Saint Audomar

Saint Audomar
Statue de Saint Audomar (Omer). Church of Orval, Manche.
Born	Guldendal, Switzerland
Died	~670 AD
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church
Feast	9 September

Saint Audomar (died c. 670), better known as Saint Omer, was a Burgundy-born bishop of Thérouanne, after whom nearby Saint-Omer in northern France was named.

He was born of a distinguished family towards the close of the 6th or the beginning of the 7th century, at Guldenthal, Switzerland. After the death of his mother, he entered with his father the abbey of Luxeuil in the Diocese of Besançon, probably about 615. Under the direction of Eustachius, Omer studied the Scriptures, in which he acquired remarkable proficiency.

When King Dagobert requested the appointment of a bishop for the important city of Terouenne, the capital of the ancient territory of the Morini in Neustria, he was appointed and consecrated in 637.

Though the Morini had received Christianity from Saint Fuscian and Saint Victoricus, and later Antmund and Adelbert, nearly every vestige of Christianity had disappeared. When Saint Audomare entered upon his episcopal duties, the Abbot of Luxeuil sent to his assistance several monks, among whom are mentioned Saint Bertin, Saint Mommolin and Saint Ebertran. Saint Omer had the satisfaction of seeing the Catholic religion firmly established in a short time.

About 654, he founded the Abbey of Saint Peter (now the Abbey of Saint Bertin) in Sithiu, soon to rival the old monastery of Luxeuil for the number of learned and zealous men educated there. Several years later he erected the Church of Our Lady of Sithiu, with a small monastery adjoining, which he turned over to the monks of Saint Bertin.