Gatian ( Latin: Gatianus, Catianus, Gatianus, Gratianus , French Cassien, Gatien, Gratien ; died in the III century ) - Bishop of Tours , revered as a Christian saint , commemorated on December 18 .
| Gatian of Tours | |
|---|---|
| Name in the world | Gatian |
| Birth | |
| Death | III century |
| In the face | |
| Day of Remembrance | December 18th |
Biography
Saint Gatian was the founder of the episcopal department in Tours .
According to Christian historians, during the reign of Emperor Decius and Vettus Gratus, Pope Fabian sent seven bishops from Rome to Gaul to preach the Gospel: Gatiana to Tours, Trofima to Arles , Paul Narbonne to Narbonne , Saturnina to Toulouse , Dionysius - to Paris , Astremonia - to Clermont and Martial - to Limoges . The Christian community has already existed for many years in Lyon , where Irenaeus was the bishop .
Gatian devoted half a century to preaching Christianity in Tours, contrary to the resistance of the local pagans. He managed to rally the followers near him, and they walked around the country and founded temples. By his death, the diocese of Tours was already strong.
Like the other founders of the seven churches of Gaul, especially Martial, Gatian began to be referred to in the later Christian tradition as “ seventy-two disciples of Christ ”, claiming that he was sent to Gaul back in the 1st century, directly by the apostle Peter . Other details of his biography, although difficult to refute, are largely legendary. Gregory of Tours , who wrote in the VI century , is a more reliable source for few biographical details regarding his predecessor. According to the historian Louis Duchenne (Christian Worship: Its Origin and Evolution), the tradition preserved in Tours provided Gregory with only the name of Gatian and, possibly, information about 50 years of his reign.
According to legend, The Merciful Martin , Bishop of Tours, came to pray at the grave of St. Gatiana.