Gregory of Langres

Saint Gregory of Langres, also called Gregory of Autun, was bishop of Langres in Gaul and reposed in 539. He was born around 446 into an old senatorial family.

He was count and governor of the city of Autun, a man firm and severe toward cowards and bandits but gentle with honest people. From his marriage to Armentaria he had two sons: Tetricus, who succeeded him on the throne of Langres and is himself a saint, and another Gregory, the grandfather of Saint Gregory of Tours. After his wife's death he entered the clergy, was ordained priest, and in 506 was elected bishop of Langres by the clergy and the faithful.

As a shepherd he lived strictly, eating only barley bread, drinking water and spending long hours in prayer; Gregory of Tours says he lived like an anchorite in the midst of the world. He usually stayed at Dijon, where he founded the abbey of Saint-⁠Benignus and moved the relics of Saint Benignus, the apostle of Burgundy, into a basilica. He was known for his gentleness and understanding.

He is a saint of the undivided Church, commemorated on 4 January (new style).