Remigius was born, traditionally, at
Cerny-en-Laonnois, near
Laon,
Picardy, into the highest levels of
Gallo-Roman society. He is said to have been son of Emilius, count of Laon (who is not otherwise attested) and of
Saint Celine, and brother of the
Bishop of Soissons, which Clovis conquered in 487. He studied at Reims and soon became so noted for his learning and sanctity, and his high status, that he was elected
Bishop of Reims at age 21, though still a layman. The story of the return of the sacred vessels (most notably the
Vase of Soissons), which had been stolen from the church of Soissons, testifies to the friendly relations existing between him and Clovis, King of the Franks, whom he converted to Christianity with the assistance of
Vedast (Vedastus, Vaast, Waast) and
Clotilde, the
Burgundian princess who was wife to Clovis. Even before he embraced Christianity, Clovis had showered benefits upon Remigius and the Christians of Reims, and after his victory over the
Alamanni in the battle of Tolbiac at around 497 AD, he requested Remigius to baptize him at Reims (December 25, 496) in the presence of a large company of Franks and Alamanni; according to
Gregory of Tours, 3,000 Franks were baptized with Clovis. King Clovis granted Remigius stretches of territory, in which Remigius established and endowed many churches. He erected bishoprics at
Tournai;
Cambrai;
Thérouanne, where he personally ordained the first bishop in 499;
Arras, where he installed St. Vedast; and Laon, which he gave to his niece's husband Gunband. In 530 he consecrated
Medardus,
Bishop of Noyon. Remigius' brother Principius was
Bishop of Soissons and also corresponded with
Sidonius Apollinaris, whose letters give a sense of the highly cultivated courtly literary Gallo-Roman style all three men shared. The chroniclers of
"Gallia Christiana" record that numerous donations were made to Remigius by the Frankish nobles, which he presented to the cathedral at Reims. Four letters survive in the collection known as the
Epistulae Austrasicae: one containing his defence in the matter of Claudius, two written to Clovis, and a fourth to Bishop
Falco of Tongres. The
"Testament of Saint Remigius" is apocryphal. A brief and strictly legendary
"Vita" was formerly ascribed to
Venantius Fortunatus. Another, according to
Jacobus de Voragine, was written by Ignatius, bishop of Reims. A letter congratulating
Pope Hormisdas upon his election (523) is apocryphal, and "the letter in which Pope Hormisdas appears to have appointed him vicar of the kingdom of Clovis is proved to be spurious; it is presumed to have been an attempt of Hincmar to base his pretensions for the elevation of Reims to the primacy, following the alleged precedent of Remigius." A Commentary on the Pauline Epistles (edited Villalpandus, 1699) is not his work, but that of
Remigius of Auxerre. Remigius' relics were kept in the
Cathedral of Reims, whence Hincmar had them
translated to
Épernay during the
Viking invasions and thence, in 1099 to the
Abbey of Saint-Rémy. His tomb in Reims was deliberately desecrated on 7 October 1793 by a Commissioner of the Convention during the French Revolution due to the link between the tomb and royal patronage. ==Christian Recognition==