Caesaria of Avignon

Caesaria of Avignon was an Occitan hermit of the diocese of Avignon (Vaucluse), west of the Rhône, in the sixth century. She is honoured as a saint by several Christian confessions.

She was married to a man of good standing named Valens and lived with him in perfect continence. In the end Valens was ordained a priest, and Caesaria chose a solitary life and withdrew to a cave on Mount Andaon, later called Mount Saint André. There she lived the rest of her days and fell asleep in the odour of holiness on 8 December 586.

Her relics were kept in a chapel on the summit, where in the tenth century the abbey of Saint-⁠André later rose. There stands a castle that dominates the Rhône, opposite Avignon. Around the abbey the village of Villeneuve-⁠lès-⁠Avignon was born.