Saint Honoratus
| Saint Honoratus of Arles | |
|---|---|
Coverpage woodcut from La vida de sant Honorat arquebisbe de Arles
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| Hermit, abbot and bishop | |
| Born | c. 350 Northern Gaul |
| Died | January 6, 429 Arles, Diocese of the Seven Provinces, Gaul, Western Roman Empire |
| Venerated in |
Roman Catholic Church Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Feast | May 5 |
| Attributes | represented as a bishop over the island of Lérins with a phoenix below, or drawing water from a rock with his mitre near him |
| Patronage | against drought; against misfortune; against rain; for rain |
Honoratus (French: Saint Honorat or Saint Honoré; c. 350 – January 6, 429) was an early Archbishop of Arles, who was also the Abbot of Lérins Abbey. He is honored as a saint in the Catholic Church.
There is some disagreement concerning his place of birth, and the date of his death is still disputed, being according to certain authors, January 14 or January 15. It is believed that he was born in the north of Gaul and that he belonged to a consular Roman family. Honoratus received an outstanding education. Converted to Christianity with his brother Venantius, he embarked with him from Marseilles about 368, under the guidance of a holy person named Caprasius, to visit the holy places of Palestine and the lauræ of Syria and Egypt. But the death of Venantius, occurring suddenly at Methone, Achaia, prevented the pious travellers from going further. They returned to Gaul through Italy, and, after having stopped at Rome, Honoratus went on into Provence and, encouraged by Leontius, bishop of Fréjus, took up his abode in the wild Lérins Island today called the Île Saint-Honorat, with the intention of living there in solitude.
Numerous disciples soon gathered around Honoratus, including Lupus of Troyes, Eucherius of Lyon, and Hilary of Arles. Thus was founded the Monastery of Lérins, which has enjoyed so great a celebrity and which was, during the 5th and 6th centuries, a nursery for illustrious bishops and remarkable ecclesiastical writers. His Rule of Life was chiefly borrowed from that of St. Pachomius. It is believed St. Patrick trained there for his missionary work in Ireland.
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