Paul of Narbonne
Encyclopedia
Saint Paul of Narbonne was one of the "apostles to the Gauls
" sent out (probably under the direction of Pope Fabian
, 236
- 250
) during the consulate of Decius
and Gratus (250-251 AD) to Christianize Gaul
after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian
communities. According to the hagiographies
, Fabian sent out seven bishops from Rome
to Gaul to preach the Gospel: Gatien
to Tours
, Trophimus
to Arles
, Paul to Narbonne
, Saturnin
to Toulouse
, Denis
to Paris
, Austromoine
to Clermont
, and Martial
to Limoges.
Gregory of Tours
(Historia Francorum I, 30), using an acta
of Saturninus, affirms that Paul was among those consecrated priests at Rome and sent to replant the Christian communities in Gaul
. Saturninus of Toulouse and Dionysius (Denis) of Paris were martyred, but Paul survived to establish the church at Narbonne as its first bishop and die in peace. The claim of Prudentius
that Paul's association with the city of Narbonne had made it famous may be read as literary hyperbole
. There is a brief Vita Antiqua perhaps of the 6th century, which has been edited by the Bollandists. It tells that Paul converted the inhabitants of Béziers
, setting over them a bishop, Aphrodisius
, before turning his attention to Narbonne, where he founded two churches. An anecdote recounts how two of his acolytes set a woman's slippers at the foot of his bed, to accuse him of improprieties, but Paul was able miraculously to confound and pardon them.
s moved the seven apostles of Gaul back in time to the apostolic generation (see especially Martial of Limoges
), in order to strengthen local traditions with apostolic connections; such a legend identified third-century Paul with the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus
, who was converted by Paul of Tarsus
(Acts
13:6-13). The historical Paul is still venerated in Narbonne as Saint Paul-Serge through this connection. He is said to have been accompanied by Aphrodisius, who later became the first bishop of Béziers and whom developing tradition identified as the man who sheltered the Holy Family
during their flight into Egypt
.
At Narbonne
the basilica
of Saint-Paul-Serge is a collegiate church built over the burial site of Paul, the first bishop. The site is at the border of an extensive necropolis
of early Christian burials. The early shrine was a small basilica, 12 meters by 6.5 meters, built in the 4th century, destroyed by fire in the 5th century, then occupied by a monastery. As a place of pilgrimage first mentioned in 782 it was rebuilt more than once, most recently between 1180 and 1200, during a period of renewed urban prosperity, reusing old materials and always retaining its ancient foundations. After a fire, work on rebuilding the choir resumed from 1224. The paleochristian crypt
s survive, with 2nd-3rd century mosaic flooring and sarcophagi
.
The basilica became the center of the Bourg Saint Paul sited somewhat apart from the Roman citadel of Narbonne, protected by its own walls and retaining its own separate consuls. "Saint Paul's frog", recognizable in the veinings of a marble stoup
, has given rise to fanciful anecdotes.
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
" sent out (probably under the direction of Pope Fabian
Pope Fabian
Pope Fabian was Pope from January 10, 236 to January 20, 250, succeeding Pope Anterus.Eusebius of Caesarea relates how the Christians, having assembled in Rome to elect a new bishop, saw a dove alight upon the head of Fabian, a layman and stranger to the city, who was thus marked out for this...
, 236
236
Year 236 was a leap year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Verus and Africanus...
- 250
250
Year 250 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Traianus and Gratus...
) during the consulate of Decius
Decius
Trajan Decius , was Roman Emperor from 249 to 251. In the last year of his reign, he co-ruled with his son Herennius Etruscus until they were both killed in the Battle of Abrittus.-Early life and rise to power:...
and Gratus (250-251 AD) to Christianize Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
communities. According to the hagiographies
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
, Fabian sent out seven bishops from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
to Gaul to preach the Gospel: Gatien
Gatianus of Tours
Gatianus was the founding bishop of the see of Tours.-Life:According to Christian historians, during the consulship of the Emperor Decius and Vettus Gratus , Pope Fabian sent out seven bishops from Rome to Gaul to preach the Gospel: Gatianus to Tours, Trophimus to Arles, Paul to Narbonne,...
to Tours
Tours
Tours is a city in central France, the capital of the Indre-et-Loire department.It is located on the lower reaches of the river Loire, between Orléans and the Atlantic coast. Touraine, the region around Tours, is known for its wines, the alleged perfection of its local spoken French, and for the...
, Trophimus
Trophimus of Arles
According to Catholic lore, Saint Trophimus of Arles was the first bishop of Arles, in today's southern France.It was an early tradition of the Church that under the co-Emperors Decius and Herennius Etruscus , Pope Fabian sent out seven bishops from Rome to Gaul, to preach the Gospel: Gatien to...
to Arles
Arles
Arles is a city and commune in the south of France, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the former province of Provence....
, Paul to Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Saturnin
Saturnin
Saint Saturnin of Toulouse , with a feast day entered for November 29, was one of the "Apostles to the Gauls" sent out during the consulate of Decius and Gratus to Christianize Gaul after the persecutions under Emperor Decius had all but dissolved the small Christian communities...
to Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, Denis
Denis
Saint Denis is a Christian martyr and saint. In the third century, he was Bishop of Paris. He was martyred in connection with the Decian persecution of Christians, shortly after A.D. 250...
to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Austromoine
Austromoine
Stremonius or Saint Austremonius or Saint Stramonius or Austromoine, the "apostle of Auvergne," was the first bishop of Clermont.-Legend:...
to Clermont
Clermont
-In Canada:*Clermont, Abitibi-Témiscamingue, Quebec*Clermont, Capitale-Nationale, Quebec-In France:* Clermont, Ariège, in the Ariège département* Clermont, Haute-Savoie, in the Haute-Savoie département* Clermont, Landes, in the Landes département...
, and Martial
Saint Martial
Saint Martial was the first bishop of Limoges in today's France, according to a lost vita of Saturnin, first bishop of Toulouse, which Gregory of Tours quotes in his History of the Franks.-Life:...
to Limoges.
Gregory of Tours
Gregory of Tours
Saint Gregory of Tours was a Gallo-Roman historian and Bishop of Tours, which made him a leading prelate of Gaul. He was born Georgius Florentius, later adding the name Gregorius in honour of his maternal great-grandfather...
(Historia Francorum I, 30), using an acta
Acta
ACTA may refer to:* Administrative Council for Terminal Attachments, a standards organization for terminal equipment such as registered jacks* Alameda Corridor Transportation Authority, in southern California...
of Saturninus, affirms that Paul was among those consecrated priests at Rome and sent to replant the Christian communities in Gaul
Gaul
Gaul was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era, encompassing present day France, Luxembourg and Belgium, most of Switzerland, the western part of Northern Italy, as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the left bank of the Rhine. The Gauls were the speakers of...
. Saturninus of Toulouse and Dionysius (Denis) of Paris were martyred, but Paul survived to establish the church at Narbonne as its first bishop and die in peace. The claim of Prudentius
Prudentius
Aurelius Prudentius Clemens was a Roman Christian poet, born in the Roman province of Tarraconensis in 348. He probably died in Spain, as well, some time after 405, possibly around 413...
that Paul's association with the city of Narbonne had made it famous may be read as literary hyperbole
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
. There is a brief Vita Antiqua perhaps of the 6th century, which has been edited by the Bollandists. It tells that Paul converted the inhabitants of Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
, setting over them a bishop, Aphrodisius
Aphrodisius
Saint Aphrodisius is a saint associated with the diocese of Béziers, in Languedoc, southern France.According to Gregory of Tours, Aphrodisius was an Egyptian who was martyred in Languedoc along with his followers Caralippus , Agapius, and Eusebius.-Legend:A Christian tradition states that he was a...
, before turning his attention to Narbonne, where he founded two churches. An anecdote recounts how two of his acolytes set a woman's slippers at the foot of his bed, to accuse him of improprieties, but Paul was able miraculously to confound and pardon them.
Identification with Sergius Paulus
Medieval legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
s moved the seven apostles of Gaul back in time to the apostolic generation (see especially Martial of Limoges
Saint Martial
Saint Martial was the first bishop of Limoges in today's France, according to a lost vita of Saturnin, first bishop of Toulouse, which Gregory of Tours quotes in his History of the Franks.-Life:...
), in order to strengthen local traditions with apostolic connections; such a legend identified third-century Paul with the Roman proconsul Sergius Paulus
Sergius Paulus
Lucius Sergius Paullus was a Proconsul of Cyprus under Claudius . He appears in Acts , where in Paphos Paul, accompanied by Barnabas and John Mark, overcame the attempts of Bar-Jesus or Elymas and converted Sergius to Christianity....
, who was converted by Paul of Tarsus
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
(Acts
Acts of the Apostles
The Acts of the Apostles , usually referred to simply as Acts, is the fifth book of the New Testament; Acts outlines the history of the Apostolic Age...
13:6-13). The historical Paul is still venerated in Narbonne as Saint Paul-Serge through this connection. He is said to have been accompanied by Aphrodisius, who later became the first bishop of Béziers and whom developing tradition identified as the man who sheltered the Holy Family
Holy Family
The Holy Family consists of the Child Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph.The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in the Roman Catholic Church in honor of Jesus of Nazareth, his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and his foster father, Saint Joseph, as a family...
during their flight into Egypt
Flight into Egypt
The flight into Egypt is a biblical event described in the Gospel of Matthew , in which Joseph fled to Egypt with his wife Mary and infant son Jesus after a visit by Magi because they learn that King Herod intends to kill the infants of that area...
.
At Narbonne
Narbonne
Narbonne is a commune in southern France in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Once a prosperous port, it is now located about from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea...
the basilica
Basilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
of Saint-Paul-Serge is a collegiate church built over the burial site of Paul, the first bishop. The site is at the border of an extensive necropolis
Necropolis
A necropolis is a large cemetery or burial ground, usually including structural tombs. The word comes from the Greek νεκρόπολις - nekropolis, literally meaning "city of the dead"...
of early Christian burials. The early shrine was a small basilica, 12 meters by 6.5 meters, built in the 4th century, destroyed by fire in the 5th century, then occupied by a monastery. As a place of pilgrimage first mentioned in 782 it was rebuilt more than once, most recently between 1180 and 1200, during a period of renewed urban prosperity, reusing old materials and always retaining its ancient foundations. After a fire, work on rebuilding the choir resumed from 1224. The paleochristian crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
s survive, with 2nd-3rd century mosaic flooring and sarcophagi
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
.
The basilica became the center of the Bourg Saint Paul sited somewhat apart from the Roman citadel of Narbonne, protected by its own walls and retaining its own separate consuls. "Saint Paul's frog", recognizable in the veinings of a marble stoup
Baptismal font
A baptismal font is an article of church furniture or a fixture used for the baptism of children and adults.-Aspersion and affusion fonts:...
, has given rise to fanciful anecdotes.