THEODARD OF NARBONNE, ST.

Archbishop; b. Montauban, France, ca. 840; d, Montauban, May 1, 893. Apparently he was of noble origin, and he pursued his studies, both religious and secular, with such success he was chosen advocate at the synod of Toulouse that tried to settle a dispute between the Jews of Toulouse and Bishop Bernard. The presiding officer of the synod, Abp. Sigebod of Narbonne (873–885), afterward made Theodard his archdeacon, in which capacity he distinguished himself by piety and great charity toward the sick and the needy. Theodard succeeded Sigebod as archbishop in 885, was consecrated on August 15, and went to Rome to receive the pallium from Pope Stephen V in 886. At the synod of Villa Portus near Nîmes, 886–887, he resisted the metropolitan pretensions of the archbishop of Tarragona. Theodard did much to repair the damage that his archdiocese had suffered from the Saracens, and used the Church treasures to ransom Christian captives. He died and was buried in Montauban in the Benedictine Abbey of St. Martin, which became known as St. Theodard's.

Feast: May 1.

Bibliography: Acta Sanctorum (Antwerp 1643– ; Venice 1734–; Paris 1863–) May 1:143–159. Bibliotheca hagiographica latina antiquae et mediae aetatis, 2 v. (Brussels 1898–1901; suppl. 1911) 2:8045. Gallia Christiana, v.1–13 (Paris 1715–85), v.14–16 (Paris 1856–65) 6:20–22. j. a. guyard, Histoire de saint Théodard (2d ed. Montauban, Fr. 1886). a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, rev. ed. h. thurston and d. attwater, 4v. (New York 1956) 2:210–211. j. uttenweiler, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. m. buchberger, 10 v. (Freiburg 1930–38) 10:33–34.

[g. j. donnelly]