Fris

Fris (Fris of Bassoues, in Latin Frisius) is a warrior saint of the 8th century, venerated in Aquitaine, in the department of Gers in France, as a defender of the region against the Saracens. He died in the year 732. He is commemorated on 24 June.

According to the legend he was a knight of Frisian descent, son of King Radbod of Frisia and nephew of Charles Martel, to whom he drew close after converting to Christianity. In 732 he is said to have led an assault on the Saracen troops advancing into Gascony, in the neighborhood of Lupiac. Forced to retreat before the army of Abd al-⁠Rahman, he stopped at Bassoues, where he gathered his men again and launched a second assault, in which an arrow struck him in the thigh; his horse then dragged him along the ground. He died in the battle.

The medieval legend is not supported by historical sources and may have been inspired by troubadour songs about legendary Frisian kings rather than by hagiography. His name has been known since the 11th century. Veneration peaked in the 16th century and revived after the mid-19th. His shrine is in the basilica of Saint-⁠Fris at Bassoues, on the Via Tolosana toward Santiago de Compostela. Since 2001 he has been patron of the parish of Saint-⁠Fris-⁠d'Anglès, and his present cult is limited to four parishes of the Astarac. Doubts remain about his sainthood, for lack of sources.