died 447
Bishop of Novara in Italy (447)
Saint Agapius, Bishop of Novara
Saint Agapius of Novara was a fifth-century bishop of Novara, a city in the Piedmont region of northern Italy. He is also recorded under the name forms Agapitus, Agabio, and Agapio. He led the see of Novara for roughly three decades, from about 417 until his death in 447.
Agapius succeeded Gaudentius, the earliest documented bishop of Novara, and so guided the diocese during its formative period, when the Christian community of the region was still consolidating its place within the ecclesiastical structure of northern Italy. He is venerated as a saint of the pre-schism Western Church, and his commemoration is included among the Western saints honored in Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendars.
Agapius served as bishop of Novara for approximately thirty years. His predecessor, Gaudentius, was the earliest documented bishop of the see and was associated with Bishop Simplicianus of Milan, placing the young diocese within the orbit of the Milanese church. Detailed records of Agapius's life and ministry have not survived; the historical sources preserve principally his name, his long tenure, and the dates that frame it.
Agapius is venerated as a patron of Novara and is commemorated on September 10. As a bishop who lived and died before the East–West schism, he is counted among the pre-schism Western saints whose memory is honored in both Western and Eastern Orthodox tradition. His canonization predates the formal papal canonization process.