral, and national monument of France, in the town of Apt in Provence * Apt, Vaucluse, a commune of the Vaucluse département of France * A ...

. He died of

natural causes In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a disti ...

Saint John Cassian John Cassian, also known as John the Ascetic and John Cassian the Roman ( la, Ioannes Eremita Cassianus, ''Ioannus Cassianus'', or ''Ioannes Massiliensis''; – ), was a Christian monk and theologian celebrated in both the Western and Eastern ...

wrote the ''De institutis coenobiorum'' at the request of Castor.Dunlop-Wallace-Goodbody, F.G., "all that Remains of Forum Julii", ''The Gentleman's Magazine'', Vol. 297, Bradbury, Evans, 1904, p. 295
/ref> His feast day is September 2. His

relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains of a saint or the personal effects of the saint or venerated person preserved for purposes of veneration as a tang ...

are still preserved in the

cathedral of Apt Apt Cathedral (''Cathédrale Sainte-Anne d'Apt'') is a Roman Catholic church and former cathedral located in the town of Apt in Provence, France now designated as a national monument. The shrine is the relic church of Saint Anne. Formerly a cath ...

, of which he is one of the patrons.

References

External links

Catholic Online: Castor of AptSaints of September 2: Castor of Apt

Saint Castor
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castor Of Apt 420 deaths Bishops of Apt 5th-century bishops in Gaul People from Nîmes 5th-century Christian saints Gallo-Roman saints Year of birth unknown