EUCHERIUS OF ORLÉANS, ST.

Bishop; b. late seventh century; d. abbey of Saint-Trond, Belgium, 738. He belonged to an influential merovingian family and from his earliest years was destined for the monastic life with the result that he was professed at the benedictine abbey of jumiÈges c. 709. Seven years later he was elected, against his will, bishop of Orlèans, where his uncle Suavaric had occupied the episcopal see and where his relatives had powerful support. charles martel, returning from his victory against the Saracens in 732, had him arrested and sent in exile to Cologne because his family was hostile to the party of the mayor of the palace. Eucherius bore his disgrace with great resignation and later obtained permission to retire to the Abbey of saint–trond. He was venerated as a saint from the ninth century.

Feast: Feb. 20.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum Feb. 3:211–225. Monumenta Germaniae Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum (Berlin 1825–) 7.1:41–53. l. duchesne, Fastes épiscopaux de l'ancienne Gaule (Paris 1907–1915) 2:462–463. h. leclercq, Dictionnaire d'archéologie chrétienneet de liturgie, ed. f. cabrol, h. leclercq and h. i. marrou (Paris 1907–1953) 12.2:2686. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheueux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes (Paris 1935–1956) 2:428–431. a. dumas, Catholicisme 4:661. a. m.. zimmermann, Kalendarium Benedictinum: Die Heiligen und Seligen des Benediktinerorderns und seiner Zweige (Metten 1933–1938) 1:234–236.

[É. brouette]