Saint Praejectus | |
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Statue of Saint Prejectus (Pry) at Saint-Prix, Val-d'Oise.
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Born | Auvergne |
Died | January 25, 676 Volvic |
Venerated in | Roman Catholic Church |
Major shrine | In 760, relics enshrined at Flavigny Abbey, where most relics remain; other relics elsewhere. |
Feast | January 25 |
Saint Praejectus, Prejectus or Projectus (French: Saint Pry, Prie, Prix, Priest, Prest, Preils; Italian: Preietto (Proietto)) (625–676) was a bishop of Clermont, who was killed together with Amarinus. Born in the Auvergne to the lesser nobility, he studied under Genesius of Clermont. He was ordained a priest and, with the approval of Childeric II, became bishop of Clermont in 666.
Praejectus founded monasteries, hospitals, and churches. He was killed as a result of political struggles of the day. Hector, lord of Marseilles, had been accused of various crimes, and at the order of Childeric, had been arrested and executed. Agritius, the man who killed Praejectus, believed that the bishop had been responsible for Hector’s death. At Volvic, the assassin thus stabbed to death Praejectus and Amarinus, abbot of a monastery in the area.
The death of Praejectus was linked to that of Saint Leger (Leodegarius). St. Leger was an opponent of Ebroin, mayor of the palace of Neustria on two occasions; firstly from 658 to his deposition in 673 and secondly from 675 to his death in 680 or 681. In a violent and despotic career, he strove to impose the authority of Neustria, which was under his control, over Burgundy and Austrasia.
Ebroin’s supporters, which included Praejectus, St. Reol of Rheims, St. Agilbert of Paris, and St. Ouen of Rouen, held a council of bishops that sat in judgment on Leger, at Marly, near Paris. Praejectus’ murderer may have been a supporter of Leger, who was later murdered on October 2, 679.