Rusticus (archbishop of Lyon) explained

Saint Rusticus (c. 455 – 25 April 501), the successor of Saint Lupicinus of Lyon (491-494), served as Archbishop of Lyon from 494 to April 501.^[1] Later canonized and venerated in the Catholic Church, his feast day is 25 April.

Family

He and his brother St. Viventiolus were the sons of Aquilinus (c. 430-c. 470), a nobleman at Lyon. Aquilinus was the son of Tullia (born 410), the daughter of Saint Eucherius and his wife Gallia. Tullia's husband, whose name is unknown, was the son of Decimus Rusticus and his wife Artemia, and was a vicarius of a province in Gaul between 423 and 448 under Apollinaris, the father of Aquilinus' schoolfellow and friend, Sidonius Apollinaris (c. 400).

Bishop

Rusticus served for many years as a magistrate.^[2] Around 494 he succeeded Lupicinus of Lyon as bishop. Shortly after his consecration, Rusticus sent some financial aid to Pope Gelasius I. Gelasius wrote back in February 494, recommending to the bishop's good offices Epiphanius of Pavia, who was on his way to Gaul to see to the ransom of certain captives held by the Burgundian king Gundobad.^{[3] [4]} According to Ennodius, among those freed were 400 from Lyon.^[5]

Marriage and issue

Married before 480 to Hiberie de Limoges (born c. 460), daughter of Ruricius, Bishop of Limoges (then Augustoritum) and his wife Hiberia, daughter of an Arvernian senator Ommatius.^{[6] [7] [8]} Rusticus and his wife had three children:

• St. Sacerdos, Archbishop of Lyon^[9]
• Leontius, Archbishop of Lyon
• Artemia,^[9] the wife of Florentinus, born in 485, a Senator, who were the parents of:
  • Gondulf of Provence, Duke, Bishop of Metz
  • Arthemia, wife of Munderic Vitrey, Pretender of Austrasia.^{[10] [11] [12]}
  • St. Nicetius, Archbishop of Lyon^[13]

Sources

• Sidonius Apollinaris, The Letters of Sidonius (Oxford: Clarendon, 1915) (orig.), pp. clx-clxxxiii; List of Correspondents, Notes, V.ix.1.

Notes and References

1. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09472a.htm Goyau, Georges. "Lyons." The Catholic Encyclopedia
2. https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/rustilyon Odden, Per Einar. "Den hellige Rusticus av Lyon (d. ~500)", Den katolske kirke, August 23, 2917
3. https://books.google.com/books?id=WDA2AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA565 Bennett, S.A., "Rusticus (9)", A Dictionary of Christian Biography, (William Smith, Henry Wace, eds.), J. Murray, 1887, Vol. IV, p. 565
4. Ennodius, Vita Epifani, 136–147; translated in Sr. Genevieve Marie Cook, The Life of Saint Epiphanius by Ennodius: A translation with an introduction and commentary (Washington: Catholic University of America, 1942), pp. 87–91.
5. Ennodius, Vita Epifani, p. 101
6. [Christian Settipani|Settipani, Christian.]
7. Settipani, Christian. "Ruricius, premier évêque de Limoges et ses alliances familiales." Francia, 18 (1991), p. 196, 218.
8. Settipani, Christian. ADDENDUM et CORRIGIENDA (juillet 2000-octobre 2002) for Continuite Gentilice et Continuite Familiae Das Les Familles Senatoriales Romaines a L'Epoque Imperialle: Mythe et Realite. http://users.ox.ac.uk/~prosop/publications/volume-two.pdf Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine (2002)
9. https://books.google.com/books?id=4fDj5mcAXgkC&dq=Sacerdos+of+Lyon&pg=PA22 Heinzelmann, Martin. Gregory of Tours: History and Society in the Sixth Century
10. [Christian Settipani|Settipani, Christian.]
11. Settipani, Christian. "Ruricius, premier évêque de Limoges et ses alliances familiales." Francia, 18 (1991), p. 196, 218.
12. Settipani, Christian. ADDENDUM et CORRIGIENDA (juillet 2000-octobre 2002) for Continuite Gentilice et Continuite Familiae Das Les Familles Senatoriales Romaines a L'Epoque Imperialle: Mythe et Realite. http://users.ox.ac.uk/~prosop/publications/volume-two.pdf Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine (2002)
13. https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/nlyon Odden, Per Einar. "Den hellige Niketius av Lyon (513-573)", Den katolske kirke, July 29, 2018