Vigilantius of Calagurris and Victricius of Rouen: Ascetics, Relics, and Clerics in Late Roman Gaul

Abstract

The Gallic presbyter Vigilantius of Calagurris was an outspoken opponent of ascetic piety and devotion to relics. Known primarily through the writings of Jerome, Vigilantius has too often been viewed only through the lens of Jerome's polemics. This essay reads Vigilantius' arguments within the context of the "ecclesiastical factionalism" of the Gallic church in the late fourth and early fifth centuries. Vigilantius' objections to clerical celibacy, ascetic renunciation, and relic piety appear to be consonant with much of clerical opinion in Gaul at this time. By contrast, Gallic writers, such as Sulpicius Severus and Victricius of Rouen, seem to represent a controversial minority. This paper is offered as a partner to Gillian Clark's introduction to and annotated translation of Victricius' Praising the Saints, an important piece of evidence for devotion to relics and asceticism in late Roman Gaul.