Clement of Metz

Saint

Clement of Metz
Saint Clement, first bishop of Metz, near ruins of the amphitheater. By Auguste Migette (ca. 1850).
Bishop
Venerated inEastern Orthodox Church
Roman Catholic Church
Feast23 November

Clement of Metz (Latin: Clemens de Metiae; French: Clément de Metz) is venerated as the first Bishop of Metz. According to tradition, he was sent by Peter to Metz during the 1st century, with two disciples: Celestius (Céleste de Metz) and Felix (Felix de Metz), who are listed as his successors in that see. However, this legend may have been constructed much later to lend more antiquity to the episcopal see, and to make the diocese of Metz appear to be more ancient than it actually was.[1] As Hippolyte Delehaye writes, "To have lived amongst the Saviour's immediate following was...honorable...and accordingly old patrons of churches were identified with certain persons in the gospels or who were supposed to have had some part of Christ's life on earth."[2] Elaboration of this legend states that Clement was the uncle of Pope Clement I.[3][4]

Clement may have actually arrived at Metz at the end of the 3rd century,[1] though the first fully authenticated bishop, however, is Sperus or Hesperus, who was bishop in 535.[5]

  1. ^ a b The Graoully, symbol of Metz Archived 2011-05-22 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ Hippolyte Delehaye, The Legends of the Saints (Dublin, Four Courts Press, 1955), 37.
  3. ^ Bibliothèque sacrée, ou Dictionnaire universel historique, dogmatique, canonique, géographique et chronologique des sciences ecclésiastiques p418 Charles-Louis Richard 1827
  4. ^ Histoire de la ville et du pays de Gorze p24 Par Jean Baptiste Nimsgern 1853
  5. ^ Wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Metz