Saint Gratus of Aosta

Gratus of Aosta (Italian: San Grato di Aosta, French: Saint Grat d'Aoste) (d. September 7, c. AD 470) was a bishop of Aosta and is the city's patron saint. It is thought that both Gratus and Eustasius were of Greek origin and that they received their education and ecclesiastical formation from the type of monastic foundation in Italy established by Eusebius of Vercelli, which was modeled on that of the Eastern cenobites. He is known to have signed the acts of the synod of Milan in AD 451 as a priest. Gratus represented the bishop of Aosta, Eustasius, at this council, signing the letter that the assembly sent to Pope Leo I the Great in order to affirm its condemnation of the heresy of Eutyches. Gratus became bishop of Aosta sometime after 451, and presided over the translation of various relics in the city around 470, including those of Innocent, one of the martyrs of the Theban Legion. The bishops of Agaunum and Sion were present at this translation. The year of his death is not known, but the day is: his tomb in the parochial church of Saint-Christophe bears an inscription that reads Hic requiescit in pace S. M. GRATUS EPS D P SUB D. VII ID. SEPTEMB. His relics are preserved in the Collegiate church of Saint Ursus in Aosta. His feast day is September 7. The diffusion of Gratus' cult occurred in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, when his relics were translated from the church of St. Laurence (in Aosta) to the Collegiate church of Saint Ursus. Some of his relics lie there still, in a gold and silver reliquary. One March 27 of an uncertain year, a liturgical feast was introduced in the diocese of Aosta that honored the translation of Gratus' relics. An ancient ritual of pagan origin consisted of a blessing of the earth, the water, and the candles, coinciding with the coming of spring.