Auxanus of Milan

Auxanus served as Bishop of Milan in the mid-sixth century, a period of acute theological controversy and political upheaval in northern Italy. He is commemorated on September 3. His principal historical significance lies in his restoration of the Milanese diocese to communion with the Church of Rome after a damaging schism.

The Schism of the Three Chapters, which erupted in the 550s, divided the episcopate of northern Italy. The controversy turned on the Fifth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople II, 553), which condemned three sets of writings associated with the Antiochene theological school. Many western bishops, including those of Milan, Aquileia, and the Istrian peninsula, refused to accept the condemnations, arguing that they threatened the settlement reached at the Council of Chalcedon (451). Vitalis, Bishop of Milan from around 552, joined this refusal and broke communion with Rome. Auxanus succeeded Vitalis around 556 and reversed this position, re-establishing the union of the Milanese diocese with Rome. This made him a significant figure in the partial resolution of the Three Chapters controversy in northern Italy, though the schism itself continued in other sees for over a century.

Auxanus held the see until his death around 568, the year the Lombard king Alboin invaded and overran northern Italy. Beyond his role in the Three Chapters dispute, the historical record is sparse; no writings, synodal acts, or detailed accounts of his pastoral governance are preserved.