Saint of the Day – 15 June – Saint Constantine of Beauvais (Died c706) Bishop, the 17th Bishop of Beauvais in France. He died in c706 of natural causes probably in Jumiègeswhere he was buried.
Located in the 17th place in the chronology of the Diocese of Beauvais, between Bishops Clement and Radingus, Saint Constantine takes on a role of primary importance in the religious history of the region. Despite his position, information about him is fragmentary and often contradictory.
Tradition attributes the foundation of the Diocese of Beauvais, located in the French region of Oise, to the evangelising work of Saint Lucian, a Roman Priest Martyred in the 3rd Century. However, in 632, the first historically documented Bishop is Maurinus (or Marinius), who signed an act of foundation of the Monastery of Solignac. The name of Constantine also appears in these documents but his figure remains shrouded in obscurity.
The little information which has come down to us, tells of a Monk from Jumièges, who, having ascended to the role of the Bishop of Beauvais, led the Diocese in an unspecified period between 692 and 706. After his death which presumably occurred in Jumièges, where he was buried, his memory was honoured with the Liturgical Feast set for 15 June.
Despite the lack of precise details about his life and Episcopate, Saint Constantine of Beauvais remains a significant figure in the religious landscape of medieval France. His story, although fragmentary, testifies to the spread of Christianity in Gaul and the importance of the Episcopal role in the consolidation of Christian communities.
AnaStpaul 