Audoin (bishop)

Saint Audoin
Statue of St Audoin (left) and St Waninge (right), in Fécamp, France.
Bishop
Born	609 Sancy
Died	686 Clichy
Venerated in	Eastern Orthodox Church Roman Catholic Church Anglican Communion
Feast	24 August
Patronage	deaf people; invoked against deafness

Audoin, Audoen, Ouen, also known as Owen in the English speaking world and Dado to his contemporaries, (609 in Sancy close to Soissons - 686 in Clichy), was a Frankish bishop, courtier, chronicler, and Catholic saint. Audoin was both Lord Chancellor of France and Référendaire of France.

Audoin came from a wealthy and noble Frankish family who held lands in the upper Seine and Oise valleys. His father was Saint Authaire (Audecharius). Audoin was educated at the court of Chlothar II (d.629), where training both military and literary was given to young noblemen. He served Dagobert I as one of his referendaries (administrators). He was part of a group of young courtiers like Saint Wandrille and Saint Didier of Cahors and was a close friend of Saint Eligius, whose vita he wrote. He and Eligius served as royal envoys to persuade Amadus to baptize Dagobert's son.

In 635 He and his brothers Ado and Rado founded Rebais Abbey, on land donated by King Dagobert. Audoin appointed his relative, Agilus, as first abbot. He also took part in the founding of Saint-Wandrille monastery in Rouen, and a nunnery at Fécamp. Audoin was consecrated bishop of Rouen in 641.

He became an advisor of Theuderic III and upheld the policy of Ebroin, the mayor of the palace, to such a degree that he was involved in the treatment of Saint Leger. Nevertheless, the author of the Liber Historiae Francorum, thoroughly hostile to the memory of Ebroin, invariably referred to Audoin as "blessed" or "sainted," and in describing his death said he "migravit ad Dominum," a phrase he otherwise reserved in the original part of his history for the death of the "glorious lord of good memory, Childebert"(III), "the just king."