Honorat of Arles

Bishop of Arles, Honorat of Arles , Holy Honorat (C. 370 with Trier - † the January 6th 430 with Arles), also called Honorat de Lérins , is the founder of the Abbaye of Lérins (towards 400-410).

Honore in the Catholic church like Honorat Saint. Festival on January 16th.

Biography

Its youth

It is difficult to know with which exact date it was born. It is supposed that Honorat could see the day towards 370 in Trier.

Born in the Gallo-Roman aristocracy, it receives a traditional education; however its religious vocation appears very early, in particular its attraction for the monastic life. This renouncement of the world will involve the hostility of its family, especially that of her father who sees to crumble all the hopes placed in his young person and brilliance wire. In spite of the paternal efforts for diverting some, the Honorat young person holds good.

Honorat probably converts at the age of 15 or 16 years like his/her older brother, Venantius with which it undertakes a few years later, a voyage in the East. Unfortunately Venantius dies there. And Honorat, patient after this unhappy stay, returns to Occident in order to continue its asceticism under more lenient skies.

After a short stay in Italy, where it ties bonds of friendship with the Christian communities of the country, it returns as a Gaulle of the south to settle initially like hermit in a cave of the Estérel, then, fleeing the too many visitors, on smallest of the islands of Lérins where it founds a monastery between 400 and 410 (according to certain sources in 404).

The monastery of Lérins

Accompanied by saint Caprais de Lérins and by some other companions, it arrives on the island which bears its name today and where

one did not see any more, at the beginning of Ve century, which a beach deserted and made inaccessible by the quantity of the snakes which pullulated there .

It gets rid some, cleared patch, cultivates this small desert and founds a community there. Ordered priest by the bishop of Frejus, Honorat puts all works about it to advance its disciples in the ways of the perfection. Thus the island of Lérins becomes, as of 427 so that Jean Cassien pays, a " immense monastère" . Then very quickly the fame of Honorat extends and its abbey becomes the example of asceticism in all Provence.

And this reputation will play funny of turn to him. To died from the bishop of Arles, it will have to leave its island to be, against its liking, placed on the episcopal see of Arles.

Its election with the archbishop's palace of Arles

Indeed the election of Honorat takes place by certainly surprised at the end 426 or the beginning 427. Not having been consulted, he refuses initially this episcopal see. Moreover, the abbey of Lérins is not at all decided to let leave its Abbot. Hilaire thus declares in Arlésiens:

Which gave you the desire to have for you this man, with the detriment of those to which God had granted it in his desert?

Alerted EC nomination, the pope, Célestin I {{er}} will write in 428 with all the bishops of the south-east of Gaulle to require of them that in the future

a priest not be elected, coming from another Church, that if no clerk of the Church to be provided would be considered to be worthy, which we believe, to be able to occur. It is necessary to reject the fact of preferring those of the foreign Churches, not to call upon foreigners for fear one again does not appear to have established a kind college from where the bishops would be drawn.

Indeed, after long months of Honorat negociations accepted, probably at the end 427, this election. But Arles appears so frightening that it takes along with him two monks, Jacques to him d' Assyrie and Hilaire who, does not support the city to him and is turned over from there promptly to Lérins. Honorat however will continue to remain attached at its old community to which it will return visit at least once each year.

Its episcopate arlésien

On its arrival in Arles, Honorat finds the cases of the treasure full with richnesses piled up by its predecessors. The last, Helladius, were however a monk. According to Hilaire its successor and biographer, Honorat does not hesitate and redistributes all these richnesses with the givers, being reserved for Evêché only what was to be enough with the needs to the ministry . Honorat then achieves quickly the unanimity in its diocese.

Hilaire also reports to us that Honorat preaches each day with perspicacity and clearness, especially when it develops divine Trinité. After two years of episcopal functions, he dies at the beginning 430, on January 6th. This day there, although low, he wants to preach in his cathedral. With its return, it must be confined to bed and dies out a few hours later.

An animated veneration

To its funerals, the body is led to the cathedral, is accompanied by the people, then after the celebration in the cathedral, is transported solemnly to the cemetery external of the Alyscamps. The history brings back an argument between the priests of Saint-Etienne (i.e. the cathedral of Arles) and the monks of Lérins, each one asserting the honor bitterly to carry the body.

Later, the body of the Saint is deposited in the vault of Saint-Genoa of Alyscamps, then in the Saint-Honorat church as soon as it was built. It remains there until the end of the 14th century. In 1390, during one time disturbed by plunderings, the Abbot of Ganagobie which with the guard of the relics offers to the abbey of Lérins to recover them; they are transferred there on January 20th 1391. In 1788, the relics of Honorat Saint are finally distributed to the diocese of Grasse.

Saint Hilaire of Arles, his disciple and his successor, left us of him a splendid praise. Let us retain this fine words:

If one wanted to represent charity under a human figure, it would be necessary to make the portrait of Honorat.

In Arles, its name remains by a church éponyme located at the end Is alley of the Alyscamps .

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