Urban of Langres (327 – c. 390) was a Gallo-Roman

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 ...

and

bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

. He served as the sixth

bishop of Langres The Diocese of Langres (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lingonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Langres'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church comprising the '' département'' of Haute-Marne in France. The diocese is now a suffragan in ecclesias ...

from 374 until his death. Leodegaria was his sister.

Life

Urban was the bishop of Lingonum (now Langres),

Gallia Lugdunensis () was a province of the Roman Empire in what is now the modern country of France, part of the Celtic territory of Gaul formerly known as Celtica. It is named after its capital Lugdunum (today's Lyon), possibly Roman Europe's major city west of ...

, beginning in 374. Legend states that soon after taking his position, political turmoil erupted, and he was driven from his house. Urban hid from his persecutors in a

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

. The vine-dressers in the area concealed him, and he took the opportunity to convert them to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...

. Those same vine-dressers then helped him in his covert ministry, as he moved from one town to another via their vineyards. Urban developed great affection for all the people in the wine industry, and they for him. Urban is thus the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of vine-dressers. SAINT-URBAN-Of-LANGRES

Veneration

The feast day of Saint Urban is 2 April, or 23 January in Langres, France. The cult of Saint Urban of Langres was closely associated with the

weather Weather is the state of the atmosphere, describing for example the degree to which it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloud cover, cloudy. On Earth, most weather phenomena occur in the lowest layer of the planet's atmo ...

. Several old German sayings reflect this: :''Pankraz und Urban ohne Regen / bringen großen Erntesegen :'' he feast days of Pancras and Urban without rain/ bring big rich harvests.''Urban von Langres - Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon
/ref> Pancras, one of the so-called

Ice Saints The Ice Saints are St. Mamertus, St. Pancras of Rome, Pancras, and St. Saint Servatius, Servatius (and in some countries, Saint Boniface of Tarsus, May 14). They are so named because their feast days fall on the days of May 11, May 12 and May 13 ...

, was a saint closely associated with the weather. :''Das Wetter auf St. Urban zeigt des Herbstes Wetter an.'' :''The weather on St. Urban's Day will indicate what the autumn weather will be like.'' These are sayings that are similar to those said of the feast days of

Swithun Swithun (or Swithin; ; ; died 863) was an Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester and subsequently patron saint of Winchester Cathedral. His historical importance as bishop is overshadowed by his reputation for posthumous miracle-working. Accordin ...

Medardus Medardus or Medard (French (language), French: ''Médard'' or ''Méard'') (ca. 456–545) was the Ancient Diocese of Noyon, Bishop of Noyon. He moved the seat of the diocese from Vermand to Noviomagus Veromanduorum (modern Noyon) in northern Fr ...

, Godelieve, and other "weather saints." Another saying ties more closely to Urban's particular patronage of wine growers: :''Ist Sonnenschein am Urbanstag / gedeiht der Wein nach alter Sag'' :''If there is sunshine on St. Urban's Day/ the wine thrives afterwards, they say'' He is often confused with

Pope Urban I Pope Urban I (), also known as Saint Urban (175?–230), was the bishop of Rome from 222 to 23 May 230.Kirsch, Johann Peter (1912). "Pope Urban I" in ''The Catholic Encyclopedia''. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company. He was born in Rome ...

, who wears a

papal tiara The papal tiara is a crown that was worn by popes of the Catholic Church from as early as the 8th century to the mid–20th century. It was last used by Pope Paul VI in 1963, and only at the beginning of his reign. The name ''tiara'' refers t ...

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Urban Of Langres Bishops of Langres 4th-century bishops in Gaul 327 births 390 deaths 4th-century Christian saints Gallo-Roman saints