Avitus of Vienne in his Letter 79, written to Sigismund, king of the Burgundians, sends greetings for the feast of Vincent, probably *Vincent/Vincentius (deacon and martyr of Zaragoza and Valencia, S00290). Written in Latin in Vienne (south-east Gaul), 500/518.
Evidence ID
E07091
Type of Evidence
Literary - Letters
Avitus of Vienne, Letter 79
This short letter opens with these words:
Praesentia domni patris gloriae vestrae biduana occupatione detentus aliquatenus portitorem tardius ordinavi, per quem anuum de sancti Vincentii sollemnitate servitium consuetudinariae sollicitudinis cura dependeret [...]
‘Since I was delayed for two days in the presence of my master, the father of Your Glory [Gundobald], it was only rather belatedly that I, with my customary concern, arranged for a messenger to convey my annual respects to you for the feast of Saint Vincent.’
Text: Peiper 1883, 93.
Translation: Shanzer and Wood 2002, 238.
FestivalsEcclesiastics - bishops
Saint’s feast
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Monarchs and their family
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
The saint Vincent of this letter was probably Vincent of Zaragoza, the most prominent saint of that name. In the seventh century, the cathedral of Chalon-sur-Saône (which was in the Burgundian kingdom) was dedicated to him, but this is not demonstrable for the sixth century: see Beaujard 1986, 70-71.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:
Beaujard, B., 'Chalon-sur-Saône', in: N. Gauthier and J.-Ch. Picard (eds.), Topographie chrétienne des cités de la Gaule, vol. 4: Province ecclésiastique de Lyon (Lugdunensis Prima) (Paris, 1986), 65-74.
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 | S00290 | Vincentius/Vincent, deacon and martyr of Zaragoza and Valencia | Vincentius | Certain |
|---|
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