Amans of Rodez

Saint Amans of Rodez was bishop of Rodez, in Gaul, and is venerated as a saint, especially in the diocese of Rodez and in many other French dioceses. His commemoration is in the Roman Martyrology on 4 November, and in other manuscripts on 1 and 13 November. He is venerated by the Catholic Church.

According to tradition he was born at Rodez, where from childhood he professed the Christian faith. He was priest and bishop in his native city and led a righteous life, for which he received from the Lord the gift of miracles. In the opinion of some scholars Amans was the first bishop of Rodez and lived in apostolic times; according to other reports he lived at the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century. The first view is supported by Touzery, and the second belongs to A. Servières, the author of the life of the saint. The latter view has in its favour the testimony of Saint Gregory of Tours, who says that Saint Quintianus, successor of Amans, moved the body of the saint into the basilica built by him, but this work was not acceptable to the saint. Bishop Quintianus took part in the councils of Agde (506) and Orléans (511).

The life of the saint, wrongly attributed to Venantius Fortunatus, has a highly legendary character. It is considered to have been written by a cleric of the church of Rodez in the second half of the sixth century according to Rouziès, or in the ninth according to Delehaye. The sources also preserve a collection of stories of the miracles he worked.