Avitus of Vienne delivers a homily (Homily 25) at the dedication of the monastery of Saint-Maurice-d'Agaune (eastern Gaul), founded by King Sigismund, where the *Theban Legion (commanded by *Maurice, martyrs of Agaunum, S00339) was venerated; AD 515. Delivered in Latin at Agaune, in 515.
E07115
Literary - Sermons/Homilies
Avitus of Vienne, Homily 25
DICTA IN BASILICA SANCTORUM ACAUNENSIUM IN INNOVATIONE MONASTERII IPSIUS VEL PASSIONE MARTYRUM.
Praeconium felicis exercitus, in cuius congregatione beatissima nemo perit, dum nullus evasit, cum iniustam sanctorum martyrum mortem quasi sortis iustitia iudicarit, qua bis super aciem dispersa mansuetam centuplex decimatis fructus adcresceret et odio in prosperum subfragante eatenus eligerentur singuli, donec simul conligerentur electi, ex consuetudine sollemni series lectae passionis explicuit.
‘DELIVERED IN THE BASILICA OF THE SAINTS OF AGAUNE ON THE OCCASION OF THE RESTORATION OF THE MONASTERY AND ON THE PASSION OF THE MARTYRS
According to solemn custom, the order of the passion [just] read has unfolded the praise of the happy army, among whose most blessed company no one perished, though no one escaped, when justice as if of a lot decreed the unjust death of the holy martyrs so that once it had twice been dispersed over the gentle battle-line, fruit might grow one hundredfold through those decimated, and as hate made the recommendation to good effect, men might be chosen one by one until the elect were all gathered at once [...]’
In the rest of the homily, clear reference is made to the continuous liturgy that was practised at Agaune.
Text: Peiper 1883, 145.
Translation: Shanzer and Wood 2002, 379.
Cult building - independent (church)
Cult building - monastic
Non Liturgical ActivityTransmission, copying and reading saint-related texts
Construction of cult buildings
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
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
Homily 25 was preached by Avitus at the dedication of Sigismund's major monastic foundation at Agaune, the supposed site of the martyrdom and burial of the Theban legion. This dedication is known to have occurred on 22 September 515 (Pietri and Heijmans 2013, p. 256). The 'restoration' mentioned in the title of the homily refers to a restoration/improvement of the cult of the Theban Legion, not to the restoration of a pre-existing monastery.The martyrdom account ('passion') referred to by Avitus as just having been read, and on which his homily will expound, was presumably the Martyrdom of the Martyrs of Agaune (E06108), written by Eucherius of Lyon in the first half of the 5th century.
The monastery of Agaune was notable for the introduction of the laus perennis (unceasing liturgy), performed day and night by squadrons of monks in rotation.
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:
Pietri L., M. Hejmans, Prosopographie chrétienne du Bas-Empire, vol. 4: La Gaule chrétien, Paris 2013 (PCBE).
Vieillard-Troiekouroff, M., Les monuments religieux de la Gaule d’apres les oeuvres de Gregoire de Tours, Paris 1965, 265-268.
Katarzyna Wojtalik
18/11/2018
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00339 | Theban Legion, commanded by Maurice, martyrs of Agaune, Gaul | Certain |
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