Praejectus of Clermont

Saint Praejectus of Clermont, called in France Prix, Priest or Pry, was bishop of Clermont in Auvergne and was slain in 676 together with the abbot Amarinus.

He was born around 625, a son of Gundolenus, of the lesser nobility, and studied under Bishop Genesius of Clermont. As a priest he had charge of the church at Issoire, and Bishop Felix made him abbot of the monastery of Chantoin, founded by Genesius. With the approval of King Childeric II he became bishop of Clermont in 666 and, with the help of Count Genesius, he founded monasteries, hospitals and churches; he encouraged monasticism.

In 675 a land dispute with Hector, lord of Marseille, put him in danger. The assassin, who believed that the bishop was responsible for Hector's death, stabbed him to death at Volvic, together with Amarinus, abbot of a monastery in the area. His death was also linked to the political struggles of the time around Bishop Leodegar. An account of his life was written soon after his death, probably before 690, and he was venerated at once as a martyr. In the time of Charlemagne his relics were moved from Volvic to Flavigny; the church at Volvic bears his name, and in 1278 a finger of his was taken to Saint-⁠Prix. He is a saint of the undivided Church, commemorated on 25 January (new style).