Denis of Paris
Decapitated bishop who walked miles preaching with his head in hand.
Last updated
He was martyred by decapitation alongside his companions Rusticus and Eleutherius.[1] Denis of Paris, a Christian saint and martyr, lived during the 3rd century and is traditionally considered the first bishop of Paris.[1] Pope Fabian (236-250) dispatched Denis along with several other missionary bishops to Gaul, with the goal of reviving the Church there after the persecutions carried out under Emperor Decius.[2]
Life and work
Denis arrived near Paris with the priest Rusticus and the deacon Eleutherius, settling on the island in the Seine.[2] He built a church on that island and provided for regular solemnization of Divine service.[2] According to Gregory of Tours, Denis was bishop of the Parisii and was martyred by being beheaded with a sword.[3] Denis and his companions were seized and, after many tortures, were beheaded about 275.[2]
This development was due in part to the medieval error identifying Denis with Dionysius the Areopagite.[2] Hilduin, Abbot of Saint-Denis, wrote an "Areopagitica" in 836 that deepened this confusion.[2] Around the year 600, a document titled "Passio SS. Dionysii Rustici et Eleutherii" was produced, which is the earliest surviving account of his life; this work is incorrectly thought to have been written by the poet Venantius Fortunatus.[4]
What the cited sources add
It also states that Denis built a church on the island in the Seine and provided for Divine service there.[2] The same source gives the year of his beheading as about 275.[2] Pope Fabian (236-250) assigned Denis a challenging mission, sending him to Gaul.[2] King Philip V of France received a 1317 manuscript of "The Life of Saint Denis" as a gift from his chaplain Gilles, who was the abbot of Saint-Denis.[5]
The manuscript was commissioned by Jean de Pontoise, who served as Abbot of Saint-Denis before Gilles.[5]
References
- Wikipedia, "Denis of Paris" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "St. Denis", Robert Appleton Company, 1908 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "St. Denis", Robert Appleton Company, 1908. facts only, no text reused. newadvent.org
- Wikipedia, "Denis of Paris" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Beatus Dionysius Parisiorum episcopus diversis pro Christi nomine adfectus poenis praesentem vitam gladio immente finivit." "History of the Franks I," 30. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Denis of Paris" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Fr. Paolo O. Pirlo, SHMI, "My First Book of Saints", Sons of Holy Mary Immaculate—Quality Catholic Publications, 1997, p. 238–239; "St. Denis", Robert Appleton Company, 1908 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Life of Saint Denis", employees.oneonta.edu. facts only, no text reused. employees.oneonta.edu
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Denis of Paris (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Early Church Fathers And Saints
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Denis of Paris (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced