SAINT PRAEJECTUS

Statue of Saint Prejectus (Pry) at Saint-Prix, Val-d'Oise.

St. Praejectus


Born Auvergne
Died January 25, 676 Volvic


Feast day: January 25
Died: 676


Praejectus (d. 676) + Martyred bishop of Clermont, also called Prest, Prix, and Projectus. Bom in Auvergne, France, he studied under Bishop Genesius and was himself appointed bishop of Clermont in 666. Known for his zeal and learning, he also promoted monasticism, built churches and hospitals, and was conspicuous in his help for the poor. He was assassinated near Clermont, with St. Amarin, abbot of a monastery in the Vosges, by a group of soldiers who thought he had taken part in the execution of their leader who had been accused of conspiring against King Childeric of Austrasia.



Praejectus of Clermont
 (also known as Prix, Priest, Prest, Preils, Projectus)
 & Amarinus, OSB Abbot M (RM)
 Died at Clermont, on January 25, 676. Saint Praejectus was born in the Auvergne, France. He was ordained a priest and then became bishop of Clermont in Auvergne with the approval of Childeric II in 666. Not only was Praejectus a great administrator and a fosterer of monasticism, he was also a man of wisdom, learning and generosity, and a great preacher. He founded monasteries, hospitals, and churches. Under his guidance, religious fervor became general. He was slain by evil-doers at Volvic in the Vosges together with Saint Amarinus, an abbot of a monastery there (the valley of Saint- Amarian in Alsace is named after the latter). This tragic event was the result of machinations. Hector, ruler of Marseilles, was accused of various outrages and misdemeanors. At the order of Emperor Childeric, he was arrested and executed. Agritius, believing that Hector's fate was the work of Praejectus, planned revenge. Praejectus was stabbed to death with a sword--his brains splattered on the ground.

 A contemporary account was written of his life and achievements and within a short time Praejectus was venerated as a martyr and his cultus spread to English monastic calendars and the sacramentary of Saint Gregory. In France, churches were dedicated to Saint-Prix in almost every province. In 760, his body was enshrined at Flavigny, where most of them remain. Some were given to the Cluniac abbeys of Saint-Prix at Saint-Quentin's and that in Bethune, as well as other places