Saint Faro (or Burgundofaro; died 675 AD), Count of Guînes, was bishop of Meaux. The family to which Faro belonged is known as the

Faronids Burgundofara (died 643 or 655), also Saint Fara or Fare, was the founder and first Abbess of the Abbey of Faremoutiers. Life Her family is knowns as the Faronids, named after her brother Saint Faro. Her name may mean: 'She who moves the Burgundia ...

and is named after him. He is canonized as a

saint 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 Or ...

in the

Eastern Orthodox Church The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is the second-largest Christian church, with approximately 220 million baptized members. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops vi ...

and

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

History

Burgundofaro was of an ancient noble Burgundian family. His father, Ageneric, was one of the principal lords at the Court of Theodebert II.Monks of Ramsgate. "Faro". ''Book of Saints''
1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 23 February 2013 His brothers were Saint Waldebert, count of Guines, Ponthieu and Saint-Pol who became abbot of Luxeuil, and

Chagnoald Chagnoald (Cagnoald, Cagnou) (died 633 AD) was a Frankish bishop of Laon during the 7th century. The family to which Chagnoald belonged is known as the Faronids, named after his brother Saint Faro, who was bishop of Meaux, while his sister was Sa ...

, who was bishop of Laon, while his sister was

Saint Burgundofara Burgundofara (died 643 or 655), also Saint Fara or Fare, was the founder and first Abbess of the Abbey of Faremoutiers. Life Her family is knowns as the Faronids, named after her brother Saint Faro. Her name may mean: 'She who moves the Burgund ...

,''Fara'' in Lambert, ch. 3. who founded the convent of Faremoûtiers. They were the children of Chagnoric, chancellor to Dagobert I.Butler, Alban. "St. Faro, Bishop of Meaux", ''The Lives of the Saints'', Vol.X, 1866
/ref> Faro spent his youth at the court of King Theodobert II. He served his successor, Theodoric, and then Clotaire II. At court he employed his credit with the king to protect the innocent, the orphan, and the widow; and to relieve and comfort all that were in distress. On one occasion, when provoked at the insolent speeches of certain Saxon ambassadors, Clothaire had them cast them into prison, and swore he would cause them to be put to death. Faro first prevailed on him to defer the execution twenty-four hours, and afterwards not only to pardon them, but also to send them home loaded with presents. His sister, Burgundafara, had become an abbess, and in speaking with her, Faro formed the idea of giving up court life. Blidechilde, his wife, whose consent he asked, was in the same dispositions; and they parted by mutual consent. She took the religious veil, and retired to a solitary place upon one of her own estates. Faro received the tonsure and joined the clergy of Meaux. Faro, who inherited lands in Guines from his brother, count Waldebert, succeeded Gundoald, probably a kinsman of his, as bishop of Meaux at some time between 625 and 637. He built a monastery at Estrouanne, near the English channel port of

Wissant Wissant (; from nl, Witzand, lang, “white sand”) is a seaside commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France. Geography Wissant is a fishing port and farming village located approximately north of Boulogne ...

, destroyed and burnt by Gormond and Isembart. Saint Fiacre approached Bishop Faro, as he had a desire to live a life of solitude in the forest. Faro assigned him a site at Breuil, in the region of Brie. Here Fiacre built an oratory in honour of the Virgin Mary, a hospice in which he received strangers, and a cell in which he himself lived apart.

Notes

External links

Saints of October 28
7th-century Burgundian bishops Bishops of Meaux 675 deaths 7th-century Frankish saints Year of birth unknown Colombanian saints {{France-saint-stub