Hilary of Arles - Life

Life

In his early youth, or the 420s, Hilary joined the abbey of Lérins then presided over by his kinsman Honoratus (Saint Honoré). According to Ralph W. Matthisen, Hilary seems to have been living in Dijon before this, although other authorities believe he came from Belgica, or Provence. Matthisen speculates that he may have been a relative or "even the son" of the Hilarius who had been prefect of Gaul in 396 and of Rome in 408.

Hilary succeeded his kinsman Honoratus as bishop of Arles in 429. Following the example of St Augustine, he is said to have organized his cathedral clergy into a "congregation," devoting a great part of their time to social exercises of ascetic religion. He held the rank of metropolitan of Vienne and Narbonne, and attempted to exercise the sort of primacy over the church of south Gaul, which seemed implied in the vicariate granted to his predecessor Patroclus of Arles (417).

Hilarius deposed the bishop of Besançon, Chelidonus, for ignoring this primacy, and for claiming a metropolitan dignity for Besançon. An appeal was made to Rome, and Pope Leo I used it to extinguish the Gallican vicariate (444). Hilarius was deprived of his rights to consecrate bishops, call synods, or oversee the church in the province, and the pope secured the edict of Valentinian III, so important in the history of the Gallican church, ut episcopis Gallicanis omnibusque pro lege esset quidquid apostolicae sedis auctoritas sanxisset. The papal claims were made imperial law, and violation of them subject to legal penalties.

Following his death in 449, Hilary's name was introduced into the Roman martyrology.