A cleric from Antioch chosen by Saint Helena and ordained by Pope Saint Sylvester, Agrice became Archbishop of Trier and Primate of the Gauls in the 4th century. He enriched his city with precious relics, including the Holy Tunic and a nail of the Passion, and transformed the imperial palace into a basilica. He died in 335 after having eradicated idolatry and governed his church for more than twenty years.
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SAINT AGRICE OR AGRY, BISHOP OF TRIER (335).
Context and appointment
After the persecutions, Empress Helena wished to restore the faith in Trier and proposed Agrice, a cleric from Antioch, to Pope Sylvester.
After the departure from this world of the first founders of the Church of Trier, as the seed of the divine Word, spread by them, had in part developed into an abundant harvest of holiness, and in part withered in hearts during an ardent persecution of two centuries, it pleased the divine mercy, when peace had been restored to the Church by the Emperor Constantine, to inspire Saint Helena, mother of this prince, to recall to life in the city of Trier the Christian fai cité de Trèves Birthplace of the saint. th which was dying there.
When she learned that this see was devoid of a pastor, anxious to fill this void, she presented to the Sovereign Pontiff, to be ordained, a man distinguished by his virtues, Agrice, a cleric of the church of Antioch. Wishing to provide for the salvation of this people no less than to correspond to the desires of the empress, Saint Sylvester created Agrice primate of the Gauls and of the two Germanies, and placed him at the head of the Chur Église de Trèves Birthplace of the saint. ch of Trier with the authority and title of archbishop.
Relics and foundations
Agricius receives distinguished relics from the East, including the Holy Tunic, and transforms the imperial palace into a metropolitan basilica.
Saint Agricius, having received from the holy empress distinguished and precious relics brought from the East, deposited them in a sanctuary of the church entrusted to his care. Among these relics we count primarily the seamless tunic of the Savior and one of the nails with which his most holy body was pierced and attached to the cross; furthermore, the bones of the apostle Saint Matthew and many others which are still today the object of the veneration of the people and attract a great concourse of pilgrims.
He co nverted the palace of S palais de sainte Hélène Mother of Emperor Constantine, who discovered the True Cross. aint Helena into a metropolitan basilica dedicated to the prince of the Apostles, in which he deposited the treasure of these holy relics, except for the body of Saint Matthew, which he gave to the old church of Saint Eucharius where the see of the bishops of Trier had been established until then; later this church, augmented by a famous monastery, took the name of this apostle.
Mission and end of life
He evangelized the Gauls and the Belgians with imperial support before dying after twenty years of episcopate, designating Maximin as his successor.
The primary care of Saint Agrice was to radically extirpate all that remained of idolatrous superstitions in Trier, and, with the help of the two Constantines, father and son, and of the Empress Helena, to propagate the salutary doctrine of Christ in Gaul and among the Belgians. He occupied himself with this untiringly until, ripe for heaven by his age and his virtues, after having led the flock of the Lord for twenty years and more, choosing between his two disciples Maximin and Paul in the Maximin Bishop of Trier and superior of Saint Cyriacus. former as the elder to be his successor, he passed from the midst of his labors to the rest of blessed eternity, leaving his body to the basilica of Saint John the Evangelist, today named after Sa basilique de Saint-Jean l’Évangéliste Burial place of Agricius. int Maximin. He rests there in a crypt beside his successor; formerly all the clergy of Trier would gather annually on the 13th of January to commemorate his passing.
Sources
Mention of the hagiographic source used for this account.
Bresister of Trier.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Cleric of the Church of Antioch
- Appointed Archbishop of Trier and Primate of the Gauls by Saint Sylvester
- Reception of the relics of the Passion and Saint Matthew from Saint Helena
- Conversion of the palace of Saint Helena into a metropolitan basilica
- Struggle against idolatrous superstitions in Trier
- Governance of the diocese for over twenty years