A famous disciple of Saint Augustine and Bishop of Calama in Numidia, Possidius was a defender of the faith against the Donatists and pagans. After the destruction of his see by the Vandals, he attended Saint Augustine in his final moments and wrote his biography. He is honored as a patron in Italy, notably in Mirandola.
Guided reading
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SAINT POSSIDIUS OR POSSIDONIUS, BISHOP OF CALAMA (5th century).
Episcopacy and Donatist persecutions
A disciple of Saint Augustine, Possidius became bishop of Calama in 397 and suffered violent persecutions at the hands of the Donatists.
Saint Possidius Saint Possidius Bishop of Calama, disciple and biographer of Saint Augustine. , bishop of Calama in Numidia, was one of the most famous disciples o f Saint August saint Augustin Father of the Church and spiritual master of Possidius. ine. Elected bishop of Calama in 397, he suffered greatly at the hands of the Donat Donatistes Christian schismatic movement in North Africa. ists, who drove him from his episcopal house in 404 and treated him with such cruelty that he nearly lost his life: yet he took no revenge upon them, other than to plead for their pardon before the emperor.
Pagan unrest and the Conference of Carthage
Following deadly pagan riots in 408, Possidius interceded for the guilty and participated in the decisive 411 Conference of Carthage against Donatism.
In the year 408, pagans celebrating one of their gods' festivals danced in front of the church, to which they subsequently set fire after killing a clergyman with stones and wounding several others who escaped death only by flight.
Those pagans who had not been involved in this excess, fearing that they might be included in the punishment of the guilty, wrote to Saint Augustine so that he might intercede on their behalf. Possidius, for his part, interceded for the guilty, and the emperor was content, as the only punishment, to have the pagans' idols broken, with a prohibition against offering sacrifices or celebrating superstitious festivals. In the year 411, Possidius attended, along with Saint Augustine, Saint Alypius, and other bishops of Africa, the famous con ference held at Carthage, w conférence tenue à Carthage Meeting of 410 aimed at resolving the conflict between Catholics and Donatists. hich dealt a mortal blow to the Donatist party.
Relics of Saint Stephen and the Vandal invasion
The bishop obtained relics of Saint Stephen before seeing his diocese ruined by the Vandal invasion in 429, forcing him to take refuge in Hippo.
When the relics of Saint Stephen, the first martyr, discovered near Jerusalem th saint Étienne Protomartyr to whom Trond dedicated his property and a church. e previous year, were brought into the province around the year 416, the bishop of Calama obtained a portion for his church. He had the sorrow of seeing his episcopal church entirely ruined by the Vandals of Numidia in the year 429, which forced him to withdraw to Hi ppo, wh Hippone City where Possidius took refuge and where Saint Augustine died. ich the barbarians came to besiege soon after.
Death of Saint Augustine and literary legacy
Possidius attended Saint Augustine in his final moments in 430 and wrote his biography, becoming his first hagiographer.
He closed the eyes o f Saint August saint Augustin Father of the Church and spiritual master of Possidius. ine, who died the following year and whose Life he w rot Vie Biography of Saint Augustine written by Possidius. e.
Exile, uncertain death, and legacy
Forced into exile by the destruction of Calama, he ended his life in obscurity, possibly in Italy where he is honored as a patron in Mirandola and Reggio.
As Cal ama wa Calame Episcopal see of Possidius in Numidia. s nothing more than a heap of ruins, he could not return to his flock, which was destroyed or dispersed; but the place and year of his death remain unknown. The Italians claim that having crossed into Italy he died in Mi randola, Mirandole Italian town claiming to be the site of the saint's death. and this city as well as that of Reggio honor him as their patron; as he had established clerics at Calama who followed the rule instituted by Saint Augustine, the Canons Re gular count him amo chanoines réguliers Religious order claiming Possidius among its illustrious members. ng one of the most illustrious Fathers of their Order.
Propre d'Alger; — Souvenirs de l'Église d'Afrique, by Father Calder; — See, for more details, May 17.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Elected Bishop of Calama in 397
- Persecution by the Donatists in 404
- Attack on the church by pagans in 408
- Participation in the Conference of Carthage in 411
- Reception of the relics of Saint Stephen in 416
- Fled to Hippo during the Vandal invasion in 429
- Present at the death of Saint Augustine in 430
- Writing of the Life of Saint Augustine