Saint Germanus of Paris

Germanus was born around 496 near Autun, in Burgundy. After a difficult childhood, he was ordained a priest and became abbot of the monastery of Saint-Symphorien in Autun, where he was known for giving so freely to the poor that his monks feared there would be nothing left for them. Around 555 he was chosen bishop of Paris.

As bishop he kept the simple life of a monk and won the friendship of King Childebert I, whom he helped turn from a worldly life. The king built a church near Paris to house relics of Saint Vincent of Saragossa brought from Spain, and Germanus consecrated it in 558. He spent great sums ransoming prisoners and slaves, worked to end the bloody quarrels among the Merovingian kings, and attended several councils. He died on May 28, 576, at about eighty, and was buried in the church of Saint Vincent, which later took his name: Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

The Left Bank neighborhood of Saint-Germain-des-Prés, famous for its cafés and bookshops, grew around the abbey that bears his name, and the abbey church, one of the oldest in Paris, still holds his memory. His feast is kept in the Archdiocese of Paris.