Perpetuus () (died 30 December 490 AD) was the sixth

Bishop of Tours The Archdiocese of Tours (; ) is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd century, while the formal erection of the diocese dates from the 5th century. The ecclesiastical p ...

, serving from 460 to 490.

Life

Born of a

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

ial family of the Auvergne, Perpetuus became bishop of Tours around 460. He succeeded his relative, possibly an uncle, Eustochius, and was succeeded by another close relative, Volusian.Clugnet, Léon. "St. Perpetuus." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 26 November 2022 He was a student of sacred literature and a friend of the poet

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 ...

. It is said of him that he dedicated his considerable wealth to the relief of those in need. He guided the Church of Tours for thirty years, developing and consolidating Christianity in

Touraine Touraine (; ) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, :Loir-et-Cher, Indre and Vien ...

. In 461, Perpetuus presided at a

council A council is a group of people who come together to consult, deliberate, or make decisions. A council may function as a legislature, especially at a town, city or county/shire level, but most legislative bodies at the state/provincial or natio ...

in which eight bishops who were reunited in Tours on the Feast of St. Martin had participated, and at this assembly an important rule was promulgated relative to ecclesiastical discipline. He maintained a careful surveillance over the conduct of the clergy of his diocese, and mention is made of priests who were removed from their office because they had proved unworthy. In 465, he presided over the Council of Vannes, which condemned the use of the '' Sortes Sanctorum''.Wace, Henry. "Perpetuus, St.", ''A Dictionary of Christian Biography''
/ref> Perpetuus actively promoted the cult of Saint

Martin of Tours Martin of Tours (; 316/3368 November 397) was the third bishop of Tours. He is the patron saint of many communities and organizations across Europe, including France's Third French Republic, Third Republic. A native of Pannonia (present-day Hung ...

. He replaced with a beautiful

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

(470) the little chapel of SS. Peter and Paul that Britius had constructed, to protect the tomb of Saint Martin. Euphronius of Autun sent marble for the cover of Martin's tomb. Perpetuus commissioned murals for the walls and inscriptions that explained them. Sidonius contributed a poem for the apse. Built 550 paces from the city, Martin's body was translated with great ceremony in July 473. Perpetuus effectively popularized the cult by making it more accessible, both to the educated classes "...and to ordinary people who could visit the church, view its murals, participate in the festivals, and listen to readings about the saint."Van Dam, Raymond. ''Saints and Their Miracles in Late Antique Gaul'', Princeton University Press, 2011, p. 18
He built

monasteries 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 which m ...

and a good many other churches, notably one in honour of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, which he constructed to receive the roof of the old chapel, as it was of elegant workmanship.

Gregory of Tours Gregory of Tours (born ; 30 November – 17 November 594 AD) was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours during the Merovingian period and is known as the "father of French history". He was a prelate in the Merovingian kingdom, encom ...

states that Perpetuus decreed that all of the members of his

diocese In Ecclesiastical polity, 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 Roman province, prov ...

should fast on Wednesdays and Fridays, except for a few church festivals. He set aside several Mondays as fasts as well, especially from the Feast of St. Martin until the Nativity, a precursor of

Advent Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...

.Baker O.S.B., Pacificus. ''The Christian Advent'', J. Marmaduke, 1755, p. vi
/ref> These fasts were still being observed in the 7th century. At his death, Perpetuus left his vineyards, gold, and houses to benefit the poor. He was buried in the Church of St. Martin, which he had built.

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Perpetuus, Saint 5th-century births 490 deaths Bishops of Tours 5th-century bishops in Gaul 5th-century Christian saints Gallo-Roman saints

Life

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