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ER 1982
Proserius, martyrarius and possibly a presbyter in Brioude (Gaul), dies. Deacon Urbanus from the same church is appointed an aedituus in his place, all in the second half of the 6th century. Account of Gregory of Tours, "The Miracles of the Martyr Julian", Tours (Gaul), AD 573/585.
46.
 
Eo tempore, cum post obitum Proserii martyrarii, Urbanus diaconus huius basilicae ordinatur aedituus, mira res ad sepulcrum sancti apparuit.
 
In what follows, Gregory still refers to Urbanus as a deacon.
  
(ed. de Nie 2015: 410, summarised by J. Szafranowski)
46.
 
After the death of Proserius, the guardian of the martyr's shrine (martyrarius), when the deacon Urbanus was ordained as the guardian of the basilica (aedituus), a marvelous thing was manifested at the tomb of the holy man.
 
In what follows, Gregory still refers to Urbanus as a deacon.
 
(trans. de Nie 2015: 411, summarised by J. Szafranowski)

Discussion:

Since Urbanus remained a deacon, it seems that aedituus was a function within a church rather than an ecclesiastical office. The fact that Gregory refers to Proserius as martyrarius and to Urbanus as aedituus may suggest that martyrarius was a title reserved only for presbyters.

Place of event:

Region
  • Gaul
City
  • Brioude

About the source:

Author: Gregory of Tours
Title: The Miracles of the Martyr Julian, The Suffering and Miracles of the Martyr Saint Julian, De passione, virtutibus et gloria sancti Iuliani martyris, Virtutes sancti Iuliani
Origin: Tours (Gaul)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
It seems that Gregory of Tours (Gaul) started to collect the stories of Julian`s miraculous interventions and his sanctuary at Brioude since the very beginning of his ecclesiastical career. In the second chapter of "The Miracles of Saint Julian" (Virtutes sancti Iuliani), Gregory mentions his journey to Brioude while still serving as deacon in Lyon. This is not surprising, as Brioude lies just some sixty kilometres south of Gregory`s hometown, Clermont. Julian maintained his position as a very important saint to Gregory after his episcopal ordination. During Gregory`s episcopate, Julian`s relics were brought to Tours and a basilica was built there in his name. By cross-reference, Raymond Van Dam proved that Gregory had finished his book on Julian`s miracles in the early 580s (Van Dam 1993: 162-163).
Recently, Giselle de Nie proposed a new edition of "The Miracles" which combines the earlier editions by Ruinart, Bordier, and Krusch. She normalised the spelling and punctuation, and provided a new translation "that stays as close as possible to the author`s train of thought" (de Nie 2015: xxv).
Edition:
Gregory of Tours, Lives and Miracles, ed. and trans. G. de Nie, Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library 39, Cambridge, MA and London 2015, pp. 299-419.
 
Translation:
Gregory of Tours, The Suffering and Miracles of the Martyr St. Julian, trans. R. Van Dam, in: R. Van Dam, Saints and their Miracles in Late Antique Gaul, Princeton 1993, pp. 162-195.

Categories:

Functions within the Church - Rural presbyter
Ecclesiastical administration - Administering Church property
Devotion - Veneration of saints and relics
Functions within the Church - Martyrarius Martyrarius
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1982, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1982
Record by: Jerzy Szafranowski
last edited: 2019-03-06 20:52:09
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