Venerable Theodore (Theuderius) of Vienne

Venerable Theodore (Theuderius) of Vienne was a 6th-century ascetic and founder of monasteries in the region of Vienne in Gaul (modern France). Born of a noble family in Arcisse, near present-day Saint-Chef in Dauphiné, he sought to enter monastic life at the Abbey of Lérins, but St. Caesarius of Arles, recognizing his gifts, ordained him a priest instead and kept him at Arles for spiritual formation. Returning to Vienne, Theodore gathered disciples and established several monasteries, becoming renowned as a wonderworker. He spent his last twelve years enclosed as a hermit in a cell at the Church of St. Lawrence in Vienne, devoted to fasting, prayer, and penance. He reposed around 575 and was buried in one of the monasteries he founded. The town of Saint-Chef (from Sanctus Theudarius) takes its name from him, having preserved his relics.