Petrus
Christus. Saint Éloi et les fiancés ou Saint Éloi à l’atelier, 1449.
New York, collection Lehman. Giraudon
Petrus
Christus, Sant'Eligio nella bottega di un
orefice, 1449,
New York, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Petrus Christus (1415–1475), The Legend of Saint Eligius and Saint Godeberta, 1449, oil and tempera on wood, 85 x 98, Metropolitan Museum of Art. Exposition des primitifs flamands à Bruges, Bruges, 15 June 1902 - 5 October 1902
Saint Eloi
Évêque de Noyon (+ 660)
Gallo-romain originaire
de Chaptelat dans le Limousin, "le bon saint Eloi" appartenait à une
famille de paysans aisés qui travaillaient eux-mêmes leur domaine, à la
différence de tant de grands propriétaires qui les faisaient cultiver par de
nombreux esclaves. Il laissa à l'un de ses frères le soin du domaine et entra
comme apprenti orfèvre dans un atelier où l'on frappait la monnaie royale selon
les méthodes romaines anciennes. Il gardait une partie des revenus venant de sa
famille et il les employa au service de la charité des pauvres et des esclaves.
Il était aussi habile dans les émaux que dans les ciselures d'or fin. Ces
qualités professionnelles allaient de pair avec une scrupuleuse honnêteté.
Lorsqu'on lui demanda d'exécuter un trône d'or pour le roi Clotaire II
(613-629), il en fit un deuxième avec l'or en surplus qu'il ne voulait pas
garder pour lui-même. Cet acte, étonnant pour l'époque, lui valut la confiance
du roi qui lui demande de résider à Paris, comme orfèvre royal, fonctionnaire
de la Trésorerie royale et conseiller à la cour. Nommé monétaire à Marseille,
il rachètera de nombreux esclaves que l'on vendait sur le port. Lorsque
Dagobert devint roi en 629, il est rappelé à Paris où il dirige les ateliers
monétaires du royaume franc, qui se trouvait à Paris sur le quai des Orfèvres
et près de l'actuelle rue de la Monnaie. Il reçoit, entre autres, la commande
d'orner les tombes de sainte Geneviève et de saint Denis. Il réalise des
châsses pour saint Germain, saint Séverin, saint Martin et sainte Colombe et de
nombreux objets liturgiques pour la nouvelle abbaye de Saint-Denis. Pour son
honnêteté, sa franchise sans flagornerie et la qualité de son jugement
pacifique, il avait la confiance du roi qui le faisait souvent appeler près de
lui et lui confia même une mission de paix après du roi breton Judicaël. Grande
était la piété et la vie de prière de ce laïc qui allait souvent aux offices
monastiques. En 632, il fonde le monastère de Solignac au sud de Limoges et, un
an après, dans sa propre maison de l'île de la Cité, le premier monastère
féminin de Paris dont il confiera la charge à sainte Aure. Un an après la mort
de Dagobert qu'il avait assisté dans ses derniers moments, il quitte la cour en
même temps que saint Ouen qui y était conseiller référendaire et chancelier.
Comme lui, il entre dans la cléricature et est ordonné prêtre. Le même jour, le
13 mai 641, ils reçoivent l'épiscopat, saint Ouen comme évêque de Rouen et,
lui, comme évêque de Noyon et Tournai, un diocèse qui s'étend jusqu'à Courtrai,
Gand et la Frise néerlandaise. Il tente, sans grand succès, d'évangéliser la
région d'Anvers. Au travers de ses sermons, nous connaissons la situation
religieuse de cette époque et les superstitions païennes qu'il rencontre. Il
fait sienne la spiritualité de saint Colomban, le moine irlandais, fonde des
monastères et aime à se retirer dans l'oratoire d'Ourscamps-sur-Oise. Il voyage
aussi. Nous le trouvons au concile de Châlon-sur-Saône et en Aquitaine, à Uzès
et à Marseille. Il meurt en 660, à la veille de partir pour Cahors. La reine
sainte Bathilde s'était déplacée pour le voir, mais arrivera trop tard. A
Paris, une église lui est dédiée dans le quartier parisien des ferronniers
d'art et des ébénistes, l'église Saint-Eloi reconstruite en 1967. Une église,
détruite en 1793, lui était dédiée dans la rue des Orfèvres, près de l'hôtel de
la Monnaie (rue de la Monnaie à Paris 4ème). A la cathédrale Notre-Dame, dans
la chapelle Sainte-Anne, autrefois siège de leur confrérie, les orfèvres et
joailliers de Paris ont placé sa statue et restauré son autel.
- Alors que meurt Saint
Yrieix, naît Saint Eloi qui appartient à une famille chrétienne depuis
longtemps. A Paris, il est remarqué par le roi Clotaire II qui le prend comme
conseiller et comme trésorier. Puis le roi Dagobert le prend comme confident.
Mais saint Eloi est attiré par la vie religieuse et veut fonder un monastère ce
qu’il réalise à Solignac. De son vivant, le monastère compte déjà plus de 150
moines qui respectent les 2 règles de Saint Benoît et de Saint Colomban. Il est
placé sous la protection du roi et non sous l’autorité de l’évêque. La ferveur
religieuse, l’ardeur au travail qui y règnent en font un des monastères les
plus prospères de l’époque. Saint Eloi crée ensuite un monastère identique pour
les femmes à Paris. A la mort de Dagobert, il veut se retirer mais il devient
évêque et continue à répandre la vie monastique. (Les origines monastiques -
diocèse de Limoges)
- En 641, Éloi était
ordonné prêtre et devenait évêque de Noyon-Tournai. Il travailla à la
conversion des Frisons, ses diocésains du Nord. Il continua à fonder des
abbayes et à se faire aimer. Lorsqu’elle apprit qu’il était mal, sainte
Bathilde, la reine détrônée qu’il avait soutenue dans ses épreuves, accourut à
son chevet; mais il était mort quand elle arriva. Saint Éloi est le patron des
orfèvres, et par extension, des forgerons, métallurgistes, quincailliers,
serruriers, protecteur des chevaux et, à ce titre, des cultivateurs,
charretiers, mécaniciens et garagistes. Patron des cultivateurs et de ceux qui
travaillent les métaux (métallurgie, orfèvrerie). (Saints du Pas-de-Calais,
diocèse d'Arras)
- Né en Limousin vers
588, l’orfèvre Eloi devint monétaire de Clotaire II, puis trésorier de Dagobert
1er avant d’être élu évêque de Noyon (641). Fondateur de monastères à Solignac
et à Paris, il accueillit sainte Godeberthe comme moniale à Noyon. (Diocèse de
Beauvais)
- L’église Saint Eloi de
Paris, réalisée en métal en 1967, comprend une statue du saint orfèvre réalisée
en 1937 par Jean Puiforcat pour l’exposition universelle. (Saints parisiens -
diocèse de Paris)
... et sur le site du
diocèse aux Armées: Son habilité comme orfèvre le fit très tôt choisir comme
saint patron par les orfèvres eux-mêmes, les métiers du fer, et les
maréchaux-ferrants. C'est ainsi qu'Eloi devint également le saint protecteur
des mécaniciens des Armées qu'il invite à la plus grande habilité et aussi à un
dévouement intègre et sans faille.
À Noyon, en 660, saint
Éloi, évêque. Orfèvre et conseiller du roi Dagobert, il fit construire un grand
nombre de monastères et fabriqua aussi beaucoup de pièces d’orfèvrerie en
l’honneur des saints avec un art et une beauté remarquables. Élevé au siège épiscopal
de Noyon et Tournai, il mit tout son zèle à sa mission apostolique.
Martyrologe romain
Bien qu’une immense
distance nous sépare l’un de l’autre et que nous ne puissions espérer nous
revoir sur cette terre, soyons unis dans le Christ. Efforçons-nous de vivre de
telle sorte qu’après si peu de temps, nous nous trouvions réunis, en corps et
âme tout à la fois, pour l’éternité.
(Lettre à l’un de ses
amis)
Une prière toujours d’une
brûlante actualité...
Voici 26 ans, le Père
Bommelaer, curé de St Eloi, composait cette prière... sur la feuille de semaine
de Saint-Éloi du 15 décembre 1985
St Éloi, patron des
horlogers, Priez pour nous!
Saint Éloi, tu as fort à
faire! As-tu vu depuis ta place au ciel, que 80% des fidèles de ta paroisse
parisienne, arrivent en retard à la messe chaque dimanche ?...
- s’ils n’ont pas de
montre, fais-leur un beau cadeau pour Noël
- si leur horloge est
cassée, guide-les chez un bon horloger...
- s’ils n’ont pas envie
de se lever: allège leur sommeil
- s’ils ne veulent pas du
salut du célébrant, donne leur un sourire bienveillant
- s’ils n’aiment pas les
lectures de l’Ancien Testament ou de saint Paul, élargis un peu leur cœur..
- s’ils craignent la
Parole de l’Evangile, aide-les à aimer Sa parole
- s’ils ont peur d’être
là pour la quête, rends-les généreux
Toi, bon saint Éloi,
patron des horlogers, donne-nous le goût de l’exactitude et rends-nous polis
envers le Seigneur et envers nos frères.. notre prière n’en sera que plus
belle.
(source: paroisse
Saint-Eloi, Paris)
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/205/Saint-Eloi.html
Saint Éloi remet au roi Clotaire II deux selles. Triptyque du xve siècle, Église de Crocq (Creuse)
Saint Éloi
Évêque de Noyon
(590-659)
Saint Éloi naquit à
Chaptelat, à deux lieux de Limoges. Dès son enfance, il se montra si habile aux
travaux manuels, que son père le plaça comme apprenti chez le maître de la
Monnaie de Limoges. Ses premières oeuvres révélèrent son talent précoce, et, au
bout de quelques années, Éloi n'avait pas de rival dans l'art de travailler les
métaux. Ses sentiments religieux et ses vertus le rendirent plus recommandable
encore que ses talents; on ne se lassait pas d'admirer sa franchise, sa
prudence, sa douceur, sa charité.
Le roi Clotaire II, ayant
entendu parler de lui, le fit venir à la cour, lui commanda un trône d'or orné
de pierreries, et à cet effet lui donna une quantité d'or. Le travail fini,
Éloi se présenta devant le roi et lui montra le trône. Clotaire s'extasiait
devant ce chef-d'oeuvre; mais quelle ne fut pas sa stupéfaction, quand Éloi fit
apporter un autre trône aussi beau que le premier, fait aussi avec l'or qu'il
avait reçu! Sur-le-champ, Éloi fut nommé grand argentier du royaume, et le roi
le garda près de lui.
Jusque là, notre Saint
avait aimé le luxe; touché d'une grâce de choix, il se détacha des vanités du
monde et vécut au milieu des richesses comme un pauvre de Jésus-Christ. Son
plaisir était de faire de belles châsses pour les reliques des Saints. Mais
surtout il aimait les pauvres. On ne saurait se figurer tous les trésors qui
passèrent par ses mains dans le sein des indigents. Aussi, quand des étrangers
demandaient à le voir, on leur répondait: "Allez en telle rue, et
arrêtez-vous à la maison où vous verrez une foule de mendiants: c'est là sa
demeure!" Éloi lavait les pieds des pauvres, les servait de ses propres
mains, ne prenait que la dernière place et ne mangeait que leurs restes. Quelle
leçon pour les hommes de notre temps, qui parlent tant de l'émancipation des
classes ouvrières et vivent dans les jouissances égoïstes! Quand Éloi n'avait
plus d'argent, il donnait ses meubles et jusqu'à sa ceinture, son manteau, ses
souliers.
L'amitié d'Éloi avec le
roi Dagobert, successeur de Clotaire II, est devenue légendaire. Un jour Éloi
vint lui dire: "Mon prince, je viens vous demander une grâce; donnez-moi
la terre de Solignac, afin que je fasse une échelle par laquelle, vous et moi,
nous méritions de monter au Ciel." Le roi y consentit volontiers; le Saint
y bâtit un monastère. Jamais in ne se fit moine; mais il aimait à visiter les
moines et à vivre, de temps en temps, quelques jours avec eux, pour s'édifier
de leur régularité.
Éloi se vit obligé
d'accepter l'évêché de Noyon. Sa vie épiscopale fut la continuation de ses
bonnes oeuvres.
Abbé L. Jaud, Vie
des Saints pour tous les jours de l'année, Tours, Mame, 1950
SOURCE : http://magnificat.ca/cal/fr/saints/saint_eloi.html
Maestro
di Sanluri, Retablo di Sant'Eligio, 1510 ca. 02 da San Pietro a Sanluri,
Cagliari
Saint-Eloi
Né vers 588 à Chaptelat
près de Limoges, mort en 660, saint Eloi est issu d’une famille romaine
relativement pauvre qui peut néanmoins vivre du revenu des ses terres. Très
tôt, il est destiné à exercer le métier d’orfèvre. Il faut savoir qu’à cette
époque le travail des métaux, des objets d’art et la frappe de la monnaie sont
des activités prestigieuses.
Saint Eloi est placé en
apprentissage chez Abbon, comte de Limoges et monétaire du roi. Ce dernier
s’aperçoit très rapidement du talent exceptionnel de son élève. Saint Eloi est
donc envoyé à Paris pour parfaire son apprentissage auprès de Bobon, monétaire
de la Cour et trésorier de Clotaire II.
Depuis longtemps,
Clotaire II a envie d’un trône bien précis, mais on ne trouve pas d’orfèvre
compétent pour mener à bien cette réalisation. Bobon confie alors ce travail à
saint Eloi. Le résultat est une merveille, Clotaire II est époustouflé. Ce
n’est pas un trône que saint Eloi à fabriqué avec l’or qu’on lui a confié, mais
deux strictement identiques. A partir de ce moment, Clotaire II accordera à
saint Eloi une confiance sans faille.
Nommé Maître de la
monnaie, saint Eloi devient un personnage important de la Cour. C’est à lui que
s’adressent en premier lieu les évêques en mission à Paris et les ambassadeurs.
Saint Ouen dit de lui : "C’est un homme capable d’en imposer aux plus
grands tout en restant humble devant Dieu.
A la mort de Clotaire II,
c’est Dagobert 1er qui devient roi. Ce dernier fait de saint Eloi un de ses
principaux conseillers. Il le nomme Trésorier du roi et lui confie de
nombreuses missions diplomatiques.
En 632, saint Eloi
devient prêtre et fonde le monastère de Solignac. C’est en 641 qu’il est fait
évêque de Noyon. A la mort de Dagobert 1er, saint Eloi quitte la Cour pour se
consacrer exclusivement à sa charge ecclésiastique. Il fonde successivement les
monastères de Noyon, Tournai, saint Quentin, les sanctuaires de saint Bon et de
sainte Colombe (près de Sens). Il fait aussi construire un hôpital dans son
évêché qui sera destiné aux pauvres. Il consacrera aussi une bonne partie de sa
vie au rachat des esclaves.
Saint Eloi est le patron
des orfèvres, des forgerons et des ferblantiers. Il est fêté le 1er décembre.
Il meurt à Noyon le 1er décembre 660. il est enseveli dans l’abbaye, qui porte
son nom et que la Révolution détruira entièrement. Ses reliques auraient été
transférées en 1157 dans la cathédrale de Noyon qui était en cours
d’achêvement.
SOURCE : http://www.histoire-en-ligne.com/spip.php?article300
Dutch
Book of Prayers from the mid-fifteenth century showing a group of five saints,
with their emblems: Saint James the Great (wearing a
pilgrim's hat); Saint Joseph; Saint Ghislain (holding a
church); Saint Eligius (bishop with a crosier,
holding a hammer); Saint Hermes (with the armor and the
sword)
1er décembre
Saint Eloi
Saint Eloi était orfèvre
et peut être a-t-il lui-même introduit cet art en Limousin ; on sait, en
effet, qu'au X° siècle, l'abbaye Saint-Martial de Limoges devint un foyer de
joaillerie et d'émaillerie : les moines travaillaient l'or et l'argent et
fabriquaient des châsses, des coffrets eucharistiques, des statues de saints,
des anneaux d'évêque qu'ils ornaient de camées et de pierres précieuses. Plus
tard ils ajouteront les émaux, cloisonnés, puis champlevés, qui décoreront
merveilleusement les devants d'autels, les crucifix et les vases sacrés.
Eloi, homme des VI° et
VII° siècles (né vers 588 à Chaptelat et mort à Noyon le 1° décembre 660),
ne connaissait pas encore tous ces raffinements ; du moins, savait-il bien
son métier auquel l'avait formé un certain Abbon, de Limoges. Bientôt pourtant
il monta l'exercer à Paris et se mit au service de Bobon, le trésorier royal.
Un jour le roi Clotaire II vint lui commander un trône d'or incrusté de
pierreries, lui fournissant très largement à cette fin le métal précieux
nécessaire. Le jeune orfèvre se mit donc au travail et usa des maillets et des
bigornes, emboutit et souda, martela et cisela, ragréa et brunit. Mais une fois
terminé le siège royal du mérovingien, demeurait encore disponible une quantité
d'or. Aussi l'honnête Eloi fabriqua-t-il un second siège qu'il dora avec ce qui
restait de métal précieux et, lorsque le souverain reçut livraison de sa
commande, quelle ne fut pas sa surprise de recevoir
deux... dagoberts au lieu d'un simple trône.
Frappé par l'intégrité de
cet artisan, Lothaire en fit son conseiller et ministre. Eloi conservera cette
charge lorsque Dagobert succédera plus tard à son père. Le rôle qu'il eut à
jouer ne fut d'ailleurs pas toujours facile et, maintes fois, il lui fallut
remettre à l'endroit non point tant la culotte que les idées et les mœurs du
roi. Dans sa tâche, Eloi était appuyé par deux bons amis, le trésorier Didier
ou Géry et le référendaire Dadon nommé aussi Ouen, qui tous deux devinrent dans
la suite de saints évêques, le premier à Cahors et le second à Rouen.
A plusieurs reprises,
Eloi exerça des missions diplomatiques. Mais il surveilla surtout la frappe des
monnaies (il reste encore des pièces portant sa signature). En même temps, il
continuait ses travaux d'orfèvrerie, ornant des tombeaux de saints comme ceux
de saint Germain, de saint Séverin, de saint Lucien, de sainte Geneviève et
surtout ceux de saint Martin et de saint Denis.
Homme de cour et artiste,
Eloi n'en demeurait pas moins un chrétien vertueux, aussi scrupuleux à suivre
l'Evangile qu'à ménager l'or qu'on lui confiait. Afin de mieux aider les
pauvres, il délaissait les vêtements somptueux et leur préférait des habits
moins coûteux sous lesquels, d'ailleurs, il portait cilice. Il usait surtout de
miséricorde envers les prisonniers de guerre tombés en esclavage. Il en
rachetait jusqu'à cinquante à la fois qu'il renvoyait chez eux ou qu'il gardait
auprès de lui et beaucoup d'entre eux devinrent prêtres ou moines. Dagobert
ayant donné à son ministre la terre de Solignac, celui-ci y bâtit un monastère.
Il en installa encore un autre à Paris dans sa propre demeure et, comme ces
saints dont il honorait les reliques, il accomplissait lui-même des
miracles : boiteux guéri, paralytique remis sur pied, main desséchée rendue
à la santé, vin multiplié pour les pauvres.
A la mort de Dagobert,
avec Ouen son ami, Eloi entra dans la cléricature. Comme les sièges de Rouen et
de Noyon étaient devenus vacants, ils en furent sacrés évêques, le 13 mai 641,
en la cathédrale de Rouen. Le diocèse de saint Eloi comprenait alors non
seulement le Vermandois, mais encore une partie de la Belgique actuelle avec
les villes de Tournai, de Courtrai et de Gand. Il s'installa donc à Anvers et
se lança dans l'apostolat missionnaire auprès des Flamands, des Suèves et des
Frisons. Il rechercha aussi et retrouva les corps de plusieurs martyrs, par
exemple de saint Quentin à Vermand et de saint Piat à Seclin. Il prêchait
beaucoup, reprenant à son compte les sermons de saint Césaire d'Arles ; il
assistait également aux conciles (il prit part notamment à celui de
Châlon-sur-Saône en 650) et en faisait appliquer les décrets. Il restait
cependant le conseiller des grands, d'Erchinoald, par exemple, le maire du
palais de Neustrie ou celui de la reine Bathilde, épouse de Clovis II. Sur
son chemin fleurissaient les prodiges : guérisons de malades ou
délivrances de possédés. Ne raconte-t-on pas encore que voulant un jour donner
une leçon à un maréchal-ferrant trop prétentieux, il lui aurait montré de façon
singulière comment ferrer un cheval : Eloi trancha la patte de l'animal,
la ferra puis la remit en place sans que la bête en éprouvât du désagrément. On
comprend dès lors pourquoi saint Eloi est devenu le protecteur des chevaux et
le patron des maréchaux-ferrants, des maquignons, des cultivateurs, des
vétérinaires ainsi que de tous les corps de métiers qui, jadis, avaient de près
ou de loin un rapport avec les chevaux (et maintenant avec les
chevaux-vapeurs) : bourreliers, charrons, carrossiers, charretiers, mécaniciens
et garagistes.
Saint Eloi, s'étant un
jour aperçu que la façade de la basilique Saint-Médard de Noyon menaçait ruine,
prescrivit de la réparer et, malgré la saison, fit hâter les travaux : il
savait, en effet, que sa fin était proche. Peu après, en effet, le
1° décembre 660, il rendait son âme à Dieu tout joyeux d'entrer en
l'éternelle béatitude. Prévenue, la reine Bathilde vint assister à ses
funérailles. Lorsqu'un an plus tard on voulut donner au saint une sépulture
plus digne de lui, on retrouva son corps intact. Un siècle après, son nom
figure au martyrologe et, au Moyen-âge, maintes corporations le prendront pour
patron, notamment celles des orfèvres, des joailliers et des doreurs qui
voudront honorer leur ancien collègue, mais encore celles des gens qui
travaillent de moins nobles métaux comme les serruriers et les
quincailliers : mais qui protège plus peut aussi protéger moins.
Honnête en son métier,
ministre et monétaire intègre, saint Eloi fut également honnête et intègre avec
Dieu. Ainsi la sainteté surnaturelle va-t-elle de pair avec les vertus
humaines : qui ne trompe pas les hommes ne trichera pas non plus avec
Dieu, et la réciproque sera vraie !
SOURCE : http://missel.free.fr/Sanctoral/12/01.php
Gerard Seghers. Saint Eligius at the feet of
the Virgin and Child, circa 1630, 251 x 191, Musée des Beaux-Arts de
Valenciennes
SAINT ÉLOI, ÉVÊQUE DE
TOURNAI ET NOYON (588-660)
Saint Éloi est né à
Chaptelat près de Limoges en 588. Ses parents Eucher et Terrigie étaient de
petits propriétaires gallo-romains. Lorsqu’elle attendait l’enfant, Terrigie
eut la vision d’un aigle qui l’appela à trois reprises, puis un prêtre
prophétisa que l’enfant qu’elle portait serait l’élu de sa nation dans l’Église
du Christ. Très tôt, Éloi se fit remarquer pour ses qualités manuelles et
fréquenta les forges installées sur le domaine paternel. Tandis qu’il
travaillait habilement sous les ordres de l’orfèvre Abbon, Éloi écoutait aussi
assidument les Divines Écritures. Un jour, Abbon le présenta au trésorier du
roi Clotaire II, appelé Bobbon. Pour le mettre à l’épreuve, celui-ci lui
commanda un trône d’or pour le roi. Avec la quantité d’or qu’on lui remit Éloi
fit non pas un trône mais deux. Édifié, le roi le prit à son service en tant
qu’orfèvre royal. C’est à la cour du roi qu’il rencontra un fils de famille
noble, Daddon, le futur saint Ouen qui devint son ami et son biographe.
En 629, Dagobert, fils de
Clotaire, choisit Éloi comme conseiller et le fit monétaire attaché au palais.
Il en tira une grande fortune personnelle qu’il utilisa pour aider les pauvres,
racheter des esclaves qu’on vendait dans les ports, construire des églises et
des monastères. Une de ses principales demandes fut, en 632, d’obtenir une
terre à Solignac pour y établir un monastère sous la direction de Remacle. Pour
convaincre le roi, il utilisa cette formule : « Que votre sérénité, dit-il au
prince, daigne me céder ce domaine afin que j’y construise une échelle au moyen
de laquelle nous puissions l’un et l’autre monter au ciel. » Puis il fonda
Saint-Martial à Paris, sous la direction de sainte Aure. En 636, Dagobert
l’envoya en mission en Bretagne qui n’avait jamais accepté la tutelle des
francs, pour tenter de réparer les torts qu’ils avaient commis. La mission fut
un succès et Judicael, roi de Domnonée accepta une rencontre avec Dagobert.
En 640, après la mort de
Dagobert, Éloi quitte la cour pour être ordonné prêtre, puis évêque de Noyon et
Tournai l’année suivante. Il prêcha en Flandres, en Frise et évangélisa toute
la région de Boulogne à Anvers. Dans tous ses voyages, il cherchait les
reliques des saints qui l’avaient précédé et édifiait des églises en leur
honneur. Il obtint du roi le droit d’ensevelir les corps des condamnés
exécutés. Sur son chemin fleurissaient les prodiges : guérisons de malades ou
délivrances de possédés. Un jour, voulant donner une leçon à un
maréchal-ferrant trop prétentieux, il lui aurait montré comment ferrer un
cheval. Éloi trancha la patte de l’animal, la ferra puis la remit en place sans
gêner aucunement le cheval.
Éloi meurt le 1er
décembre 660 à Noyon. Son culte se répandit rapidement au Moyen-Âge. Ses
reliques furent transférées le 25 juin à la cathédrale de Noyon. Il est le
patron des orfèvres, des batteurs d’or, des forgerons… Il est invoqué contre
les maladies des chevaux.
Saint Éloi est fêté le
1er décembre
SOURCE : http://www.orthodoxie-celtique.net/saint_eloi.html
Kirche Sainte-Anne in Gassicourt, einem
Stadtteil von Mantes-la-Jolie im Département Yvelines
(Region Île-de-France/Frankreich), Bleiglasfenster (baie 2) aus der zweiten
Hälfte des 13. Jahrhunderts; Darstellung: Heiliger Eligius
22 septembre 2011
SAINT ELOI ET SANT ALAR
SANT ALAR – Protecteur
des chevaux
Dans la collection des
Petits Saints de Plouguerneau figure un beau Saint Eloi, ministre de deux rois
de France, maître en orfèvrerie et considéré comme le patron des orfèvres et de
toutes les professions qui font usage d’un marteau. Et pourtant, beaucoup de
personnes chez nous confondent St Eloi et Sant Alar, protecteur des chevaux. Le
breton a toujours été proche de la nature et les animaux sont facilement mêlés
à l’hagiographie de notre province. Le paysan breton a toujours cherché des
protecteurs pour ses bêtes et il a chargé Sant ALAR des chevaux. Qui dit
chevaux dit maréchal-ferrant, donc usage du marteau. C’est sans doute le lien
entre les deux saints. Il existe entre eux, dans l’inconscient collectif la
même confusion qu’entre l’Archange St Michel et dom Michel Le Nobletz.
Sant ALAR est un saint
inconnu qui n’apparaît nulle part ailleurs que dans la tradition populaire.De
nombreuses chapelles lui sont dédiées dans notre diocèse (citons par exemple
Plouarzel, Ploudaniel, Nizon, Plouigneau, Gouézec). Il est fêté, dit le Propre
de Quimper et Léon, au mois de juin et toujours à l’occasion des pardons de
chevaux.
Sant ALAR a probablement
couvert de son nom des rites païens qu’il a christianisés. Sa vie étant
oubliée, c’est peut-être après les invasions normandes, quand la Bretagne se
tourne résolument vers la France, qu’il a dû céder la place au grand
St-Eloi. Seul son nom est resté revêtu des ornements de ce dernier.
On connaît à son sujet diverses légendes : celle racontée par Jacques Voragine rapporte qu’étant apprenti chez un maréchal-ferrant, Alar se voit confier le soin de ferrer la patte d’un cheval. Ne pouvant le faire en raison de l’agitation de l’animal, il décide de lui couper le pied pour placer plus facilement le fer. Grosse colère de son maître ! Pour l’apaiser, Alar remet tout simplement le pied à sa place et le cheval repart de plus belle.
SAINT ELOI – Ministre, Évêque et Héros de chansons populaires
Popularisé par la
chanson, le bon Saint-ELOI n’est pas un personnage de légende mais l’une des
personnalités les plus marquantes et les plus connues de son époque. Une charte
et des monnaies conservées jusqu’à nos jours sont signées de lui.
Il est né vers 588 dans
le petit village de Chatelac, aux environs de Limoges, dans une vieille famille
gallo-romaine. Tout jeune, il est envoyé par son père en apprentissage à la
Monnaie de Limoges dirigée par le maître orfèvre ABBON. Il fait en peu de temps
de rapides progrès et ses premières œuvres révèlent un talent précoce.
Quelques années plus
tard, sa réputation s’est étendue à une grande partie du royaume et le roi
Clotaire II le fait mander à Paris et il le nomme adjoint du Trésorier royal.
Excellent artisan, ELOI est aussi scrupuleusement honnête : ayant reçu,
pour faire un trône au roi, une trop grande quantité d’or, il en fabrique un
deuxième au lieu de garder pour lui l’or restant. Le roi le prend alors à son
service comme argentier du royaume. Il devient l’un des principaux conseillers
de Clotaire, qui meurt en 620, puis de son successeur DAGOBERT, décédé à son
tour en 639. Ces deux rois surent s’entourer d’hommes de valeur, St-Didier,
futur évêque de Cahors, St-Ouen, futur évêque de Rouen.
ELOI mène à bien des
missions diplomatiques, consolidant par exemple la paix entre JUDICAEL, roi de
Bretagne et DAGOBERT. Monétaire remarquable, il frappe des monnaies de qualité
et tente de mettre fin à l’anarchie qui règne alors dans ce domaine. Mais ses
contemporains l’admirent surtout pour ses travaux d’orfèvrerie : il a orné
de nombreux tombeaux dont celui de St Martin.
Eloi vit simplement,
porte un calice, fait beaucoup d’aumônes, rachète beaucoup de prisonniers
vendus en Gaule par les armées françaises. Il érige un monastère d’hommes sur
son domaine de Solignac qui lui a été cédé par le roi et fonde à Paris un
couvent de moniales. On lui attribue déjà des miracles et des guérisons. A la
mort du roi Dagobert, il quitte la cour et reçoit le sacerdoce en 639.
Sacré évêque de Noyon, il
sait s’adresser aux fidèles en termes simples et directs. Il fonde des
hôpitaux, bâtit des monastères et s’attache avec courage et persévérance à la
conversion des païens encore nombreux dans son vaste diocèse dont font partie
les régions de Lille, de Gand et de Courtrai (en Belgique). Il se désole par
ailleurs de voir le désordre s’installer dans le royaume après la mort du roi
Dagobert. Energique, entreprenant, il exige beaucoup de tous et même des
saints : lors d’un incendie à Paris, il demande à St Martin de protéger
l’église qui lui est dédiée et il ajoute : « Si tu la laisses brûler,
je ne la reconstruirai pas ». L’église restera intacte.
St Eloi meurt vers 660,
dans la joie dit-on, en pensant à la vie éternelle qui l’attend. La reine
Mathilde, ses fils et une foule immense accourent à ses obsèques. La reine
décide de transporter son corps à son abbaye de Chelles mais le cercueil
devient si lourd qu’on ne peut le bouger.Le corps du saint, exhumé un an plus
tard, est retrouvé intact.
Dés sa mort, St ELOI dont
la vie a été décrite par St Ouen, son ami, archevêque de Rouen, a été honoré
d’un culte particulier tant à Paris que dans le nord de la France et en
Belgique, puis ensuite dans d’autres provinces.
Il est le saint patron
des orfèvres et de tous les ouvriers qui font usage du marteau (horlogers,
serruriers, chaudronniers, etc…).
St Eloi est enterré dans
l’église St Leu de Noyon. Sa statuette parmi les petits saints de Plouguerneau
le représente revêtu de l’habit épiscopal et tenant un marteau de la main
droite.
Texte de Noël L’Hour
SOURCE : https://plouguerneau.net/saint-eloi/
Nanni di Banco, Sant'Eligio, marble , circa 1411, Firenze, Orsanmichele / West Facade of Orsanmichele. Statue commissioned by Maneschalchi (guild of farriers) / Statue commandée par les Maneschalchi (guilde des fourriers)
Nanni
di Banco, Sant'Eligio, marble ,
circa 1411, Firenze, Orsanmichele
/ West
Facade of Orsanmichele. Statue commissioned by Maneschalchi (guild of
farriers) / Statue commandée par les Maneschalchi (guilde des fourriers)
Also
known as
Alar
Elaere
Elar
Elard
Eler
Eloi
Eloy
Eloye
Iler
Loie
Loije
Loy
24
June (translation of relics,
and blessing of horses)
8
November as one of the Saints
of the Diocese of Evry
Profile
Son of Eucherius and
Terrigia. Extremely skillful metalsmith. Apprenticed to
the master of the mint at Limoges, France. Treasurer at Marseilles, France.
Master of the mint under King Clotaire
II in Paris, France;
a close friend of and advisor to Clotaire. Noted for his piety, hard work and
honesty, Eligius was generous to the poor,
ransomed slaves (including Saint Tillo
of Solignac), built churches, a monastery at Solignac, France,
and a major convent in Paris.
It was said that you could easily find his house by the number of poor people
there that he was caring for. Counselor to and diplomat for King Dagobert
I. Friend of Saint Ouen
of Rouen with whom he formed a small religious society.
Persuaded Breton King Judicael
to accept the authority of Dagobert.
Ordained in 640. Bishop of Noyon, France and Tournai, Belgium in 641.
Built the basilica of
Saint Paul. Preacher in Antwerp, Ghent,
and Courtai in Belgium,
with many converts,
generally brought to the faith by
his example of charity and
work with the poor and sick.
Friend and spiritual teacher of Saint Godeberta.
Encouraged devotion to the saints and
reverence for their relics;
he discovered the relics of Saint Quentin, Saint Piaton,
and Saint Lucian
of Beauvais, and made many reliquaries himself. Miracle worker
with the gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy; he foresaw the date of his
own death.
He has become the
traditional patron of
all smiths, metal
workers, and craftsmen.
His patronage of horses and
the people who work with them stems first from his patronage of
smiths and craftmen,
but also from his having left a horse to
a priest at
his death.
The new bishop liked
the horse,
and took it from the priest.
The horse became sick,
but recovered immediately when it was returned to the priest that
Eligius had chosen. There is also a legend of Eligius removing a horse‘s
leg in order to easy shoe it, then putting the leg back in place. In some
places horses are
blessed on his feast day.
Through the years, horse-drawn cabs were
replaced by motorized ones, and stables were supplanted by garages and gas
stations, but the patronage of
the people who do those jobs and work in those places has remained.
Born
588 at Catelat,
near Limoges, France
1
December 660 at Noyon, France of
high fever
interred in
the cathedral of Noyon
Royal
Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Worshipful Company of Blacksmiths
bishop with
a crosier in
his right hand, on the open palm of his left a miniature church of chased gold
bishop with
a hammer, anvil,
and horseshoe
man grasping a devil‘s
nose with pincers
man holding a chalice and goldsmith‘s hammer
man holding a horse‘s
leg, which he detached from the horse in
order to shoe it
more easily
man with hammer and crown near
a smithy
man with hammer, anvil,
and Saint Anthony
with Saint Godebertha
of Noyon
giving a ring to Saint Godebertha
working as a goldsmith
Additional
Information
A
Character Calendar, by Sister Mary Fidelis and Sister Mary Charitas,
S.S.N.D.
A
Garner of Saints, by Allen Banks Hinds, M.A.
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Catholic
Encyclopedia, by L Van Der Essen
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Francis
Xavier Weninger
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Saints
and Festivals of the Christian Church
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
books
Our
Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
1001
Patron Saints and Their Feast Days, Australian Catholic Truth Society
Medieval
Sourcebook: Life of Eligius by Dado of Rouen
images
Olga’s
Gallery: Botticelli
Olga’s
Gallery: Petrus Christus
video
webseiten
auf deutsch
Deutschen
Goldschmiede-Gilde St. Eligius
Florilegium
Martyrologii Romani
sitios
en español
Martirologio
Romano, 2001 edición
sites
en français
Abbé
Christian-Philippe Chanut
fonti
in italiano
websites
in nederlandse
nettsteder
i norsk
sites
em português
MLA
Citation
“Saint Eligius of
Noyon“. CatholicSaints.Info. 20 August 2020. Web. 30 November 2020.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-eligius/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-eligius/
Saint Eloi remet deux trônes dorés à Clotaire II et saint Eloi maréchal-ferrant faisant l'aumône. XVème siècle. http://www.bldt.net
Article
ELIGIUS (ELOY) (Saint)
Bishop (December 1) (7th century) Born near Limoges (A.D. 588), he was a man of
remarkable piety and ability. By his skill in the art of working in precious
metals — he is the Patron Saint of metal-workers — he acquired a place and influence
at the Courts of Clotaire II and Dagobert I, Kings of the Franks. His prospects
of advancement he relinquished in A.D. 640, in order to become a priest,
distributing the wealth which he had acquired to the poor. Consecrated Bishop
of Noyon, he evangelised a great part of Flanders, and more particularly the
districts round Antwerp, Ghent and Courtray. His death probably took place A.D.
658 or 659; but by some authors it is post-dated to A.D. 665.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Eligius”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 24
November 2012.
Web. 18 December 2024.
<http://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-eligius/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-eligius/
Mittelteil
der Meistertafel der Ulmer Goldschmiede mit Darstellung des HI. Eligius in der
Werkstatt; entstanden ab 1501, erneuert 1668 und 1747; Öl auf Holz. 85 cm x 252
cm; Ulmer Museum, Inv.Nr. 961
St. Eligius
Feastday: December 1
Patron: of metalworkers
Birth: 590
Eligius (also known as
Eloi) was born around 590 near Limoges in
France. He became an extremely skillful metalsmith and was appointed master of
the mint under King Clotaire II of Paris. Eligius developed a close friendship
with the King and his reputation as an outstanding metalsmith became
widespread. With his fame came fortune. Eligius was very generous to the poor,
ransomed many slaves, and built several churches and a monastery at Solignac.
He also erected a major convent in Paris with property he
received from Clotaire's son, King Dagobert I. In 629, Eligius was appointed
Dagobert's first counselor. Later, on a mission for Dagobert, he persuaded the
Breton King Judicael, to accept the authority of Dagobert. Eligius later
fulfilled his desire to serve God as a
priest, after being ordained in 640. Then he was made bishop of
Noyon and Tournai. His apostolic zeal led
him to preach in Flanders, especially Antwerp, Ghent, and Courtai where he made
many converts. Eligius died on December 1, around 660, at Noyon. He is the
patron of metalworkers and his feast day is December 1.
The use of one's talents and wealth for the welfare of humanity is a very true
reflection of the image of God. In the case of St. Eligius, he was so well
liked that he attracted many to Christ. His example should encourage us to be
generous in spirit and
kind and happy in demeanor.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=271
Luca Signorelli (1450–1523), Santi
Eligio e Antonio, Sansepolcro, beginning of XVI century, Antonio Paolucci, Luca
Signorelli, in I protagonisti dell'arte italiana, Scala Group, Firenze 2001
St. Eligius
(French Eloi).
Bishop of Noyon-Tournai,
born at Chaptelat near Limoges, France,
c. 590, of Roman parents, Eucherius and
Terrigia; died at Noyon, 1 December, 660. His father, recognizing unusual
talent in his son, sent him to the noted goldsmith Abbo, master of
the mint at Limoges.
Later Eligius went to Neustria, where he worked under Babo, the royal
treasurer, on whose recommendation Clotaire II commissioned him to make
a throne of gold adorned with precious stones. His honesty in this so
pleased the king that he appointed him master of the mint at Marseilles,
besides taking him into his household. After the death of Clotaire (629),
Dagobert appointed his father's friend
his chief councillor. The fame of Eligius spread rapidly, and ambassadors first
paid their respects to him before going to the king. His success in inducing
the Breton King, Judicail, to submit to Frankish authority
(636-37) increased his influence. Eligius took advantage of this to
obtain alms for
the poor and to ransom Roman, Gallic,Breton, Saxon,
and Moorish captives,
who were arriving daily at Marseilles.
He founded several monasteries,
and with the king's consent sent his servants through towns and
villages to take down the bodies of malefactors who had been executed, and
give them decent burial. Eligius was a source of edification at court,
where he and his friend Dado (Audoenus) lived according to the Irish monastic rule,
introduced into Gaul by St. Columbanus. Eligius introduced this
rule, either entirely or in part, into the monastery of Solignac which
he founded in 632, and into the convent at Paris where
three hundred virgins were under the guidance of the Abbess Aurea.
He also built the basilica
of St. Paul, and restored that of St.
Martial in Paris.
He erected several fine churches in honour of
the relics of St Martin
of Tours, the national saint of the Franks,
and St. Denis, who was chosen patron
saint by the king. On the death of Dagobert (639),
Queen Nanthilde took the reins of government, and Eligius
and Dadoleft the court and entered the priesthood.
On the death of Acarius, Bishop of Noyon-Tournai,
13 May, 640, Eligius was made his successor with the unanimous approbation of clergy and
people. The inhabitants of his diocese were pagans for
the most part. He undertook the conversion of the Flemings,
Antwerpians, Frisians, Suevi, and the barbarian tribes along the coast. In 654
he approved the famous privilege granted to the Abbey of
Saint-Denis, Paris, exempting it from the jurisdiction of
the ordinary. In his own episcopal city of Noyon he built
andendowed a monastery for virgins.
After the finding of the body of St. Quentin, Bishop Eligius erected in
his honour a church to
which was joined a monastery under
the Irish rule.
He also discovered the bodies of St. Piatusand companions, and in 654
removed the remains of St Fursey, the celebrated Irish missionary
(d. 650). Eligius was buried at Noyon. There is
in existence a sermon written by Eligius, in which he
combats the pagan practices
of his time, a homily on
the last judgment, also a letter written in 645, in which he begs for
the prayers of Bishop Desiderius
of Cahors. The fourteen other homilies attributed
to him are of doubtful authenticity.
His homilies have
been edited by Krusch in "Mon. Germ. Hist." (loc. cit. infra).
St. Eligius is
particularly honoured in Flanders,
in the province of Antwerp,
and at Tournai, Courtrai of Ghent, Bruges,
and Douai.
During the Middle
Ages his relics were
the object of special veneration, and were often transferred to other
resting-places, thus in 881, 1066, 1137, 1255, and 1306. He is
the patron of goldsmiths, blacksmiths, and all workers in
metal. Cabmen have also put themselves under his protection. He is
generally represented in Christian
art in the garb of a bishop,
a crosier in
his right hand, on the open palm of his left a
miniature church of chased gold.
Sources
Vita Eligii, ed. KRUSCH
in Mon. Germ. Hist.; Script. Rerum Merovingicarum, IV, 2, 635 sqq.; Vita
metrica Eligii in Catalogus codicum hagiographicorum Bibliothecae regiae
Bruxellensis, ed. BOLLANDISTS, I, 470-83; Inventio sancti Quintini in
Analecta Bollandiana, VIII, 429 sqq.; DE LINAS, Orfèvrerie mérovingienne,
les oeuvres de S. Eloi et la verroterie cloisonnée (Arras, 1864); DE
LAPORTE, Un artiste du 7eme siècle, Eligius aurifaber, S. Eloi, patron des
ouvriers en métaux (s.l, 1865); BAPST, Tombeau et chasse de S. Germain,
tombeau de Sainte Colombe, tombeau de S. Severin in Revue archéologique,
Bk. III (1887); VAREMBERGH, Saint Eloi in Biographie nationale de
Belgique, V, 555-58; HAUCK, Kirchengeschichte Deutschlands, I, 296
sqq.; DE VOS, Leven van den heiligen Eligius, met aanteckeningen en
bijzonderheden zopens eijnen alouden eeredienst in Vlaanderen (BRUGES,
1900); VAN DER ESSEN, Les relations entre les sermons de Saint Césaire d'Arles
et la prédication de Saint Eloi in Bulletin bibliographique du musée Belge (1903),
VII; Annuaire de l'Universite de Louvain (1904), 379-90; VAN DER
ESSEN, Étude critique et littéraire sur les Vitae de saints mérovingiens
de l'ancienne Belgique (Louvain, 1907), 324-36; PARSY, Saint Eloi in Les
Saints séries (Paris, 1907); DE SMET, Analecia Eligiana in Acta SS.
Belgii (Brussels, 1785), III, 311-31; KRUSCH, préface, in Mon. Germ.
Hist., loc. cit., 635 sqq.
Van der Essen, Léon. "St. Eligius." The Catholic
Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton
Company, 1909. 1 Dec. 2015 <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05386a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Dorothy Haley.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2020 by Kevin
Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05386a.htm
Hans Leu the Elder (1460–1507), Tafelgemälde,
vertikal durch schwarze Linien dreigeteilt : links: Hl. Antonius Eremita. Mitte:
Wunder des hl. Eligius. rechts: Hl. Sebastian, Öltempera auf Holz; 104 x136.7. Aus
der Augustinerkirche in Zürich. Schweizerisches Nationalmuseum, Zürich
Eligius of Noyon B (RM)
(also known as Eloi, Loy)
Born at Chaptelet (Chaptel or Chatelac), near Limoges, France, c. 588; died at
Noyon, December 1, 660.
Saint Eligius's parents
(Eucherius and Terrigia) were both of Gallo-Romans. Eucherius was a goldsmith
and metalworker who lived near Limoges, and when his son showed similar talent,
he apprenticed Eligius to Abbo, the master of the mint at Limoges. Eligius
acquired great skill at working in precious metals, his handiwork can still be
seen in the catalogue of Merovingian coins at the National Library in Paris).
When Eligius finished his
apprenticeship, he decided to seek his fortune in Paris. There he came to the
notice of Bobbo, treasurer to King Chlotar (Clotaire) II. The king needed a
treasurer at Marseilles, and the post was given to Eligius. Chlotar gave
Eligius an order to make him a chair of state, decorated with gold and precious
stones. With the materials given to him, Eligius made two chairs, which
impressed the king with the saint's honesty and skill. Chlotar took him into
his household and made him master of the mint.
Soon Eligius's great
talent for engraving and smithing made him a person of rank and wealth. He wore
clothes embroidered with gold and adorned with precious stones; he sometimes
wore nothing but silk, which was very rare in France then. But he was not
corrupted by his good fortune. His wealth was devoted to the poor. Once a stranger
asked the way to his home in Paris and was told to go to a certain street where
he would recognize the house by the great concourse of poor persons outside.
Eligius developed into a deeply religious man.
Eligius postponed
swearing an oath of allegiance to Chlotar, which angered the king. Finally,
Chlotar came to understand that conscience was the motive, and he assured
Eligius that this was a more secure pledge of allegiance than the vows of
others.
He held on to this post
after Chlotar's death in 629, and gained considerable influence with Chlotar's
son and successor, Dagobert I, who also valued Eligius and appointed him chief
counsellor in 629. You can imagine the extent of his power when you realize
that no ambassador visited the King of the Merovingians without arranging for
an interview with Eligius.
The saint was pious,
influential, and sought after as a counsellor. Desiderius (who later became
bishop of Cahors) and young Dado (a.k.a. Ouen or Audenus, future bishop of
Rouen) were his best friends. They formed a small, very religious society
related to Saint Columbanus's monastery in Luxeuil, protecting the new
monasteries and, with a munificence that became legendary, honoring the relics
of the saints.
Eligius had accumulated
sufficient wealth that when King Dagobert gave him land at Solignac in
Limousin, he founded a monastery there, as well as setting up the first ever
workshop for producing Limoges enamels. In 632 the monastery was filled with
monks who followed a combination of the rules of Saint Columba and Saint
Benedict.
Dagobert also gave
Eligius a house in Paris, and the saint used his considerable resources to
convert it into a convent for women under the supervision of Saint Aurea.
Eligius asked for and received an additional piece of land to complete the
construction; when he found he had gone over its border, he went to the king to
apologize. Dagobert, taken aback at his honesty, said, "Some of my
officers do not scruple to robe me of whole estates; whereas Eligius is afraid of
having one inch of ground which is not his."
Dagobert selected Eligius
to go on a diplomatic mission to the Bretons in 636, during which the saint
convinced the Breton King Judicael to accept the authority of the Frankish
king. (Dagobert I died in January 639.)
Saint Eligius was
ordained in 640. In 641 Dagobert's successor, Clovis II, chose him to be bishop
of Noyon and Tournai, at the same time his friend Saint Audoenus was named
bishop of Rouen. During this period, bishoprics were often given as benefices
to retiring ministers of state. But, Christians to the end, both Eligius and
Audoenus decided to be real bishops rather than pensioners. And, so, Eligius
discharged that office with vigor for 19 fruitful years.
With concentrated
enthusiasm he spread the Gospel through his vast diocese and into Flanders
among the heathen Frisians. He preached in Antwerp, Ghent, and Courtrai. The
crude inhabitants shunned him as a foreigner, they couldn't understand him, but
he persisted. After taking care of the sick, protecting them from oppression,
and undertaking other charitable causes, he won them over, and some were
converted. Where speech and acts of charity failed, miracles worked.
His sermons sprang from
deep faith. They were direct, simple and straight forward. Of the surviving
homilies attributed to Eligius, one is notable for his warnings against pagan
superstitions such as fortune-telling, watching for omens, and keeping
Thursdays holy in honor of Jupiter. His homilies revealed a modest man with
sure learning.
At Noyon, he established
a convent and brought his protege Saint Godebertha from Paris to govern it. He
also wrote the rule for the sisters.
As bishop he also
actively promoted the cultus of local saints; the beautiful reliquaries of
Saint Martin of Tours, Saint Dionysius at Saint- Denis, Saint Germanus of
Paris, Saint Geneviève, and others are attributed to his workmanship, in
addition to the Great Cross of Saint Denis, and at least some of which still
exist.
After Clovis II came to
the throne, he became a friend and counsellor to the queen Saint Bathildis, in
part, because they shared a concern for slaves (she had originally been brought
to the court as a slave). Eligius ransomed many slaves, some of whom remained
in his service for the rest of his life. One of them, a Saxon named Tillo, also
became a saint. These men and women became Eligius's most loyal assistants.
During the Council of Chalon, c. 677, the sale of slaves was forbidden in the
kingdom, and it was decreed that slaves must be free to rest on Sundays and
holidays.
He was generous to the
poor and to the Church--founding many convents and churches.
Eligius had the gift of
clairvoyance, which later became a gift of prophecy. He sometimes gave direct
proof--about Mayor Flaochad, Mayor Erchinoald, some public disorders, and his own
death. He prophesied it often enough with a patience and longing the people
appreciated. As mentioned, Eligius foresaw his own death and told his clergy of
it. Falling ill with a fever, on the sixth day he called together his
household. As death approached in 659, Eligius said to his flock, 'Do not weep.
Congratulate me instead. I have waited a long time for this release.' He
commended his people to God and died a few hours later.
Hearing of his illness,
Queen Bathildis set out from Paris, but she arrived the morning after his
death. She prepared to carry the body to her monastery at Chelles, and others
wished to take it to Paris, but the people of Noyons strongly opposed the
removal, and so his body lies in Noyon cathedral. Eligius was widely respected
during his own time and became one of the most beloved saints of the Middle
Ages--one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers (Attwater, Benedictines, Bentley,
Delaney, Encyclopedia, White).
Saint Eligius is a bishop
with a hammer, anvil, and horseshoe. At times he is depicted (1) shoeing a
horse; (2) holding a horse's leg, which he detached to shoe it more easily; (3)
with a horse by him; (4) with hammer and crown, smithy in the background; (5)
with hammer, anvil, and Saint Anthony; (6) holding a chalice and goldsmith's
hammer; (7) working as a goldsmith; or (8) with Saint Godeberta, to whom he
gives a ring. Sometimes he is shown as a bishop, at other times as a courtier
(Roeder).
He is the patron of all
smiths, farriers, jewelers, craftsmen, and metal workers (Attwater, Roeder). He
is also patron of coin and metal collectors, horses and veterinarians, of
blacksmiths, and garage or gas-station workers (White). To this list is added
the patronage of harness makers, cartwrights, boilermakers, cutler,
watchmakers, locksmiths, farmers, jockeys, gilders, and minters (Encyclopedia).
His association with horses originates from an episode occurring after his death. A horse that Eligius had been riding was inherited by a priest, but the new bishop liked the horse and took it for himself. The horse became ill as soon as he was stabled under the bishop's roof and nothing could cure him. Meanwhile the priest prayed for the horse's return. The bishop gave back the useless horse, and the animal promptly recovered, a cure attributed to Saint Eligius. Since that time Eligius is invoked on behalf of sick horses and, in some places, are blessed on his feast day. By extension Eligius gains patronage of gas stations and garages, which can be considered modern versions of stables (White).
SOURCE : http://www.saintpatrickdc.org/ss/1201.shtml
Hl.
Eligius, Kath. Pfarrkirche St. Michael, Ebersbach, Gemeinde Ebersbach-Musbach,
Landkreis Ravensburg
St. Eligius, or Eloy,
Bishop of Noyon, Confessor
From his life compiled in
two books by his intimate friend St. Owen, bishop of Rouen, thirteen years
after his death, extant in Surius, D’Acheri, Spicileg. t. 5, p. 147, translated
into French with his homilies, by M. Levesque, at Paris, in octavo, in 1693.
See Fleury, pp. 37, 38, 39. Rivet, Hist. Littér. t. 3, p. 595. Ceillier, t. 17,
p. 682. Gallia Christiana Nov. t. 9, p. 984.
A.D. 659
THE NAME of Eligius, and those of his father Eucherius, and his mother Terrigia, show this saint to have been born not of French, but of Roman Gaulish extraction. He was born at Catelat, two leagues north of Limoges, about the year 588. His parents, who were very virtuous, and in good circumstances, brought him up from his infancy in the fear of God, and seeing him industrious, placed him with a goldsmith named Abbo, who was a considerable person, master of the mint at Limoges, and a devout servant of God. Eligius was a youth of uncommon genius and address, and, by his extraordinary application, arrived at an eminent skill in his profession. The qualities of his mind, and his steady virtue and religion exceedingly enhanced his reputation, and endeared him to all who had the happiness of his acquaintance. His heart was full of sincerity, his whole conduct was under the regulation of an exact prudence, and his temper was sweet and obliging: his discourse was agreeable, modest, and easy, and his attendance on religious duties most assiduous and edifying. He never failed assisting at the whole divine office in the church, and never lost an opportunity of attending to sermons, or spiritual instructions. The oracles of the holy scriptures he carefully laid up in his memory, and made them the subject of his profound meditation, that they might sink deeply into his soul, and that he might apply them to his own use.
Eligius having some business which called him into France, that is, on this side the Loire, became known to Bobo, treasurer to Clotaire II. at Paris. This king, to whom Bobo had recommended him, gave the saint an order to make him a magnificent chair of state, adorned with gold and precious stones. Out of the materials the king furnished him, he made two such chairs or thrones, instead of one. The king admired the skill and honesty of the workman, and finding by his discourse that he was a man of great parts, and endowed with excellent understanding, gave him a great share in his confidence, took him into his household, and made him master of the mint. His name is still to be seen on several gold coins, struck at Paris in the reigns of Dagobert I. and his son Clovis II. as appears from Le Blanc’s History of Coins. 1 His great credit at court hindered him not from attending his profession, and he was much delighted in making rich shrines for the relics of saints. The tombs of St. Martin at Tours, and St. Dionysius near Paris were sumptuously and curiously adorned by him. 2 The shrines also of St. Quintin, SS. Crispin and Crispinian at Soissons, St. Lucian, St. Piat, St. Germanus of Paris, St. Severinus, St. Genevieve, &c., were made by our saint. These employments were no impediments to his exercises of piety. Even whilst he was at work he had some good book open before him, on which he often cast an eye to instruct himself at the same time in the law of God, and to kindle a fresh flame of devotion in his affections. On the walls round his chambers were also placed pious books, particularly those of the holy scriptures, which he read for a considerable time after his hour of prayer and singing psalms. The corruption of a court never infected his soul, or impaired his virtue; such was his diligence in fencing his heart against it by the most powerful antidotes. He had not been long there when he formed a resolution of entering upon a more devout and austere way of living, took a strict view of his whole life, made a general confession of all the actions of youth to a priest, 3 and imposed upon himself a severe penance. At first when he went to court he conformed to the fashion, and was magnificently habited, sometimes wearing nothing but silk, though at that time it was not very common: and he had waistcoats embroidered with gold, and sashes and purses adorned with gold and precious stones. Yet even then he privately wore a hair shirt: and after he had entered upon a stricter course of virtue, he gave all his ornaments to the poor, and became so negligent in his dress, that he often girded himself with a cord. The king, when he saw him in this habit, would often give him his own clothes and sash; but the saint gave to the poor all that he received from the king’s bounty. The liberality of his sovereign allowed him to bestow great sums in alms. If any stranger asked for his house, he was answered: “Go into such a street, and to that part of it where you see a crowd of poor people.” Wherever he went he was followed by a great number of them, and he himself, or one of his servants, distributed victuals and money to them. He daily fed a great number at his own house, whom he served himself, and he ate what they left. He gave them wine and flesh, though he touched neither himself; and he frequently fasted two or three days together. Sometimes, when the usual hour was come, and the table laid, he had nothing to give his poor people, having distributed all before; but he always relied upon Providence, which never failed to supply him, either by means of the king, or of some pious persons. He took care to bury the body of malefactors, and was particularly zealous to ransom captives. When he knew that a slave was to be sold in any place, he made haste thither, and sometimes ransomed fifty or a hundred at a time, especially Saxons, who were sold in great companies. After he had set them at liberty he gave them their choice, either to return to their own country, or to continue with him, or to enter into monasteries: of these last he took particular care. One of the Saxon slaves whom he brought up with him in the practice of piety, became so eminent for sanctity, that he is commemorated among the saints, on the 7th of January, under the name of St. Theau. Several of his domestics sung the canonical office with him day and night. Among these are named Bauderic, his freedman; Tituan, who waited on him in his chamber, was of the nation of the Suevi, and arrived at the crown of martyrdom: Buchin, who had been a pagan, and was afterwards abbot of Ferrieres: Andrew, Martin, and John, who, by his means, became clerks. Several relics of saints were fastened to the ceiling of his room, under which he prostrated himself upon a hair cloth to pray; then he began to read, which he often broke off, to lift his eyes to heaven, sighing and weeping bitterly; for he was remarkable for an extraordinary tenderness of heart, and easily melted into tears. If the king pressed him to come to him, sending one messenger after another, he would not go till he had finished his devotions. He never went out of doors without praying first, and making the sign of the cross; and the first thing he did, after he returned, was to pray. Discretion, mixed with simplicity, appeared in his countenance: he was tall, had a handsome head, and a ruddy complexion: his hair was naturally curled. By the innocence and regularity of his life he made his court to his prince without design, more successfully than others do by flattery and other low arts.
Clotaire dying in 628, his son and successor Dagobert, entertained so just an idea of the saint’s virtue and wisdom that he frequently consulted him preferably to all his council about public affairs, and listened to his directions for his own private conduct. Eligius took every favourable opportunity to inspire him with sentiments of justice, clemency, and religion. The king was so far from being offended at the liberty which the saint took in his councils and admonitions, that he treated him with the greater regard; which drew on him the envy and jealousy of the whole court, particularly of the vicious part of the nobility, who did all in their power to blast his character. But their calumnies were too weak to do him any prejudice, and served only to give his virtue a fresh lustre, and enhance Dagobert’s veneration for him, who loaded him with favours; though it never was in his power to make him rich, because all that the saint received was immediately employed in relieving the necessitous, or in raising charitable and religious foundations. The first of these was the abbey of Solignac, which he built two leagues from Limoges, on a piece of ground granted him by the king for that purpose. The saint richly endowed it, peopled it with monks from Luxeu, and made it subject to the inspection of the abbot of that monastery. This new community increased considerably in a little time, and consisted of a hundred and fifty persons, who worked at several trades, and lived in admirable regularity. Dagobert also gave our saint a handsome house at Paris, which he converted into a nunnery, and placed in it three hundred religious women under the direction of St. Aurea, whose name occurs in the Roman Martyrology on the 4th of October. This monastery has since been given to the Barnabites, and the estates which belonged to it are now annexed to the bishopric of Paris. When the saint had begun this building, he found that it exceeded the measure of the land which he had specified to his Majesty by one foot; upon which, being struck with great grief and remorse, he immediately went to the king, and throwing himself at his feet, begged his pardon with many tears. Dagobert, surprised at his caution, to recompense his piety, doubled his former donation. When the saint was gone out, he said to his courtiers: “See how careful and faithful those who serve Christ are. My officers and governors stick not to rob me of whole estates; whereas Eligius trembles at the apprehension of having one inch of ground which is mine.” It not being then allowed to bury within cities, the saint made a burial-place for these nuns without the walls, and built there a church in honour of St. Paul, which is now a large parish church. The inhabitants of Brittany having provoked the king by making frequent inroads and plunders, he sent Eligius upon an embassy to them, who prevailed upon Judicaël, their prince, to go in person to Paris, and by his submission appease the king’s anger. 4 Dagobert being desirous to employ the saint in his most important commissions, pressed him to take an oath of fidelity, as was usual on such occasions. Eligius having a scruple lest this would be to swear without sufficient necessity, excused himself with an obstinacy which for some time displeased the king. Still the saint persisted in his resolution for fear of incurring the danger of offending God, and repeated his excuses with many tears, as often as the king pressed him on that score. Dagobert at length perceiving that the only motive of his reluctance was an extreme tenderness of conscience, graciously assured him that his conscientious delicacy was a more secure pledge of his fidelity than the strongest oaths of others could have been.
The extraordinary piety, and prudent fear of offending God, which St. Eligius showed in all his actions, made so strong an impression on the mind of St. Owen when he was but twelve years old, and lived in the court, that the fervent young nobleman resolved to walk in his steps; and, as he grew up, contracted so close a friendship with him that they seemed to have but one heart and one soul. Whilst they were laymen, and lived at court, they zealously laboured to maintain the purity of the faith, and the unity of the church. St. Eligius procured a council to be held at Orleans against certain heretics, drove a company of impious persons out of Paris, and, with St. Owen, employed his endeavours effectually to root out simony, a vice which had grievously infected France ever since the unhappy reign of Brunehalt. St. Desiderius, who lived then in the court of Dagobert, and was afterwards made bishop of Cahors, was joined in holy friendship with these two saints; also St. Sulpicius, afterwards archbishop of Bourges, and these holy men, by their mutual example, were a spur to each other in the heroic practice of every virtue. The whole kingdom was exceedingly edified by the sanctity of these zealous courtiers, and the bishops took a resolution to procure them to be called into the episcopal Order. The sees of Noyon and Tournay, which had been united ever since St. Medard, in 512, and then comprised Upper Picardy, and all the provinces that lie between that country and the mouth of the Rhine, became vacant by the death of St. Acarius, in 639, and St. Eligius was required to take upon him that arduous charge, and soon after St. Owen was chosen bishop of Rouen. King Clovis II. who had succeeded his father Dagobert, stood in need of such ministers; but the spiritual good of so many souls took place. St. Eligius trembled at the sight of the burden, and obtained a delay of two years to prepare himself, during which time he was ordained priest, and practised the clerical duties. St. Owen did the like, having retired for that purpose beyond the Loire. They agreed to meet and receive the episcopal consecration together at Rouen, which they did on Sunday before Rogation-week, in 640, or, according to some, in 646. The inhabitants of the district of Ghent and Courtray, which then depended on the diocess of Noyon, were still pagans, and so fierce and savage that they would not so much as hear the gospel preached to them. This was the chief reason of choosing so zealous a pastor for them as St. Eligius. From Rouen he only went back to court to take his last leave of it, and thence he repaired straight to Noyon. 5
Our saint in this new dignity increased his fasts and watchings with his labours, and showed the same humility, the same spirit of poverty, penance, and prayer as before: also the same charity towards the poor and the sick, whom he continued frequently to serve with his own hands, regularly entertaining twelve poor persons at his own table on certain days in the week. He always took particular delight to be in the company of the poor, and often left his clergy and others to shut himself up with them, and he often clothed them, washed their faces and hands, and shaved their heads with his own hands. His pastoral solicitude, zeal, and watchfulness were most admirable. The first year he employed entirely in reforming his clergy, and regulating the manners of his Christian flock. After this, he turned his thoughts to the conversion of the infidels among the Flemings about Antwerp, and the Frisons and Suevi, as far as the sea-shore, especially about Ghent and Courtray. St. Amandus, born of a Roman family near Nantes, being the son of Serenus and Amantia, and a monk, had been ordained by the Gallican prelates a bishop of nations, in 626, and had begun to plant the faith in the neighbourhood of Ghent, 6 under the direction of St. Acarius bishop of Noyon; and in 636 St. Omer was ordained bishop of the Morini. But a great part of Flanders was chiefly indebted to St. Eligius for the happiness of receiving the light of the gospel. He preached in the territories of Antwerp, Ghent, and Courtray. The inhabitants, who at first were as fierce as wild beasts, were ready every day to tear him to pieces; yet he persevered exhorting them, desiring nothing more than martyrdom. He instructed, with more than paternal tenderness, those who long refused to hear him, took care of their sick, comforted them in their afflictions, assisted them in their wants, and employed every means that the most tender and ingenious charity could suggest to overcome their obstinacy. The barbarians were at length softened, and considering his disinterestedness, his goodness, meekness, and mortified abstemious manner of living, they began to admire, and even to desire to imitate him. Many were converted, and these induced others to hear the holy prelate’s sermons, from which they went in bodies to destroy their temples and idols of their own accord: then returned to the holy prelate, and desired baptism. Eligius usually tried and instructed them for a whole year before he admitted them to the sacred laver of regeneration. By his discourses he raised the minds of the supine and slothful barbarians to an affection for heavenly things, and inspired them with a meek and peaceable temper: he taught them the means of rooting out of their hearts the love of pleasures and riches, and of perfectly subduing the evil habits of lying, enmity, hatred, and revenge, and ceased not to inculcate the precept of fraternal charity. In his exhortations he joined prayers and tears with reprehensions and threats; for his sweetness and mildness had no mixture of weakness, and his apostolic vigour and severity had nothing in it of bitterness or harshness. Every year at Easter he baptized great numbers both of old and young, whom he had brought to the knowledge of the true God, in the space of the twelve preceding months; to whom he had long before given the habit of catechumens, and who had long exercised themselves in suitable practices of fervent devotion and penance. The prudence and zeal of our holy paster were not less remarkable in bringing sinners after baptism to sincere penance. Many, like patients who in a fit of raving fall on the physicians who come to cure them, rose up against their holy bishop, because he refused to suffer them to live according to their passions and fancy. But Eligius considered that a charitable physician or tender father abandons not a sick patient who, in the violence of his fever, forgets the respect and obedience that is due to him, feared no dangers in the discharge of his pastoral duty, and in maintaining the indispensable laws of penance, and the rules of ecclesiastical discipline. Many sinners ran to receive penance by confessing their sins, and the holy bishop was very earnest in the care of their conversion. He exhorted all to frequent the churches, give alms, set their slaves at liberty, and practise all sorts of good works; and he engaged several of both sexes to embrace a monastic life. Once, not far from Noyon, he preached, on the feast of St. Peter against dancing, which the people made a frequent occasion of many sins. Many murmured hereat, and even threatened the holy prelate: but he preached the next festival on the same subject with greater vehemence than ever. Hereupon, the incorrigible sinners openly threatened his life. The servants of the lord of the place went about stirring up the whole country against him: for such men, where they are not restrained by their master’s authority, easily become lawless, and are the bane of a whole parish. The bishop at length found himself obliged to cut off these sons of Belial from the communion of the faithful, and to deliver them over to Satan, for the remedy of their souls. Fifty of them were afflicted by God, and made visible spectacles of his judgments: but, upon their repentance, were cured by the saint. St. Owen mentions many blind, lame, and sick persons, who received the benefit of their health, and use of their limbs, by the prayers of St. Eligius.
Among other prophecies, his prediction of the division of the French monarchy amongst the three sons of Clovis II. and its reunion under Theodoric, the youngest of them, was recorded by St. Owen, before its entire accomplishment. 7 This author informs us, 8 that our saint assembled the people every day, and instructed them with indefatigable zeal; and he gives us an abstract of several of his discourses united in one; by which it appears that his style was plain, simple, and without many ornaments, but tender and pathetic; and that he often borrowed whole passages from the sermons of St. Cæsarius, as was customary in France at that time. He often explained the obligation of the solemn vows or promises which Christians make at their baptism, exhorting the faithful to have them always before their eyes, and to be no less careful to practise, than to believe what they profess under the most sacred engagements. He insisted much on the obligation of almsdeeds, recommended the invocation of saints, and instructed the faithful to beware of the superstitious practices then in vogue; among which he reckons the observation of unlucky days, the solemnizing of New-year’s day with drinking and diversions, and the like. He strongly recommended prayer, the partaking of the body and blood of Christ, extreme-unction in time of sickness, and the sign of the cross to be always worn on our forehead, the efficacy of which sign he set forth. The seventeen homilies, which bear his name in the library of the fathers, cannot be his work; for the author had been a monk before he was bishop. 9 The charter of St. Eligius for the foundation of the abbey of Solignac is still extant. 10 The saint having governed his flock nineteen years and a half, was favoured with a foresight of his death, and a little before he was seized with his last sickness, foretold it to his disciples. Seeing them weep, he said: “Grieve not, my children; but rather congratulate with me. I have longed for this time, and, sighing under the miseries of this world, have wished for a releasement.” Falling ill of a fever, he prayed almost without interruption; and, on the sixth day, convened his disciples, and made them a pathetic exhortation to a virtuous life. They bursting all together into tears, he was not able to refrain from weeping with them; and on his knees, he commended them all to God, praying him not to abandon them, and to give them a holy pastor. After this, he continued his private prayers for several hours; then, reciting the canticle Nunc dimittis, &c. and fervently commending his soul into the hands of his Redeemer, he happily expired at one o’clock the next morning, on the 1st of December in 659, or in 665, if he was consecrated bishop in 646, being seventy years and some months old. Upon the news of his sickness, Queen Bathildes set out from Paris with her children, the lords of her court, and a numerous train: but arrived only the morning after his death. She bathed the corpse with a flood of tears, and caused all preparations to be made for carrying it to her monastery at Chelles. Others were very desirous that it should be conveyed to Paris: but the people of Noyon so strenuously opposed it, that the precious remains of their holy pastor were left with them, and the greatest part is kept at Noyon to this day. His body was deposited in the church of St. Lupus of Troyes, out of the walls, soon after called St. Eligius’s, as St. Owen testifies. This monastery of St. Eligius is now of the Benedictin Order of the reformed congregation of St. Maur. The relics of the saint were afterwards translated into the cathedral. Several other churches lay claim to small portions. St. Owen relates many miracles which followed his death, and informs us, that the holy abbess, St. Aurea, who was swept off by a pestilence, with a hundred and sixty of her nuns, in 666, was advertised of her last hour sometime before it, by a comfortable vision of St. Eligius. Queen Bathildes soon after, laying aside all ornaments of state, gave them all to the poor, except her gold bracelets, of which she caused a cross to be made, which she placed at the head of St. Eligius’s monument. She also ordered a sort of canopy called Repa, to be made of gold and silver, and set it over his tomb. The noblemen of her court, imitating her example, offered abundance of gold and precious stones to adorn the same: and, as it shone very bright, it was covered in Lent with a linen cloth bordered with silk. A certain liquor which dropped from this linen cloth, cured various distempers. 11 Fleury takes notice from this circumstance, that it was the custom at that time to cover, on penitential days, whatever looked bright or shining in churches.
St. Eligius learned to be a saint, living in the world and in a court. But for this he studied neither to be of the world, nor to be withdrawn by the world from a constant application to religious duties. To attend to them, he sometimes excused himself even from waiting upon his prince, when called upon by him: nor would he remain in his service upon other conditions. In the world, conversation is a devoir of civility, charity, and friendship: but first it must be sincere; not formality and mere compliment, which is frequently the case. Men who are idolaters of themselves, are incapable of true charity towards others; jealousy, envy and resentment, being on every occasion easily kindled in their hearts. Hence, their protestations of friendship are often a base hypocrisy, and a traffic of mutual deceit; a disposition diametrically opposite to that of charity and simplicity. Secondly, conversation with men, must not take up a considerable part of our time, nor be a source of vain amusement, or unprofitable fooleries. Toward those who would overwhelm us with idle visits, we are allowed, and when necessary, ought to shew some coolness, in order to break off a frivolous and fruitless commerce. Worldly discourse usually tends to promote vanity, pride, sensuality, and other passions. Men in general are not capable of being spoken to in the language of solid truth. Therefore, we ought to speak it often to ourselves by holy meditation and reading; and the oftener our circumstances oblige us to listen to the language of the world, so much the more diligent are we bound to be in attending to the voice of truth. It is only the blindness of the spirit of vanity that reigns in the world, which has brought any other dialect but that of truth into fashion. St. Eligius and many other saints found leisure even in courts to converse mostly with heaven and themselves. Who then can plead any excuse?
Note 1. Le Blanc, Hist. de Mon. p. 50, 54. Fleury, l. 37, n. 38. [back]
Note 2. Vita S. Eligij, c. 32. Du Chesne, Franc. Script. t. 1, p. 578. n. 20. [back]
Note 3. Vita S. Elig. c. 7. [back]
Note 4. Lebeuf (Hist. du Diocèse de Paris, t. 11,) observes from this life of St. Eligius, that the king’s palace was then at Gentilly, at that time the most agreeable spot near Paris, though it is now a watery and disagreeable village. [back]
Note 5. Thirteen
bishops sat at Augusta Veromanduorum, or Virmandis, long since a village. St.
Medard was consecrated the fourteenth bishop in 530, and, that city having been
destroyed by barbarians, translated his see to Noyon in 531, and was also made
bishop of Tournay in 532. St. Acarius, a monk of Luxeu, was made bishop of
Noyon and Tournay about the year 621, is styled saint by Molanus and Miræus: on
his death St. Eligius was promoted to that see. Gall. Chr. Nov. t. 9, p. 981.
By a decree of Eugenius III. in 1146, the see of Tournay was again
separated, and has had from that time its own bishops, who soon after were
created counts and ranked among the twelve peers of France who officiate at the
king’s coronation. Tournay and Lille had received the faith in part by the
preaching of St. Piat, mentioned by St. Gregory of Tours; but few traces of it
remained when St. Eligius, by his zealous labours, entirely banished idolatry
out of that flourishing country, and founded at Tournay the famous abbey of St.
Martin, which, in the twelfth century, adopted the rule of St. Bennet. [back]
Note 6. The Chronicle of the abbey of Blandinium or St. Peter’s at Ghent, says that St. Amand enlarged the buildings and augmented the revenues of that monastery, built St. Martin’s church at Courtray, and the churches of Bruges, Aldenburg, Rodenburg, and Oostburg. See Sanders, l. 4, Gandavensium rerum, p. 289. [back]
Note 7. Vita S. Elig. l. 2, c. 31. Fleury, l. 40, n. 9. [back]
Note 8. Ib. l. 2, c. 14. [back]
Note 9. Bibl. Patr. t. 12, p. 300. Ceillier, p. 586. Rivet, p. 598. [back]
Note 10. Mabill. Act. Ben. t. 2, pp. 1091, 1092. [back]
Note 11. S. Audeon. vit. S. Eligii, c. 40. See Du Cange, in Glossar. v. Repa. [back]
Rev. Alban Butler (1711–73). Volume XII: December. The Lives of the Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/12/011.html
Ref.:
PMa_B_314_Waregem ; Bisschop (H. Eligius?); Jan Borman of atelier van-,
Brussel, rond 1490, h56cm, rprivé coll Antoine Vandecandelaere; Bisschop (H.
Eligius?); photo: Paul M.R.Maeyaert; Waregem; Belgium; Cultural heritage;
Cultural heritage|Sculpture; Europeana; www.pmrmaeyaert.eu; © Paul M.R.
Maeyaert; pmrmaeyaert@gmail.com; tetoonstellingscatalogus: El Fruto de la Fe,
el legado artístico de Flandes en la Isla de Palma, Fundación de Carlos de
Amberes, Madrid, 2005
A Garner of Saints –
Saint Eloi
Article
(Latin: Eligius,
Italalian: Lo, Eligio) Born at Chatelas about 588, and sent to school at
Limoges. His father put him to the trade of a goldsmith, and he soon learned
all that was to be known. He proceeded to Paris and joined himself to an
artificer who worked for the king. It happened that King Clotaire II required a
magnificent throne of gold and silver. His master replied that he knew who
could make it, and receiving a large quantity of gold delivered it to Eloi. The
skilful goldsmith made two thrones with this material, presented one to the
king, and kept the other back. The king rewarded him liberally, and whilst all
were admiring the throne Eloi produced the other one. The king was astonished,
and asked Eloi how he could make both from the same mass. “By the grace of
God,” replied Eloi. His fame increased at the court. He was kind to the poor,
and stripped himself to clothe them. The King, seeing him ill clothed, gave him
some of his own garments; but Eloi gave everything which he received to the
poor. He frequently expended his money in redeeming captives, and on one
occasion released a hundred together. On the death of Clotaire in 628, his son
Dagobert succeeded him, and renewed to Eloi the favours which he had enjoyed
from the late King. At this time he founded the Monastery of Solignac on land
given by the King, and soon after he founded another community at Paris.
Dagobert, being desirous to employ Eloi on important affairs, wished him to
take the oath of allegiance, as was customary, but Eloi had scruples, fearing
to ofl’end God, and when the King heard this, he only honoured him the more. He
is said to have cut the dies for the coins of Clotaire and Dagobert. In 639
Eloi was elected Bishop of Noyon. Every day he fed twelve paupers with his own
hands. Here also he made many tombs with his own hands, notably those of Saint
Martin of Tours and of Saint Denis, the cost being defrayed by Dagobert. After
this Eloi devoted himself to the conversion of the Pagans of the provinces of
Ghent and Courtrai. After much labour the barbarians were touched by his piety,
and converted. When he had ruled his diocese for nineteen years, his
approaching end was revealed to him by God; calling his disciples about him, he
informed them that his death was near, and after six days of fever he expired,
A.D. 659. He is the patron of goldsmiths, locksmiths, blacksmiths, and all
workers in iron and also of farriers and horses. 1st
December.
Attributes
Holds a goldsmith’s
hammer in his hand and wears the habit of a bishop.
MLA
Citation
Allen Banks Hinds, M.A.
“Saint Eloi”. A Garner of Saints, 1900. CatholicSaints.Info.
19 April 2017. Web. 18 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/a-garner-of-saints-saint-eloi/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/a-garner-of-saints-saint-eloi/
Eine, Parochiekerk Sint-Eligius. Oudenaarde. Oost-Vlaanderen. Belgium. Schilderij, Heilige Eligius deelt aalmoezen uit, getekend Antoon Van den Heuvel, 1666. Parish church (Parochiekerk Sint-Eligius). Interior. The Saint Eligius distributing alms. Antoon Van den Heuvel. 1666. . Antoon Van den Heuvel. Ref: PM_126375_B_Eine. Europe|Belgium; Europe|Belgium|Oost-Vlaanderen; Europe|Belgium|Oost-Vlaanderen|Oudenaarde. www.polmayer.com.© Paul M.R. Maeyaert; pmrmaeyaert@gmail.com
Eine,
Parochiekerk Sint-Eligius. Oudenaarde. Oost-Vlaanderen. Belgium. Schilderij,
Heilige Eligius deelt aalmoezen uit, getekend Antoon Van den Heuvel, 1666.
Parish church (Parochiekerk Sint-Eligius). Interior. The Saint Eligius
distributing alms. Antoon Van den Heuvel. 1666. . Antoon Van den Heuvel. Ref:
PM_126375_B_Eine. Europe|Belgium; Europe|Belgium|Oost-Vlaanderen;
Europe|Belgium|Oost-Vlaanderen|Oudenaarde. www.polmayer.com.© Paul M.R.
Maeyaert; pmrmaeyaert@gmail.com
Saints
and Festivals of the Christian Church – Saint Eligius of Noyon
Article
On this day the memory of
Saint Eligius, Bishop of Noyon and Confessor, is commemorated. A man who by his
virtue and holy living rose from being the apprentice of a goldsmith to the
high dignity of a Bishop. Being a youth of rare genius he soon not only became
an adept in his chosen craft but had gained a wide reputation for the beauty
and ingenuity of his designs. What, however, was far better, he had won by his
unostentatious purity and upright life the confidence and affection of all who
knew him. Having been sent to France on some business, Bobo, then Treasurer of
Clotaire II, King of Paris (584-628), heard of him and brought him to the notice
of the king who gave him an order to design and make him a chair of State, to
be decorated with gold and precious stones, placing at his disposal the needed
materials. So great was the satisfaction of the king at the manner the young
man executed this command that Eligius was retained in the employ of the court.
His former master, besides being a goldsmith, held the position of “Master of
the Mint” at Limoges, and thus Eligius had also gained a knowledge of coinage,
of which the French made use; for coins bearing Eligius’ name issued during the
reigns of Dagobert and Clovis II as appears from Le Blanc’s “History of Coins,”
are yet extant. But his chief employment seems to have been the designing and
building of shrines for the relics of saints and the tombs of Saint Martin of
Tours and Saint Dionysius (Saint Dennis) are named as among those in the
exceptionally long list credited to his wonderful skill as a designer and
artisan. The favour of the king did not end here for he recognised in Eligius
the higher traits of character which every one who came in contact with him
did, also his great virtues, the purity of his life and his unbounded charity.
Prosperous as he was his wealth was not lavished upon himself. The king often
therefore, gave Eligius both clothing and money, which the latter in turn
distributed to the poor, while at the same time he daily fed many of these from
his own table even though he himself was fasting. He also was zealous in other
good works, ransoming captives, providing for the sick and burying the dead of
the poor, buying and freeing the slaves especially the Saxons who had been
taken prisoners, and setting them free. One of these Saxons (afterward known as
Saint Theau, whose festival occurs on January 7th) Eligius brought up in his own
household. But I must cease details, even omitting mention of the religious
houses he founded and endowed, until in 640 (some put this date 646) Eligius
went to Rouen, abandoning the honours of court life, and with his friend Saint
Owen received the episcopal office. Very soon after this our saint was chosen
Bishop of Noyon, a district then still largely under pagan influence. With his
usual zeal he threw his whole soul into his new work, and his success was
equalled by few of his contemporaries, until on December 1st, in 658 the good
man was called to his reward.
MLA
Citation
H Pomeroy Brewster.
“Saint Eligius of Noyon”. Saints and Festivals of
the Christian Church, 1902. CatholicSaints.Info.
24 February 2019. Web. 18 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saints-and-festivals-of-the-christian-church-saint-eligius-of-noyon/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-and-festivals-of-the-christian-church-saint-eligius-of-noyon/
Parochiekerk Sint-Maarten. Kortrijk. West-Vlaanderen. Belgium. Schilderij, "Sint-Elooi wijdt de Sint-Maartenskerk", gesigneerd rechts onder, Pieter Jozef Verhaghen, 1777, 407 x 245 cm. Parish church (Parochiekerk Sint-Maarten). Painting. "Church dedication of the Martinschurch bij Saint-Eligius. Pieter Jozef Verhaghen. 1777. . Pieter Jozef Verhaghen. PMRMaeyaert@gmail.com.© Paul M.R. Maeyaert; pmrmaeyaert@gmail.com. Cultural heritage; Europe|Belgium; Europe|Belgium|West-Vlaanderen; Europe|Belgium|West-Vlaanderen|Kortrijk. © Paul M.R. Maeyaert; pmrmaeyaert@gmail.com. Ref: PM_137512_B_Kortrijk. DO NOT CHANGE THE FILE NAME. DE BESTANDSNAAM NIET WIJZIGEN.
Parochiekerk
Sint-Maarten. Kortrijk. West-Vlaanderen. Belgium. Schilderij, "Sint-Elooi
wijdt de Sint-Maartenskerk", gesigneerd rechts onder, Pieter Jozef
Verhaghen, 1777, 407 x 245 cm. Parish church (Parochiekerk Sint-Maarten).
Painting. "Church dedication of the Martinschurch bij Saint-Eligius.
Pieter Jozef Verhaghen. 1777. . Pieter Jozef Verhaghen. PMRMaeyaert@gmail.com.©
Paul M.R. Maeyaert; pmrmaeyaert@gmail.com. Cultural heritage; Europe|Belgium;
Europe|Belgium|West-Vlaanderen; Europe|Belgium|West-Vlaanderen|Kortrijk. © Paul
M.R. Maeyaert; pmrmaeyaert@gmail.com. Ref: PM_137512_B_Kortrijk. DO NOT CHANGE
THE FILE NAME. DE BESTANDSNAAM NIET WIJZIGEN.
THE LIFE OF ST. LOYE
William Caxton added this Life to his 1483 edition of the Golden Legend. The content derives mostly from Dado of Rouen's 7th-century vita.
t. Loye was born in the country of Limoges. His father was named Eucherius and
his mother Terrigia. What time his mother was conceived with him, she saw in
her sleep, an eagle fly over her bed, and thrice bowed and inclined to her, and
promised to her something. And with the voice of the eagle she awoke and was
much abashed, and began to think what her dream might signify.
And when the time came of childing, and that she should be delivered,
she was in great peril, and anon she sent for an holy man to come and pray for
her. When the good man was come, anon he said to her: Have no doubt dame, ne dread,
for this child shall be holy and much great in the church.
Loye Enters the
Goldsmith's Craft
And after that he was
born, this child grew in virtue, and his father set him to goldsmith's craft;
and when he knew well the craft and art of goldsmithery he came into France and
dwelt with a goldsmith that made work for the king. It happed that time that
the king sought for one that could make for him a saddle of gold and of
precious stones. Then the master of St. Loye said to the king that he had found
a workman that should right well make whatsomever he would. The king
delivered to him a great mass of gold, which mass the master delivered to St.
Loye, whereof he made two right fair saddles and presented that one to the king
and that other he retained himself.
When the king saw this saddle so fair he and all his people marvelled much
thereof and the king rewarded him much largely. Then after this, St. Loye
presented to the king that other saddle, saying to him that, of the remnant of
the gold he had made the same, and then was the king more amarvelled than
he was tofore and demanded how he might make these two
saddles of that weight that was delivered to him.
St. Loye said: Well by the pleasure of God.
His Generosity to the
Poor
Then grew the name and
fame of him in the king's court. St. Loye loved well poor people, for all that
he won and might win he distributed it to them, in so much that oft he was
almost naked. The poor people also loved him, that where he went they followed
him, and that they that would speak with him must ask and enquire of the poor
people where he was.
On a time it happed that as he dealed alms with his own hand, there was a poor
man that had his hand stiff and lame, and put forth the better hand to receive
the alms. Then St. Loye said to him that he should put forth that other hand,
which as well as he might he put forth. St. Loye took and handled it and
anointed it with a little oil, and anon it was guerished and whole.
Another time when he had given to the poor people all the gold and silver that
he had, many other poor men came and demanded of him alms: and
beholding himself that he had no more to give, anon he departed among
them a mark of gold that he had borrowed of his neighbour, and anon
after, came more poor folk to demand alms, he put his hand anon to his purse,
for he remembered not that it was void, and by the will of God he
found therein a mark of gold, and when he had found that he began greatly to
thank our Lord God thereof, and distributed it and departed it to the poor
people for the love of God.
He was of high stature,
red of visage and angelic, of simple and prudent regard and cheer. At
the beginning he was clad with precious vestments of gold adorned with gems
and ouches, and ware gilt girdles with precious stones, but
under that, on his bare flesh, he wore always the hair. After this he
gave all his precious vesture to the poor people for to succour them
in their necessities, and from then forthon he used always simple and poor
clothing, and oft despoiled himself for to clothe the poor people.
And when the king saw him in such wise he gave to him his own vestments and
girdles, for he loved him as his proper soul, and abandoned to him all his
house, and commanded to all his folk that all that St. Loye would have should
be delivered to him without delay, and all he gave and distributed to poor
folk, prisoners and to sick.
He is Chosen Bishop of
Noyon
From the time of
Brunehilde queen, unto the time of Dagobert, the pestilence of simony reigned
strongly, which, for to take away and destroy, St. Loye and St. Ouen laboured
sore. Then was St. Loye chosen bishop of Noyon, after Achaire bishop of the
said city, and with him was chosen St. Ouen archbishop of Rouen. St. Loye was
pastor spiritual of Tournay, city royal, of Noyon, of Ghent, and of all
Flanders, and of Courtrai.
He had a certain place in
which, by certain days, he called to him poor and sick men and served them
devoutly, and made clean their heads and washed them, and them that were lousy
and full of vermin he himself would pick and make them clean, and gave
them meat and drink, and clothed them; and when they departed anon
came other to whom he did in like wise. And when great company came, sometime
he made them to sit down and refreshed them all, but every day, at the least he
and twelve, the which he made sit down, and at certain hour ate and drank with them,
but first he washed their hands and served them.
His Works of Charity and
His Miracles
On a time he impetred and gat of
the king that all the bodies that were condemned to death, that he could find
in towns and cities hanged and ratted, that he might take them down
and bury them, and ordained men of his college to do it.
It happed on a time that in the company of the king in the parties of Arastria,
in a town named Strabor, he found a man that was hanged that same day and was
then dead, and men made the sepulture for to bury him in. And St.
Loye approached him and began to take him down, and apperceived that
the soul was in the body. He would not appropriate the miracle to him
but kept him from vain glory and said full sweetly: O, what evil have we
done for to let this man to be taken off if God Almighty had not holpen us; the
soul is yet in his body.
When he [the hanged man]
was raised, he was clad, and he [St. Loye] did him to take his rest.
When they that had made him to die knew it, they would have made him receive
death again, and with great pain St. Loye delivered him from their hands, yet
he gat letters of grace for him, to be more sure.
There was a priest in his diocese which was infamed, and oft he
reproved him and exhorted him to be confessed, but the priest
alway heled his sin. When St. Loye saw that his fair admonition
availed not, he excommunicated and accursed him, and defended him
that he should no more sing mass unto the time he had done open penance. The
priest set nought by his commandment ne defence, in despiting his
sentence. A little after this the said priest would go sing mass, and
as he approached unto the altar, he fell down to ground and died.
Many other miracles did he by his life and doeth yet. He edified at
Noyon the Ancelles of Jesu Christ. By him, God showed the
body of St. Quintin. He found at Soissons the bodies of two brethren
germanes, martyrs, St. Crispin and Crispinian, and ordained a precious
vessel to put them in. He found also at Beauvais the body of St. Lucian, which
was of the company of St. Quintin, which he put in a precious vessel. At Paris,
upon the great bridge, he made a blind man to see.
The sexton of the church
of St. Colomba at Paris, came to St. Loye and said to him that thieves had
borne away by night all the jewels and parements of the said church.
Then St. Loye went into the oratory of St. Colomba, and said to him: Hark thou,
Colomba, what I say to thee; my Redeemer will that anon thou bring again the
ornaments of this church that have been taken away, or I shall in such wise
close the doors with thorns, that never hereafter thou shalt, in this place, be
served ne worshipped.
When he had said thus he departed. On the morn the sexton of the said church,
that was called Maturin, rose up and found all the parements and jewels that
had been borne away, and were set in the place as they had been tofore.
St. Loye did do ordain much richly the body of St. Germain and the
bodies of St. Severin, St. Plato, St. Quintin, St. Lucian, St. Genevieve, St.
Colomba, St. Maxime, St. Julian, and specially of St. Martin at Tours, by
Dagobert the king, and the tomb of St. Brice, and another tomb where the body
of St. Martin had been long in, and the house of St. Denis the martyr at Paris,
and the tigurion of marble which is upon him, of marvellous work of
gold and of gems.
His Death
When St. Loye died he was
seventy years old. At the end of the year he was transported into another
place, and was found also fresh and without rotting as he had been
alive in his sepulchre. Now hear ye yet a more great miracle: his beard and his
hairs were shaven when he died, but in his tomb, when he was translated, they
were found as great and long as they had always grown in his tomb.
This text was taken from
the Internet Medieval
Source Book. E-text © by Paul Halsall. Annotations, formatting, and added
rubrics by Richard Stracke. The drop initial (first letter of the text) is from
the Isabella Capitals font by John Stracke. Permission is granted for
electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational purposes and
personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the sources. No
permission is granted for commercial use.
Golden
Legend Table of Contents
Christian
Iconography Home Page
SOURCE : https://www.christianiconography.info/goldenLegend/eligius.htm
Giuseppe Mazzuoli detto il Bastarolo / Bastarolo, Sant'Eligio di Noyon in preghiera davanti a Gesù Cristo crocifisso (XVI secolo), olio su tela; Rovigo, Palazzo Roverella, conservato presso la Pinacoteca del Seminario Vescovile di Rovigo.
Sant' Eligio Vescovo
Chaptelat (presso
Limoges, Francia), 588-590 - Olanda, 1° dicembre (?) 660
Nacque a Chaptelat
(presso Limoges in Francia) intorno al 590. Una leggenda racconta che gli si
presentò il diavolo vestito da donna: e lui, Eligio, rapido lo agguantò per il
naso con le tenaglie. Questa colorita leggenda è raffigurata in due cattedrali
francesi (Angers e Le Mans) e nel duomo di Milano, con la vetrata di Niccolò da
Varallo, dono degli orefici milanesi nel Quattrocento. L'Eligio storico, figlio
di gente modesta, deve aver ricevuto tuttavia un'istruzione, perché venne
assunto come apprendista dall'orefice lionese Abbone, che dirige pure la zecca
reale. Sotto Clotario, Eligio va a dirigere la zecca di Marsiglia e intanto
continua a fare l'orefice. Col nuovo re Dagoberto I (623-639) viene chiamato a
corte e cambia mestiere: il sovrano ne fa un suo ambasciatore, per missioni di
fiducia. Altri incarichi se li prende da solo: per esempio, riscattare a sue
spese i prigionieri di guerra, fondare monasteri maschili e femminili. Morto il
re, sceglie la vita religiosa, e il 13 maggio 641 viene consacrato vescovo di
Noyon-Tournai dove s'impegna nella campagna di evangelizzazione (e
ri-evangelizzazione) nel Nord della Gallia, nelle regioni della Mosa e della
Scelda, nelle terre dei Frisoni. Muore nel 660. (Avvenire)
Patronato: Fabbri,
Gioiellieri, Garagisti
Etimologia: Eligio =
eletto, dal latino, nobile guida, dall'ebraico
Emblema: Bastone
pastorale
Martirologio Romano: A
Noyon in Neustria, ora in Francia, sant’Eligio, vescovo, che, orefice e
consigliere del re Dagoberto, dopo aver contribuito alla fondazione di molti
monasteri e costruito edifici sepolcrali di insigne arte e bellezza in onore
dei santi, fu elevato alla sede di Noyon e Tournai, dove attese con zelo al
lavoro apostolico.
Nato nel 588 circa a Chaptelat (Francia) in una famiglia di modeste condizioni, Eligio da ragazzo va a lavorare presso un famoso orafo nella vicina città di Limoges. Eligio è intelligente, onesto e meticoloso. Ha un carattere mite e tranquillo. Buono d’animo, generoso, saggio, non si arrabbia mai. Quando può, aiuta gli altri. Impara in fretta e ben presto diventa un esperto orafo, anche più bravo del suo maestro e si specializza nel creare croci in oro massiccio. Un giorno il re in persona, Clotario II, gli affida un incarico prestigioso: realizzare un trono d’oro. Ad Eligio il re consegna il prezioso metallo occorrente. Il giovane è talmente bravo da riuscire a costruire non uno, ma due troni. Il re rimane colpito dalla bravura di Eligio e anche dalla sua onestà poiché l’orefice avrebbe potuto tenere per sé l’oro eccedente. Lo premia nominandolo orafo di corte e direttore della Zecca.
Dagoberto I, successore di Clotario II, affida poi ad Eligio altri incarichi di responsabilità come quello di tesoriere e ambasciatore. In alcune occasioni, Eligio riesce a portare la pace e a sedare guerre. L’ex orafo rimane una persona umile. Non pensa a se stesso, ma agli altri. Con i suoi favolosi guadagni aiuta poveri e malati. Occupa un ruolo di potere accanto al re essendo un alto funzionario, eppure Eligio aspira a un’altra vita. Pensa a Dio, a Gesù, ai santi. Desidera far conoscere il messaggio cristiano a più persone possibili. Eletto vescovo di Noyon e Tournai, fa costruire chiese e monasteri. Viaggia in Francia, Olanda e Belgio dove vivono popoli che non conoscono ancora il Cristianesimo e il suo messaggio di fratellanza, tramandato attraverso i Vangeli che narrano la vita e le opere di Gesù.
Si narra di alcuni miracoli compiuti dal vescovo, soprattutto di guarigioni da
malattie. Famoso è il prodigio leggendario compiuto su un cavallo, per avergli
riattaccato una zampa posteriore completamente mozzata. Per questo motivo
Eligio viene considerato il protettore di cavalli e maniscalchi. Egli è patrono
di svariati mestieri: fabbri, orafi, gioiellieri, lavoratori della Zecca,
veterinari, numismatici, carrettieri, carrozzieri, fonditori, metalmeccanici,
lattonieri, minatori, orologiai e fabbricanti di valigie. Viene invocato anche
contro gli incendi. Muore a Noyon nel 660. In Italia viene particolarmente
festeggiato a Sciara (Palermo) e a Casale del Pozzo (Nocera Inferiore,
Salerno).
Autore: Mariella
Lentini
Büste
mit Reliquie des hl. Eligius in der Kirche Sant' Eligio degli Orefici in Rom
Bust
with relic of the church Saint Eligius in the church Sant' Eligio degli Orefici
in Rome
Gli si presenta il diavolo vestito da donna: e lui, Eligio, rapido lo agguanta per il naso con le tenaglie. Questa colorita leggenda è raffigurata in due cattedrali francesi (Angers e Le Mans); e nel Duomo di Milano, con la vetrata di Niccolò da Varallo, dono degli orefici milanesi nel Quattrocento.
L’Eligio storico, figlio di gente modesta, deve aver ricevuto tuttavia un’istruzione, perché viene assunto come apprendista dall’orefice lionese Abbone, che dirige pure la zecca reale: un grande maestro nella sua arte. E l’allievo Eligio non è da meno. Della sua fama di artefice e di galantuomo parla un singolare racconto, non documentato: il re Clotario II gli commissiona un trono d’oro, dandogli il metallo occorrente. E lui, con quello, di troni gliene fa due. Dimezzato il preventivo: cose mai viste, né prima né dopo.
Sotto Clotario, Eligio va a dirigere la zecca di Marsiglia, e intanto continua a fare l’orefice. Col nuovo re Dagoberto I (623-639) viene chiamato a corte e cambia mestiere: il sovrano ne fa un suo ambasciatore, per missioni di fiducia. Altri incarichi se li prende da solo: per esempio, riscattare a sue spese i prigionieri di guerra, fondare monasteri maschili e femminili. Morto il re, sceglie la vita religiosa, e il 13 maggio 641 viene consacrato vescovo di Noyon-Tournai.
Comincia un’esistenza nuova. Eligio s’impegna nella campagna di evangelizzazione (e ri-evangelizzazione) nel Nord della Gallia, nelle regioni della Mosa e della Scelda, nelle terre dei Frisoni. Ne diventa uno dei protagonisti, con altri vescovi come Audoeno (Ouen) di Rouen (che sarà anche il suo biografo), Amand di Tongres, Sulpizio il Pio di Bourges. E la sua vita si conclude appunto sul campo, in terra olandese (di qui i suoi resti verranno riportati a Noyon solo nel 1952). E subito parte l’altra storia di sant’Eligio: il suo culto si diffonde in Francia, in Germania, in Italia. Lo vogliono come patrono non solo gli orafi, ma in pratica tutti gli artigiani dei metalli, e poi i carrettieri, i netturbini, i mercanti di cavalli, i maniscalchi, e ai tempi nostri anche i garagisti. In alcune località francesi si dà la benedizione ai cavalli nel giorno della sua festa.
Autore: Domenico Agasso
SOURCE : http://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/80000
Heiliger
Eligius (14. Jahrhundert) am Nordportal der Kirche von Öja auf Gotland mit
den Attributen Hammer,
Zange und Hufeisen
Öja
kyrka auf Gotland. St.Eligius am Nordportal ( 14.Jhdt.)
Den hellige Eligius av
Noyon (~588-660)
Minnedag:
1. desember
Den hellige Eligius
(Éloi, Eloi, Eloy, Loy) ble født rundt år 588 i Chaptelat ved Limoges i
Haute-Vienne i Midt-Frankrike. Andre former av stedsnavnet som oppgis, er Chaptalac
(oksitansk), Chatelac, Catelat, Castelhac, Chaptelet eller Chaptel. Han var
sønn av Eucherius og Terrigia i en beskjeden kristen gallo-romansk familie. Det
fortelles at da Terrigia var gravid, så hun i en drøm en ørn som skrek tre
ganger som for å fortelle henne noe. Hun turde først ikke å spørre noen om hva
det betydde. Men da hun etter fødselen så ut til å være i livsfare, ble en
hellig mann tilkalt for å be for henne, og han profeterte da at den nyfødte
sønnen ville bli hellig og stor i Kirken.
Eligius' far var
metallarbeider og gullsmed, og da sønnen viste lignende talenter, sendte faren
ham i lære hos den berømte gullsmeden Abbo, som var myntmester i Limoges – byen
med den berømte emaljekunsten. Etter læretiden dro Eligius over Loire og inn i
frankisk territorium. Han ble selv en høyt ansett gullsmed, som var kjent for
både utsøkt design og økonomisk bruk av materialer. Noen eksempler på hans
store dyktighet var bevart helt frem til Den franske revolusjon og kan fortsatt
ses i katalogen over merovingiske mynter i Nasjonalbiblioteket i Paris.
En mann ved navn Bobbo
(Bobon) var skattmester hos den frankiske kong Klotar II av Neustria (584-629),
frankisk enekonge fra 613. Bobbo gjorde sin hersker oppmerksom på Eligius etter
at han hadde laget to utsøkte gulltroner av materiale som var beregnet på en.
Klotar gjorde Eligius til sin myntmester i Marseille, og mynter med hans merke
er funnet i Marseille.
Eligius' talenter gjorde
ham snart til en person av høy rang og stor velstand. Han bar klær som var
brodert med gull og utsmykket med edelsteiner, og noen ganger bar han ikke noe
annet enn silke, som var svært sjeldent i Frankrike på den tiden. Men han ble
ikke korrumpert av sin suksess, og hans velstand var viet til de fattige. En
gang en fremmed spurte om veien til hans hjem i Paris, ble han bedt om å gå til
en viss gate hvor han ville gjenkjenne huset på flokken av fattige utenfor.
Eligius utsatte å sverge
en troskapsed til Klotar, noe som ergret kongen. Men så fikk Klotar forståelsen
av at motivet var samvittighetsgrunner, og han forsikret Eligius om at dette
var et mye mer sikkert løfte om troskap enn andres eder.
Da kong Klotar døde i
629, fortsatte Eligius i embetet som myntmester under hans sønn og etterfølger,
kong Dagobert I (629-39). I tillegg til dette embetet var han en viktig
rådgiver for tre merovingerkonger, nemlig Klotar II, Dagobert I og Klodvig II
(639-58). Av dem fikk han i oppdrag å dekorere graver og skrin og lage kalker,
kors og plaketter. Dagobert utnevnte ham til sin viktigste rådgiver i 629 og
kalte ham tilbake til Paris. Hans makt var så stor at ingen ambassadør besøkte
merovingerkongen uten å arrangere et møte med Eligius.
Samtidig utviklet Eligius
seg til en dypt religiøs mann, og allerede mens han tjente kongehuset, levde
han et gudfryktig liv. Ved hoffet traff han en gruppe bemerkelsesverdige menn
som inkluderte de hellige Dado eller Audoenus (Ouen)
(senere biskop av Rouen), Wandregisel (Wandrille), Sulpicius (senere
biskop av Bourges), Bertharius, Desiderius (Didier)
(senere biskop av Cahors) og hans bror Rusticus, som alle æres som helgener. De
dannet et lite, men svært religiøst samfunn med forbindelser til den
hellige Kolumbans
kloster i Luxeuil. De beskyttet de nye klostrene, og med en rundhåndethet som
ble legendarisk, æret de helgenenes relikvier.
Eligius tjente så mye
penger i sitt embete at han i 632 grunnla benediktinerklosteret Solignac (Solemniacum) i
bispedømmet Limoges i det nåværende departementet Haute-Vienne i regionen
Limousin, som da var en del av den større regionen Aquitania i Sør-Frankrike.
Han grunnla klosteret sammen med den hellige Remaclus på
et landområde han fikk av kong Dagobert. Han etablerte også det første
verkstedet for produksjon av den berømte emaljen i Limoges. Munkene i klosteret
Solignac fulgte en regel som var en blanding av de hellige Kolumbans og Benedikts. Han
grunnla også flere andre kirker og klostre samt hospitaler og hospitser. Han
bygde basilikaen Saint-Paul og restaurerte basilikaen Saint-Martial i Paris.
Han bygde flere vakre kirker for å ære relikviene til den hellige Martin av Tours,
den frankiske nasjonalhelgenen, og den hellige Dionysius av Paris,
som kongen hadde valgt til skytshelgen.
Han fikk også et hus i
Paris i gave av kongen, og han brukte sine betydelige ressurser på å grunnlegge
et kvinnekloster der i 633. Klosteret fikk navnet Saint-Martial, og han valgte
den syriske hellige Aurea til
abbedisse for 300 søstre. Hun ledet kommuniteten i 33 år før hun døde under en
pest i 666 som også drepte 160 av hennes nonner. Eligius ba om og fikk et
ekstra stykke land for å fullføre byggingen. Men da han oppdaget at han hadde
gått ut over tomtens grenser, gikk han til kongen for å be om unnskyldning.
Kong Dagobert ble forbløffet over hans ærlighet og sa: «Noen av mine offiserer
har ingen skrupler med å rane meg for hele eiendommer, mens Eligius er redd for
å ha en tomme grunn som ikke er hans».
Kong Dagobert hadde sin
hovedstad i Paris, men hoffet flyttet ofte rundt til ulike deler av Gallia. Den
hellige kong Judicaël (ca
590-658), fyrste av Domnonia og bretonsk overkonge, beseiret frankerne to
ganger i slag, og i 635 sendte kong Dagobert ordre til Judicaël om å komme til
hans palass i Clichy og fornye vasalleden til kongen, og han truet med å
invadere Bretagne hvis Judicaël ikke lystret. Den bretonske kongen måtte føye
seg og ankom med gaver, men fornærmet Dagobert ved å nekte å spise ved det
kongelige bordet. I 636/37 sendte Dagobert I sin viktigste rådgiver Eligius på
et diplomatisk oppdrag til Bretagne (Armorica), og han overtalte Judicaël til å
akseptere den frankiske kongens autoritet på et møte i kongens villa i Creil.
Hans suksess økte hans
innflytelse ytterligere, noe han brukte til å sikre almisser for de fattige og
kjøpe fri romerske, galliske, bretonske, saksiske og mauriske fanger, som daglig
ankom til Marseille. Mye av sine inntekter brukte han til å kjøpe fri utallige
slaver, og mange av dem fulgte ham som lojale assistenter. Med kongens samtykke
sendte Eligius sine tjenere gjennom byer og landsbyer for å ta ned likene av
henrettede forbrytere og gi dem en anstendig begravelse.
I januar 639 døde kong
Dagobert I, og enkedronning Nanthilde overtok regjeringen som regent for deres
seksårige sønn Klodvig II med Aega og senere Erkinoald som hushovmester.
Regenten ville gjerne beholde Eligius som myntmester, men han valgte å forlate
hoffet sammen med vennen Audoenus og ble presteviet i 640, over 50 år gammel.
Den 13. mai 640 døde den
hellige biskop Acharius av
Noyon ved Oise i Nord-Frankrike og Tournai i Flandern (det nåværende Belgia),
og kong Klodvig utnevnte da Eligius til ny biskop av Noyon-Tournai med
enstemmig tilslutning fra presteskap og folk. Samtidig ble Audoenus utnevnt til
erkebiskop av Rouen. I denne perioden ble bispedømmer ofte gitt som beneficier
til avgåtte kongelige ministre, men både Audoenus og Eligius bestemte seg for å
bli virkelige biskoper. De to vennene brukte lang tid på å forberede seg for
denne verdigheten ved retrett, faste og bønn, og de mottok bispevielsen sammen
i Reims den 13. mai 641. Dette var uvanlig, siden biskoper vanligvis ble
konsekrert i sine egne katedraler.
De fleste av innbyggerne
i hans store bispedømme var ennå hedninger, og i sine nitten år som biskop la
Eligius mest vekt på misjonering blant de germanske stammene i Flandern og
Friesland. Han omvendte mange i områdene rundt Antwerpen, Gent og Courtrai
(Courtray, Kortrijk), til tross for stor motstand. I 654 godkjente han det
berømte privilegiet som ble gitt til klosteret Saint-Denis i Paris og fritok
det for jurisdiksjonen til stedets ordinarius. I tillegg til sine klostre i
Paris og Solignac grunnla han også et kloster for jomfruer i Noyon og satte det
under ledelse av den hellige Godeberta, som
han hentet fra Paris. Han skrev også en regel for søstrene. Eligius skal ha
gitt en gullring til Godeberta, som er bevart i katedralen i Noyon.
Etter gjenfinningen av
relikviene til den hellige Quintinus (Quentin)
bygde Eligius en kirke til hans ære med et tilknyttet kloster under den irske
regelen. Han oppdaget også legemene til den hellige Piat og
hans ledsagere i Seclin og den hellige Lucian i
Beauvais, og den 9. april 654, skrinla han med stor høytid sammen med biskop
Cuthbert av Cambrai de jordiske restene av den hellige Fursey, den
berømte irske misjonæren som døde i 650.
Eligius spilte en ledende
rolle i tidens kirkelig liv, og han fortsatte også å være svært sjenerøs mot de
fattige. Av hans antatte prekener som er bevart, er en spesielt verdt å merke
seg for hans advarsler mot hedensk overtro som å spå om fremtiden, se etter
tegn og å holde torsdag hellig til ære for Jupiter. I stedet skulle kristne
væpne seg med korsets tegn, bønn og eukaristien. Han likte å trekke seg tilbake
til oratoriet (kapellet) i Ourscamps-sur-Oise. Hans eneste etterlatte skrift
som med sikkerhet er autentisk, er et kjærlig brev til hans venn Desiderius av
Cahors.
Etter at den lastefulle
kon Klodvig II døde i 658, bare 24 år gammel, var hans enke, den hellige
dronning Bathild,
i åtte år regent for deres eldste sønn, Klotar III, som bare var fem år gammel.
Klodvigs og Bathilds tre sønner ble alle konger: Klotar III (f. 652), konge av
Neustria (658-73), Kilderik II (f. 653), konge av Austrasia (662-75), og
Theoderik III (f. 654), konge av Neustria og Burgund (673; 675-91). Av sønnene
ser det ut til at bare Kilderik arvet morens energi.
En kort periode like før
sin død var Eligius også venn og rådgiver for regenten, Bathild. Det var trolig
i det minste delvis på grunn av hans intervensjon at den tidligere
angelsaksiske slaven Bathild fikk konsilet i Chalon-sur-Sâone rundt 647 til å
vedta dekreter om slavenes rettigheter og eiernes ansvar. Det vedtok også at
slaver ikke skulle selges ut av riket, og insisterte på at de skulle ha fri på
søndager og helligdager. Eligius hadde lenge gjort det til en praksis personlig
å kjøpe fri slaver, menn og kvinner, romere, bretonere, gallere, maurere og
saksere. De fikk valget mellom å gå i kloster, bli i verden eller vende tilbake
til sine hjem. Noen av dem forble i hans tjeneste og var hans trofaste
assistenter i hele hans liv. En av dem, en sakser ved navn Tillo, regnes
blant helgenene. Han var den første blant Eligius' syv disipler som fulgte ham
fra verkstedet da han ble biskop.
Eligius hadde profetiske
evner, som han noen ganger ga konkrete bevis på – om hushovmesterne Flaochad og
Erkinoald, om noe sivil uro og om sin egen død. Han forutså sin egen død og
fortalte sitt presteskap om dette. Etter å ha vært biskop av Noyon i nitten år
fikk Eligius en feber, og på den sjette dagen kalte han sammen sitt hushold.
Til dem sa han: «Ikke gråt, gratuler meg i stedet, for jeg har ventet i lang
tid på denne løslatelsen». Han anbefalte sitt folk til Gud, og få timer senere
døde han. Det var den 1. desember 660 (eller 659) i hans kloster i Noyon.
Da dronning Bathild fikk
høre om hans sykdom, dro hun straks fra Paris, men hun kom ikke frem før
morgenen etter hans død. Hun startet forberedelser for å frakte hans legeme til
sitt kloster i Chelles, mens andre ville flytte det til Paris. Men folket i Noyon
satte seg slik mot en flytting at hans legeme fikk bli værende hos dem og ble
gravlagt i katedralen.
Etter sin død ble han
høyt æret av folket, særlig i Flandern, i provinsen Antwerpen og i Tournai,
Courtrai, Gent, Brugge/Bruges og Douai. I middelalderen ble hans relikvier æret
høyt, og de ble ofte overført til andre steder, som i 881, 1066, 1137, 1255 og
1306. Størstedelen av hans relikvier befinner seg i dag i katedralen Notre-Dame
i Noyon, mens hodet befinner seg i kirken Saint-André i Chelles ved Paris.
Mange kunstverk, særlig
relikvarier, ble tillagt ham, og noen av dem eksisterer fortsatt, men det synes
ikke som noen av dem med sikkerhet stammer fra hans hånd, selv om skrinene for
de hellige Dionysius
av Paris, Crispin
og Crispinian, Quintinus (Quentin), Lucian av Beauvais, Germanus av Paris, Genovefa av Paris, Julian av Brioude, Germanus av Auxerre, Brictius av Tours og Martin av Tours ble
tilskrevet ham. Hans kors over alteret i St. Denis ble beundret i
middelalderen, og hans kalk i Chelles, som forsvant under Den franske
revolusjon, er kjent fra bevarte tegninger.
Audoenus, som bare kan ha
vært en gutt da Eligius ble kjent med ham, fikk senere æren for en biografi om
sin venn, Vita Sancti Eligii. Denne betraktes imidlertid nå som hovedsakelig et
verk av en senere munk i Noyon, som imidlertid kan ha bygd på et manuskript av
Audoenus.
Eligius ble en av de mest
populære helgener i middelalderen. Han er et eksempel på en ekte helgen fra
tidlig middelalder hvis kult fikk sin største populære spredning senere i
middelalderen. Han hadde ry både som apostolisk biskop og som en fremragende
håndverker som ble skytshelgen for alle slags metallarbeidere – gullsmeder,
låsesmeder, hovsmeder og andre håndverkere. Han ble særlig dyrket i
Nord-Frankrike og Belgia (Picardie og Flandern), mens hans ry gjorde at hans
kult ble spredt til Tyskland og Italia og det meste av Europa. I England var
han så velkjent gjennom sin fest, legende og avbildninger at den sterkeste eden
for priorinnen i Chaucers Canterbury Tales var «ved St. Eloi».
Hans minnedag er 1.
desember. I Ely i England ble det feiret en translasjonsfest den 25. juni. Hans
navn står i Martyrologium Romanum. I Paris ble en kirke viet til ham i bydelen
som huset smijernshåndverkere og skapmakere. Kirken Saint-Eloi ble restaurert i
1967. En kirke som ble ødelagt i 1793, var viet til ham i Rue des Orfèvres, nær
Hôtel de la Monnaie (Rue de la Monnaie i fjerde arrondissement).
Eligius avbildes enten
som smed med en ambolt, som gullsmed, som hoffmann eller som biskop med en
bispestav i høyre hånd. På den åpne håndflaten av venstre hånd har han ofte en
miniatyrkirke i gull. Hans attributter er en tang eller gullsmedverktøy, eller
også en hestesko. Han kan avbildes mens han skor en hest eller med Godeberta,
som han gir en ring, som på det mest berømte portrettet av ham, malt av Petrus
Christus, i 1449. I likhet med den hellige Dunstan holder
han i noen avbildninger djevelens nese med en tang.
Hans forbindelse med
hester skyldes flere legender. En episode skjedde etter hans død. En av hans
hester ble arvet av en prest, men den nye biskopen likte hesten og tok den
selv. Men hesten ble syk straks den kom under biskopens tak, og ingenting kunne
helbrede den. Imens ba presten til Gud og Eligius om at hesten måtte vende
tilbake. Biskopen ga da også den ubrukelige hesten tilbake, og da ble dyret
straks friskt, en helbredelse som ble tilskrevet Eligius. Siden den tid har han
tradisjonelt vært betraktet som skytshelgen for dyrleger og hester, og han har
blitt påkalt på vegne av syke hester, og noen steder blir hester velsignet på
hans festdag. Som en videreføring av dette har Eligius blitt skytshelgen for
bensinstasjoner og garasjer, som kan betraktes som moderne versjoner av
staller.
Et av hans attributter i
kunsten er et skodd hestebein, som kommer fra legenden fra 1400-tallet:
Legenden forteller at
Eligius opprinnelig var smed og hesteskomaker. En dag fikk han en lærling som
rett og slett hogde benet av hesten når han skulle sko den og deretter satte
det på plass når han var ferdig. Det viste seg at lærlingen var en åpenbaring
av Kristus selv, og han lærte Eligius knepet med foten. Senere lærte han bort
gullsmedyrket så Eligius kunne komme de rike nærmere.
Eligius av Noyon står på
en liste over helgener (Catholic Encyclopedia: Oil of Saints), som har det til
felles at det ble sagt at det fra deres graver eller relikvier strømmet ut olje
til visse tider (Surius, De probatis sanctorum historiis, VI, 678).
Les Audoenus' biografi om Eligius (på
engelsk).
Kilder:
Attwater/John, Attwater/Cumming, Farmer, Jones, Bentley, Hallam, Butler (XII),
Benedictines, Delaney, Bunson, Gad, Schauber/Schindler, Melchers, Gorys,
Dammer/Adam, KIR, CE, CSO, Patron Saints SQPN, Infocatho, Bautz,
Heiligenlexikon, santiebeati.it, en.wikipedia.org - Kompilasjon og
oversettelse: p. Per
Einar Odden - Opprettet: 2000-02-01 21:34 -
Sist oppdatert: 2009-07-22 16:20
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/eligius
Niklaus Manuel (1484–1530), St. Eligius in his workshop, 1515, Kunstmuseum Bern / Museum of Fine Arts Berne . Sol & Luna, Auf den Spuren von Gold und Silber, Frankfurt 1974, S. 48
Никлаус
Мануэль Дойч. Святой Элигий за работой. Алтарь святых Луки и Элигия. 1515.
Берн, Художественный музей
Eligius (ook Alar, Elaere, Elar, Elard, Eler, Eloi, Elooi, Eloy of Iler) van
Noyon, Frankrijk; bisschop; † 660.
Feest zondag na 24
juni (overbrenging relieken) & 1 december.
Eligius werd rond 590 geboren in het plaatsje Chaptelat bij Limoges. Hij begon zijn loopbaan als hoefsmid. Bij Abbo van Lyon kreeg hij zijn opleiding tot edelsmid. Van de Frankische koning Chlotarius II († 629) ontving hij eens een hoeveelheid goud om er een troon van te maken. Hij maakte er twee, en wat hij aan grondstof overhad, gaf hij aan de koning terug. Deze mate van eerlijkheid was zo ongewoon in die dagen, dat de koning hem onmiddellijk een aanstelling aan het hof verleende. Naast edelsmid diende hij ook als muntmeester en persoonlijk raadsman.
Hij vervaardigde o.a. reliekschrijnen voor Sint Germanus van Auxerre († 448;
feest 31 juli), Sint Geneviève van Parijs († ca 512; feest 3 januari) en voor
Sint Maarten († 397; feest 11 november). Hij was een kundig vakman en groot
kunstenaar. Tot op de dag van vandaag worden er munten en kerkelijke
gebruiksvoorwerpen van zijn hand bewaard.
Over de tijd dat Eligius nog gewoon smid was, wordt een opvallende legende
verteld.
Volgens zeggen had
Eligius een merkwaardige knecht in dienst. Telkens wanneer deze een paard moest
beslaan, hakte hij de hele voet van het dier af, zodat hij in alle rust het hoefijzer
kon aanbrengen. Daarna plantte hij zonder problemen de voet weer aan het
bloedende been. Al die tijd gaf het paard geen kik en stapte opgelucht het
bedrijf uit.
Latere gelovigen menen in die knecht Christus zelf te herkennen. Met het oog op Eligius' latere taak als bisschop onder de heidenen, kwam Hij voordoen hoe je heidense overblijfselen met succes kon bestrijden: de ongezonde elementen afhakken, verbeteren of genezen en vervolgens weer terug aanbrengen in het grote geheel.
Van zijn vorstelijk inkomen gaf hij veel weg aan de armen en besteedde grote sommen aan de vrijkoop van slaven. In 632 stichtte hij tezamen met Sint Remaclus († vóór 675; feest 3 september) een benedictijner monniksgemeenschap op zijn landgoed te Solignac bij Limoges. Na de dood van Chlotarius' opvolger Dagbobert I († 639) nam hij afscheid van het hof en liet zich priester wijden. Amper twee jaar later, in 641, werd hij benoemd tot bisschop van de Noord-Franse steden Noyon en Doornik; hij volgde daar Sint Acharius († ca 640; feest 27 november) op.
Hij wordt ook beschouwd als de bouwer van klooster Ourscamp (= 'Berenveld') aan
de Oise, vlakbij Noyon. Het dankt zijn naam aan een legende.
Voor het versjouwen van de stenen werd een ossenkar gebruikt. Opeens verscheen
er een gruwelijke beer. De jongen die de wagen mende, sloeg op de vlucht en de
beer deed zich te goed aan de os. Eligius sprak de beer op strenge toon toe en
gebood het dier het werk van de gedode os over te nemen. Zo geschiedde.
Dergelijke legendes worden verteld over meerdere heiligen uit de vroege middeleeuwen, zoals Sint Remaclus, Sint Vaast, Sint Corbinianus, Sint Gallus enz.
Intussen probeerde Eligius met grote ijver de laatste restanten van heidens
geloof onder zijn mensen te vervangen door christelijke deugd. Daarmee werd hij
een van de grondleggers van de christelijke cultuur in Noord-Frankrijk en
West-Vlaanderen. Hij draagt dan ook de eretitel 'Apostel van Vlaanderen'. In
Noyon werd hij opgevolgd door Sint Mummolinus († 686; feest 16 oktober).
Verering & Cultuur
Sint Ouen van Rouen († 683; feest 24 augustus) beschreef het leven van de
apostel van Vlaanderen.
Zowel de abdij St-Eloy
als de kathedraal van Noyon pretenderen zijn relieken te bezitten. In Vosselare
(Vlaanderen) wordt een relikwiehamer van hem bewaard.
Hij is patroon van alle ambachtslieden die met een hamer werken zoals,
mijnwerkers en timmerlui, hoef- en edelsmeden; munters, numismatici en
muntenverzamelaars (van hieruit ook van armen in geldnood); graveurs en
horlogemakers; blikslagers, scharenslijpers, sloten-, klokken- en messenmakers;
van ijzerdraaiers, metaalbewerkers en betonvlechters; werktuigkundigen,
mecaniciens, elektriciens, lampenmakers en informatici; koetsiers, koets- en
wagenmakers (en daardoor in de moderne tijd ook van garagehouders); van
zadelmakers, paardenhandelaren, pachters, boeren, landbouwers, knechten;
voerlui en vrachtrijders; vee- en dierenartsen; bewakers en veiligheidspersoneel.
Hij is beschermheilige
van de paarden en wordt aangeroepen tegen veeziekten (vooral paarden),
epidemieën, kindergeschreeuw, steenpuisten, steenzweren, zenuwziekten, zweren.
Daarnaast neemt men tot hem zijn toevlucht bij geldgebrek.
Hij is patroon van de
Belgische plaatsen Sint-Eloois-Vijve (gem. Waregem) en Sint-Eloois-Winkel (gem.
Ledegem).In Lanefe-Walcourt, Luik en Sempst geniet hij bijzondere verering. In
Rijmenam (bij Mechelen) herdenkt men de overbrenging van zijn relieken in l739
met paardenzegeningen en processies op de zondag na 24 juni. Op de zondag van
of na 23 juni vindt in Maarke (Vlaanderen) een processie voor hem plaats. Op de
zondag na 29 juni worden in Leeuwergem en Tielrode (Vlaanderen)
Eligiusprocessies gehouden met paardenzegening. Een soortgelijke processie
vindt in Temse plaats op de laatste zondag van juni en in Merelbeke en
Vosselare op de eerste zondag van juli. Op de tweede maandag na 6 juli
organiseert de Elooisgilde van Pittem (Vlaanderen) de Zotte-Maandagstoet. Ook
Meise en Antwerpen hebben op of rond zijn feestdag een St Elooisviering.
In Frankrijk is zijn
bisschopsstad Noyon vanouds het centrum van zijn verering.
Toen in 1188 de pest
heerste in de buurt van de Noord-Franse steden Béthune en Beuvry, verscheen
Sint Eligius in een droom aan twee smeden: Germon uit Beuvry en Gauthier uit
het buurtschapje St-Pry bij Béthune. Zij kregen de opdracht een
broederschap op te richten die zich zou bezighouden met het eerbiedig begraven
van doden: de zogeheten ‘Confrérie des Charitables’. De twee mannen bezegelden
hun belofte ,met een onderlinge handdruk. De broederschap bestaat tot op de dag
van vandaag. In de kerken van Beuvry en Béthune bevinden zich ramen en altaren
waar dit voorval staat afgebeeld.
De Pardon des Chevaux
(paardenviering) te Saint-Éloy (dep. Côtes-du-Nord) vindt plaats op de eerste
zondag van september.
Afgebeeld
Hij wordt afgebeeld als bisschop (staf, mijter, tabberd) met aambeeld,
hoefijzer, blaasbalg, hamer of tang - vaak met paardenvoet, vanwege de legende!
- of met edelsmidgereedschap. Soms met een beer.
Zijn feestdag op 1
december wordt 'koude Elooi' genoemd; zijn translatiefeest op de zondag na 24
juni 'warme Elooi'.
[Adr.1984p:55; Aut.1986p:10; B& K.1993; BdL.1991p:21.24.28; Bei.1983;
Bly.1986p:6.232; BuN.1991Fo:172; Bvl.1987p:61; DIH.1993p:186; DSB.1979»Elar.16.20;
Dz2.1896p:230; Gby.1991p:356.472; Gri.1974p:215; HKG.1987p:96; Hlm.1994p:134-135;
Lag.1940p:146; Lin.1999; Lor.1993p:18(leg.strip).204; Mel.1978p:775(vig);
Mlu.1990p:9.11; afb:5.48.50.52.53.60(†hoefijzers); Nor.1940p:14; Pir.1976p:77;
Plg.1987p:447; Pra.1988p:34-35; Roy.1986p:34.35.41; RR/2.1640»12.01;
Ruy.1989p:afb:82.83.86!.90(bedev.-vaan).101.135(reliekhouder); Sck.z.j.p:30.31;
Sme.1808p:92; Tim.1974p:253; Waa.1985p:56; Dries van den Akker s.j./2014.08.29]
© A. van den Akker
s.j. / A.W. Gerritsen
SOURCE : https://heiligen-3s.nl/heiligen/12/01/12-01-0660-eligius.php
Jan Matejko (1838–1893). Św.
Eligiusz - patron złotników, 1889
Iconographie : http://www.aug.edu/augusta/iconography/eligius.html
Saint Eligius: The
Iconography : https://www.christianiconography.info/eligius.html
Saint Ouen of Rouen. The Life of Saint Eligius : http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/sto09001.htm
Medieval Sourcebook : The
Life of St. Eligius, 588-660. Vita S. Eligius, ed. Levison, MGH SS Mer. 4,
669-742. Translation and notes by Jo Ann McNamara [jmcnamar@shiva.hunter.cuny.edu]
The Life of Eligius, bishop and confessor, was written by Dado, bishop of Rouen
(his friend and contemporary). Eligius lived from 588 to 660. Feast December 1.
I have not been able to check whether the gaps were present in the original
manuscripts or whether they represent the editor's decision to cut out material
that he considers to be redundant or uninteresting. - https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/basis/eligius.asp
Comment les fêtes de la Saint-Eloi façonnent-elles la culture provençale ? (15 février 2024) : https://www.notreprovence.fr/fetes-saint-eloi-faconnent-culture-provencale.html
