Saint of the Day – 20 May – St Austregisilus of Bourges (c 551-624) Bishop of Bourges from 612 to 624. Priest, Monk, Abbot Born in c 551 in Bourges, France and died in 624 of natural causes. Patronage – Bourges, France. Also known as – Aoustrille, Austregesilio, Outril, Outrille.
Austregisilus was born of noble but not very wealthy parentsin Bourges and when he was about 24, he was sent to live at the Court of King Saint Guntram (died c 592).
There, according to his Vita, he was falsely accused of forging an authorisation for one of the Courtiers and was ordered to fight a duel to prove his innocence.
By Divine intervention, it is reported, his slanderer was kicked to death by his own horse on the morning the ordeal.
Austregisilus then left the Court, became a Monk and a Priest and was appointed Abbot of St Nicetius Monastery in Lyon.
He was Consecrated Bishop of Bourges on 13 February 612. In October 614 he attended a Synod which met at Paris and his name appears eighth in the list of 79 Bishops who signed the Decrees.
He is reported to have granted a hermitage at Bourges to St Amandus, who became his disciple and later became the zealous and effective missionary to Flanders, known as the “Apostle of Belgium.” He Ordained St Sulpitius the Pious as cleric of his Church, then Deacon and Priest and appointed him Director of his Episcopal school and finally his successor as Bishop of Bourges.
The French villages of Saint-Outrille and Saint-Aoustrille are named after him.
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