Albinus of Angers

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Saint Albinus of Angers
Born	~470 AD
Died	550 AD
Venerated in	Roman Catholic Church, Anglican Church
Feast	March 1
Patronage	invoked against pirate attacks
Saints Portal

Albinus of Angers ((French) Saint-Aubin) (ca. 470—March 1, 550) was a French abbot, bishop, and saint. Born to a noble Gallo-Roman family at Vannes, Albinus was a monk and afterwards abbot of Tintillac (which no longer stands; its location has not been satisfactorily identified) (from 504). His reputation spread during the twenty-five years in which he served as abbot. In 529, he was elected, against his wishes, bishop of Angers [1].

1 Episcopate
2 Death and burial
3 Veneration
4 External links

[edit] Episcopate

He campaigned against incestuous weddings, such as those that occurred between members of the nobility [2]. He participated in the Council of Orleans (538) after Childebert granted permission for this to be held[3]. Albinus sought advice from Caesarius of Arles after seeing laxity in other bishops.

Tradition states that he helped all in distress, using diocesan funds to free hostages from pirates. Another tradition states that he clashed with Childebert, who had imprisoned a woman called Etherie, from Douille near Angers. Unable to secure her release Albinus visited her in prison, and the soldier who tried to resist him fell dead at his feet. This so impressed the King that he allowed Albinus to bail her out [4].

Another legend relates that Albinus once prayed far into the night for some men imprisoned in the Tower of Angers. Suddenly a great stone collapsed from the wall, allowing their escape [5].

[edit] Death and burial

He died in 550 and was buried in the church of Saint-Pierre at Angers. In 556, a church was dedicated to him and his body was buried in its crypt. Near this church an abbey arose, called Saint-Aubin [6].

[edit] Veneration

Saint-Aubin, Angers.

Gregory of Tours remarks on the cult of Saint Albinus, which later became diffused in Germany, England, and Poland, making Albinus a popular saint during the Middle Ages [7]. Venantius Fortunatus wrote a life of this saint which is nearly contemporary [8].

Churches were dedicated to him right across the continent as far as Poland, and he was sometimes seen as the patron saint for protection from pirate attack. This may have been based on the tradition that he bought back parishioners who had been taken captive by pirates sailing up the Loire. Later the tradition was reinforced by miracle recorded in the tenth century, when the walled town of Guérande, near the mouth of the Loire, prayed to Saint Albinus for help and found their attackers miraculously defeated.

In the Middle Ages, Nicholas Belfort notably wrote describing miracles performed at the tomb of St Aubin after the year 1000 AD. Belfort was a Regular Canon in the monastery of St John the Baptist by the city of Soissons.[9]

Thus, his fame increased and many coastal villages chose Aubin as their patron saint. Presumably this is the reason why St Aubin in Jersey is named after him, preserving the name of an ancient chapel that has long since disappeared. Aubin's feast day is still venerated there in the Anglican Church of St Aubin on the Hill. (see Saint-Aubin for other places named after him).

His feast day falls on March 1 [10].