Saint Gaudentius of Brescia
Saint Gaudentius, spiritual son of Saint Philastrius, Bishop of Brescia in Italy, was highly honored by all. Wishing to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Places, and also to escape the praise of men, he went to Jerusalem. Coming to Caesarea of Cappadocia on his return, he met the nieces of Saint Basil the Great, and received from them relics of the holy Forty Martyrs of Sebastia. In the meantime Saint Philastrius reposed, and the people of Brescia sought Saint Gaudentius for their bishop, binding themselves with an oath to accept no one else. The Saint resisted until threatened with excommunication. He returned to Brescia and was ordained bishop by Saint Ambrose of Milan in the year 387. In 405 he was sent by Pope Innocent and Emperor Honorius to Constantinople to intercede with Emperor Arcadius for Saint John Chrysostom, who was then suffering the wrath of the Empress Eudoxia, for which Saint Gaudentius was ill-treated and imprisoned in Thrace because he would not accept Chrysostom’s wrongful successor, and was sent back to Italy on a leaky ship in the hopes it would sink. He arrived safely and reposed in peace.
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