Rusticus of Narbonne (in French Rustique; died 26 October perhaps 461 AD,) was a monk of the

Lérins Abbey Lérins Abbey () is a Cistercian monastery on the island of Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands, on the French Riviera, with an active monastic community. There has been a monastic community there since the 5th century. The constructio ...

and bishop of Narbonne; he was considered a Catholic

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 ...

Gaul Gaul () was a region of Western Europe first clearly described by the Roman people, Romans, encompassing present-day France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and parts of Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany, and Northern Italy. It covered an area of . Ac ...

. Rusticus was born either at

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 ...

or at

Narbonne Narbonne ( , , ; ; ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was ...

. According to the

Roman Martyrology The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...

, when he had completed his education in Gaul, Rusticus went to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, where he soon gained a reputation as a

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, but he wished to embrace the contemplative life. He wrote to

Jerome Jerome (; ; ; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was an early Christian presbyter, priest, Confessor of the Faith, confessor, theologian, translator, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. He is best known ...

, who advised him to continue his studies, commending him to imitate the virtues of

Exuperius Exuperius (also Exsuperius) () (died c. 410) was Bishop of Toulouse at the beginning of the 5th century. Life His place and date of birth are unknown. Upon succeeding Sylvius as bishop of Toulouse, he ordered the completion of the basilica of ...

Toulouse Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...

and to follow the advice of , then

Bishop of Marseille The Archdiocese of Marseille (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Massiliensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Marseille'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical jurisdiction or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France.Lérins Abbey Lérins Abbey () is a Cistercian monastery on the island of Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands, on the French Riviera, with an active monastic community. There has been a monastic community there since the 5th century. The constructio ...

. He was ordained at Marseille, and on 3 October 430 (or 427) was consecrated Bishop of Narbonne. He was present at the

First Council of Ephesus The Council of Ephesus was a council of Christian bishops convened in Ephesus (near present-day Selçuk in Turkey) in AD 431 by the Roman Emperor Theodosius II. This third ecumenical council, an effort to attain consensus in the church th ...

in 431 With all his zeal, he could not prevent the progress of the

Arian Arianism (, ) is a Christological doctrine which rejects the traditional notion of the Trinity and considers Jesus to be a creation of God, and therefore distinct from God. It is named after its major proponent, Arius (). It is considered he ...

heresy which the

Goths The Goths were a Germanic people who played a major role in the fall of the Western Roman Empire and the emergence of medieval Europe. They were first reported by Graeco-Roman authors in the 3rd century AD, living north of the Danube in what is ...

were spreading abroad; there is evidence that an Arian rival bishop was established in Narbonne. The siege of Narbonne by the Goths in 436 and dissensions among the

Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

so disheartened him that he wrote to

Pope Leo I Pope Leo I () ( 391 – 10 November 461), also known as Leo the Great (; ), was Bishop of Rome from 29 September 440 until his death on 10 November 461. He is the first of the three Popes listed in the ''Annuario Pontificio'' with the title "the ...

, renouncing the

bishopric In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

, but Leo dissuaded him (''Epistle'' CLXVII). Rusticus then endeavored to consolidate the Catholics. In 444–448, he rebuilt the church in Narbonne dedicated to Saint Genès of Arles, which had burned in 441; the lower part of the cathedral tower, however, which was once attributed to Rusticus, is now seen to be work of the 14th century. He was one of the twelve bishops who assembled in 449, to elect Ravennius

bishop of Arles The former French Catholic Archbishopric of Arles had its episcopal seat in the city of Arles, in southern France. At the apex of the delta (Camargue) of the Rhone River, some 40 miles from the sea, Arles grew under Liburnian, Celtic, and Punic in ...

. In 451, he assisted at the convocation of forty-four bishops of Gaul and approved Leo's letter to Flavian, concerning

Nestorianism Nestorianism is a term used in Christian theology and Church history to refer to several mutually related but doctrinary, doctrinarily distinct sets of teachings. The first meaning of the term is related to the original teachings of Christian t ...

. He was present also at a

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 ...

, held at some point between 449 and 461, with thirteen bishops, to decide the dispute between Theodore, Bishop of Fréjus, and the Abbey of Lérins. Munier, ''Concilia Galliae, A. 314 - A. 506'', pp. 131-132, the letter of summons reading: "Ad sanctum Rusticum: Ac praecipue beatitudo uestra ut adsit primum deprecamur, quia grauior infirmitas necessarie medicos peritissimos inquirit." a letter from Ravennius to Rusticus, proves the high esteem in which he was held. Rusticus' own letters are lost, with the exception of the one to Jerome and two others to Leo, written either in 452 or 458.

Notes and references

Bibliography

*
Letter of Leo the Great (CLXVII) to Rusticus
* Marrou, Henri-Irenee, "Le dossier epigraphique de l'eveque Rusticus de Narbonne," ''Rivista di archeologia cristiana'' 3-4 (1970) pp 331– 349. ::: {{authority control 461 deaths Bishops of Narbonne 5th-century bishops in Gaul 5th-century Christian saints Gallo-Roman saints Year of birth unknown