Saint Agricolus
Saint Agricolus of Avignon (also rendered as Agricola; born c. 630 AD; died September 2, 700 AD in Avignon, France) was the Bishop of Avignon in the second half of the seventh century and the son of Saint Magnus, who had previously served as bishop of the same see. He is venerated as a confessor bishop of great holiness who presided over his diocese with pastoral devotion and is credited in hagiographic tradition with miraculous protection of Avignon from a plague of storks and from other disasters through his prayerful intercession. His feast day is celebrated on September 2 in the Roman Catholic Church.
Agricolus was born into an already sanctified family: his father Magnus would also be venerated as a saint and bishop of Avignon. After serving an extended period of monastic formation at the Abbey of Lérins, the celebrated island monastery off the coast of Provence that had produced so many great bishops and saints of the Gallic Church, Agricolus returned to Avignon to assist his aging father and eventually succeeded him as bishop. His tenure as bishop was marked by pastoral care and by the building and endowment of churches. The later tradition of Avignon associates his feast with the blessing and release of swallows, connected to the legend of the miraculous departure of the plague of storks that he obtained through prayer.
Stored in Cargo: Saint Agricolus
| Saint Agricolus | |
|---|---|
| Feast Day | September 02 |
| Profession | Monk; Bishop |
| Rel. Affiliation | Abbey of Lérins; Diocese of Avignon |
| Patronage | Avignon; Diocese of Avignon |
| Attributes | Bishop's vestments; stork; swallows |
| Birthplace | Avignon, Provence (present-day Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France) |
| Death Place | Avignon, Provence (present-day Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France) |
| Cause of Death | Natural causes |
| Primary Shrine | Cathedral of Our Lady of Doms, Avignon, France |
| Liturgical Class | Not included (universal calendar) |
| Historic Class | III class |
Biography
Birth
Agricolus was born around 630 AD in Avignon, in the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis, the son of Saint Magnus, who was himself Bishop of Avignon. The name Agricolus (from the Latin agricola, "farmer" or "cultivator") was perhaps chosen to express a spiritual meaning. Born into an episcopal family, Agricolus received a thorough Christian formation from his earliest years.
The seventh century in Provence was a period of significant religious and political activity. The Visigothic and Frankish kingdoms contended for control of the region, and the Church of Provence was deeply connected to the great monastic tradition of Lérins, the island monastery off the Provençal coast that had produced many of the leading bishops and theologians of Gaul from the fifth century onward.
Early Life
At the direction of his father, Agricolus was sent at an early age to the Abbey of Saint-Honorat at Lérins to receive his monastic formation. He remained at Lérins for approximately sixteen years, absorbing the monastic tradition of this celebrated house—its liturgical prayer, its scriptural study, and its ascetical discipline. His formation there equipped him for the pastoral and administrative responsibilities of episcopal life.
After his long period at Lérins, Agricolus returned to Avignon, where his aged father Magnus needed assistance in the governance of the diocese. He served as coadjutor to his father and, upon Magnus's death, succeeded him as Bishop of Avignon.
Occupation
Agricolus served as Bishop of Avignon, governing the diocese with pastoral zeal and charitable care for his flock. He is credited in hagiographic tradition with building churches and endowing religious foundations. His episcopal ministry encompassed the full range of a bishop's responsibilities in the early medieval Frankish Church.
Vocation
Agricolus understood his vocation as one of pastoral service and intercessory prayer on behalf of his people. The most famous episode of his episcopal ministry, as recorded in the hagiographic tradition, involved the miraculous liberation of Avignon from a plague of storks. According to this account, a large number of storks settled on the city and spread disease and distress among the inhabitants. Agricolus prayed for divine intervention, and the storks were driven away by a flock of swallows, which then took up residence in the city. In memory of this miracle, swallows became associated with the feast of Saint Agricolus in Avignon, and a tradition of blessing and releasing swallows on his feast day developed and persisted in the local Church.
He died on September 2, 700 AD, having served the see of Avignon with distinction for many years following his father's death.
Death
Agricolus died peacefully on September 2, 700 AD, in Avignon, where he had been born, formed, and served as bishop. He died in the same city that both he and his father had governed in holiness, and his memory was venerated by the people of Avignon from the time of his death.
Saint Agricolus met his end peacefully on September 2, 700 AD in Avignon, dying as a holy bishop after a life of monastic formation at Lérins and pastoral service to the see his father had governed before him.
Significant events
- Born c. 630 AD in Avignon, son of Saint Magnus, Bishop of Avignon.
- Sent at an early age to the Abbey of Lérins for monastic formation; remained there approximately sixteen years.
- Returned to Avignon; served as coadjutor to his father.
- Succeeded his father as Bishop of Avignon.
- Protected Avignon from a plague of storks through prayer; associated with the swallows that drove the storks away.
- Died September 2, 700 AD in Avignon; immediately venerated as a saint.
Significant locations
Legend
Birth location: Avignon, Provence (present-day Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France)
Death location: Avignon, Provence (present-day Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France)
Notable location: Abbey of Lérins, where he received his monastic formation (Île Saint-Honorat, Lérins, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France)
Notable location: His episcopal see; city he protected and governed for many years (Avignon, Vaucluse, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France)
Notable location:
Notable location:
Notable location:
Dynamic content
Parishes
No parishes dedicated to Saint Agricolus have been added to the database yet.
Media
No media found for this saint.
Shrines
Dynamic shrines
No results
No shrines where this saint is the primary saint.
List of shrines
Cathedral of Our Lady of Doms, Avignon, France
- The Cathedral of Notre-Dame des Doms in Avignon, situated at the base of the Rocher des Doms overlooking the Rhône and adjacent to the famous Palais des Papes, is the mother church of the Diocese of Avignon and the cathedral of the see that Agricolus governed. His relics have been preserved and venerated in Avignon. The cathedral is itself a significant Romanesque monument and a center of Provençal Catholic life.
- Pilgrimage details: Place du Palais, Avignon, Vaucluse 84000, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. Open year-round. Diocese: Diocese of Avignon.
- Facts: The cathedral sits adjacent to the Palais des Papes, the seat of the Avignon papacy during the fourteenth century, in one of the most significant Catholic historical complexes in France.
Abbey of Saint-Honorat, Île Saint-Honorat, Lérins, France
- The Abbey of Saint-Honorat on the Île Saint-Honorat, one of the Lérins Islands off the coast of Cannes, is where Agricolus received his formative monastic education for approximately sixteen years. This ancient abbey, one of the oldest and most celebrated monasteries of Gaul, produced numerous saints and bishops of the Gallo-Roman and Frankish Church; Agricolus stands in this distinguished tradition.
- Pilgrimage details: Île Saint-Honorat, 06414 Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes, France. Accessible by boat from Cannes. Diocese: Diocese of Nice.
- Facts: The Abbey of Lérins continues today as an active Cistercian community; visitors may attend Mass and visit the island, whose long history includes over fifteen centuries of continuous monastic life.
Canonization
Servant of God
Saint Agricolus was recognized through the ancient process of universal veneration, predating the formal canonization process. His immediate local veneration in Avignon following his death in 700 AD formed the basis of his cult.
Venerable
Agricolus is not designated as Venerable through the modern process.
Beatification
Agricolus was not formally beatified through the post-Tridentine process.
Canonization
Saint Agricolus is venerated as a canonized saint through the ancient process of equivalent canonization, confirmed by centuries of liturgical commemoration in the Diocese of Avignon.
Miracles
No specific miracles for beatification or canonization have been authenticated through the modern Congregation for the Causes of Saints process.
Miracle for beatification
No formal miracle for beatification has been authenticated.
Miracle for canonization
No formal miracle for canonization has been authenticated.
Other notable miracles
- According to hagiographic tradition, Agricolus miraculously drove a plague of storks from Avignon through his intercessory prayer; swallows replaced the storks and the city was freed from the affliction.
Patronage
Saint Agricolus is venerated as a patron of Avignon and of the Diocese of Avignon.
Feast day
September 02
Veneration
Saint Agricolus is venerated in the Roman Catholic Church with a feast day on September 2. His cult is centered in Avignon, where he is one of the most beloved patron saints. The tradition of blessing and releasing swallows on his feast day, associated with the miracle of the storks, was maintained in Avignon for centuries. He is depicted in ecclesiastical art as a bishop in vestments, sometimes accompanied by storks and swallows.
Prayers
Authored
There are prayers authored by this saint in prayers list yet.
Intercessory
There are no prayers asking for this saint's intercession in prayers list yet.
Books
Written about the saint
Written by the saint
- No writings by Saint Agricolus are known to survive.