St. Maximinus of Trier

St. Maximinus of Trier (died c. 347) was bishop of the important imperial city of Trier in the mid-fourth century and one of the most steadfast Western defenders of Nicene orthodoxy during the Arian crisis. When St. Athanasius of Alexandria was driven into exile by the Arian party, Maximinus welcomed and sheltered him at Trier, and he likewise gave refuge to Paul, the exiled bishop of Constantinople.

He openly resisted the pressure of the Arian-leaning emperor Constantius II and refused to hold communion with the heretical bishops, taking a leading part in the councils that upheld the faith of Nicaea in the West. His firmness helped keep Gaul aligned with orthodoxy at a time when much of the East wavered. He was honored as a saint, and the great abbey of St. Maximin at Trier long preserved his memory.