Eutropius of Orange (; died 475) was

bishop of Orange The ancient residential diocese of Orange in the Comtat Venaissin in Provence, a fief belonging to the papacy, was suppressed by the French government during the French Revolution. It was revived in 2009 as a titular see of the Catholic Church. ...

, France, during the 5th century and probably since 463,Monks of Ramsgate. “Eutropius”. ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 27 January 2013
/ref> in succession to Justus.

Life

Eutropius was born to the nobility, in

Marseille Marseille (; ; see #Name, below) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Bouches-du-Rhône and of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region. Situated in the ...

, where he spent a wild and wasted youth. According to tradition, he was converted by his wife and after her death was ordained a deacon by Eustochius. He became Bishop of Orange, succeeding Justin. At first, he was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the work he would have to do and fled. A man of God named Aper convinced him to return and devote himself to tending his flock. He became famous, among other things, for his extreme devotion. During his episcopate, which lasted about twelve years, he did not hesitate to devote himself to many manual tasks, sometimes in a field where he himself worked with a plough, sometimes at a building site where he carried stones even when the other workers were having their meals. Eutropius corresponded with

Pope Hilarius Pope Hilarius (also Hilarus, Hilary; died 29 February 468) was the bishop of Rome from 461 to 468. In 449, Hilarius served as a legate for Pope Leo I at the Second Council of Ephesus. His opposition to the condemnation of Flavian of Constantinopl ...

and was a friend of Saint

Faustus of Riez Faustus of Riez was an early Bishop of Riez (Rhegium) in Southern Gaul (Provence), the best known and most distinguished opponent of Pelagianism. Biography Faustus was born between 400 and 410, and his contemporaries, Avitus of Vienne and Sidon ...

. Letters from contemporaries speak highly of his learning and piety.

Sidonius Apollinaris Gaius Sollius Modestus Apollinaris Sidonius, better known as Sidonius Apollinaris (5 November, 430 – 481/490 AD), was a poet, diplomat, and bishop. Born into the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, he was son-in-law to Emperor Avitus and was appointed Urb ...

speaks of him in the highest and most reverential terms. He took part in the

Council of Arles Arles (ancient Arelate) in the south of Roman Gaul (modern France) hosted several councils or synods referred to as ''Concilium Arelatense'' in the history of the early Christian church. Council of Arles in 314 The first council of Arles"Arles, S ...

in 463 and 475. His diocese was destroyed by the

Visigoths The Visigoths (; ) were a Germanic people united under the rule of a king and living within the Roman Empire during late antiquity. The Visigoths first appeared in the Balkans, as a Roman-allied Barbarian kingdoms, barbarian military group unite ...

and he died on May 27, 475. He was buried in the Basilica of St Julien d'Antioch, which he himself had built. Around the year 500, his successor Verus wrote his ''Life'', which describes various miracles: the deliverance of a possessed person, the healing of someone struck by lightning; stopping a fire through prayer.

Veneration

His relics are now interred in the altar of St Mary Magdalene's Chapel in the

London Oratory The London Oratory, officially the Congregation of the Oratory of St Philip Neri in London, is a Catholic community of priests living under the rule of life established by Philip Neri (1515–1595). It is located in an Oratory House, next to th ...

. His

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 ...

is May 27. The 19th century stained glass window in the apse of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Orange depicts him.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eutropius of Orange 5th-century births 475 deaths Year of birth unknown 5th-century Christian martyrs Gallo-Roman saints Bishops of Orange People from Marseille