Feast September 28 Name Annemund Annemund | Role Saint Died 658 AD, France | |
Similar People St Ada, Saint Faith, Joseph Hemard, Emory Jenison Pike, Jacques Inaudi | ||
Saint Annemund, also known as Annemundus, Aunemundus, Ennemond and Chamond, was an archbishop of Lyon. He died a martyr in AD 657.
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Annemund was a councillor of Clovis II and a friend of Wilfrid. He died in 658. According to Bede (Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum v.19), this occurred at the order of Queen Balthild.
Biography
Ennemond Dauphin (Dalfinus) was bishop of Lyon. Succeeding Viventius, he became archbishop of Lyon between 652 and 654 during the reign of Clovis II.
His father, Sigon, was a prefect in Lyon, while his brother, Dalfin, was Count of Lyons. Late hagiographic texts say his was a Gallo-Roman family, although his name is of German origin, more common in the Burgundian late 5th century. These same texts record that Dauphin's brother was prefect of Gaul. The accounts of his contemporaries Eddius Stephanus (in) and the Venerable Bede however, make no mention of his brother.
Tradition attributes to him the evangelization of the Saint-Chamond area (Castellum Sancti Admundi), whose church still contains one of his relics.
He was the victim of a plot by the mayor of the palace, Ebroin, and was murdered near Chalon-sur-Saône after AD 658. His body was brought back to Lyon and is in the Saint-Nizier church. Genesius succeeded him as Bishop.
Legacy
Ennemond is also revered in Bellegarde-en-Forez and Champdieu. He gave his name to the town of Saint-Ennemond in Allier and Saint-Chamond in the Loire area. One of his relics is preserved in the Church of Saint-Ennemond, Saint-Étienne.
He is enrolled in the Roman martyrology and his feast day is celebrated on 28 September.
It is said that it was Ennemond who first conceived the idea of calling the faithful to church by ringing church bells. Similarly, when his body was returned to Lyon, all churches would have started ringing their bells.
A statue in the Saint-Ennemond church Saint-Étienne is in episcopal robes, holding a codex of the Bible.