Remigius (Remi) (d. 533), bishop, also called Apostle of the Franks. Of Gaulish parentage, Remigius became bishop of Reims at an early age. He is famous principally because he baptized Clovis I, king of the Franks (481–511). The queen, Clotilde, was a Christian, but the king was converted after his sick infant son was restored to health and he himself won a spectacular victory over the Alemanni. Both these events were attributed to the power of Christ. Thus Clovis came, in Remigius' words, to ‘adore what he had burnt and to burn what he had adored’. Remigius also baptized the king's family and followers, who were said to number 3, 000. Under the protection of Clovis, Remigius preached the Gospel and founded bishoprics and churches. He died at Reims on 13 January.
Legends about him flourished. One attributed to him the power of touching for the King's Evil (transmitted by him to Clovis and claimed later by Edward the Confessor and his Norman successors). Another asserted that the chrism for Clovis' baptism was miraculously provided by a dove; the remnant, called La Sainte Ampoule, was kept in Reims Cathedral until the Revolution.
In England six ancient churches were dedicated to Remigius. Feast: 13 January; translation, 1 October.
Bibliography
Click here for a list of abbreviations used in this bibliography.
- AA.SS. Oct. 1 (1765), 59–187; letters and testament in P.L., lxv. 963–76; see also Gregory of Tours, Historia Francorum, ii. 23 and B. Krusch in M.G.H., Scriptores rerum merov., iii (1896), 239–347; modern studies by R. Barroux (1947), F. Oppenheimer, The Legend of the Sainte Ampoule (1953), and M. Bloch, Les Rois thaumaturges (1924)
