Saint Glycerius
Encyclopedia
Glycerius was Archbishop of Milan from 436 to 438. He is honoured as a Saint
in the Catholic Church and his feast day is September 20.
of Milan
before to be elected as bishop of Milan in 436. He probably had been tutor of the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III
, a position that possibly he maintained also when he was bishop of Milan. He passed most of his reign in Antioch
in Syria.
Glycerius died on September 15, 438, and he was buried in the Church of Saint Nazarius and Celsus
in Milan. In that church have been discovered fragments of the funeral epigraph
of him. His feast day was set on September 20.
(c. 420 - after 480), who was one of the last of the Western Roman Emperors (reigned 473-474) and who became bishop of Salona after his deposition. Accounts concerning the emperor's later life are mixed:
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
in the Catholic Church and his feast day is September 20.
Life
Almost nothing is known about the life and the episcopate of Glycerius. He was a deaconDeacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
of Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
before to be elected as bishop of Milan in 436. He probably had been tutor of the Western Roman Emperor Valentinian III
Valentinian III
-Family:Valentinian was born in the western capital of Ravenna, the only son of Galla Placidia and Flavius Constantius. The former was the younger half-sister of the western emperor Honorius, and the latter was at the time Patrician and the power behind the throne....
, a position that possibly he maintained also when he was bishop of Milan. He passed most of his reign in Antioch
Antioch
Antioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River. It is near the modern city of Antakya, Turkey.Founded near the end of the 4th century BC by Seleucus I Nicator, one of Alexander the Great's generals, Antioch eventually rivaled Alexandria as the chief city of the...
in Syria.
Glycerius died on September 15, 438, and he was buried in the Church of Saint Nazarius and Celsus
San Nazaro in Brolo
The basilica of San Nazaro in Brolo or San Nazaro Maggiore is a church in Milan, northern Italy.-History:The church was built by St. Ambrose starting from 382 on the road that connected Milan to Rome...
in Milan. In that church have been discovered fragments of the funeral epigraph
Epigraphy
Epigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
of him. His feast day was set on September 20.
Confusion with Emperor Glycerius
Saint Glycerius, died 438 AD, has been erroneously confused as the GlyceriusGlycerius
Glycerius was a Western Roman Emperor from 473 to 474. Elevated by his Magister militum, Gundobad, Glycerius’ elevation was rejected by the court at Constantinople, and he was ousted by Julius Nepos. He later served as the bishop of Salona in the early Catholic Church.-Rise to power:Sources on...
(c. 420 - after 480), who was one of the last of the Western Roman Emperors (reigned 473-474) and who became bishop of Salona after his deposition. Accounts concerning the emperor's later life are mixed:
- According to the chronicler Marcellinus ComesMarcellinus ComesMarcellinus Comes was a Latin chronicler of the Eastern Roman Empire. An Illyrian by birth, he spent most of his life at the court of Constantinople, which is the focus of his surviving work.-Works:...
, "The Caesar Glycerius, who held the imperial power at Rome, was deposed from power at the port of RomeOstia AnticaOstia Antica is a large archeological site, close to the modern suburb of Ostia , that was the location of the harbour city of ancient Rome, which is approximately 30 km to the northeast. "Ostia" in Latin means "mouth". At the mouth of the River Tiber, Ostia was Rome's seaport, but, due to...
by NeposJulius NeposJulius Nepos was Western Roman Emperor de facto from 474 to 475 and de jure until 480. Some historians consider him to be the last Western Roman Emperor, while others consider the western line to have ended with Romulus Augustulus in 476...
, son of the sister of the former patrician Marcellinus. From Caesar he was ordained a bishop, and he died." - John of AntiochJohn of AntiochJohn of Antioch was Patriarch of Antioch and led a group of moderate Eastern bishops during the Nestorian controversy. He is sometimes confused with John Chrysostom, who is occasionally also referred to as John of Antioch. John gave active support to his friend Nestorius in the latter's dispute...
and JordanesJordanesJordanes, also written Jordanis or Jornandes, was a 6th century Roman bureaucrat, who turned his hand to history later in life....
both write that Emperor Glycerius became bishop of Salona after Nepos took Rome, captured Glycerius without a fight and, having stripped him of royalty, appointed him to this see.
See also
- Saint LyceriusSaint LyceriusSaint Lycerius was a bishop of Couserans in the late 5th and 6th centuries.He is recorded as having attended the Council of Agde in 506....