Gal I (Bishop of Clermont)

Gal I (Bishop of Clermont)

Infobox Saint
name=Gal
birth_date=c. 489
death_date=c. 553
feast_day=3 July (RC), 1 July (O)
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church,
Eastern Orthodox Church


imagesize=
caption=
birth_place=Clermont-Ferrand, France
death_place=Clermont-Ferrand, France
titles=Bishop
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=
patronage=
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=

Saint Gal of Clermont (also Gallcite web | title =Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome | publisher =St John the Wonderworker Orthodox Church, Felixstowe | url =http://www.orthodoxengland.org.uk/saintsg.htm | accessdate =2007-11-13] ) (c. 489 - c. 553) was the sixteenth Bishop of Clermont, holding that see from 527 to 551. This bishop of Clermont shares a name with a later bishop of the diocese, who, though less illustrious than the first Gal, is also revered as a saint. Gal played important role in the politics of the Church, as the Council of Clermont was hosted under his episcopate. He was the uncle and teacher of Gregory of Tours.cite web | last = Jones | first = Terry | title = Gall | work = Patron Saints Index | url=http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/saintg0y.htm | accessdate = 2007-11-09]

Gal was the of a senatorial family, born in Clermont, Auvergne circa 489. His mother was descended from the family of Vettius Apagatus, a revered martyr from Lyon.ws|"" in the 1913 "Catholic Encyclopedia"] While his parents proposed to have him married to a daughter of a respectable senator, Gal had other plans, and privately withdrew to a monastery at Cournon. Once he received the consent of his parents, he joyfully embraced a life of religious poverty. Gal's intelligence and piety caused his recommendation as councilor to Quintianus, the bishop of Clermont, who ordained him a priest.

Theuderic I, the king of Austrasia, invaded Auvergne and took Gal prisoner. He was afterwards attached to the oratory in the palace of the king. Gal regained liberty after a few years, and returned to Clermont.

When Quintianus died in 527, Gal was chosen as the successor to the Bishopric of Clermont. It was during this time that Gal's extraordinary equanimity was most tested: one story reports that the bishop was "struck on the head by a brutal man, [yet] he discovered not the least emotion of anger or resentment, and by this meekness disarmed the savage of his rage."cite web | last =Butler | first =Alban | authorlink =Alban Butler | title =St. Gal, Bishop | work =Lives of the Saints | publisher =sacred-texts.com [Benziger Brothers] | date =1894 | url =http://www.sacred-texts.com/chr/lots/lots208.htm | accessdate =2007-11-09] A similar anecdote involves a man named Evodius, a priest who had once been a senator. Although the proud man acted insultingly to Gal, the bishop's reaction was simply to arise from his seat and make a visit to the churches of the city. Touched by Gal's patience, Evodius cast himself at the feet of the bishop in the middle of the street.

Gal played a major political and religious role as Bishop of Clermont. He became known as a defender of the rights of the Church against Sivigald, the governor appointed by Theuderic, and the chief event of his episcopate was the Council of Clermont in 535. He also took part in the Fourth (541) and Fifth (549) Councils of Orléans.

Gal died in the year 553. His feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is 3 July; in the Eastern Orthodox Church it is 1 July.

References

External links

* [http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/ncd03441.htm Saint Gal] from the "New Catholic Dictionary"
* - covers both this Gal (the sixteenth bishop of Clermont), and the other, the twenty-third bishop of that see


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gal, Saint — • The sixteenth and twenty third bishops of Clermont Ferrand (Auvergne) were both named Gal, and both are saints. The first St. Gal was bishop from 527 to 551, and the second, from 640 650 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Clermont-Ferrand — Clermont Ferrand …   Wikipedia

  • CLERMONT-FERRAND — (Heb. קלאראמוֹנטי), city in Auvergne, France; capital of the Puy de Dôme department. The   presence of Jews there dates back at least to 470, as attested by several letters of Sidonius Apollinaris, bishop of the town; these are the oldest written …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Council of Clermont (535) — For the later Council of Clermont, in 1095, see Council of Clermont. At the Council of Clermont in 535, fifteen prelates of the kingdom of Austrasia assisted, under the presidency of Honoratus, Bishop of Bourges, at a synod in the city now called …   Wikipedia

  • St. Gal —     St. Gal     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► St. Gal     Of the ninety eight bishops who have occupied the see of Clermont Ferrand (Auvergne) the sixteenth and twenty third bore the name of Gal, and both are numbered among the twenty nine bishops of …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • List of saints — This article is about Christian saints after 450 AD. For Christian saints before this time, see List of early Christian saints. For a list of venerated persons in Mahayana Buddhism, see List of bodhisattvas. This is an incomplete list of… …   Wikipedia

  • St. Gall (disambiguation) — St. Gall may be:*Saint Gall, the saint, *the Abbey of St. Gall, named after him, *the city of St. Gallen, Switzerland where the monastery is located, or *the surrounding Canton of St. Gallen, or *Saint Gal, bishop of Clermont …   Wikipedia

  • NARBONNE — NARBONNE, town in S. France, 5 mi. (8 km.) from the Mediterranean. The capital of medieval Septimania, Narbonne was ruled successively by the Visigoths (413?), the Saracens (719), and the Franks (759). About 900 it became the possession of the… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • JERUSALEM — The entry is arranged according to the following outline: history name protohistory the bronze age david and first temple period second temple period the roman period byzantine jerusalem arab period crusader period mamluk period …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • biblical literature — Introduction       four bodies of written works: the Old Testament writings according to the Hebrew canon; intertestamental works, including the Old Testament Apocrypha; the New Testament writings; and the New Testament Apocrypha.       The Old… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”