Nice of Trier

Historical Sources

Information about Nice is preserved in a whole series of historical sources contemporary to him: in documents of the epistolary genre ^[10] , in poems by Venanzi Fortunat ^[11] and in the writings of Gregory of Tours “Life of the Fathers” ^[12] , “On the Glory of the Martyrs” ^{[8] [13 ]} and The History of the Francs ^{[14] [15]} . The last of the authors gleaned his information about from , a person who personally knew this saint ^{[3] [6] [16]} . Niceetus is the first head of the Diocese of Trier, information about which has been preserved in the writings of his contemporaries ^[17] .

The early years

Niceetus comes from a noble Gallo-Roman family . It is believed that he could have been born in the last decade of the fifth century or several years earlier ^{[3] [4]} . The birthplace of Nice was the southern lands of Roman Gaul , possibly the territory of the future Limousin or Auvergne ^{[8] [9] [18]} . One of the letters of Sidonius Apollinaria , which mentions his relative, the eponymous bishop of Trier, may testify in favor of the obsession origin of Nitsetia ^[19] . Some historians express an opinion on the possible identity of these two persons ^{[3] [17]} .

The parents of Nice were highly educated people for their time and gave their son an excellent home education. However, already in his early youth, Niceetius decided to devote himself to spiritual activity. He retired to one of the Gallic monasteries, possibly the one in Limoges . Here, Niceetus soon became a friend and assistant to the abbot, and when he died, he was elected his successor in the abbot. Renowned for his virtuous life, the new abbot soon gained respect not only from the monastery inhabitants, but also from King Theodorich I of Australia . Perhaps Niceetus even became the confessor of this monarch. Theodoric I repeatedly came to the monastery to Nice, conducted intimate conversations with him, meekly removing all the reproaches of the saint, who reproached the king for his pious deeds and covetousness ^{[3] [4] [16]} .

Bishop of Trier

Obtaining Episcopal Dignity

In the second half of the 520s - the first half of the 530s (dates are referred to from 525 to 532 inclusive ^{[6] [8] [20]} ), Bishop Trier Aprunkul died . After his death, the clergy and residents of the city sent a delegation to Theodoric I, who was to ask the monarch for permission to ordain priest in the episcopal rank. However, the king rejected this request, deciding that Niceet would become the head of the Diocese of Trier ^[17] , and Gall would head the Clermont diocese ^{[16] [15]} . It is likely that Theodoric I considered the appointment of Nice to such an important department as the Trier act, which would contribute to the fastest Christianization of the Rhine regions of his kingdom ^[3] .

Arriving in Trier, Niceetius saw that the city fell into decay due to turmoil caused by the Great Migration of Peoples . Therefore, one of the main concerns of the Trier bishop was the restoration of the economy of his diocese ^{[3] [4] [9]} .

Church Participation

Nicece participated in several local clergy of the Frankish state: the in Clermont on November 8, 535, the in Orleans on October 28, 549, the other synod in Clermont in 549, the in Tula on June 1, 550 years and the in Paris in 552/553 ^{[3] [4] [6] [9] [15] [17] [21]} . At the Tula Synod, Bishop Trier was elected chairman of the assembly ^{[3] [17]} .

Two letters of Bishop Reims Mapin , dedicated to the 550 Tula Cathedral, have been preserved. In one of them, addressed to the bishop of Niceet, the head of the Reims diocese mentioned that this meeting was convened, including to consider the responsibility of some Frankish nobles who insulted the head of the diocese of Trier. In turn, Mapin complained to Nice about the persecution to which he was subjected on the part of those excommunicated for violating church canons about the marriage of secular persons. The Bishop of Reims asked his addressee to use the great influence that he had on the Austrian king Theodebald . With the help of the monarch, Mapin intended to convene a church council that would protect him from the persecution of ill-wishers ^{[4] [16]} .

The strong influence of Niceet on Teodebald is also mentioned in a letter to the bishop of Trier, rector of the monastery in Romain Moutiers Floriana. In this letter, the abbot, calling Theodebald the “son” of Nitseti, begged the bishop to entreat the king to release the Italian prisoners captured by the Franks near Lake Como ^{[4] [16] [17]} .

The most influential hierarch of the Frankish state

The 550s — 560s — the time of the highest influence of Bishop of Niceetus. This was the period when he was considered the most authoritative hierarch of the Frankish state ^{[4] [6]} .

Probably, by this time the letter of Bishop Trier to the Byzantine emperor Justinian I should belong. This document was previously dated about 565, but according to modern data, most likely, it should have been written in 549 or 550. The reason for sending the message to Constantinople , far from Trier, was the “ Controversy of Three Chapters ” that began in Byzantium. In the letter, Niceetus urged Justinian I to abandon Monophysitic views , renounce the Nestorian and Eutykhian false teachings and stop the persecution of supporters of Nicene Christianity ^{[4] [6] [16] [17] [21]} .

Relations with Frankish Monarchs

In relation to the Frankish rulers and their entourage, Nicecet never showed obsequiousness, despite the threats that they often addressed him. According to the testimony of Gregory of Tours, before passing the ceremony of intronization , Nicece rudely but fairly treated the royal dignitaries who accompanied him, not allowing those to graze horses in the fields of his future parishioners ^{[3] [4] [16]} .

With the successor of Theodoric I, King Theodebert I , the bishop was in conflict over the licentiousness and money-grubbing of the ruler of the Franks, and when Trier came under the rule of Chlothar I , Nicecet excommunicated the king himself in 560, accusing him of incestuous communication . In response to the request of the monarch, a synod of Frankish bishops was convened from among those loyal to Chlothar. Its participants sent Nice into exile, instead of which he elevated the royal protege of Rustic to the episcopal chair. Nicetia was able to return to his diocese only after the death of Hlotar I, having received the consent of his son, the King of Austria Sigibert I in 561 ^{[3] [4] [6] [9] [15] [16] [21]} .

With King Sigebert I, Niceetus was in a very good relationship. The historian Bruno Dumésile even called Bishop Trier "the most authoritative person in Australia and the main adviser to Sigibert on diplomatic and religious affairs" ^[22] .

In March 566, Nicece was present at the Metz wedding of King Sigibert I and Brunnhilde . According to Bruno Dumézil, Niceetus could have been the main organizer of this Franco - Visigothic marriage. The same author believed that the diplomatic talent of Niceeta not only avoided the possible aggravation of relations between the Franks and the Byzantines in the light of this marriage, but also helped to strengthen ties between the rulers of Australia and the Byzantine Empire. It is possible that Bishop Trier, along with Bishop Egidius of Reims, could be a mentor to the young Queen Arian and her close associates in matters of transition to the “ true faith ”. It is assumed that this contributed to an even greater rapprochement of Nice with the Austrian royal couple. Among the people who were especially close at that time to Brünnhilde and Nice, historians distinguish the Austrian Mayordom Gogon ^[21] and the Duke of Champagne Lup ^[23] .

Correspondence of Nice.

The collection “ Australian Letters ” contains correspondence maintained by Niceetus with his contemporaries ^[10] . Among his addressees were clergymen who lived in lands remote from Trier — the abbot of the monastery in Romain-Moutieux Florian, Bishop of Octodura (modern Martigny ) Rufus and Bishop of Reims Mapin. Two letters written by Nice to secular persons are also known. The addressee of one of them was Byzantine Emperor Justinian I, the other - Chlodosinda , daughter of the Frankish king Chlothar I and the wife of the ruler of the Lombards , Arianine Alboin . In a letter sent to the Queen of Lombard in 563 or 565, the bishop of Trier urged her to do everything possible to convert her husband to Orthodox Christianity . However, despite all the bishop's exhortations to Chlodosinda, Alboin remained an adherent of Arianism ^{[3] [6] [16] [24]} . The Epistle of Nice to Queen Hlodosinda is an important source on the history of the formation of the cult of veneration of saints among the Franks. It also contains valuable evidence of the baptism of King Clovis I , absent from other medieval authors ^[4] .

Two letters have also been preserved, sent between 550 and 561 to the year of Nice by the Bishop of Milan, . In them, the Italian prelate endowed his colleague of Trier with the rank of archbishop. This is the first ever mention of this dignity in relation to the heads of the diocese of Trier ^[17] .

From other sources of the VI century it is known that at that time the heads of the three dioceses - Verdun , Metz and Tula ^[4] were the suffragans of the Trier bishops.

Construction activities

The largest number of surviving evidence of the construction activity of Nice is in the second half of his presence at the department. In a letter dating back to around 550, it is mentioned that the construction of the new main city church was commissioned by the masons sent from Italy by his friend, Bishop Octodur Rufus. The construction of a new episcopal residence in Trier in the VI century is also confirmed by archaeological data. Probably Nice did not ignore other churches of Trier - the church of , St. Medar and St. John ^{[3] [4] [8] [16] [21]} .

In the spring of 566, Venantius Fortunatus also mentioned the castrum , the Fortress of Nice, with thirty towers and a chapel on which a ballista was installed ^{[4] [16] [25]} , which was still being built by order of the bishop on the banks of the Moselle . In the hills along this river, at the behest of the Trier bishop, vineyards were again cultivated. Subsequently, this allowed Rhineland to become one of the leading wine-growing regions of the Frankish state ^{[17] [18]} .

The personal qualities of Nice

In medieval sources, Niceetius is described as a prelate, devoting much time to pastoral work, giving sermons daily, in which he urged his parishioners to lead a pious and honest life. Contemporaries wrote about the bishop of Trier as a person leading the life of an ascetic, to which he was accustomed while still a monk. It is reported that at a time when the Trier clergy had an evening meal, the fasting bishop secretly left his residence daily and prayed to no one in the city churches. Nicetius founded a school to educate future clergy, one of whose students was Limoges Abbot Aredius ^[3] .

Two treatises are attributed to nicetia - De Vigiliis servorum Dei and De Psalmodiæ Bono . However, the fact that he was the author of these works is doubtful ^{[3] [4] [16]} .

According to Gregory of Tours, shortly before the death of Nice, through the prayers of this prelate, the city of Trier was spared the plague epidemic that devastated all the surrounding regions of the Frankish state. Probably, this event should be dated to the first half of the 560s ^[17] .

Demise

The exact date of the death of Niceetus is not known. He probably died in October, since then (October 1 or 3) ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]} is the day of his memory, dedicated to this event. However, there is also evidence that Niceetus could have died on December 5 ^{[6] [16]} . Modern historians believe that Niceetus died in the 560s, however, they indicate various dates of his death. 563 ^[3] , 566 ^{[4] [6] [16]} and 569 years ^{[6] [8]} are called as possible.

Niceetus was buried in the church of St. Maximinus built by him. The successor of Nice at the episcopal department was his student Magnerich ^{[4] [15] [16] [17] [26]} .

The Results of the Bishopric of Nicetia

Niceetus was the last Gallo-Roman to head the diocese of Trier. He is one of the most famous hierarchs of the Diocese of Trier from the times of Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages ^{[16] [9]} . Some modern scholars even call the 6th century “the century of Nice” in Trier ^[8] .

Posthumous veneration

Thanks to his piety and virtue, shortly after his death, Niceetus was venerated among the inhabitants of the Diocese of Trier as a righteous man. In this capacity, he was already mentioned by Gregory of Tours, who included the biographies of Bishop Trier in the works Life of the Fathers and On the Glory of the Martyrs. In his writings, Gregory especially praised Niceet for justice and justice. The same author has already reported on numerous miracles that occurred at the grave of Nice. In the History of the Franks, Gregory of Tours described Bishop Trier as follows: “ Nice, a man of exceptional holiness, revered among the people not only as a preacher of amazing eloquence, but also glorious in committing good and wonderful deeds ” ^{[6] [16]} .

The first time testimony of Nicetia as an all-German saint dates back to 981 and is contained in Gertrude ’s Prayer Book ^{[6] [27]} . Despite such early evidence of the veneration of Nice, his cult in the Middle Ages was not widespread ^[4] .

The Day of Remembrance of Saint Nicetius is celebrated in Trier on October 1 ^{[3] [4] [5]} , as reported in the manuscript of the 11 XI century ^{[8] [15]} . In yet another Trier funeral list of the 13th century, October 3 ^{[7] [8]} is named as the day of remembrance of Saint Niceetus. However, in the " Roman Martyrology " his commemoration on the basis of the work of Adon of Vienna is attributed to December 5 ^{[3] [8] [9] [17]} .

• Dumézil B. Queen Brünnhilde. - SPb. : Eurasia , 2012 .-- 560 p. - ISBN 978-5-91852-027-7 .