Avitus of Vienne in his Letter 50, written to the dux Arigius, explains that he must attend the feast of the Apostles *Peter and *Paul (S00036 and S00008) in Vienne and so cannot attend the dedication of a new church built by Arigius, possibly to the same apostles. Written in Latin in Vienne (south-east Gaul), 494/518 (probably shortly after 500).
Evidence ID
E07089
Type of Evidence
Literary - Letters
Avitus of Vienne, Letter 50
Avitus has been invited to the dedication of a new church founded by the dux Arigius, but is not able to attend the ceremony and, after some fulsome (if generic) praise of Arigius' building, excuses himself by saying that he needs to be in Vienne for the feast of the apostles (when a chapel is also being dedicated):
Apostolorum namque festivitatis Viennensibus quidem vestris inter annum martyrium dies peculiari studio subit. Habeo praesentiam tempori, quo diei passionis fabriculae, quam nostris, videtur iniuncta esse dedicatio.
‘It is because, for your people at Vienne at least, the feast of the Apostles, among the annual celebrations of the martyrs is an occasion of special devotion. I must be present at the time on the day of the passion when the dedication of the little church that you know seems to have been set.’
Text: Peiper 1883, 79.
Translation: Shanzer and Wood 2002, 329.
FestivalsEcclesiastics - bishops
Saint’s feast
Cult PlacesCult building - dependent (chapel, baptistery, etc.)
Non Liturgical ActivityConstruction of cult buildings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Aristocrats
Source
Alcimus Ecdicius Avitus was born into a prominent Gallo-Roman senatorial family, succeeding his father, Hesychius, as bishop of the important see of Vienne at some point before 494/496. He died in 517/518, probably in February 518.Avitus was the author of a long poem De spiritualis historiae gestis in five books (telling the story of the Old Testament from the Creation to Exodus, accompanied by interpretative passages), and a poem for his sister De consolatoria castitatis laude. He is, however, now best known for his letters: an epistolary corpus of ninety-six letters, which are in no chronological order, nor ordered by recipient. The collection ranges from the personal to the official (several were written on behalf of the Burgundian King Sigismund). Avitus corresponded with many important people of his age and his letters are of considerable importance for the ecclesiastical and political history of the years between around 495 and 518 in the Burgundian kingdom. In the letters, information relating to the churches or relics of saints is occasionally mentioned, and has been collected by us in the database.
Avitus was also the author of homilies, several relating to saints' churches. His homilies are all lost in their complete form, except for two, one of which (Homily 25; E07115) is of particular importance for the cult of saints, being delivered in 515 at the dedication of Sigismund's monastery at Agaune for the martyrs of the Theban Legion. Other homilies, some relating to the dedication of churches, have survived in fragments: preserved either in a damaged sixth-century papyrus manuscript in the Bibliothèque nationale de France, or in excerpts copied by later medieval authors.
For more on Avitus' biography, his works, and on their dating see: Shanzer and Wood 2002, 3-85 and 377; and the full biography in PCBE, 242-263, 'Avitus 2', 242-263.
Discussion
Arigius is probably the same man as an Aridius, active in Burgundy around AD 500 according to Gregory of Tours: see 'Arigius 1' in PCBE, vol. 1, pp. 198-199, and Shanzer and Wood 2002, pp. 326-7 (who suggest a specific context for this letter shortly after AD 500).The feast of the apostles referred to is certainly the joint feast of Peter and Paul on 29 June. Arigius' church which was evidently not in Vienne, but not far distant, may have been dedicated to the two apostles (since its dedication appears to have been on their feast day).
For evidence of a church of Peter and Paul in Vienne existing in the time of Avitus (but only attested for certain later), see Descombes 1986, 27-29.
Bibliography
Edition:Peiper, R., Alcimi Ecdicii Aviti Viennensis episcopi operae quae supersunt (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Auctores Antiquissimi VI.2; Berolini: Apud Weidmannos, 1883).
Translation:
Avitus of Vienne, Letters and Selected Prose, trans. D. Shanzer and I. Wood (Translated Texts for Historians, Volume 38; Liverpool: Liverpool University Press, 2002), also with full notes and discussion.
Further reading:
Descombes, F., "Vienne", in: N. Gauthier and J.-Ch. Picard (eds.), Topographie chrétienne des cités de la Gaule des origines au milieu du VIIIe siècle, vol. 3: Provinces ecclésiastique de Vienne et d'Arles (Viennensis et Alpes Graiae et Poeninae) (Paris, 1986), 17-35.
Pietri L., M. Hejmans, Prosopographie chrétienne du Bas-Empire, vol. 4: La Gaule chrétien, Paris 2013 (PCBE).
Record Created By
Katarzyna Wojtalik
Date of Entry
12/11/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00008 | Paul, the Apostle | Certain | S00036 | Peter, the Apostle | Certain |
|---|
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