AGOBARD OF LYONS, ST.

Archbishop; b. Spain, 769; d. Lyons, France, 840. In 782 he moved to Narbonnaise, Gaul, and in 792 he went to Lyons as a companion to leidradus, Charlemagne's missus (delegate), on one of his tours of duty in the region of Narbonne and Seo de Urgel. Ordained a priest in 804 and named chorbishop for Leidradus in 813, Agobard ruled the See of Lyons at the retirement of Leidradus to Soissons (814), and in 816 was named his successor. Agobard was one of the greatest prelates of his day. Because of his opposition to Emperor Louis the Pious in the Council of Compiègne (833), he was compelled to leave Lyons after the Emperor's coronation in 835, taking refuge with Lothair I in Italy. In the meantime his position in Lyons was given to his opponent, amalarius of metz. In 838, after his reconciliation with the Emperor, Agobard returned to Lyons. He composed many theological writings, e.g., against Felix de Urgel De insolentia Judaeorum against the Jews, and numerous political, juridical, and liturgical works. He wrote also against superstition. The Liber de imaginibus, often attributed to him, was composed by claudius of turin. His other authentic works—official documents from his see—are the product of collaboration with his deacon florus of lyons. The De divina psalmodia, Contra libros IV Amalarii, and the hymn Rector magnificus are exclusively the work of Florus. His presence at the Council of Paris in 825 is uncertain, but it is clear that he did not participate in drawing up the synodal Libellus against images addressed to Pope eugene ii.

Feast: June 6.

Bibliography: Annales Lugdunenses, in Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptores 1:110, autobiographical notes from the margin of Codex Vallicellianus E 26. Patrologia Latina, ed. j. p. migne (Paris 1878–90) 104:29–352. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptores 15.1:274–279. Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Epistolae 5:150–239. e. boshof, Erzbischof Agobard von Lyon. Leben und Werk (Cologne 1969). a. bressolles, Saint Agobard, évèque de Lyon, 769–840, v.1 of Doctrine et action politique d'Agobard (Paris 1949). j. a. cabaniss, Agobard of Lyons (Syracuse 1953). p. bellet, "El Liber de imaginibus sanctorum bajo el nombre de Agobardo de Lyon obra de Claudio de Turín," Analecta Sacra Tarraconensia 26 (1953) 151–194. l. scheffczyk, Lexicon für Theologie und Kirche, ed. j. hofer and k. rahner (Freiburg 1957–65) 1:204.

[p. bellet]