Background
Avitus was a determined opponent of Arianism, Semipelagianism, and other heresies, and he successfully uprooted Arianism from Burgundy, winning over King Gundobad to his cause. He was a strong supporter of the papacy in Rome, and stood for a closer connection between southern Gaul and the Holy See. He was appointed apostolic vicar in Gaul and in 517 presided in that capacity over the Council of Epao, which planned to strengthen ecclesiatical discipline in Gaul. Avitus has been called the most distinguished of the Christian poets between the sixth and the eighth centuries. He was the author of De spiritualis historiae gestis, an account of the origin of man and his fall, the flood, and the Exodus. He also wrote numerous letters, sermons, and homilies, many of which have been preserved. These writings, especially the letters, are of much historical importance. Avitus died in Vienne, between 518 and 526, and in due course was canonized. R. Peiper prepared an edition of Avitus' Works, published in Berlin in 1883. In 1890, M. U. Chevalier published another edition in Lyon.
