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ID
ER 1390
Presbyter and abbot Honoratus of Arles builds a church and a monastery on the island of Lérins. Account of Hilary of Arles, "Sermon on the Life of St. Honoratus", Arles (Gaul), ca AD 431.
17
 
1. Industria illic [Lérins] sua sufficiens electis Dei ecclessiae templum excitatur, apta monachorum habitaculis tecta consurgunt.
 
(ed. Valentin 1977: 112)
17
 
1. By his [Honoratus] industry a temple of the church sufficient for those elected by God was built there [Lérins]; shelters arose, fit dwellings for the monks.
 
(trans. Deferrari 1952: 374, changed by J. Szafranowski)

Discussion:

Since it seems that the church building was constructed at the same time as monastic cells, we may assume that Honoratus celebrated Eucharist for his congregation from the very beginning. Possibly it was one of the chief reasons for his presbyterial ordination, which is mentioned in [1389].
 
The excavations carried out in Lérins at the site of the present-day Saint-Sauveur chapel revealed a small 5th-century church with an altar and adjacent living spaces that correspond well to Hilary’s description (Codou 2013: 64-66).

Place of event:

Region
  • Gaul
City
  • Lérins

About the source:

Author: Hilary of Arles
Title: Life of St. Honoratus of Arles, Vita Sancti Honorati Arelatensis, Sermon on the Life of St. Honoratus, Sermo sancti Hilarii de vita sancti Honorati, Sermo de vita sancti Hilarii Arelatensis episcopi
Origin: Arles (Gaul)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
The Sermon on the Life of St. Honoratus was presented by Hilary of Arles at the first (most probably) anniversary of Honoratus` death. Honoratus died in 430 just two years after having been made the bishop of Arles. His successor was Hilary himself, his fellow countryman and pupil, who accompanied Honoratus when he left the monastery on the island of Lérins (of which Honoratus was founder and first abbot) for his new episcopal position in Arles. After some time, Hilary returned to the monastery only to venture back to Arles, when he was chosen by the dying Honoratus as his worthy successor in the bishopric.
Edition:
M.–D. Valentin ed., Hilaire d’Arles, Vie de Saint Honorat, Sources Chrétiennes 235, Paris 1977 (along with a French tranlsation).
 
Translation:
St. Hilary, Sermon on the Life of St. Honoratus, transl. R. J. Deferrari [in:] Early Christian Biographies, ed. R. J. Deferrari, The Fathers of the Church v. 15, Washington, D. C. 1952.
Bibliography:
Y. Codou, "Aux Origines Du Monachisme En Gaule (Ve-XIe S.) : Les Fouilles De L'église Du Saint-Sauveur, Lérins, Île Saint-Honorat, Alpes-Maritimes", Hortus Artium Medievalium 19 (2013), pp. 63–71.

Categories:

Functions within the Church - Monastic presbyter
Monastic or common life - Cenobitic monk
Monastic or common life - Monastic superior (abbot/prior)
Reasons for ordination - Pastoral needs of the Christian community
Ritual activity - Eucharist
Ecclesiastical administration - Construction/Renovation
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1390, http://www.presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1390
Record by: Jerzy Szafranowski
last edited: 2019-08-09 11:58:31
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