Constantius of Lyon, in his Life of *Germanus (bishop of Auxerre, ob. c. 448, S00455), recounts how the saint had a dream foretelling his death, shortly before his final illness. Written in Latin at Lyon (south-east Gaul) between c. 460 and c. 485.
E08586
Literary - Hagiographical - Lives
Constantius of Lyon, Life of Germanus of Auxerre 41
For a full account of Constantius' Life of Germanus, see E05841.
This incident follows the healing of the adopted son of Acolius (E06023).
Quadam die, matutinali sollemnitate perfecta, dum cum episcopis sermo de religione confertur, tristissimam protulit mentionem inquiens: "Commendo uobis, fratres karissimi, transitum meum. Videbar mihi per nocturnum soporem a Domino nostro uiaticum peregrinaturus accipere, et cum causam profectionis inquirerem: "Ne metuas, inquit, ad patriam non ad peregrinationem te dirigo ubi habebis quietem et requiem sempiternam." Diriuabant intellectu alio somnium sacerdotes, sed ille studiosius commendabat extrema dicens: "Bene noui quam patriam Deus suis famulis repromittat."
'One day, when the night office had been recited and he was giving a spiritual discourse to the bishops, he made a sorrowful announcement. "Dearest brethren," he said, "I commend my passing to your prayers. In my sleep last night I saw myself as a traveller receiving his provision for the road ahead from Our Lord and, when I asked him why I was setting out, He said to me: 'Do not be afraid. I am not sending you on your travels again but to your fatherland, where you will have quiet and eternal rest.'"
The bishops would have liked to give the dream another interpretation but, more earnestly than ever, he commended his last moments to their prayers. "I know quite well," said he, "what the fatherland is that God promises to His servants"'
Constantius goes on to describe Germanus' death and funeral (§§ 42-44): E05847.
Text: Borius 1965.
Translation: Hoare 1954.
Apparition, vision, dream, revelation
Revelation of hidden knowledge (past, present and future)
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesEcclesiastics - bishops
Source
Germanus of Auxerre (PCBE 4, 'Germanus 1', pp. 878-883) was the most important and revered episcopal saint of 5th-century Gaul. The Life of Germanus was written some years after his death (traditionally dated to 448, but perhaps earlier) by Constantius, a literary figure, possibly a cleric, attested in Lyon in the 460s and 470s (PCBE 4, 'Constantius 3', pp. 521-522). The precise date when he composed the Life is not documented, but it must have been sometime between the 460s and the early 480s. For full discussion of the authorship and date of the Life of Germanus, see its overview entry: E05841.Discussion
This event occurs when Germanus is visiting the western imperial capital of Ravenna in order to intercede for the rebellious inhabitants of Armorica. Germanus died during his stay in Ravenna, at a date which is nowhere recorded directly but which the balance of evidence suggests was in the second half of the 440s, though the specific year traditionally given (448) may not be the correct one.An earlier passage in the Life of Germanus (E06025) implies that Germanus already knew of his impending death soon after setting off on his journey to Ravenna.
Bibliography
Editions:Borius, R., Constance de Lyon, Vie de saint Germain d'Auxerre (Sources chrétiennes 112; Paris: Cerf, 1965), with French translation.
Levison, W., Vita Germani episcopi Autissiodorensis auctore Constantio, in: Passiones vitaeque sanctorum aevi Merovingici V (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 7; Hannover and Leipzig, 1919), 246-283.
English translation:
Hoare, F.R., The Western Fathers (London, 1954), 283-320. Reprinted in T.F.X. Noble and T. Head (eds.), Soldiers of Christ: Saints and Saints' Lives from Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages (University Park PA: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1995), 75-106.
David Lambert
08/05/2025
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S00455 | Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, ob. 445/450 | Certain |
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