Saint Emilian of Valence
Confessor, First presumed Bishop of Valence
The first known Bishop of Valence in the 4th century, Saint Aemilianus participated in the great councils of his time, notably that of Sardica in 347 and that of Valence in 374. A friend of Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, he governed his diocese for approximately thirty years with a holiness recognized by tradition. His immemorial cult has been officially approved by the Holy See.
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SAINT AEMILIANUS, CONFESSOR,
Episcopate and conciliar commitments
The first known bishop of Valence, Emilian participated in the Council of Sardica in 347 to defend orthodoxy and Saint Athanasius.
In 374, Valence had the honor of seeing one of the most famous councils of antiquity gather within its walls. This city then had as its bishop Saint E milian, the f saint Émilien First known bishop of Valence and confessor of the 4th century. irst whose memory history has preserved for us. It is unknown from which country he originated and at what time he received the government of this Church. Nevertheless, it is believed with good reason that he occupied the episcopal see before the year 346; for the following year he attended, along with several bishops of Gaul, the Council of Sardica concile de Sardique Council held in 347 for the defense of the orthodox faith. , so famous for the restoration of Saint Athanasius, whom the heretics had deposed, and for the measures taken there for the defense of the orthodox faith. Emilian had the consolation of seeing in this famous assembly the most illustrious prelates of his century; he took part in their work and signed, in concert with them, the letter they wrote to all the bishops of the world who had been unable to attend the council. The frequent contacts he then had with such a great number of pontiffs, almost all renowned for their eminent holiness, excited in him a singular ardor for his own perfection and soon made his rare merit appreciated. He formed, above all, a close friendship with Saint Eusebius of Ver celli, that hero of the saint Eusèbe de Verceil Close friend of Aemilian and defender of the faith. faith, that intrepid defender of innocence, that prodigious man whose works and virtues have been praised by so many doctors, popes, and councils.
Relationships and spiritual influence
The saint formed a friendship with Eusebius of Vercelli and distinguished himself through his quest for perfection in contact with the great prelates of his time.
Saint Emilian did not survive long after the council that had brought such a great number of illustrious and venerable colleagues to him. It is conjectured that he governed the Church of Valence for nearly thirty years. Be that as it may, his memory has remained in blessing in the city that he had edified through so many virtues, and the title of Saint has been given to him by all the principal ecclesiastical writers.
End of life and posterity
After approximately thirty years of episcopal government, Emilian died shortly after the Council of Valence in 374, leaving an image of great virtue.
Thus he is honored in Valence with a public and solemn cult. The origin of this cult is lost in the shadows of the highest antiquity; it dates back to a time when the forms later adopted for the canonization of Saints were not yet known; but no one is unaware that, during the first centuries, the assent of the people and the authority of the first pastors were sufficient to bestow a religious cult upon those who had rendered themselves worthy of it, and that, even today, the Church herself, in the absence of historical evidence, requires only the testimony of a constant tradition to authorize it. Such is, indeed, the motive that led the Holy See to recently app rove the ho Saint-Siège Papal authority that approved the cult of Aemilian. nors rendered to Saint Emilian in the diocese of Valence.
Cult and liturgical tradition
His cult, founded on an ancient and constant tradition, has been officially approved by the Holy See for the diocese of Valence.
Taken from the Hagiological History of the diocese of Valen ce, by Abbé Kud M. l'abbé Kudat Author of the Hagiological History of the Diocese of Valence. at.
Sources
The entry is based on the work of Abbé Kudat concerning the hagiological history of the diocese.
Taken from the Hagiological History of the Diocese of Valence, by Abbé Kudat.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Episcopate in Valence before 346
- Participation in the Council of Sardica in 347
- Signature of the synodal letter to the bishops of the world
- Host of the Council of Valence in 374
- Governed the Church of Valence for nearly thirty years