Nicetius
Saint Nicetius of Trier | |
---|---|
Auvergne | |
Died | ~566 Trier |
Venerated in | Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church |
Feast | October 1 (in Trier) December 5 (Roman Martyrology) |
Saint Nicetius (
Nicetius was the most important bishop of the ancient see of Trier, in the era when, after the disorders of the Migrations, Frankish supremacy began in what had been Roman Gaul. Considerable detail of the life of this zealous bishop is known from various sources, from letters written either by or to him, from two poems of Venantius Fortunatus and above all from the statements of his pupil Aredius, later Abbot of Limoges, which have been preserved by Gregory of Tours.[3]
Life
Pastoral work
Nicetius came from a
Trier had suffered terribly during the disorders of the
The bishop devoted himself with great zeal to his pastoral duty. He preached daily, opposed vigorously the numerous evils in the moral life both of the higher classes and of the common people, and in so doing did not spare the king and his courtiers. Disregarding threats, he steadfastly fulfilled his duty. He excommunicated King
Correspondence and personal life
Nicetius corresponded with ecclesiastical dignitaries of high rank in distant places. Letters are extant that were written to him by Abbot
The general interests of the Church did not escape his watchful care. He wrote an urgent letter to Emperor
In his personal life Nicetius was very ascetic and self-mortifying; he fasted frequently, and while the priests and clerics who lived with him were at their evening meal he would go, concealed by a hooded cloak, to pray in the churches of the city. He founded a school of his own for the training of the clergy. The best known of his pupils is the later Abbot of Limoges, Aredius, who was the authority of Gregory of Tours for the latter's biographical account of Nicetius. Gregory of Tours, wrote the oldest Nicetius Vita, and praised the fearless advocacy of the Bishop.
Veneration
Nicetius was buried in the church of
The genuineness of two treatises ascribed to him is doubtful: "De Vigiliis servorum Dei" and "De Psalmodiæ Bono".
References
- ^ Wilhelm Gundlach: Epistolae Austrasicae 7,8, Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina 117, p416–418 & p419–423.
- ^ Diocese of Trier at GCatholic.org.
- ^ a b c Kirsch, Johann Peter. "St. Nicetius." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 28 Mar. 2015
- ^ ISBN 9780520218598
- ^ Brian Brennan, The Career of Venantius Fortunatus, in: Traditio, 1985, p. 57.
- ISBN 9780199596607
- Epistolae Austrasicae7.8, Corpus Christianorum. Series Latina 117, pp 416-418 and pp 419-423.
- ^ Andreas Heinz: In Nicetius. Biographic-bibliographic church encyclopedia (BBKL). Volume 6, (Bautz, Herzberg 1993), p.656-657.
- ^ Hubertus Seibert : Nicetius, bishop of Trier. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 19, (Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1999), p.197.