Saint of the Day – 17 June – St Avitus (Died c530) Priest, Confessor, Abbot, Hermit. Born in Orléans, France and died there in c530. Patronages of Orléans and Perche, France. Also known as – Avitus of Micy, Avit, Avito, Avy … of Orléans, … of Perche.
The Roman Martyrology reads today: “At Orléans, St Avitus, Priest and Confessor.”
Avitus was a native of Orléans and, retiring into Auvergne, took the monastic Habit, together with St. Calais, in the Abbey of Menat. This Monastery was, at that time very small, though afterward enriched by Queen Brunehault, and by St Boner, Bishop of Clermont.
The two Saints soon after returned to Miscy, a famous Abbey situated a league and a half below Orleans. It was founded toward the end of the reign of Clovis I. by St Euspicius, a holy Priest, honoured on 14 June and his nephew St Maximin or Mesnim, whose name this Monastery nears. It is now of the Cistercian Order. Many call St Maximin the first Abbot, others St Euspicius, St. Maximin the second and our St Avitus the third.
But our Saint and St Calais did not remain at Miscy very long, although St Maximin gave them a gracious reception. In quest of solitude, Avitus, who had succeeded St Maximin, soon after resigned the Abbacy and with St Calais lived as a recluse in the territory now called Dunois, on the border of La Perche. Others soon joining them, St Calais retired into a forest in Maine and King Clotaire built a Church and Monastery for Avitus and his companions. This is at present a Benedictine Nunnery, called St.Avy of Chateaudun and is situated on the Loire, at the foot of the hill on which the Town of Chateaudun is built, in the Diocese of Chartres.
Three famous Monks, Leobin, afterwards Bishop of Chartres, Euphronius and Rusticus, attended our Saint to his happy death which happened about the year 530. His body was carried to Orléans and buried with great pomp in that City now protected by our St Avitus. (Taken from Lives of the Saints, by Alban Butler).
AnaStpaul 