Saint Theodul
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Theodulus Theodoulos () or Theodulus (amongst other variations) is a Greek masculine given name. The name is a theophoric name, meaning 'servant of God' (in a similar construction to Christodoulos).Robert Parker ''et al.''Lexicon of Greek Personal Namesproj ...
,
Théodule Théodule or Theodule is the French form of the given name Theodulus. It may refer to: *Nicolas Anne Théodule Changarnier (1793–1877), French general, born at Autun *Théodule Devéria (died 1871), prominent French egyptologist who lived in the ...
, Saint Theodore for disambiguation.'' Saint Theodore of Octodurum (also ''of Sion'', ''of Grammont''; German ''Theodor von Sitten'', locally '' Joder''; also known as Theodulus, French ''Théodule'', Latin ''Theodolus Sedunensis'' etc.; 4th century) is the first known bishop of Octodurum,
Alpes Poeninae The Alpes Graiae et Poeninae, later known as Alpes Atrectianae et Poeninae (officially Alpes Atrectianae et Vallis Poenina), was a small Alpine province of the Roman Empire created after the merging of the ''Alpes Poeninae'' (or ''Vallis Poenina'' ...
province (present-day
Martigny Martigny (; , ; ) is the capital city of the district of Martigny (district), Martigny, cantons of Switzerland, canton of Canton of Valais, Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 20,000 inhabitants ( ...
,
Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...
,
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
). He is the patron saint of
Valais Valais ( , ; ), more formally, the Canton of Valais or Wallis, is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 cantons forming the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. It is composed of thirteen districts and its capital and largest city is Sion, Switzer ...
and of the
Walser The Walser people are the speakers of the Walser German dialects, a variety of Highest Alemannic. They inhabit the region of the Alps of Swiss Alps, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, as well as the fringes of Italy and Austria. The Walser peopl ...
. His feast day is 16 or 26 August."Theodor (Teodul) von Sitten"
in: Johann Evangelist Stadler (ed.), ''Stadlers Vollständiges Heiligen-Lexikon'' (1858–1882).
He is known to have participated in the Council of Aquileia in 381, his presence being preserved on the attendance list as ''Theodorus Episcopus Octodorensis''. He was also one of the signatories of a letter addressed by the
Synod of Milan The Synod of Milan or Council of Milan may refer to any of several synods which occurred in late Roman Mediolanum or medieval Milan in northern Italy's Po valley: Synod of 345 In 353 or 354, Pope Liberius wrote thus: ''"Eight years ago the Eusebi ...
to
Pope Siricius Pope Siricius ( – 26 November 399) was the bishop of Rome from December 384 to his death on 26 November 399. In response to inquiries from Bishop Himerius of Tarragona, Siricius issued the ''Directa'' decretal, containing decrees of baptism, ...
early in 390, informing him of their condemnation of the monk
Jovinian Jovinian (; died c. 405) was an opponent of Christian asceticism in the 4th century and was condemned as a heretic at synods convened in Rome under Pope Siricius and in Milan by Ambrose in 393 because of his views. Our information about him is d ...
and his followers. He is said to have discovered the tomb of
Saint Maurice Maurice (also Moritz, Morris, Maurits, or Mauritius; ) was an Egyptians, Egyptian military leader who headed the legendary Theban Legion of Roman Empire, Rome in the 3rd century, and is one of the favourite and most widely venerated saints of tha ...
, at which place he established the Abbey of St. Maurice, Agaunum.
Aloys Lütolf Aloys Lütolf (23 July 1824 – 8 April 1879) was a Swiss Catholic priest and ecclesiastical historian. Life Aloys Lütolf was born on 23 July 1824 in Gettnau near Willisau, Switzerland. He made his early studies at the Jesuit College of Schw ...
placed the beginning of his episcopate in the 340s, which would amount to a reign of more than forty years. At first, he would not have had a fixed seat and in some sources is known as "bishop of the Helvetians". It is possible that three distinct historical bishops with the name ''Theodulus'' or ''Theodorus'' are venerated as a single saint. #The first would be the late 4th-century bishop recorded as ''Theodorus'' (fl. c. 350–400). #The second Theodorus/Theodulus is recorded for the year 515. It was at this time that the seat of the bishopric was moved from Martigny to Sion and the remains of the first Theodorus were transferred there. #A third and possibly legendary Theodore is recorded only in ''Acts'' written by a monk called Ruodpertus in c. the 12th century; he is said to have been installed as secular ruler of the Valais by
Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
in 805. The byname "of Grammont" properly only applies to this third Theodorus, who "in certain propria" is said to be a member of the baronial family of this name. The existence of the third Theodorus/Theodulus, "of Grammont", was first questioned in the
Swiss Reformation The Protestant Reformation in Switzerland was promoted initially by Huldrych Zwingli, who gained the support of the magistrate, Mark Reust, and the population of Zürich in the 1520s. It led to significant changes in civil life and state matte ...
, by Johann Stumpf (1546).Gelpke (1862, pp. 740–743): "Theodorus III". The relics of Theodore, transferred to Sion probably in the 6th century, were lost during the French occupation of 1798. There are also accounts of his relics being moved to
Bischofszell Bischofszell ( Alemannic: ''Bischefzèl'') is a village and a municipality in Weinfelden District in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland. It is the seat of the district. In 1987, the city was awarded the Wakker Prize for the preservation of its ...
and by
Ulrich of Augsburg Ulrich of Augsburg (890 – 4 July 973), sometimes spelled ''Uodalric'' or ''Odalrici'', was Prince-Bishop of Augsburg in the Holy Roman Empire. He was the first saint to be canonised not by a local authority but by a Pope. Life Early year ...
to
Ottobeuren Ottobeuren ( Swabian: ''Ottobeire'', Medieval Latin: ''Ottobura'') is a market town and municipality in Bavaria, Germany, located 11 km southeast of Memmingen near the A7. It is famous for Ottobeuren Abbey, situated next to the Basilica. Th ...
. His attribute is a devil bearing a bell. This represents a legend that the pope gifted a church bell to the saint, who forced the devil to carry the bell across
Theodul Pass Theodul Pass, elevation , (German: ''Theodulpass'', Italian: ''Colle del Teodulo'', French: ''Col de Saint-Théodule'', Walser German: ''Theoduljoch'') is a high mountain pass across the eastern Pennine Alps, connecting Zermatt in the Swiss cant ...
(formerly ''Matterjoch'', the naming of the pass after the saint is a 17th-century tradition). According to legend, metal particles from this original bell of Sitten were used in the casting of later bells.
Theodulhorn The Theodulhorn ( - 3,469 m) is a mountain of the Pennine Alps, overlooking the Theodul Pass on the border between Switzerland and Italy. It lies south of Zermatt (in Valais) and east of Breuil-Cervinia (in the Aosta Valley). The northern side of ...
and
Theodul Glacier The Theodul Glacier (also spelled ''Theodule Glacier''; , , ) is a glacier of the Alps, located south of Zermatt in the canton of Valais. It lies on the Swiss side of the Pennine Alps, although its upper basin touches the Italian region of the Ao ...
are in turn named for Theodul Pass.


References

*Kirsten Groß-Albenhausen: "Theodor (…), Bischof von Octodurus" In: ''Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon 11'' (1996), 881–884. *E. F. Gelpke, ''Kirchengeschichte der Schweiz'' (1856–61) I.95ff, 120ff
II.97ff
*E. F. Gelpke, "Theodulus" in: Johann Jakob Herzog (ed.) ''Real-encyklopädie für Protestantische Theologie und Kirche'' vol. 15 (1862)
738–743
*H. Foerster, "Zur Vita sancti Theodori Sedunensis episcopi", ''Zeitschrift für schweizerische Kirchengeschichte'' 33 (1939), 233–240
doi 10.5169/seals-125391
. *''
Acta Sanctorum ''Acta Sanctorum'' (''Acts of the Saints'') is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, organised by the saints' feast days. The project was conceived and ...
'', Augusti Tomus III ol. 37(1737
275–280reprinted 1867
.


External links



{{authority control History of Valais 4th-century bishops in the Roman Empire People from Sion, Switzerland