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Died c. 541
St. Germanus of Capua was a sixth-century bishop who helped restore unity between the East and the West, ending a 35-year schism. As Bishop of Capua in southern Italy, he became a trusted representative of Pope Hormisdas and negotiator between Rome and Constantinople.
Little is known with certainty about Germanus’s early life. A later biography says that he was born into a wealthy family in Capua. After his father died, he gave his inheritance to the poor and devoted himself to prayer and an ascetic life. Around 519, he became Bishop of Capua.
At the time, the Christian world was divided by what became known as the Acacian Schism, a dispute between the East and the West surrounding Christ’s nature. The disagreement began in the late fifth century and had separated Rome from Constantinople for more than 30 years. When Emperor Justin I came to power, efforts began to restore communion. Pope Hormisdas sent a delegation to Constantinople, giving Germanus the lead role.
The mission was successful. Germanus and his fellow legates presented the pope’s “formula of faith,” which affirmed the authority of the Council of Chalcedon and required the repudiation of those who had rejected it. On Holy Thursday in 519, the Eastern Church solemnly accepted the reunion in Constantinople. Germanus and the other representatives remained in the East for another year, assisting in compliance with the agreement.
Germanus returned to Capua and continued his episcopal ministry until his death around 541. He is remembered for his essential service in healing division and restoring communion between the East and the West.
The Acacian Schism was a division between Rome and Constantinople that began in 484 after Pope Felix III rejected the Henotikon, a document issued by the Byzantine Emperor Zeno and Acacius, Patriarch of Constantinople. It was intended to reconcile Christians divided over the Council of Chalcedon’s approved teaching on Christ’s two distinct natures rather than one unified nature. The dispute became associated with Rome’s excommunication of Acacius. The resulting break lasted for more than three decades. When Emperor Justin I sought reconciliation, Pope Hormisdas sent Germanus and other representatives to Constantinople. Their negotiations succeeded in 519, when the patriarch and other bishops accepted the pope’s “formula of faith” and communion with Rome was restored.
St. Gregory the Great included a remarkable story about Germanus in Book IV of his Dialogues. Gregory says that, while Germanus was visiting a thermal bath for his health, he encountered the deceased Roman deacon Paschasius. Paschasius explained that he was undergoing purification because he had supported the wrong claimant to the papacy during an earlier papal controversy. He asked Germanus to pray for him and told him that his disappearance from the bath would indicate that the prayers had been answered. When he returned several days later, Paschasius was gone. Gregory used the story to emphasize God’s judgment, the need for repentance, and the spiritual value of prayer.
St. Germanus was originally buried in the church of St. Stephen in Capua. His remains were later transferred to a church dedicated to him. In the ninth century, Emperor Louis II spent about a year in Capua and decided to take Germanus’s body with him. During the journey, some of the relics were left at a monastery town associated with Monte Cassino. Devotion to the saint subsequently became connected with that place, which eventually took the name San Germano. In 1863, the town’s ancient Roman name, Cassino, was restored, but his relics helped spread his veneration beyond Capua.
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St. Francis of Assisi is the first recorded stigmatist in Church history. Since then, many holy men and women have experienced this mystical gift. In this free eBook, you’ll discover the stories of Sts. Francis, Catherine, Rita, and Pio of Pietrelcina, along with Servant of God Rhoda Wise. You’ll also learn more about the stigmata in a special Q&A with “Miracle Hunter” Michael O’Neill, host of several EWTN programs.
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