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Virgilius of Arles
Archbishop of Arles
SaintResearchedBenedictinesPre-congregation
Feast: 5 March (not on the universal Roman calendar; kept in the Roman Martyrology or local calendars)
Born
600
Died
610
verified
Beatified
—
not needed: before formal processes
Canonised
By tradition
recognised before formal processes began
Who they were
Virgilius was Abbot of St Symphorien at Autun and then Bishop of Arles. St Gregory the Great urged him to win the Jews by prayer and preaching rather than force.
In 595 Gregory made him papal vicar in Gaul and asked his help against simony. He died about 610.
The miracles
The Catholic Encyclopedia does not describe how he came to be honoured as a saint.
Why that counted as sanctity
An archbishop entrusted by St Gregory with the Church in Gaul.
Connected on this site
- Augustine of Canterbury Saint“Gregory several times requested Virgilius (596, 601) to extend a welcome to Augustine of Canterbury and his monks, whom he was sending to England.” — Wikipedia
- Boniface IV Saint“On 23 August 613, Pope Boniface IV sent the pallium to Virgilius's successor Florian.” — Wikipedia
- Gregory of Tours Saint“According to Gregory of Tours, Virgilius was first Abbot of the Abbey of St.” — Wikipedia
- Theorodus of Marseille Saint“In June 591, Theodore and Bishop Virgilius of Arles received a letter from Pope Gregory I informing them that "very many ...” — Wikipedia
Sources
- Catholic Encyclopedia (1913), via New Advent - St. Virgilius of Arles
- Wikidata Q2463401 — dates, feast day and identifiers (CC0)
- English Wikipedia — Virgilius of Arles (CC BY-SA)
Checked against the sources listed on 21 September 2026. Corrections welcome.