Vincentian (Viance), St.
VINCENTIAN (VIANCE), ST.
Hermit; b. Anjou; d. Jan. 2, 672? According to legend he lost his parents as a very young child and was brought up by Berald, duke of Aquitaine, who gave him to Bp. desiderius of cahors so that he might study for the priesthood. When Berald died, however, his successor discontinued Vincentian's studies and put him in charge of the stables. After much abuse, Vincentian ran away and became a hermit in Limousin. His life was marked by miracles; a vision foretold his death. His vita (Monumenta Germaniae Historica: Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 5:112–128) was supposedly written by a deacon, Hermenbert, who was Vincentian's tutor, but evidence now indicates that the vita is a later 11thcentury work and is highly untrustworthy. Except for his cult in the Diocese of Toul, there is no solid evidence that Vincentian ever existed.
Feast: Jan. 2.
Bibliography: b. krusch, Neues Archiv der Gesellschaft für ältere deutsche Geschichtskunde 18 (Hanover 1893) 549–649, esp.561. j. l. baudot and l. chaussin, Vies des saints et des bienheureux selon l'ordre du calendrier avec l'historique des fêtes, ed. by the Benedictines of Paris, 12 v. (Paris 1935–56); v. 13, suppl. and table générale (1959) 1:35. a. butler, The Lives of the Saints, rev. ed. h. thurston and d. attwater, 4 v. (New York 1956) 1:22.
[g. j. donnelly]