De sancto Germano episcopo
The Heavenly Sprout
The name Germanus signifies a heavenly sprout, characterized by the heat of love, the moisture of devotion, and the power of preaching.
The name Germanus comes from 'germen' and 'ana,' which means 'above,' as if to say 'a heavenly sprout.' For three things are found in a sprouting seed: natural heat, nourishing moisture, and the seminal principle. Blessed Germanus is therefore called a 'sprouting seed' because in him there was heat through the fervor of love, moisture through the richness of devotion, and the seminal principle through the power of preaching, by which he brought many to birth in faith and good character. The priest Constantine wrote his life for the holy bishop Censurius of Auxerre.
From Worldly Power to Divine Service
Germanus is transformed from a secular governor into a man of God through the persistent guidance and revelation of Bishop Amator.
Germanus, who was of very noble birth and born in the city of Auxerre, was highly educated in the liberal arts; he eventually went to Rome to study law, where he gained such status that the senate sent him to Gaul to hold the highest office of the dukedom of all Burgundy. While he was governing the city of Auxerre more diligently than others, he kept a certain pine tree in the middle of the city, from whose branches they would hang the heads of wild beasts as a display of hunting prowess. But when the holy Amator, the bishop of that same city, often rebuked him for such vanity, warning him that he should even order that tree to be cut down so that no evil occasion might arise from it for the Christians, he would not agree at all. On one occasion, however, while Germanus was away, he cut down the tree and burned it entirely; when Germanus heard this, he forgot his Christian faith, surrounded himself with soldiers, arrived there, and threatened the bishop with death. The bishop, however, recognizing through divine revelation that Germanus would succeed him, yielded to his rage and went on to Autun. Afterward, he returned to Auxerre, carefully shut Germanus inside the church, and there, by giving him the tonsure, foretold that he would be his successor. And this came to pass.
The Ascetic Life of a Saint
Germanus embraces a life of extreme self-denial, prayer, and miraculous discernment against demonic forces.
For shortly after, the bishop died happily, and the whole populace demanded Germanus as their bishop; he gave away his wealth to the poor, turned his wife into his sister, and for thirty years so afflicted his body that he never ate wheat bread, nor drank wine, nor... legumes, and never ate even salt for flavor. Twice a year, however—specifically at Easter and Christmas—he would drink wine, but even then he diluted it with excessive amounts of water. At his meals, he would first taste ashes, then eat barley bread; he was always fasting and never ate until the evening. In summer or winter, he wore no clothing except a hairshirt and a single cowl; this garment, unless it happened to be given to someone else, was worn until it fell apart from excessive wear. His bed was adorned with ashes, a hairshirt, and a sack; no pillow lifted his head from his shoulders, but always groaning and carrying the relics of the saints around his neck, he never took off his garment, and rarely took off his shoes or belt—indeed, he was more than a man. Everything he did was like this. His life was such that, had it been devoid of miracles, it would have seemed unbelievable. His miracles were so great that, had his merits not preceded them, they would have been thought phantastic. Once, while staying in a certain place, he was surprised to see a table being set again after supper, and he asked for whom it was being prepared. When they told him they were preparing it for the good women who walk about at night, Saint Germanus decided to stay awake; and behold, he saw a multitude of demons coming to the table in the form of men and women. He commanded them not to leave, then woke everyone in the household, asking if they recognized those people.
Miracles and Apostolic Journeys
Through his travels and encounters with heretics and kings, Germanus manifests divine power and humility.
When they claimed that all their neighbors were present, he sent word to each of their homes, commanding the demons not to leave, and behold, they were all found in their own beds. Under oath, the demons confessed that they were indeed demons who had been mocking the people in this way. At that time, the blessed Bishop Lupus was flourishing in Troyes; when King Attila was besieging his city, the blessed Lupus stood above the gate and called out, asking who it was that was attacking them in such a way. He replied, 'I am Attila, the scourge of God.' To this, the humble servant of God replied with a groan, 'And I am Lupus, alas, the destroyer of God's flock and one who is in need of God's scourge,' and he immediately ordered the gates to be opened. But they, blinded by divine power, passed from one gate to the other, seeing or harming no one. The blessed Germanus, therefore, having taken the aforementioned Bishop Lupus with him, set out for Britain, where heretics had sprung up; but while they were at sea and a great storm arose, a great calm was immediately brought about through the prayer of the holy Germanus; they were therefore received with honor by the people, whose arrival the demons had already predicted, and whom the holy Germanus had cast out from those who were possessed. After they had refuted the heretics, they returned to their own lands.
Signs of Divine Favor
Germanus performs extraordinary miracles, including raising the dead and guiding the destiny of nations, while maintaining his spiritual focus.
While he was lying sick in a certain place, it happened that the entire village was consumed by a sudden fire. When he was asked to be carried away to escape the fire, he stood his ground against the blaze, and though the flames consumed everything all around him, they did not touch his lodging. While he was returning to Britain a second time to refute the heretics, one of his disciples followed in his footsteps at a rapid pace, but he fell ill and died at Cordomarum. On his way back, the blessed Germanus had his tomb opened, called him by name, and asked what he was doing and whether he still wished to serve with him. He immediately sat up and replied that everything was pleasant for him and that he didn't wish to be called back. Then, with the saint's permission to rest, he laid his head down and fell asleep in the Lord again. While Germanus was preaching in Britain and the king of Britain had denied him and his companions lodging, the king's swineherd, returning from the pastures and carrying his allotted rations from the palace to his own hut, saw the blessed Germanus and his companions suffering from hunger and cold; he kindly received them into his home and ordered the only calf he had to be killed for his guests. After supper, the blessed Germanus had all the bones of the calf gathered up on the hide, and at his prayer, the calf rose up without delay. The following day, Germanus went quickly to the king and demanded to know why he had denied him lodging. The king, struck with great astonishment, couldn't answer him, and said, "Leave, and yield the kingdom to a better man." Germanus, therefore, by God's command, had the swineherd and his wife brought to him, and to the amazement of all, he appointed him king; and from that time on, kings descended from the swineherd's line have ruled the people of the Britons. When the Saxons were fighting against the Britons and saw that they were few in number, they called out to the holy men who were passing by, and having been preached to by them, they all eagerly rushed toward the grace of baptism. On Easter Day, therefore, out of the fervor of their faith, they cast aside their weapons and prepared to fight bravely; hearing this, the enemy boldly rushed against the unarmed men, but Germanus, hiding with his own people, instructed everyone that when he himself shouted "Alleluia," they should all answer him with one shout. When this was done, such terror seized the enemy as they were rushing upon them that they threw down their weapons, thinking that not only the mountains but even the sky itself was falling upon them, and they all fled. Once, while passing through Autun, he arrived at the tomb of Saint Cassian the bishop and asked how he was doing. He immediately replied from the tomb, within the hearing of all: "I am enjoying sweet rest and awaiting the coming of the Redeemer." And he said, "Rest for a long time in Christ, and intercede more attentively for us, so that we may deserve to obtain the joys of the holy resurrection."
Final Days and Eternal Rest
Germanus concludes his earthly life with humility and continues to manifest divine power even after his death.
When he arrived in Ravenna, Queen Galla Placidia and her son Valentinian welcomed him with honor. At dinner time, the queen sent him a large silver vessel filled with delicacies; he accepted it, but gave the food to his servants and kept the silver vessel for the poor. In return, he sent the queen a wooden bowl filled with barley bread, which she gladly accepted and later had encased in silver. Once, when the queen invited him to a banquet, he kindly accepted. Because he was exhausted from fasting and prayer, he was carried from his lodging to the palace on a donkey. While he was eating, however, Saint Germanus's donkey died. When the queen heard this, she offered the bishop a remarkably gentle horse. He looked at it and said, "Bring me my own donkey; the one that brought me here will take me back." He went to the carcass and said, "Get up, little donkey, let's go back to our lodging." It immediately jumped up, shook itself, and, as if it had suffered no harm, carried Germanus back to his lodging. Before leaving Ravenna, he predicted that he wouldn't remain in this world much longer. A short time later, he was struck by a fever and died in the Lord on the seventh day. His body was transported to Gaul, just as he had requested of the queen. He died around the year of our Lord 330. Now, when Saint Germanus had promised the blessed Bishop Eusebius of Vercelli that upon his return he would dedicate the church he had founded, Saint Eusebius heard that Germanus had passed from this life; he ordered candles to be lit to dedicate his church, but the more they were lit, the more they were extinguished. Seeing this, Eusebius understood that the dedication should either happen at another time or be reserved for a different bishop. When the body of the blessed Germanus was brought to Vercelli, it was taken into that same church, and at once all the candles were lit by divine power. Then Saint Eusebius remembered the promise of the blessed Germanus and realized that he had fulfilled in death what he had promised to do while he was alive. This should be understood as not referring to the great Eusebius of Vercelli, as if this happened in his time; he died under the Emperor Valens, and more than fifty years passed between his death and the death of Saint Germanus. Therefore, there was another Eusebius under whom this event occurred.
Read the original Latin
Germanus dicitur a germine et ana, quod est sursum, qnasi supernum germen. Tria enim reperiuntur in segéte germinante, seilicet calor naturalis, humor nutrimentalis et ratio seminalis. Beatus igitur Germanus dicitur quasi semen germinans: quia in ipso fnit calor per fervorem dilectionis, humor per pinguedinem devotionis et ratio seminalis per virtutem praedicationis, per quam multos in fide et moribus generabat. Cujus vitam Constantinus presbiter ad sanctum Censurium episcopum Altisiodorensem scripsit.
Germanus nobilissimus genere in urbe Altisiodoro natus et liberalibus studiis plurimum eruditus tandem Romam ad discendum juris scientiam est profectus, ubi tantum dignitatis accepit, ut eum senatus ad Gallias transmitteret, ut apicem ducatus totius Burgundiae obtineret. Cum ergo Altisiodorensem civitatem caeteris diligentius gubernaret, arborem quandam pinum in media civitate habebat, ad cujus ramos pro admiratione venationis ferarum capita suspendebant. Sed cum sanctus Amator ejusdem civitatis episcopus de tali eum vanitate saepe redargueret, monens, ut etiam illam arborem incidi mandaret, ne aliqua mala occasio ex hoc christianis eveniret, ille nullatenus acquievit. Quadam autem vice absente Germano arborem incidit et incendio totam dedit, quod Germanus audiens christianae religionis oblitus vallatus militibus illuc advenit et mortem episcopi intentavit. Episcopus autem. divina revelatione Germanum sibi successurum agnoscens furenti cessit et Augustodunum perrexit. Postmodum Altisiodorum reversus Germanum in eeclesia caute conclusit et ibidem eum tonsurans ipsum sibi successorem esse praedixit. Quod factum est.
Nam paulo post episcopus feliciter obiit et Germanum plebs omnis in antistitem postulavit, qui substantia pauperibus erogata et uxore in sororem commutata corpus suum per triginta annos sic afflixit, ut nunquam panem frumenti, non vinum, non !) legumen, nunquam vel salem pro sapore comederit. Bis tamen in anno, scilicet in pascha et natali, vinum sumebat, sed tamen ipsum vini saporem aquis nimiis exstinguebat. In refectione primo cinerem praelibabat, deinde panem hordeaceum sumebat, semper autem jejunans nunquam nisi in vespere comedebat. In aestate vel hyeme nullam vestem habuit praeter ciliciumet unicum cucullum, quae vestis nisi forte alicui donaretur, tamdiu ferebatur, donec attritione nimia solveretur, Lectus cinere, cilicio ac sacculo ornabatur , nullum pulvinar caput ab humeris ejus levabat, sed semper gemens et reliquias sanctorum collo gerens nunquam vestimentum, raro calceamenta et raro cingulum detrahebat: super hominem siquidem. fuit omne, quod gessit. Talis enim ejus exstitit vita, ut, si miraculiscaruisset, incredibilis videretur. Tanta fuerunt miracula, ut, nisi merita praecessissent, phantastica pntarentur, Hospitatus in quodam loco cum post coenam mensa iterum pararetur, admiratus interrogat, cui denuo praepararent, Cui quum dicerent, quod bonis illis mulieribus, quae de nocte incedunt, praepararent, illa nocte sanctus Germanus statuit vigilare, et ecce vidit multitudinem daemonum ad mensam in forma hominum et mulierum venientem, qui iis praecipiens, ne abirent, cunctos de familia excitavit inquirens, si personas illas agnoscerent.
Qui cum omues vicinos suos et vicinas suas esse dicerent, misit ad domos singulorum daemonibus praecipiens, ne abirent, et ecce omnes in suis lectulis sunt inventi. Adjurati igitur se daemones esse dixerunt, qui sic hominibus illudebant. Eo tempore beatus Lupus episcopus ) Trahasmae florebat, cujus urbem cum Attila rex obsideret, super portam beatus Lupus acclamans, quis esset, qui eos sic impeteret, inquisivit. Cui ille: ego sum Attila flagellum Dei. Quo contra humilis praesul Dei ait dicens et gemens: et ego Lupus, heu vastator gregis Dei et indigens flagello Dei, moxque portas reserari jussit. llli autem divinitus excaecati per portam ad portam transierunt, neminem autem videntes aut laedentes. Beatus igitur Germanus assumto praedieto episcopo Lupo in Britannias, ubi haeretici pullulaverunt, profectus est, 'sed dum in mari essent et tempestas maxima oriretur, ad orationem sancti Germani protinus tranquillitas magna efficitur; honorifice igitur à populis suscipiuntur, quorum adventum daemones jam praedixerant, quos sanctus Germanus de obsessis expulerat. Verum cum haereticos convicissent, ad propria redierunt.
Gum in quodam loco infirmus decumberet, contigit, nt totus ille vicus repentino incendio conflagraret. (Qui cum rogaretur, ut inde asportatas ignem evaderet, ille incendio se opponit et ultra citraque omnia consumente flamma hospitium ejus non tetigit. Dum ad Britannias iterato rediret, ut haereticos confutaret, quidam ex discipulis ejus gradu concito ejus vestigia sequebatur, qui tamen apud Cordomarum infirmitatus occubuit. Rediens inde beatus Germanus sepulchrum ejus aperiri fecit ipsumque vocans ex nomine, quid ageret, an adhuc secum militare cuperet, requisivit. Mox ille residens cuncta sibi constare suavia ac se molle e contra ulterius revocari respondit. Tuuc sancto annuente, ut requiesceret, ille deposito capite rursum in domino obdormivit, Dum in Britannia praedicaret et sibi et sociis, rex Britanniae hospitium denegasset, subulcus regis regressus a pascuis receptam praebendam in palatio ad tugurium proprium referens vidit beatum Germanum cum sociis fame et frigore laborantem, quos in domo sua benigne recepit et unicum vitulum, quem habebat, hospitibus occidi praecepit. Post coenam sanctus Germanus omnia ossa vituli super pellem componi fecit et ad ejus orationem vitulus sine mora surrexit. Sequenti die Germanus regi festinus occurrit et, cur ei hospitium denegarit, potenter inquirit.
Tunc rex vehementer attonitus sibi respondere non potuit et ille: egredere, inquit, et regnum meliori dimitte. Germanus igitur Dei mandato subulcum cum uxore venire fecit et universis stupentibus regem constituit et ex tunc reges de subulci genere prodeuntes dominantur genti Britonum. Cum Saxones contra Britones dimicarent et se paucos viderent, sanctos inde transeuntes vecaverunt et ab iis praedicati certatim omnes ad baptismi gratiam onvolabant. Die igitur paschae ex fervore fidei projectis armis proponunt fortiter proeliari, quod illi audientes audacter contra inermes properant, sed Germanus latens cum suis omnes admonuit, ut, cum ipse alleluja clamaret, omnes sibi uno clamore respondeant. Quod cum factum esset, tantus hostes super se jam irruentes terror invasit, ut projectis armis non solum montes sed coelum etiam super se ruere putarent, cunctique diffugerunt. Quadam vice dum per Augustodunum transiens ad tumulum sancti Cassiani episcopi devenisset, quomodo se haberet, ingnisivit. Ille statim ex tumulo cunctis andientibus sic respondit: dulci quiete perfruor et adventum redemtoris exspecto. Et ille: quiesce per longum in Christo tempus et pro nobis attentius intercede, ut obtinere sacrae resurrectionis gaudia mereamur.
Dum apud Ravennam devenisset, a regina Placida et filio suo Valentiniano honorifice susceptus est, hora vero coenae regina ei misit vas argenti amplissimum delicatioribus cibis plenum, quod ille sic suscepit, ut cibos famulis traderet et sibi pro pauperibus ipsum vas argenteum retineret. Loco vero muneris misit reginae scutellam ligneam panem hordeaceum continentem, quod illa libenter recepit et vas illud postmodum argento texit. Quadam autem vice dum praedicta regina eum ad convivium invitasset, ille benigne annuens ab hospitio suo usque ad palatium, eo quod jejuniis et orationibus esset confectus, asino deferente portatus est, sed dum comederet, asinus sancti Germani mortuus est. Quod regina audiens equum mirae mansuetudinis episcopo praesentari fecit, quem intuens ait: meus mihi asinus praesentetur, quia, qui me huc attulit, reportabit. Pergensque ad cadaver: surge, inquit, muscio revertamur hospitio, statimque subsiliens se ipsum concussit et quasi nihil mali passus esset, Germanum ad hospitium denortavit. Sed antequam de Ravenna exiret, praedixit, quod nequaquam in hoc saeculo dintius moraretur. Post modicum febre corripitur et die VII in domino moritur et corpus ejus ad Gallias, Sicut a regina petierat, transportalur. Obiit circa annos domini CCCXXX.
Verum cum sanctus Germanus beato Eusebio Vercellensi episcopo promisisset, quod in sna reversione ecclesiam, quam fandaverat, sibi dedicaret, cum intellexisset sanctus Eusebius beatum Germanum exiisse de corpore, ecclesiam suam dedicaturus cereos accendi jussit, sed quanto plus accendebantur, tanto plus exstinguebantur. Quod videns Eusebius intellexit dedicationem aut alio tempore fieri oportere aut alteri episcopo reservari. Cum igitur beati Germani corpus Vercellas delatum fuisset, mox in praedictam ecclesiam inducitur et statim cerei omnes divinitus inflammantur. Tunc -sanctus Eusebius promissionis beati Germani meminit et quod vivens se facturum promiserat, mortuum fecisse cognovit. Hoc ita oportet accipi, ut non intelligatur de magno Eusebio Vercellensi, quod tempore illius factum sit hoc, nam ipse sub Valente imperatore mortuus fuit et a morte ipsius usque ad mortem sancti Germani ultra annos L effluxerant, Fuit ergo alius Eusebius, sub quo istud, quod narratur, evenit.
The Golden Legend (Legenda Aurea) companion
Continue through all 240 chapters, one saint a day
Chosen Portion serves the Golden Legend as a daily portion on iOS, free, alongside the full Sub Rosa archive
The Legenda Aurea was organized for day-by-day use across the liturgical year, and Chosen Portion restores that original one-feast-per-day reading rhythm
- A complete saint's life or feast reading most days in 5-10 minutes
- 240 chapters - enough daily readings to cover a full liturgical year and beyond
- Daily reminders so the plan survives busy weeks