Bustes-reliquaires
des saints époux virginaux Delphine et Elzéar à l'église d’Ansouis
Reliquaries
of St. Elzéar and Bl. Delphine in the Franciscan church
of Ansouis,
France
Saint Elzéar de Sabran
et la bienheureuse
Delphine, son épouse (+ 1323)
On ne peut pas le séparer
de sa femme, la
bienheureuse Delphine, même si on la fête quelques semaines plus tard,
le 26 novembre. Mais rien ne nous empêche de les fêter tous deux ensemble,
comme Dieu les a voulus dans la vie. Elle avait quinze ans et lui treize
lorsqu'ils furent mariés et ces deux prédestinés menèrent ensemble une vie de
pénitence et de prière, sans que personne ne s'en aperçût et sans négliger
aucune des obligations mondaines de leur état, car il était comte de Sabran
dans le Gard Provençal et homme de confiance du roi de Naples, Robert
le Sage. C'est d'ailleurs au cours d'une de ces missions de confiance qu'il
mourut à Paris en allant demander, pour le roi de Naples, la main d'une
princesse française.
Il fut canonisé par le
pape Urbain V qui était son neveu.
Delphine passa d'abord les
vingt premières années de veuvage à la cour de Naples, puis regagna sa Provence
natale. Elle fut enterrée à Apt, auprès de son époux.
On
les y honore encore de nos jours (diocèse d'Avignon).
À Paris, en 1323, le
trépas de saint Elzéar de Sabran, comte d’Ariano, qui conserva, par vœu
la virginité avec son épouse, la bienheureuse Delphine, et mourut à l’âge de
trente-huit ans, ayant fait preuve de toutes les vertus.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1924/Saint-Elzear-de-Sabran.html
Bienheureuse Delphine de
Sabran
Tiers-Ordre séculier de
saint François (+ 1360)
Delphine ou Dauphine.
Originaire de Château-Puy-Michel, elle épousa à quinze ans, saint Elzéar qui avait treize ans. Elle s'attache au Tiers-Ordre séculier de saint François. Ils menent ensemble une vie d'austérité et de prière, sans que leurs sujets s'en aperçoivent et sans négliger les obligations mondaines qui étaient celles de leur état de princesse et de comte. Devenue veuve, elle se retira à la cour de Naples, où elle mena une vie simple et toute donnée à la prière et aux pauvres. Son culte fut approuvé par le pape Urbain VIII.
Delphine n’accepta qu’à contre cœur ce mariage car elle voulait garder sa virginité. Elzéar respecta son désir. Quand il mourut en 1323, Delphine voulut vivre dans la pauvreté, en Provence puis à Naples où elle fut traitée de folle et de nouveau en Provence à Cabrières puis à Apt où elle mourut le 26 novembre 1360.
Son corps fut déposé dans la cathédrale d’Apt à côté de celui d’Elzéar,
canonisé peu après (1371)
(Histoire
des saints de Provence - diocèse de Fréjus-Toulon)
À Apt en Provence, l’an
1360, la bienheureuse Delphine, qui fut l’épouse de saint Elzéar de Sabran.
Tous deux firent le vœu de chasteté et, après la mort de son mari, elle vécut
dans la pauvreté et la prière.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/9545/Bienheureuse-Delphine-de-Sabran.html
L’édifiante histoire
d’amour de Delphine et Elzéar
Mathilde de Robien - publié
le 25/11/24
La bienheureuse Delphine,
fêtée le 26 novembre, et saint Elzéar, tous deux issus de l'aristocratie
provençale du XIVe siècle, offrent un exemple de couple hors du commun, dont le
respect mutuel, la fidélité et l’esprit de charité peuvent encore édifier nos
contemporains.
Rares sont les époux
portés conjointement sur les autels. Méconnus, tout du moins en dehors de la
Provence, la bienheureuse Delphine et saint Elzéar font partie de ces saints
dont le mariage a tracé un chemin de sainteté. Une fois n’est pas coutume,
l’illustration de cet article ne représente pas Delphine et Elzéar. Néanmoins,
il s’agirait d’une commande de la bienheureuse Delphine, dont on comprend
aisément les motivations. Datée de 1330, d’artiste inconnu et conservée au
Musée Getty à Los Angeles, cette tempera sur bois représente un ange déposant
une couronne de fleurs sur sainte Cécile et saint Valérien, couple de martyrs du IIIe siècle ayant
fait vœu de chasteté. Ce panneau fait partie d’un diptyque dont l’autre facette
représente saint François d’Assise recevant les stigmates.
Selon les archives du musée, il aurait été
commandé par Delphine de Signe, comtesse d’Ariano, qui n’est autre que la
bienheureuse Delphine, chaste épouse d’Elzéar de Sabran, sans doute après la
mort de ce dernier en 1323. Leur appartenance au Tiers Ordre franciscain expliquerait
la représentation de saint François. Quant au couple sainte Cécile/ saint
Valérien, il est celui qui a inspiré la chasteté conjugale observée par la
bienheureuse Delphine et saint Elzéar. Tous deux firent en effet secrètement
vœu de chasteté et sacrifièrent leur nom et leur fortune pour mener une vie
consacrée au service des plus pauvres.
Paul de Sinety, délégué
général à la langue française et aux langues de France, ayant lui-même des
attaches familiales provençales, vient de leur consacrer un magnifique livre
intitulé Le secret de leur vie (Cerf)
dans lequel il raconte, actes notariés et procès de canonisation à l’appui, la très
chaste histoire d’amour de Delphine de Signe et Elzéar de Sabran. Il livre à
Aleteia son précieux éclairage sur ce couple qui peut constituer aujourd’hui
non pas un modèle à suivre en tous points, mais un témoignage édifiant de
charité, de fidélité et de piété conjugale. Autant de vertus mues par cet idéal
de chasteté qui les caractérise, et qui les menèrent tout droit sur le chemin
de la sainteté.
Leur mariage
Leur histoire d’amour,
pourtant mal engagée, commence le jour de leurs noces, le 5 février 1300,
dans l’église d’Ansouis. Le jeune seigneur n’a que 13 ans et Delphine 15.
Delphine, orpheline depuis l’âge de 7 ans et élevée par les sœurs du monastère
Sainte Catherine de Sorbs, a fait vœu de chasteté pour se consacrer au
Seigneur. Mais ses oncles en ont décidé autrement, et après trois ans de
fiançailles, ils la mènent à l’autel contre son gré. Les larmes plein les yeux,
elle n’a alors qu’une idée en tête : cette parole que le confesseur de la
famille, un frère mineur que ses oncles ont fait venir pour essayer de la
convaincre, finit par lui dire, à bout d’arguments : "Tant que le
mariage n’est pas consommé, tu n’auras rien trahi".
Le soir de leurs noces,
Delphine se confie à Elzéar, raconte la promesse faite au Seigneur et lui
assure qu’en aucun cas il ne la touchera. L’entreprise est difficile mais pas
impossible. Elle en veut pour preuve le mariage de sainte Cécile et saint
Valérien, les époux martyrs de Rome. Et elle lui promet que leur accord
resterait secret. Pour l’heure, Elzéar accepte sans promettre. "Elzéar ne
veut pas tout de suite promettre", souligne Paul de Sinety. "Il est
intéressant d’observer le temps que met Elzéar pour accepter pour de bon cette
perspective. Cet état de vie était déjà extraordinaire à l’époque, sujet
d’étonnement ! Ils attendront finalement l’année 1316, soit 16 ans après
leur mariage, pour sceller définitivement leur promesse, à laquelle ils
n’auront jamais failli."
Vœu de chasteté
Les années passent, et le
couple, dont le mariage n’est toujours pas consommé, s’installe à Puimichel,
loin des rumeurs d’Ansouis, où ils administrent leurs terres et gouvernent
leurs sujets en se souciant de leur moralité et en prenant soin des plus
pauvres. À la mort de son père, Elzéar doit se rendre à la Cour de Naples
auprès de Robert Ier. Il est nommé grand Justicier du Royaume. Quelques années
plus tard, Delphine le rejoint en Italie. Les années n’ont pas écorné leur vœu,
et Elzéar l’a même totalement fait sien. "Au début, Delphine a
l’ascendant, c’est elle la première qui le mène sur ce chemin singulier, mais
progressivement, Elzéar prend l’initiative", fait remarquer Paul de
Sinety. "Il y a une stimulation de l’un à l’autre, mue par un amour
commun, pour progresser sur le chemin de la sainteté. Parce qu’il aime
Delphine, Elzéar va au-delà des souhaits de son épouse, dans la chasteté
conjugale, dans le service des pauvres, dans le soin apporté aux lépreux… C’est
un cheminement commun, Elzéar s’appuie sur Delphine et inversement."
"Il ne s’agit pas
d’imiter en tous points Delphine et Elzéar ! Mais d’interpréter, dans leur
vie amoureuse, des signes de l’amour de Dieu."
Pour Paul de Sinety, la
chasteté du couple de Delphine et Elzéar n’est pas une fin en soi. Elle agit
comme un moteur, pour accéder à davantage de renoncement, de détachement aux
biens matériels. "Ce qui est édifiant, c’est leur fidélité absolue, leur
quête de Dieu qui se traduit dans le service aux plus pauvres", relève
l’auteur. "La chasteté n’est pas qu'une question de continence, elle
définit plutôt un rapport au monde : elle permet à l’homme de se libérer
de certaines inclinations qui lui font oublier Dieu et son prochain. Il ne
s’agit pas d’imiter en tous points Delphine et Elzéar ! Mais
d’interpréter, dans leur vie amoureuse, des signes de l’amour de Dieu."
La promesse secrète
En 1316, avec la
permission du Roi, ils retournent brièvement en Provence. Le jour de la fête de
Marie-Madeleine, patronne de la Provence, dans la chapelle du château
d'Ansouis, les deux époux se font la promesse de respecter le vœu de chasteté
formé 16 ans plus tôt par Delphine. Dès lors, ils mènent, de manière cachée,
une vie fondée sur la prière, la charité et la pénitence. Ils ne veulent
susciter aucune admiration. Ils entrent comme tertiaires dans l’Ordre de saint
François d’Assise.
En 1323, Elzéar est
envoyé à Paris par le roi Robert Ier comme ambassadeur extraordinaire
pour négocier avec le roi de France le mariage du prince Charles de Calabre
avec Marie de Valois. Sur le pont du bateau qui les mène en France, Delphine et
Elzéar formulent un vœu : quitter la Cour de Naples et vivre dans la
pauvreté en Provence. Mais leur projet commun ne pourra aboutir. À Paris,
Elzéar est atteint par une forte fièvre, et meurt le 27 septembre
1323, âgé de 38 ans.
Veuvage de Delphine,
l'accomplissement
Une fois veuve, Delphine
décide, chose incroyable à l’égard de son rang, de vendre, malgré de vives
oppositions familiales, tous ses biens et toutes ses terres, aussi bien en
Provence qu’en Italie, pour épouser la pauvreté la plus radicale. "Elle
aurait pu entrer au couvent, remarque Paul de Sinety, mais non, tout se passe
comme si elle parachevait la promesse faite avec Elzéar, elle garde son état
laïc et vit dans le plus grand dénuement, à l’image du Christ, dans les pas de
saint François, qui irradie à l’époque." Elle rentre en Provence, à
Cabrières puis à Apt. Elle soigne les malades alors qu’une épidémie de peste
fait rage. Elle va même jusqu’à poser son front contre le front des malades.
Elle obtient des guérisons, souvent à son insu.
"Mon époux était le
gardien de mon âme."
Thaumaturge, conseillère
du Pape, accompagnatrice spirituelle, elle a aussi un rôle politique. Elle joue
le rôle de médiateur dans la guerre des Baux, une guerre civile entre des
factions de seigneurs provençaux. Impotente, elle est transportée en litière
jusqu’à Cavaillon, où elle réconcilie les deux parties. Elle témoigne lors du
procès de canonisation d’Elzéar, en Avignon. "Mon époux était le gardien
de mon âme", confie-t-elle au pape Clément VI.
À la fin de sa vie, la
comtesse vit comme une mendiante, selon l’image du Christ outragé. Elle meurt
le 26 novembre 1360 à l’âge de 78 ans, en disant : "Désormais je
ne veux plus que Dieu". Les deux époux sont ensevelis dans l’église des
frères mineurs d’Apt. Leurs reliques sont conservées dans la cathédrale
d’Apt et dans l’église d’Ansouis. "Par la promesse secrète qu’ils se
firent, pleins d’amour l’un pour l’autre, ils ont sacrifié condition, fortune
et renommée en reléguant les honneurs à une juste place secondaire",
résume Paul de Sinety. "On n’aime jamais trop Dieu : quand on l’a
rencontré, on est prêt à tout pour ne jamais le perdre."
Elzéar est canonisé
le 15 avril 1369, à Rome, par le pape Urbain V, son filleul. Le
culte de Delphine a été approuvé par le pape Innocent
VII en 1694, mais son procès de canonisation, ouvert en 1363, n’a
jamais été achevé. Créée en mars 2024, l’association Les Amis de la
bienheureuse Delphine et de saint Elzéar, est en train de traduire les plus de
600 pages du procès de canonisation de Delphine du latin en français avec une
équipe de médiévistes. "Dans le procès, tout est déposé et vérifié, les
miracles sont enregistrés, les témoignages sont édifiants, on découvre une
femme très libre dans une société médiévale très organisée", confie Paul
de Sinety. Il ne reste plus qu’à un évêque provençal de présenter à Rome la vie
édifiante de Delphine, une comtesse devenue mendiante par amour pour le Christ
!
Pratique
Le secret de leur vie, La folle histoire d'amour de saint Elzéar et la bienheureuse Delphine, Paul de Sinety, Les éditions du Cerf, octobre 2024, 15 euros.
Pour rejoindre l'association Les Amis de la bienheureuse Delphine et de saint
Elzéar : bienheureusedelphine@gmail.com.
Fortifier son mariage
avec les couples saints :
Lire aussi :Claude
et Marguerite de La Garaye, les “époux charitables”
Lire aussi :Franz
et Franziska Jägerstätter, un couple uni dans le sacrifice de leur vie
SOURCE : https://fr.aleteia.org/2024/11/25/ledifiante-histoire-damour-de-delphine-et-elzear
Saint Elzéar de Sabran et
la Bienheureuse Delphine
26 septembre
Article publié le
vendredi 18 janvier 2008
Elzéar et Delphine eurent
une vie de chasteté et de dévouement aux autres, en union avec Dieu.
Elzéar (ou Auzias) de
Sabran naquit en 1285 au château d’Ansouis (entre Luberon et
Durance) et fut envoyé comme écolier à l’abbaye Saint-Victor de Marseille.
Delphine (ou Dauphine) de Signe était née en 1282 au château
de Puimichel dans le val de Durance. Il n’avait que onze ans et elle
quatorze quand leurs familles décidèrent de les fiancer. Leur mariage fut
célébré en 1299 mais Elzéar accepta de respecter la promesse de virginité faite
par Delphine. Puis il dut partir pour le royaume de Naples où il venait
d’hériter du comté d’Ariano et il fut donc séparé de son épouse pendant
plusieurs années.
Il ne put revenir à
Ansouis que vers 1314, et c’est alors, après cette longue période d’épreuve et
de réflexion, que les deux époux s’engagèrent dans un vœu de
chasteté parfaite, portés par leur amour mutuel et confiant. Cette
vocation paradoxale fortifia leur vie commune d’union à Dieu, de prière, de piété
eucharistique, de pénitence, de disponibilité à l’Esprit Saint et de dévouement
à autrui. Ils s’efforcèrent concrètement d’assurer l’existence spirituelle et
matérielle de leurs serviteurs, de leurs fermiers et de tous ceux qui vivaient
sur leurs vastes domaines. En 1317 ils furent admis comme tertiaires dans
l’Ordre de saint François d Assise.
Vaillant chevalier,
Elzéar défendit victorieusement Rome contre les troupes impériales mais il sut
aussi apaiser les turbulences de ses vassaux italiens. En 1323 il fut envoyé à
Paris par le roi Robert Ier comme ambassadeur extraordinaire pour
négocier avec le roi de France le mariage du prince Charles de Calabre avec
Marie de Valois. Atteint soudainement par une fièvre maligne, il mourut à Paris
le 27 septembre 1323, âgé de 38 ans, après avoir
déclaré : "que les forces du démon seraient puissantes n’étaient
les mérites de Jésus Christ. Courage, loué soit Dieu, j’ai tout vaincu".
Au cours de sa vie conjugale virginale, il fut un exemple admirable d’union
mystique à Dieu, terme au milieu des actions les plus absorbantes d’ascèse dans
le monde, de prudence, d’équité incorruptible, d’amour des pauvres, de charité
pour les malades et les lépreux.
Delphine, devenue veuve,
réalisa peu à peu son rêve d’absolue pauvreté et de service des malheureux
à Naples, puis à Apt où elle passa les quinze dernières années
de sa vie. Elle y mourut le 26 novembre 1360 à l’âge de 78 ans, en
disant : "Désormais je ne veux plus que Dieu". Elle s’était
distinguée par sa piété profonde, sa volonté inflexible de poursuivre son idéal
de dépouillement total, son humilité extrême qui la poussait à quêter dans les
rues malgré les affronts reçus, son zèle pour les âmes qu’elle conseillait,
consolait et cherchait à convertir. Elle avait fondé une caisse rurale de prêt
sans intérêt qu’elle cautionnait. Bien qu’infirme, elle s’était interposée pour
obtenir un apaisement alors que la guerre des Baux menaçait de ruiner la
région.
Elzéar fut canonisé
le 15 avril 1369, dans la Basilique Saint-Pierre de Rome, par le pape Urbain
V, son filleul. Le culte de Delphine a été approuvé par le pape Innocent
VII en 1694, mais son procès de canonisation, ouvert en 1363, n’a
jamais été achevé. Les deux époux furent ensevelis dans l’église des frères
mineurs d’Apt. Aujourd’hui leurs reliques sont conservées dans la cathédrale
d’Apt et dans l’église d’Ansouis.
SOURCE : http://diocese-avignon.fr/spip/Saint-Elzear-de-Sabran-et-la
Delphine de
Signes et Elzéar de Sabran, les époux vierges
Nous sommes le 29
novembre 1299. C'est la fête ce jour-là au château de Puymichel dans le
Val de Durance (Puimichel dans les Alpes-de-Haute-Provence). On marie les
héritiers de deux grandes familles provençales : Delphine (ou Dauphine) de
Signes et Elzéar (ou Elzias) de Sabran. Née à Puymichel en 1283, Delphine est
la fille de Guillaume de Signes et de Delphine de Barras. Elzéar vit le
jour au château de Roubians, près de Cabrières-d'Aigues en 1285. Il est le fils
d'Ermangaud de Sabran et de Laudune d’Albe. Ils sont jeunes ces nouveaux
époux : il a 13 ans et elle en a 15 ! Ils sont orphelins tous les deux et ont
été élevés chacun dans un monastère. Ils voulaient se donner à Dieu. Elle
rêvait de rester dans le monastère de son enfance à l'abbaye
Sainte-Catherine près de la fontaine de Sorps (Fontaine l'Evêque) (voir le
lien http://www.daniel-thiery.com/index.php/23-etudes-communes-du-var/5-bauduen).
La famille de Sabran possédait un château à Baudinard, proche de l'abbaye. Lui,
rêvait de croisades... Mais le roi a décidé pour eux. La chance est avec eux :
ils ont les mêmes idées. Ils promettent à Dieu de rester à son entier service
et de vivre l'un près de l'autre comme un frère près d'une soeur. Ils font voeu
de chasteté en 1316 sous l'influence du franciscain François de Meyronnes. Dans
cette volonté commune, ils se découvrent inséparables. Ils s'installent d'abord
à Ansouis puis à Puymichel. Là, ils s'efforcent de faire connaître l'amour de
Dieu à leur entourage. Bientôt, ils parviennent à prier avec les paysans. Leur
bonheur est contagieux... Brillant, efficace et acharné, Elzéar devient
rapidement un précieux bras droit pour le roi Robert d'Anjou, roi de Naples et
comte de Provence. Lors de ses déplacements en Provence ou auprès de la papauté
d'Avignon, le roi Robert lui confia la régence de son royaume et le chargea de
l'éducation de Charles, son fils aîné. Le jeune couple dut quitter ses chères
collines de Provence pour s'établir à Naples dans les faste de la cour. La
présence de Delphine à la cour était très appréciée par la reine Sancia,
la seconde épouse du roi Robert qui en fit sa dame de compagnie. Là n'était pas
leur rêve commun de simplicité, mais ils se donnèrent beaucoup de mal pour
rester attentifs à chacun et rayonnants de foi. En 1323, Elzéar fut chargé par
le roi de négocier à Paris le second mariage de Charles de Calabre, l’héritier
du comté de Provence et du royaume de Naples, avec Marie de Valois. Ce fut au
cours de cette ambassade qu’il mourut le 27 septembre. Il fut inhumé dans
l'église des franciscains de la ville d'Apt. Par deux fois sa canonisation fut
demandée à Avignon. Il finit par être canonisé le 15 avril 1369, dans la
Basilique Saint-Pierre de Rome, par le pape Urbain V qui était son filleul. Delphine
le pleura longtemps et ne retrouva sa paix intérieure que lorsqu'elle décida de
tout quitter. Comme François d'Assise, elle distribua ses biens aux plus
démunis, se mit à s'habiller de robes simples et dormit par terre. Elle
rejoignit le monastère des Frères mineurs de Saint-François, au fond de la
vallée d'Apt. La petite masure près du Calavon où elle s'installa avec quelques
autres femmes était tout près de la chapelle où reposait le corps
d'Elzéar. Elle prit alors comme confesseur un jeune cordelier du nom d’André
Durand qui allait tomber dans la séduction fascinante (ce sont ses propres
termes) qu’elle exerçait sur son entourage. Grâce à lui nous savons qu’elle se
vêtait de bure grossière et qu’elle allait quêter de porte en porte. La comtesse
se flagellait régulièrement avec discipline et était sujette à des crises
continuelles de larmes. Pour se mortifier, elle lavait les pieds de ses
servantes et baisait ceux des lépreux, à l’exemple de son époux. Le groupe de
filles et de veuves qui l’entourait finit par partager toutes ses journées. Le
matin était consacré à la messe et aux oraisons, l'après-midi l'étant aux
visites, aux travaux de couture ou au ménage. Et la comtesse força l’admiration
de ses servantes en participant avec elles à ces taches. Son entourage
commençait à parler de ses miracles et à répandre vers l’extérieur les reliques
de la comtesse. Ses linges, ses cheveux, ses eaux d’ablution et ses fioles de
larmes étaient considérés comme de véritables talismans. Elle mourut le 26 novembre
1360. Entre 1372 et 1376 Louis d’Anjou, décida de financer de ses propres
deniers les frais de procès en canonisation de la femme de saint Elzéar. Ce fut
un échec. A leur tour, les États de Provence, réunis à Apt, le 18
avril 1382, demandèrent à Clément VII la canonisation de la "femme du
comte d’Ariano qui gît céans, nommée Delphine, de qui le mari saint Alziaire
fut canonisé par le pape Urbain". Le pontife accueillit leur demande et
classa le dossier. Elle est toutefois nommée dans le martyrologe franciscain,
et honorée le 26 novembre. Les reliques d'Elzéar sont conservées avec
celle de sa virginale épouse dans l'église d'Ansouis et dans la cathédrale
Sainte-Anne d’Apt.
Sources : D'après
"Chrétiens dans les Alpes du Sud et à Monaco - Les grandes heures des
églises" et Wikipédia.
SOURCE : http://www.passionprovence.org/archives/2015/08/25/32495683.html
Bienheureuse Delphine
Épouse de Saint Elzéar
(1283-1360)
Elzéar et Delphine se
sont mariés alors qu'il n'avait que treize ans et elle quinze ans. Ils menaient
ensemble une vie de couple basée sur la prière et la pénitence.
En 1308, ils devinrent les vassaux de Robert le Sage, roi de Naples. Celui-ci
avait tellement confiance en Elzéar qu'il lui confia, en 1323, la charge de
demander la main d'une princesse française pour son fils. Il mourut à Paris au
cours de sa mission.
Delphine passa les vingt premières années de son veuvage auprès de la reine
Sanchie, sur la demande de celle-ci. Mais à la mort de cette dernière, en 1343,
elle se retira dans sa Provence natale.
Elle mourut dans la
pauvreté à Apt (Vaucluse), où son corps fut enseveli dans la Cathédrale, à côté
de celui de son mari.
Autre biographie:
Ste-Delphine Fille du seigneur Guillaume de Signe et de son épouse Delphine de
Barras, un couple de nobles de la cour de Provence.
Orpheline de ses deux
parents dès l’âge de 7 ans, elle est prise en charge par sa tante Cécile de
Puget, qui est Abbesse du Couvent Sainte-Catherine de Sorbs.
En 1299, elle est mariée
au jeune seigneur Elzéar de Sabran, et d’un commun accord ils décident de ne
point consommer le mariage et de vivre comme frère et sœur et en 1316, ils
deviennent membres du Tiers Ordre Franciscain.
Devenue veuve en 1323,
elle vend une grande partie de ses biens et utilise les sommes récoltées pour
doter de jeunes orphelines et pour restaurer plusieurs églises et
Couvents.
Elle se retire ensuite
comme anachorète dans une chambre du château de Sabran (+ 1360).
Also
known as
Elzear of Sabram
Elzear of Sabron
Eleazard…
Eleazarus…
Profile
Born to the nobility.
Nephew of William of Sabron, abbot of Saint
Victor’s abbey,
Marseilles, France,
where Elzear was educated. Franciscan tertiary. Married to Saint Delphina at
age 16, with whom he lived chastely the rest of his life. Count of
Ariano in Naples, Italy upon
his father‘s death.
Uncle and godfather of Pope Urban V. Tutor to
the son of King Robert
of Naples in 1317. Diplomat for King Robert. Died while
on a trip to arrange a marriage for Prince Charles.
Known especially for his happy, loving, Christian marriage and
his deep personal prayer life.
Born
1285 at
Ansouis, Provence, France
27 September 1323 in Paris, France of
natural causes
buried next
to Blessed Delphine at
Apt, France
–
in Italy
Ariano
Irpino-Lacedonia, diocese of
Additional
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Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
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of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Francis
Xavier Weninger
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Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
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and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
video
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sites in english
sitios
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Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
“Saint Elzear of
Ariano“. CatholicSaints.Info. 28 January 2024. Web. 23 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-elzear/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-elzear/
Also
known as
Delphine of Signa
Delfina…
Delphina…
27
September on some calendars
Profile
Born to the French nobility,
the daughter of the Lord of Puimichel, France. Orphaned in infancy,
she was raised by her aunt, the abbess of
the convent of
Saint Catherine in Sorbo. Franciscan tertiary. Married to Saint Elzear, Count of
Sabran, when the two were in their mid-teens;
he was also a Franciscan teriary,
the godfather to Pope Urban
V, and the young couple lived like pious brother and sister. Delphine
became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Sanchia
in Naples. Widowed in 1323 when Elzear died of
natural causes while on a trip to Paris, France,
Delphine continued her life in service to Queen Sanchia.
When the Queen died,
Delphine sold her vast estates, gave the proceeds to the poor,
and retired to Provence where she spent her remaining days in prayerful poverty.
Born
c.1282 at
Chateau-Puimichel in Languedoc (modern Puy-en-Velay, France)
26
November 1360 in
Apt, France of
natural causes
buried next
to Elzear at
Apt, France
1694 by Pope Innocent
XII (cultus
confirmation)
–
in Italy
Ariano
Irpino-Lacedonia, diocese of
Additional
Information
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Saints
and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
other
sites in english
video
webseiten
auf deutsch
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites
en français
fonti
in italiano
MLA
Citation
“Blessed Delphine of
Glandèves“. CatholicSaints.Info. 28 January 2024. Web. 23 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-delphine-of-glandeves/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/blessed-delphine-of-glandeves/
St. Elzéar of Sabran and
his wife, Blessed Delphine of Glandèves, committed Secular Franciscans
Published in Saints & Spirituality
September 25, 2023
On September 26,
Franciscans remember the martyr St. Damian, patron of the small church in
Assisi so central in Franciscan history, but we also celebrate St. Elzéar of
Sabran (1285-1323) and his wife, Blessed Delphine of Glandèves (1284-1358),
committed Secular Franciscans.
Elzear belonged to an old
noble family of Provence, who held territories there and in the Kingdom of
Naples. He was raised in the famous monastery of St. Victor in Marseilles where
his uncle was abbot. While a child, he was betrothed by the king to a noble
orphan, Delphine of Glandèves, who was being raised in a convent. When the time
came for their wedding in 1300, although both were still teenagers, Delphine
revealed to Elzear that she had made a vow of virginity. Elzear pledged to honor
her commitment and, according to tradition, they lived together in continence.
Elzear took his place as
a trusted aide at the court of Provence in Aix; when he succeeded to his
father’s estates, he proved to be a model Christian ruler, solicitous to
enforce Christian standards of morality and providing charitable outreach to
the poor. In 1308, he took possession of his estates in Italy; there too he
played a prominent role at court and as a soldier and administrator, winning
over his Italian subjects by his gentleness and charity. Delphine became a
lady-in-waiting to the Queen.
Elzear and Delphine
became closely acquainted with a number of Franciscan friars, and about 1316
they were received together into the Brothers and Sisters of Penance
(Franciscan Third Order) and intensified their committed lives of prayer,
ascetical practices, and charitable outreach. In 1328, Elzear was sent on a
diplomatic mission to France, where he died.
Delphine continued to
live at the court in Naples as a close confidante to the devout Queen Sancia,
but eventually returned to Provence where she gave away most of her belongings
and lived as a penitent recluse, enduring considerable suffering in her later
years. She lived long enough to take part in her husband’s canonization
process. Delphine died in 1358 and was buried with him in Apt. Elzear was
canonized by his god-child, Pope Urban V, in 1369, who also approved the
veneration of Blessed Delphine.
SS. Elzear, Count of
Arian, and Delphina
ST. ELZEAR was descended
of the ancient and illustrious family of Sabran, in Provence; his father,
Hermengaud of Sabran, was created count of Arian, in the kingdom of Naples; his
mother was Lauduna of Albes, a family no less distinguished for its nobility.
The saint was born in 1295 at Ansois, a castle belonging to his father in the
diocess of Apt. Immediately after his birth, his mother, whose great piety and
charity to the poor had procured her the name of The Good Countess, taking him
in her arms, offered him to God with great fervour, begging that he might never
offend his divine majesty, but might rather die in his infancy than live ever
to be guilty of so dreadful an evil. The child seemed formed from his cradle to
piety and virtue; nor could he by any means be satisfied if he saw any poor
beggar, till he was relieved; for which reason his nurses and governesses were
obliged to have their pockets always furnished with bread and small money, in
order to give something to every poor person they met when they took him
abroad; and it was his delight to divide his dinner with poor children. The
first impressions of virtue he received from his mother; but these were perfected
by his religious uncle, William of Sabran, abbot of St. Victor’s, at
Marseilles, under whom he had his education in that monastery. In his tender
age he wore a rough knotty cord, armed with sharp pricks, which galled his
flesh, so that it was discovered by blood issuing from the wounds. The abbot
severely chid him for this and some other extraordinary austerities which he
practised, calling him a self-murderer; yet he secretly admired so great
fervour in a tender young lord.
The saint was only ten
years old when Charles II., king of Sicily and count of Provence, caused him to
be affianced to Delphina of Glandeves, daughter to the lord of Pui-Michel, she
being no more than twelve years of age. Three years after, in 1308, the
marriage was solemnized at the castle of Pui-Michel; but, at the suggestion of
the young lady, they both secretly agreed to live together as brother and
sister. The austerity with which they kept Lent, revived the example of the
saints of the primitive ages; and they fasted almost in the same manner Advent
and many other days in the year. They lived seven years at Ansois; after which
they removed to the castle of Pui-Michel. Elzear had till that time lived with
his parents in the most dutiful and respectful subjection to them. He left them,
with their consent, only for the sake of greater solitude, and that he might be
more at liberty to pursue his exercises of devotion and piety. The saint was
twenty-three years old when, by their deaths, he inherited his father’s honours
and estates; but these advantages he looked merely upon as talents and
instruments put into his hands to be employed for the advancement of piety, the
support of justice, and the relief and protection of the poor. By fervent and
assiduous prayer, and meditation on heavenly things, he fortified his soul
against the poison of all inordinate love of creatures; he perfectly understood
the falsehood and illusion of all those things which flatter and dazzle the
senses, and he had a sovereign contempt and distaste for all that can only
serve to feed self-love. Eternal goods were the sole object of his desires. He
recited every day the office of the church, with many other devotions, and he
communicated almost every day, striving to do it every time with greater
devotion. He said one day to Delphina: “I do not think a man on earth can enjoy
any pleasure equal to that which I feel in the holy communion. It is the
greatest delight and comfort of a soul in her earthly pilgrimage, to receive
most frequently this divine sacrament.” In prayer he was often favoured with
raptures and heavenly graces. By the constant habitual union of his soul with
God he never found any difficulty in keeping it recollected in all places and
at all times. He often watched great part of the nights on his knees in prayer.
His devotion was not morose, because it was true and perfect; it rendered him
always pleasant, mild, and agreeable to every one in conversation, though if in
company the discourse turned on worldly trifles, his thoughts took their flight
so intensely towards God, that he was not able to listen to what was said, or
he found some genteel excuse to withdraw to his closet.
It is a dangerous mistake
to imagine that one can be devout merely by spending much time in prayer, and
that devout persons can fall into a slothful and careless neglect of their
temporal concerns. On the contrary, only solid virtue is able to do business,
and to despatch it well. It taught Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to be careful
housekeepers, and excellent masters of families; it taught Moses to be a great
legislator and commander, Josue to be a brave general, David a wise king, and
the Machabees invincible soldiers. In like manner St. Elzear was rendered by
his piety itself most faithful, prudent, and dexterous in the management of
temporal affairs, both domestic and public; valiant in war, active and prudent
in peace, faithful in every duty and trust, and diligent in the care of his
household. When he first began to keep house at Pui-Michel, he made the
following regulations for his family, which he took care to see always
observed.
“1. Every one in my
family shall daily hear mass, whatever business they may have. If God be well
served in my house, nothing will be wanting. 2. Let no one swear, curse, or
blaspheme, under pain of being severely chastised, and afterwards shamefully
dismissed. Can I hope that God will pour forth his heavenly blessings on my
house, if it is filled with such miscreants who devote themselves to the devil?
Or, can I endure stinking mouths which infect houses, and poison the souls of
others? 3. Let all persons honour chastity, and let no one imagine that the
least impurity in word or action shall ever go unpunished in Elzear’s house. It
is never to be hoped for of me. 4. Let all men and women confess their sins
every week: and let no one be so unhappy as not to communicate at least on all
the principal festivals, namely, Christmas, Easter, Pentecost, and the feasts
of our Lady. 5. Let no persons be idle in my house. In the morning, the first
thing shall be, that every one raise his heart to God with fervent prayer and
oblation of himself, and of all his actions: then let all go to their business,
the men abroad, the women at home. In the morning a little more time shall be
allowed for meditation; but away with those who are perpetually in the church
to avoid the business of their employments. This they do, not because they love
contemplation, but because they desire to have their work done for them. The
life of the pious woman, as described by the Holy Ghost, is not only to pray
well, but also to be modest and obedient, to ply her work diligently, and to
take good care of the household. The ladies shall pray and read in the
mornings, but shall spend the afternoons at some work. 6. I will have no
playing at dice, or any games of hazard. There are a thousand innocent
diversions, though time passes soon enough without being idly thrown away. Yet
I desire not my castle to be a cloister, nor my people hermits. Let them be
merry, and sometimes divert themselves; but never at the expense of conscience
or with danger of offending God. 7. Let peace be perpetually maintained in my
family. Where peace reigns, there God dwells. Where envy, jealousy, suspicions,
reports, and slanders are harboured in one family, two armies are formed, which
are continually upon the watch and in ambush to surprise one another, and the
master is besieged, wounded, and devoured by them both. Whoever will well serve
God, he shall be dear to me; but I will never endure him who declares himself
an enemy of God. Slanderers, detractors, and disorderly servants tear one
another to pieces. All such as do not fear God, cannot be trusted by their
master; but they will easily make a prey of his goods. Amidst such, he is in
his house as in a trench, besieged on every side by enemies. 8. If any
difference or quarrel happen, I will have the precept of the apostle inviolably
observed, that the sun set not before it he appeased; but, in the instant that
it falls out, let it be quashed, and all manner of bitterness laid in the tomb
of forgetfulness. I know the impossibility of living among men, and not having
something to suffer. Scarcely is a man in tune with himself one whole day; and
if a melancholy humour comes on him, he knows not well what he himself would
have. Not to be willing to bear or pardon others, is diabolical; but to love
enemies, and to render good for evil, is the true touchstone of the sons of
God. To such servants my house, my purse, and heart shall be always open: I am
willing to regard them as my masters. 9. Every evening all my family shall
assemble to a pious conference, in which they shall hear something spoken of
God, the salvation of souls, and the gaining of paradise. What a shame is it,
that though we are in this world only to gain heaven, we seldom seriously think
of it; and scarcely ever speak of it but at random! O life, how is it employed!
O labours, how ill are they bestowed! For what follies do we sweat and toil!
Discourses on heaven invite us to virtue, and inspire us with a disrelish of
the dangerous pleasures of the world. By what means shall we learn to love God
if we never speak of him?—Let none be absent from this conference upon pretence
of attending my affairs. I have no business which so nearly toucheth my heart
as the salvation of those who serve me. They have given themselves to me, and I
resign all to God, master, servants, and all that is in my power. 10. I most
strictly command that no officer or servant under my jurisdiction or authority
injure any man in goods, honour, or reputation, or oppress any poor person, or
ruin any one under colour of doing my business. I will not have my coffers
filled by emptying those of others, or by squeezing the blood out of the veins,
and the marrow out of the bones of the poor. Such blood-sucking wicked servants
to enrich their masters, damn both masters and themselves. Do you imagine that
a master who giveth five shillings in alms, wipeth away the theft of his
servants who have torn out the entrails of the poor, whose cries for vengeance
mount up to heaven? I had rather go naked to paradise, than, being clothed with
gold and scarlet, be dragged with the impious rich man into hell. We shall be
wealthy enough if we fear God. Any substance acquired by injustice or
oppression will be like a fire hidden under the earth, which will rend, waste,
and throw down or consume the whole. Let fourfold be restored if I be found to
have anything which is another’s: and let my dealings be public, that all who
have been aggrieved on my account, may find redress. Shall a man whose
treasures are in heaven, be so fond of earthly dirt? I came naked out of the
womb of my mother, and shall quickly return naked into the womb of our common
mother, the earth. Shall I, for a moment of life between these two tombs, hazard
the salvation of my soul for eternity? It so, faith, virtue, and reason would
be wholly eclipsed, and all understanding blasted.”
St. Elzear set himself
the first example, in every point, which he prescribed to others. He was
particularly careful that if any one let fall the least injurious or angry word
against another, he should ask pardon, and make satisfaction, this humiliation
being the most easy and effectual remedy of a passion which always takes its
rise from pride. Delphina concurred with her husband in all his views, and was
perfectly obedient to him. No coldness for so much as one moment ever
interrupted the harmony or damped the affections of this holy couple. The pious
countess was very sensible that the devotions of a married woman ought to be ordered
in a different manner from those of a religious person; that contemplation is
the sister of action, and that Martha and Mary must mutually help one another.
Her time was so regulated, that she had certain hours allotted for spiritual
exercises, and others for her household affairs and other duties. The care with
which she looked into the economy of her house was a sensible proof of the
interior order in which she kept her own soul. Nothing was more admirable than
her attention to all her domestics, and her prudent application that peace
should be observed, the fear of God and all virtues well entertained, and all
brawling, tale-bearing, and other plagues of families banished. She loved her
servants as her children, and she was honoured by them as a mother and as a
saint. In this example it appeared how truly it is said, that good and virtuous
masters make good servants, and that the families of saints are God’s families.
Alasia, sister to Delphina, lived with her, and was her faithful companion in all
her pious exercises. It seemed that all who came under the roof of Elzear
contracted a spirit of sincere piety; so great is the influence of good
examples set by masters and mistresses.
The gate through which
the rich must enter heaven is mercy and charity to the poor. St. Elzear often
visited the hospitals, especially those of lepers, whose loathsome sores he
frequently kissed, cleansed, and dressed with his own hands. He every day
washed the feet of twelve poor men, and often served them himself, performing
the office of a carrier and cupbearer. He was the common father of all who were
in distress, and provided large granaries of corn and storehouses of all other
provisions for their relief. Being one day asked, why he so tenderly loved
beggars? he answered with great feeling: “Because the bosom of the poor is the
treasury of Jesus Christ.” He used to say: “How can we ask God to bestow on us
his kingdom, if we deny him a cup of water; how can we pray for his grace if we
deny him what is his own? Does not he too much honour us in vouchsafing to
accept any thing from us?” In a time of scarcity, in 1310, his alms seemed to
surpass all bounds. After his father’s death he was obliged to go into the
kingdom of Naples, to take possession of the county of Arian. But the people
being inclined to favour the house of Arragon against the French, and despising
the meekness of the young prince, revolted, and refused to acknowledge him.
Elzear opposed to their rebellion for three years no other arms than those of
meekness and patience; which his friends reproachfully called indolence and
cowardice. His cousin, the Prince of Tarento, one day told him, that his
conduct hurt the common cause of his country, and said: “Allow me to take these
rebels to task for you. I will hang up half a thousand, and make the rest as
pliant as a glove. It is fit among the good to be a lamb, but with the wicked
to play the lion. Such insolence must be curbed. Take your ease: say your
prayers for me, and I will give so many blows for you, that this rabble shall
give you no more trouble.” Elzear, smiling, replied: “What! would you have me
begin my government with massacres and blood? I will overcome these men by good
offices. It is no great matter for a lion to tear lambs; but for a lamb to pull
a lion in pieces is admirable. Now by God’s assistance, you will shortly see
this miracle.” The prince could not relish such language; but the effect
verified the prediction. For the citizens of Arian of their own accord became
ashamed of their rebellion, and with the greatest submission and respect,
invited the saint to take possession of his territory, and ever after loved and
honoured him as their father. Elzear discovered the true motive why he bore so
patiently these insults, and injuries, saying: “If I receive any affront, or
feel any movement of impatience begin to arise in my breast, I turn all my
thoughts towards Jesus Christ crucified, and say to myself: Can what I suffer
bear any comparison with what Jesus Christ was pleased to undergo for me?” Thus
to triumph over injuries, was not want of courage, but the most heroic
greatness of soul, and true Christian generosity. This was the constant
conduct of our saint.
To mention one other
instance: among the papers which his father left, the good count found the
letters of a certain officer under his command, filled with outrageous
calumnies against him, and persuading his father to disinherit him, as one
fitter to be a monk than to bear arms. Delphina was moved to indignation upon
reading such impudent invectives, and said she hoped he would crush, and never
foster in his breast such a scorpion, who, whilst he looked and spoke fair,
could bear such deadly poison in his tail. St. Elzear told her, that Christ
commands us not to revenge, but to forgive injuries, and to overcome the venom
of hatred by charity: that therefore he would destroy, and never make mention
of those letters. He did so, and when this officer came to his chamber to wait
upon him, he affectionately embraced him, made him a rich present, and so
entirely gained his affection, that the captain offered himself afterwards to
be cut in a hundred pieces for his service. In like manner, on other occasions,
he burnt or suppressed informations that were given of injuries which others
had done him, that he might spare the parties the confusion of knowing that he
had received intelligence of them. In his county of Arian he settled a rigorous
administration of justice, and punished without mercy the least oppression in
any of his officers. He visited malefactors who were condemned to die, and many
who had persisted deaf to priests, were moved by his tender exhortations to
sincere compunction, and to accept their punishment in a spirit of penance.
When their goods were confiscated to him, he secretly restored them to their
wives and children. Writing out of Italy to St. Delphina, he said: “You desire
to hear often of me. Go often to visit our amiable Lord Jesus Christ in the
holy sacrament. Enter in spirit his sacred heart. You know that to be my
constant dwelling. You will always find me there.”
Elzear having settled his
affairs in Italy, obtained leave of King Robert, the son and successor of
Chartes II., and brother of St. Lewis, bishop of Toulouse, to return into
Provence for two years. He was received at Ansois with incredible joy. Not long
after, Elzear being in the twenty-fifth year of his age, and Delphina, after
receiving the communion, pronounced publicly, at the foot of the altar, in the
chapel of the castle, mutual vows of perpetual chastity, which Elzear had till
then kept unviolated without a vow, though Delphina had before made a secret
vow. In the lives of this holy couple, the world saw pious retirement in the
midst of worldly pomp, silent contemplation amidst the noise of public scenes,
and in conjugal friendship a holy emulation to outvie one another in piety,
goodness, and charity. Such happy strifes are carried on with sweet
tranquillity and peace, and are crowned with never-fading comfort and joy. The
count had remained two years in Provence when King Robert recalled him into
Italy, and conferred on him the honour of knighthood, of which he had approved
himself worthy by many actions of uncommon valour and address, and notable
feats of arms. The saint had according to custom, spent the night before this
ceremony in the church watching in prayer; he went to confession and
communicated in the morning. 1 The
king on this occasion shed tears of joy at the sight of his extraordinary
devotion and piety; and the whole court admired a prince who was at once a
great soldier, a courtier, a married man, a virgin, and a saint.
King Robert chose him
among all the lords of his dominions to be governor to his son Charles, duke of
Calabria. The young prince was sprightly, but understood too well his high
extraction, was untractable, and had contracted the contagious air of the
court. The count took notice of his pupil’s dangerous inclinations, but
dissembled this for some time till he had won his affections, and gained
sufficient credit with him. When he saw it a fit time, he made him tender
remonstrances on his defects, on the necessity of a sublime virtue to support
the dignity of his high rank, and on the life to come. The young prince was so
penetrated with his discourses, that, leaping about his neck, he said: “It is
not yet too late to begin: what then must I do?” Elzear explained to him the
virtues of piety, magnanimity, justice, and clemency, showing that a prince who
fears God, has always a sure comfort and protection in heaven, though earth
should fail him, and that he who undertakes any business without first consulting
God, deserves always to be unhappy and ruined: and is always impious. “Only
assiduous devotion,” said he, “can be the safeguard against the dangers of
vanity, flatterers, and the strong incentives of the passions. Go to confession
and communion every great festival. Love the poor, and God will multiply his
favours upon your house. When you are angry, speak not a word; otherwise you
undo yourself. More princes are ruined by their tongues and anger, than by the
edge of the sword. You must hate flatterers as a plague; if you do not banish
them, they will ruin you. Honour good men, and the prelates of the church; this
will be your principal greatness,” &c. Elzear by his diligence and
instructions corrected the vices of his pupil, who became a grave and virtuous
prince. King Robert, going into Provence, left his son regent of Naples under
the tuition of Elzear, who was chief of the council, and despatched almost all
the affairs of state. Elzear entreated the duke to declare him advocate for the
poor, and their agent in court. The duke heartily laughing, said: “What kind of
office do you beg? You will have no competitors in this ambition. I admit your
request, and recommend to you all the poor of this kingdom.” Elzear made a low
reverence, and thanked him heartily. For the discharge of this troublesome
office he caused a great bag of purple velvet to be made, and with this passed
through the streets, receiving in it all the requests and suits of the poor,
with a cheerful countenance, full of commiseration, hearing grievances, dealing
about alms, comforting all the world, so that he seemed another Joseph in
Egypt. He pleaded the causes of widows and orphans with wonderful eloquence,
and procured them justice and charitable relief. Whilst the chief authority of
the state was lodged in his hands, many offered him rich presents, which he
refused, saying to those that called him on that account churlish: “It is more
safe and easy to refuse all presents, than to discern which might be received
without danger. Neither is it easy for one who begins to take any, afterwards
to know where to stop, for these things are apt to create an appetite.” The law
of nature itself condemns as bribes all presents received by judges; they
giving insensibly a bias and inclination to favour the party, as is evident by
general experience. St. Elzear was so sincere a lover of truth that he was
ready to die for it in the smallest points.
The Emperor Henry VII.
invaded Naples with a great army, nor was Pope Clement V. able to divert him
from his expedition. King Robert sent against him his brother John, and Count
Elzear with as great an army as he was able to raise. Two pitched battles were
fought, in both which Henry was defeated, chiefly by the valour and conduct of
Elzear, so that the emperor desired a peace, which was readily concluded. King
Robert gave Elzear many great presents, which he accepted with one hand not to
disoblige the king, but with the other distributed them all among the poor.
This king sent Elzear ambassador to Paris, attended with the flower of the
nobility of Naples, to demand of Charles IV. Mary, the daughter of the Count of
Valois, in marriage for the Duke of Calabria. The negotiation was carried on
with great success and the marriage concluded, and the good count was received
at court not only with the greatest honour, but also with veneration, and as a
living saint. In the meantime, the holy ambassador fell sick at Paris. He had
made his will in 1317, at Toulon, by which he left his movable goods to his
wife Delphina, his real estates to his brother William of Sabran, and legacies
to his relations and servants, and especially to many convents and hospitals.
When the saint, three years before, made his public vow of chastity, he on the
same day enrolled himself in the third Order of St. Francis, into which
seculars or laymen are admitted, upon condition of their wearing a part of the
Franciscan habit under their clothes, and saying certain prayers every day: but
these conditions are not binding under sin. St. Elzear in his sickness made a
general confession with great compunction and many tears, to the provincial of
the Franciscans, and he continued to confess almost every day of his illness,
though he is said never to have offended God by any mortal sin. The history of
Christ’s passion, which mystery had always been the favourite object of his
devotion, was every day read to him, and in it he found exceeding great comfort
amidst his pains. Receiving the holy viaticum he said with great joy: “This is
my hope; in this I desire to die.” After extreme unction, and a painful agony,
he happily expired on the 27th of September, in the year 1323, the
twenty-eighth of his age. His death was exceedingly lamented by the Kings of
France and Naples, and by their whole courts. His body, according to his
orders, was carried to Apt, and there interred in the church of the Franciscan
Friars in that town, where it is still kept. Juridical informations were taken
of his miracles by order of Pope Clement VI. Urban V. signed the decree of his
canonization, but it was only published by Gregory XI. in 1369, forty-six years
after the saint’s death, Delphina being still living. The King and Queen of
Naples would by no means suffer her to leave their court, to which she was a
perfect model of piety. King Robert dying in 1343, the queen whose name was
Sancia, and who was daughter to the King of Majorca, wearied with the empty
greatness of the world, and loathing its vanity, put on the habit of a Poor
Clare in a nunnery which she had founded at Naples. In this state she lived ten
years with great fervour, and would still have her dear Delphina near her,
learning from her all the exercises of a spiritual life. After her death,
Delphina returned into Provence, and led the life of a recluse in the castle of
Ansois, in the heroic practice of penance, charity, assiduous prayer, and all
other virtues. She died at Apt, near that castle, in the year 1369, the
seventy-sixth of her age, on the 26th of September; on which she is named in
the Martyrology of the Franciscan Order. Her mortal remains were deposited in
the same tomb with those of St. Elzear. See the life of St. Elzear published by
Surius: also Vite delli Santi del Terz. Ordine di S. Francesco, c. 14, 15,
16. p. 30. Suysken, t. 7. Sept. p. 528.
Note 1. This religious
preparation always preceded the ceremony of conferring knighthood, and usually
the enrolling a soldier in the army. See Ingulphus, History of Croyland,
&c. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume IX: September. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866.
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/9/272.html
If a writer of fiction
set out to compose a devout life of a noble medieval couple, he could scarcely
equal the true story of St. Elzear of Sabran (1286-1325) and his
wife Blessed Delphina of Signe (1283?-1360?).
Elzear, Count of Ariano,
was born at Ansouis in southern France, and educated by his uncle, William of
Sabran, who was abbot of the monastery of St. Victor at Marseilles. The abbot's
nephew was already most conscientious of disposition, and so given to acts of
mortification that the uncle, though admiring the lad's genuine devotion, had
to tell him to go easy.
It was customary among
the nobility in those days for parents to pick partners for their children when
they were still young, and seal the choice with a contract of espousal. Thus
Elzear was early espoused to Delphina, daughter and sole child of the lord of
Puy-Michel. Her father having already died, Delphina had been raised by her
aunt, an abbess. Thus, like her fiance, she had been given a deeply religious
upbringing. When they were married in their midteens, Delphina, it is said,
asked Elzear if they could not agree to a virginal union. The husband took a
while to think that over, but eventually he consented. Thus their married life
was to be a remarkable partnership of prayers and good works.
When Elzear was 23, he
inherited his father's countship and went to Ariano (near Benevento, Italy) to
assume his duties. His subjects gave him scant welcome, and were only too ready
to take advantage of his gentle ways. Eventually, a more impatient cousin told
the Count to let him make them more obedient. "With the wicked," he
said, "you must play the lion." "You say your prayers," he
advised Elzear. "I will hang up half a thousand, and make the rest as
pliant as a glove."
Elzear smiled.
"Would you have me begin my government with massacres and blood? I will
overcome these men by good. Now, by God's assistance, you will shortly see this
miracle." And his promise came true.
Elzear was so forbearing,
in fact, that even Delphina once questioned his restraint. One day the Count
found among his late father's papers a letter calumniating Elzear himself.
Delphina, on reading the letter, told her husband that she hoped he would put
the man who wrote it in his place. Elzear pointed out that Christ told us to
forgive our enemies. So he destroyed the letter. Never alluding to it in his
later dealings with the writer, he went out of his way to treat him cordially,
and thus won his friendship.
Both the Count and his
Countess achieved their various duties prayerfully and with care and balance.
Around 1317 Elzear and
Delphina were called to Naples to the court of King Robert. Elzear, seeing that
Robert's young son Charles, whose tutor he had been named, was developing bad
traits, patiently brought him back to a better attitude. Delphina, appointed
lady-in-waiting to Queen Sanchia, became the Queen's closest friend and
confidante. Robert later sent St. Elzear to Paris to arrange a marriage between
his son and Princess Mary of Valois. Delphina was a bit afraid that the French
court might corrupt her husband. Elzear laughed, "If God has preserved my
virtue in Naples, He can surely preserve it in Paris."
Actually, Count Elzear
took ill while in Paris and died a most edifying death. Delphina survived him
37 years. When King Robert died, Queen Sanchia entered a Poor Clare convent in
Naples, and Delphina coached her in the ways of prayer. When the Queen died,
the widowed Countess returned to France and spent her last years as a
hermitess, engaged in aiding the poor. She was buried at Apt, France, with her
husband.
Elzear was canonized in
1369 by Pope Urban V. Actually, that pope, William of Grimoard, was the saint's
godson. A sickly child at birth, he had been restored to health through the
prayers of his saintly uncle. It was also Pope Urban who permitted the
veneration of Countess Delphina, and her cult as "Blessed" was
confirmed by Pope Innocent XII in 1694.
Clearly, Elzear amd
Delphina were "in the world, but not of the world." There are such
people!
--Father Robert F. McNamara
SOURCE : http://kateriirondequoit.org/resources/saints-alive/edith-stein-eusebius/st-elzear-bl-delphina/
Article
ELEAZAR (Saint)
(September 27) (14th century) A nobleman of the Diocese of Avignon, Count of
Ariano in the Kingdom of Naples, and married to Delphina, who like him is
honoured as a Saint. lie was distinguished, in the trying and difficult
circumstances of the turbulent age in which he lived, for his scrupulous
observance of God’s Law, as well as for his practice of constant penance and
prayer. To advance themselves yet more in the way of perfection, he and his
wife became fervent Tertiaries of Saint Francis, tending the poor and
especially the lepers. He was engaged at Paris as Ambassador from the King of
Naples to the French monarch, when death overtook him (A.D. 1325) at the age of
forty. Together with Saint Delphina he was buried at Apt in Provence. Urban
Virgin canonised Saint Eleazar in 1369.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Eleazar”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 23
November 2012.
Web. 23 December 2024.
<http://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-eleazar/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-eleazar/
St. Elzear of Sabran
Feastday: September 27
Birth: 1285
Death: 1323
Elzear was of noble
parents. He was born at the family castle
at Ansouis, Province, France. He was educated at St. Victor's monastery
in Marseilles by
his uncle, who was abbot and
was married to Delphina of Glandieves when both were sixteen. He inherited his
father's estate, becoming lord of
Ansouis and count of Ariano in
the kingdom of Naples when
he was twenty-three. He managed his estate with firmness, prudence, and ability
and Elzear and Delphina were regarded as an ideal married couple, known for
their holiness and
piety. In 1317, they joined the court of King Robert of Naples, and Elzear
became tutor to the King's son Charles. Elzear was named Justiciar of southern
Abruzzi by Robert, acted as Robert's envoy to France to
arrange the marriage of Mary of Valois
and Charles, fell ill on the trip, and died in Paris on
September 27th. Elzear was canonized in 1369 in a ceremony attended
by Delphina. His feast
day is September 27th.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=628
Franciscan
Herald – Saint Elzear, Count of Sabran
This great Tertiary saint
was born of the illustrious family of Sabran at Ansonis, in France. His mother
was known far and wide as “the good countess,” on account of her charity toward
the poor, and this charity passed as a precious inheritance to her son. As
Baron of Ansonis and Count of Ariano, Elzear was always zealous in defending
the rights of the weak and lowly. He received their petitions, examined them
carefully, and after recognizing their justice, cheerfully granted them. He
treated his vassal with kindness and indulgence and strove to assist those who
were in straitened circumstances. He had a list made of the indigent families
in his domains and enjoined on his officials to distribute to them every year a
quantity of grain proportioned to their needs, excepting from the list the idle
and the vicious. In short, his revenues were less his own property than the
patrimony of the poor. Daily he entertained twelve poor at his table, washed
their feet, kissed them reverently, and then dismissed them with kind and
comforting words. He frequently visited the hospitals to console and assist the
sick in their sufferings, and in his humility he did not shrink from cleansing
and dressing the most repulsive wounds. By his prayers, several lepers were
cured, His holy death occurred
at Paris,
on 27
September 1325.
MLA
Citation
Franciscan
Herald 1919. CatholicSaints.Info.
18 October 2022. Web. 23 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/franciscan-herald-saint-elzear-count-of-sabran/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/franciscan-herald-saint-elzear-count-of-sabran/
St. Elzéar of Sabran
Baron of Ansouis, Count of Ariano,
born in the castle of Saint-Jean de Robians, in Provence, 1285; died at Paris,
27 September, 1323. After a thorough training in piety and
the sciences under
his uncle William of Sabran, Abbot of St.
Victor at Marseilles,
he acceded to the wish of Charles II of Naples and
married the virtuous Delphine of
the house of Glandèves. He respected her desire to live in virginity and
joined the Third
Order of St. Francis, vying with her in the practice of prayer, mortification,
and charity towards the unfortunate. At the age of twenty he moved from Ansouis
to Puy-Michel for greater solitude, and formulated for his servants rules of
conduct that made his household a model of Christian
virtue. On the death of his father,
in 1309, he went to Italy and,
after subduing by kindness his subjects who despised the French, he went
to Rome at
the head of an army and aided in expelling the Emperor Henry VII. Returning to
Provence, he made a vow of chastity with
his spouse, and in 1317 went back to Naples to
become the tutor of Duke Charles and later his prime minister when he became
regent. In 1323 he was sent as ambassador to France to
obtain Marie of Valois in marriage for Charles, edifying a worldly court by
his heroic
virtues. He was buried in
the Franciscan habit
in the church of the Minor
Conventuals at Apt. The decree of
his canonization was
signed by his godson Urban
V and published by Gregory
XI. His feast is
kept by the Friars
Minor and Conventuals on
the 27th of September, and by the Capuchins on
the 20th of October.
Sources
WADDING, Annales
Minorum, VI, 247 sqq.; Acta SS., Sept., VII, 494 sqq.;
BOZE, Histoire de S. Elzéar et de Ste Delphine, suivie de leur
éloge (Lyons, 1862); LEO, Lives of the Saints and Blessed of the
Three Orders of St. Francis (Taunton, 1886), III, 232-40;
BUTLER, Lives of the Saints, 27 Sept.
Carr, Gregory. "St.
Elzéar of Sabran." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert
Appleton Company, 1909. 27 Sept. 2015
<http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05397a.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Douglas J.
Potter. Dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus Christ.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. May 1, 1909. Remy Lafort,
Censor. Imprimatur. +John M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight. Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
SOURCE : http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05397a.htm
St. Elzear – September 27
Prof. Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira
Biographical selection:
Elzear of Sabran (1285-1325) was born in Saint-Jean de Robians in Provence,
France. He was son of the Count of Ariano from the Kingdom of Naples, Italy.
His mother consecrated him to God as soon as he was born and raised him with
good customs. He was well educated in the eternal and human sciences, as well
as in the exercise of weapons. He became an outstanding knight and a champion
in the tournaments. He married Delphine of Glandèves. By common agreement, they
lived a life of continence. Both belonged to the Third Order of St. Francis.
When his father died in 1309, he inherited the County of Ariano and went to
Italy to assume the government. With John, the brother of the King of Naples,
he commanded an army against Emperor Henry VII, who led the anti-papist
Ghibelline party in Italy. After two battles, Elzear defeated the German
sovereign, who died soon afterward in 1313. As reward for his victories, Count
Elzear received many honors and prizes.
King Robert of Naples chose him to be head of the Counsel of the Kingdom of
Naples. As a judge he acted with supreme severity against the guilty, be they
corrupt nobles or the lawless bandits who infested the whole Kingdom, and often
condemned them to death. But he always took great care of the souls of those
men, providing them all spiritual assistance possible and asking the priests to
remain with them from the moment of condemnation until the hour of death. He
was also chosen to be tutor of Prince Charles, heir to the throne.
After four years of separation, Delphine joined him from France and found her
husband among the brilliant courtiers wearing magnificent clothes. She feared
that during this period of separation Elzear had forgotten his duties of
religion and became worldly. He sensed her thoughts, and when the two were
alone together, he opened his habit and revealed his hair-shirt underneath. He
always remained faithful to the Franciscan spirit.
God granted Count Elzear the grace of an inalterable serenity. His face was
always tranquil, communicating peace. Once he revealed to his wife that it was
continuous meditation on Our Lord’s Passion that gave him this gift.
In addition to being a skillful warrior and politician, he was also an adept
diplomat. He was sent to Paris as a representative of King Robert to ask the
hand of the daughter of the Count of Valois for the Prince Heir of Naples.
During this mission he became seriously ill and died on September 27, 1325.
He was buried in the Franciscan habit in the church of the Minor Conventuals at
Apt. Many miracles were worked through his intercession. He was canonized 44
years later by Pope Urban V. His wife, Countess Delphine, was still alive.
Comments of Prof. Plinio:
We are given a picture of St. Elzear as a saint who was principally a warrior,
a winner of battles and tournaments, a governor of his provinces, and a judge.
In that epoch war was preponderantly an ensemble of individual fights, knight
against knight, and soldier against soldier. No one could be weak to fight. In
today’s wars, a feeble man can be behind a machine gun and do a lot of damage.
In that time, men of war had to be courageous, strong, and skillful in martial
deeds. This was St. Elzear. He did not abandon the world with platitudes of
hatred for war and love for peace. All his life he engaged in war or exercises
preparing for it. Doing this, he became a saint. St. Elzear attained sanctity
practicing the heroic virtues that shine in the life of a warrior.
Since he was from a very noble family, the Sabran family, he inherited the fief
of his father and became Count d’Ariano in Naples. At that time, the Kingdom of
Naples was governed by French Princes. So he also became a saint through the
wise governance of his fief. Contrary to the images of saints normally put
forth by a sentimental piety, which is also a little progressivist, St. Elzear
lived the normal life of a noble at court, which at the time implied among
other things, wearing magnificent clothes.
As a reward for his military conquests, the King of Naples made St. Elzear head
of the Counsel of the Kingdom. To be charged with handing down Justice is a
difficult mission. The fair-minded judge often has to rule against the great,
powerful, and wealthy in favor of the small and poor. This kind of judge raises
the scorn and anger of many important persons. St. Elzear was a judge who acted
before God, making no compromises with men. He combated the corrupt nobles, but
also the bandits.
You know that in Italy there is an organized drove of bandits – in Sicily and
Calabria it is called the Mafia, and in Naples the Camorra. At that time
similar groups of bandits were probably in existence and found in St. Elzear an
implacable enemy. But as a perfect Catholic, his behavior was entirely
balanced: he condemned the guilty to death for the necessity of the common
good, but then he took exquisite care of their souls, trying to save them by
all possible means. Death for the body, yes; but life for the soul.
One would say that a man with such extraordinary qualities to direct a fief and
distribute justice, a prince in the court and a lion in the war, would be a
pretentious man, quick to anger, stern and arrogant. But he was not that at
all. He was most affable and serene with a pacific physiognomy. Here we have a
harmonic contrast characteristic of a soul that lives in sanctifying grace.
Another contrast in his life appears in another episode from the selection. St.
Elzear held an important position at court; he was a noble in the fullest sense
of the word who carried out with dignity his duties as courtier. Therefore, he
dressed in magnificent clothes.
When his wife joined him in Naples after four years she was surprised by the
magnificence of his clothes and company, and feared that he had become worldly.
When they were by themselves, he opened his fine outer clothing a bit and showed
her the discipline that he wore under it. That is to say, he remained the same
penitent, detached person he had been before. He wore those magnificent
garments to properly fulfill his noble duties and uphold the situation he
occupied at court. It is another contrast that is the fruit of grace.
The life of St. Elzear is very rich in contrasts and examples for those who do
not have a religious vocation, but are called to live in the world as
laypeople.
Let us ask him for confidence in the power of grace, and balance to live our
vocation with the needed dignity, brilliance and nobility while maintaining a
detached spirit. Like him, we should do everything for the glory of God, and
not for ourselves.
SOURCE : http://www.traditioninaction.org/SOD/j196sd_Elzear_9-27.html
Saint Elzear of Sabran
Feast Day – September 27
St Elzear of Sabran was born in 1285 and belonged to a very noble family. His
father was the head of the house of Sabran in southern France and count of
Ariano in the kingdom of Naples. His mother was a woman of great piety, who,
because of her charity to the poor, was known as the good countess. Elzear was
her first child.
After his baptism she took Saint Elzear of Sabran in her arms and asked God to
take him out of this world if He foresaw that the child would ever stain his
soul by sin. With his mother's milk he seems to have imbibed the spirit of
piety, for from his babyhood he was always docile, gentle, and modest, without
a trace of mawkishness in his piety. He was friendly towards everyone, and was
particularly devoted to the poor.
When he was only 13 years old, Saint Elzear of Sabran undertook severe bodily
mortifications in order to keep the flesh in subjection to the spirit.
Conforming to the wish of the king of Naples, who was also the Lord of Southern
France, he married while still quite young, the Countess Delphina of the
Glandeves family. On their wedding day both spouses vowed perpetual virginity,
and persevered in living like brother and sister until death.
At the death of his father, Saint Elzear of Sabran, who was then only 23 years
old, inherited his father's titles. He considered it his sacred duty to provide
for the temporal, and above all, the spiritual welfare of his people. He was
particularly solicitous that the laws of God and of the Church were observed in
his dominions.
The poor were the special object of his solicitude. Every day 12 of them dined
at the same table with him and the countess. There was remarkable calmness and
self-possession in his demeanor. Personal injuries did not affect him. If
anyone repeated to him anything uncomplimentary that had been said about him,
he did not even ask who it was that said it, but merely replied:
"Worse things were said about Christ."
Going to Italy in his
capacity as count of Ariano, Saint Elzear of Sabran found that his Italian
subjects were not all disposed to accept French domination. That lasted for
several years. It was suggested to him that he deal severely with the
offenders, but he would not consent. In four years he had won over the people
by his gentleness and charity, and all looked up to him as to a father.
Upon his return to France his subjects there prepared a great feast for him.
Delphina was especially happy, and the devout couple now joined the Third Order
of St Francis in order to be still more intimately united to God. Elzear
redoubled his acts of piety. He prayed the divine office every day as the
priests do, scourged his body severely, and nursed the sick with as much
charity and reverence as if he were actually performing these services to
Christ Himself.
God granted him the gift of miracles, and he cured several lepers. By his
prayers he also restored health to the son of the count of Grimoard, who was
the saint's godchild. On this occasion Elzear told the father that his child
would one day be elevated to one of the greatest dignitaries of the
Church. The child later became Pope Urban V.
Although engaged in many works of piety, Elzear never neglected his temporal
duties. He was obliged to spend several years at the court of the saintly King
Robert of Naples, where he gave proof of his courage and talent as army chief
and minister of state.
Sent to the court of Paris on matters of state, he was seized with a serious
illness. With the same serenity which he had preserved throughout life, he
prepared himself for death, made a general confession of his whole life,
received the last sacraments with angelic devotion, and departed from this life
in his 40th year on September 27, 1323.
Because of the numerous miracles that occurred at his tomb and the urgent
request of the kings of France and Naples, Pope Urban V, his godchild, with
great joy canonized him in the year 1369.
from: The Franciscan Book Of Saints, ed. by Marion Habig, OFM
SOURCE : http://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/saint-elzear-of-sabran.html
Weninger’s
Lives of the Saints – Saint Elzear, Count and Confessor
Saint Elzear, whose name
is also recorded today in the Roman Martyrology, was born of a noble -and
illustrious family. His mother, a matron highly esteemed on account of her
virtues, consecrated him to God soon after his birth. She humbly begged the
Almighty that if He foresaw that her child would ever offend Him by a mortal
sin, He would take it to Himself after it had received baptism. She would much
rather lose her child while it was still innocent, than have it live even one
moment in sin. We can not doubt that this consecration, made with a sincere
heart, was pleasing to the Most High; for He bestowed upon Elzear the grace to
preserve his innocence unspotted until his death. Compassion towards the poor
seemed to have been born with him, as, from childhood, he allowed no one to
leave his door without alms. He searched in the house for everything which he
might give to the poor, and divided it among them most kindly. He was educated
in the monastery of Saint Victor at Marseilles, and was unwearied both in gaining
knowledge and in practising all Christian virtues; he was therefore greatly
beloved and esteemed by all.
By command of King
Charles II, he was, when still very young, united to a princess named Delphine,
who was as virtuous as himself. After the marriage ceremony, Delphine informed
Elzear that she had been forced to this marriage, but was determined to
preserve her virginity, if he would give his permission.
Elzear admired Delphine’s
virtue, and consented to her pious resolution; and soon after, he also made a
vow of perpetual chastity. Thus both lived in celibacy until their end. The
means they made use of to persevere in this unusual course were prayer,
frequent partaking of the Holy Sacrament, continual mortification of their
senses, and a filial devotion to the Blessed Virgin. They thus obtained not
only the grace to remain free from all temptations against purity, but were, by
their constant companionship, still more animated to esteem chastity.
When Saint Elzear had
reached his twentieth year, he requested of his grandfather, with whom he had
resided, the permission to retire with his spouse to a castle which belonged to
her. Here he arranged his household in such a manner, that it resembled a
monastery rather than the residence of a Count. For his servants and the other
occupants of his house, he wrote the following memorable rules.
I. To hear Holy Mass
daily.
II. To go to confession
every week, and once a month to Holy Communion.
III. To work diligently.
IV. To abstain from
blasphemy, cursing, and licentious conversation.
V. To lead a pure life.
VI. To avoid playing at
dice and other games of chance.
VII. To maintain peace
and harmony among themselves, and after a quarrel, to become reconciled before
the day had closed.
VIII. To assemble
together daily for spiritual reading. These and several similar rules he made
for his household, designating, also, certain punishments for the
transgressors. And that all might the more easily be led to observe them, he
went before them by his own example.
His love for the poor,
which, as remarked above, he had already manifested In his most tender years,
increased as he grew older. He daily washed the feet of ten poor persons, even
lepers, whom he also fed and assisted with alms. One day, he visited a
neighboring hospital where he found six lepers, whose appearance alone struck
the beholder with horror. Elzear, going up to them, comforted them, and not
only made them rich gifts, but also embraced them most tenderly. In
consideration of this heroic self-abnegation of the Count, God freed them all
from their leprosy. At the time of a great dearth and famine, Elzear emptied
all his barns in charity to the poor. Nor was he less generous in the
forgiveness of injuries. Once, when business called him away, some of his
subjects revolted, and naturally feared that when he returned, they would be
punished. But the Count pardoning them, relieved them of their fear, and by
this gracious act, quite won their hearts. At another time, however, he was severely
just, as he would not leave evil deeds unpunished any more than good deeds
unrecompensed. King Robert requested him to discharge the functions of
President of the Council at Naples, until he should return from a voyage to
Provence. Elzear accepted the office and had ample opportunity to show his love
of justice. No respect of persons, no offer of presents, could turn him from
what he considered just and right. Some of his expressions with regard to
bribes deserve to be remembered. Some one advised him to accept certain gifts,
saying that he could do so with an easy conscience: “It is true,” replied the
Count; “I might accept these gifts with an easy conscience; but from what we
may accept rightfully, we come easily to what we may not accept rightfully. We
begin by taking the fruit, then we take the tree, and finally the garden in
which the tree grows.”
Innocent and holy as was
the life of Saint Elzear, still God visited him with crosses and persecutions.
He was, however, never seen despondent, disturbed or discontented. In his
sorrows he fled to the holy wounds of Christ, and to the protection of the
divine mother, and always found consolation and strength.
At length when some
business had taken him to Paris, he became sick, and although no physician pronounced
his illness serious, he called for a priest, made a general confession and
received Holy Communion. During his sickness he had the history of the Passion
of Christ read to him every day. He asked for the Holy Viaticum when he was
still in the possession of all his faculties. When the priest came to the
words: “Through thy Cross and Passion; O Lord, deliver us!” the holy man
distinctly said: “This is my hope; in this will I die.” Before his end he had
yet to sustain a severe combat which was perceptible in his countenance. After
some time, he exclaimed: “Great is the power of the spirits of hell: but the
might and merits of Jesus Christ have annihilated them.” Later, he said: “I
have conquered; God be praised; I have entirely conquered!” His whole face then
became illuminated; a heavenly brightness seemed to emanate from it, until his
pure, virtuous soul was in the presence of his Creator. His death took place in
1323.
Practical Considerations
Saint Elzear was of noble
birth, and rich in temporal goods, yet he lived not only a Christian, but a
holy life. Nobility and riches do not in themselves prevent us from gaining
salvation. Virtue and piety may be very well united with nobility of birth and
riches. It depends only on our using them rightly, as the holy Count Elzear
did. But if they are used otherwise, as for instance, nobility to engender
pride, to despise and oppress others; or riches to indulge in immoderate
luxury, or other sins and vices; in such cases, both serve to lead men to
perdition. Saint Elzear showed that they might be well used to the honor of God
and the salvation of souls. On the day of judgment, the life of this saint will
confound all those nobles of this world who imagine that they cannot live
piously and become holy in their station, as if devotional exercises were not
suitable to their rank in life, but good only for common people, for religious
in a convent, or for hermits in a desert. How can they justify themselves with
the excuses they now make, that their affairs prevented them from praying, or
that burdened with so many cares, they could not live piously? Saint Elzear
also had great cares, and the government of his subjects surely gave him great
work to do; yet he found time to serve God; why then should others of the same rank
be unable to do the same? They might also learn from the example of the holy
Count how to regulate their household in a Christian manner, and how to guide
those under them in the path of duty and righteousness. They might further
learn how careful they ought to be in regard to accepting presents when they
have to administer justice. All Christians will learn from this holy Count not
to trust too much to themselves, when they read how severely this saint was
tempted on his death-bed. All should learn from him where to seek a refuge in
temptation, and .how to combat, so that they also may exclaim in their last
hour: “I have conquered!” For only to those that conquer has heaven been
promised. “To him that shall overcome, I will give to sit with me on my throne,”
says the Almighty. (Apocalypse 3)
MLA
Citation
Father Francis Xavier
Weninger, DD, SJ. “Saint Elzear, Count and Confessor”. Lives
of the Saints, 1876. CatholicSaints.Info.
6 May 2018. Web. 23 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/weningers-lives-of-the-saints-saint-elzear-count-and-confessor/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/weningers-lives-of-the-saints-saint-elzear-count-and-confessor/
Buste de Delphine de Sabran dans l'église Saint-Martin d'Ansouis.
Blessed Delphine
A member of the Third Order of St.
Francis, born in Provence, France, in 1284; died 26
November, 1358. Left an orphan in her
infancy, she was placed under the guardianship of her
uncles, and under the direction of her aunt, the Abbess of St.
Catherine of Sorbo. She grew up in the practice of every virtue, and took a vow of virginity which she
kept faithfully to the end of her life. In her twentieth year she was married
to Elzéar, Count of
Sarban, and the couple, having received the habit of the Third Order of St.
Francis, lived together in the edifying practice of prayer, penance, and
charity towards the poor until
the death of St.
Elzéar in 1323. After the death of her husband, Blessed Delphine sold
all her vast possessions for the benefit of the poor and retired first to Naples and then to
Cabrières. She finally returned to Apt where her husband had been buried. During the last
years of her life she endured the greatest sufferings without the slightest
complaint or sign of impatience. The cult that had long been paid to Blessed
Delphine was confirmed by Pope Urban V, godson
of St. Elzéar.
Her feast is
kept in the Franciscan
Order on the twenty-seventh of November.
Donovan,
Stephen. "Blessed Delphine." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol.
4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04701a.htm>.
Transcription. This
article was transcribed for New Advent by Marcia L. Bellafiore.
Ecclesiastical
approbation. Nihil Obstat. Remy Lafort, Censor. Imprimatur. +John
M. Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Copyright © 2023 by Kevin Knight.
Dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Bl. Delphina
Delphina was born at
Chateau Puy Michel, Languedoc, France. She married St. Elzear when
both were sixteen and lived a life of
personal piety with him that caused them to be considered an ideal married
couple. She accompanied Elzear to Naples in
1317 and became a companion to Queen Sanchia, a position she continued after
the death of her husband on a diplomatic mission to Paris in
1323. When Queen Sanchia's husband, King Robert, died, the queen became a nun
at a Poor Clare monastery in Naples, and Delphina remained with her until her
death, when she returned to Provence. She gave most of her wealth to the poor
and lived as a recluse, at first at Carbrieres and then at Apt. She died in
1360 and was buried with her husband at Apt. An old tradition says that
both St.
Elzear and Blessed Delphina were members of the Third Order of St.
Francis, and they are therefore particularly venerated by the Franciscans; in
their supplement to the Martyrology, Blessed Delphina is named on December 9,
though she appears to have died on November 26th.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=508
Franciscan
Herald – Blessed Delphine of Signa
Article
Delphine was born in
Provence, of the noble family of Glandeves. In obedience to Charles II, King of
Sicily, she married Elzear, Count of Sabran, and one of the greatest oniaments
of the Third Order, with whom she vied in the practice of virtue. She was known
far and wide for her liberality toward the poor; to assist them in their want,
she devoted a great part of her wealth. She daily fed twelve poor at her table,
waited on them in person, and in her humility even washed their feet. It was
also her delight to visit the sick in the hospitals, to bind their sores, and
to render them the lowliest services. Her death occurred at Apt, in France, on
26 November 1358.
MLA
Citation
Franciscan
Herald 1919. CatholicSaints.Info.
18 October 2022. Web. 23 December 2024.
<https://catholicsaints.info/franciscan-herald-blessed-delphine-of-signa/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/franciscan-herald-blessed-delphine-of-signa/
Blessed Delphina of Glandeves
(Beni Delphina de Glandeves)
Virgin, Third Order
Blessed Delphina was the
only daughter of the wealthy Count William of Glandeves in southern France. She
lost both parents when she was seven years old, but the little orphan was
received into a convent school where an aunt of hers was abbess. There she
received an excellent education in the fear of the Lord and in everything
pertaining to her eminent rank.
Delphina had already
consecrated herself to God by the vow of virginity, when King Charles II chose
her as Elzear’s bride. Filled with consternation, Delphina had recourse to the
Blessed Virgin, to whose motherly care she had entrusted herself. Our Lady
appeared to her and calmed her fears. Delpina then consented to the marriage,
which took place with great solemnity in the presence of the king and of the
archbishop of Aix. The holy innocence of his spouse filled Elzear with such
love of holy purity that he made a vow to act only as the protector of her
virginity, and he was faithful to this pledge all his life. They lived together
like two angels, the one ever encouraging the other in more ardent love of God.
Delphina devoted herself
to the care of her household. The servants, whom she had to retain because of
her high rank, she instructed in piety and the fear of God. She took great
personal interest in them all, loving them as if they were her children. They
in turn loved and honored her as their mother, young as she was.
Elzear died on an errand
to Paris in the interests of the king. Delphina wept bitterly when she heard
the news. Nevertheless she prayed:
“My God, may Thy most
holy will be done!”
Urged by the spirit of
God toward still greater perfection, Blessed Delphina of Glandeves presently
renounced all temporal goods and added to her vow of chastity the vow of holy
poverty.
The fame of Delphina’s
holy life induced Queen Eleonore of Sicily to appoint her mistress of the royal
household. Delphona so transformed the easy morals of the court that the palace
seemed changed into a sanctuary. She lived many years yet, edifying the
nobility by the brilliant example of her virtue.
Blessed Delphina of
Glandeves died a saintly death in 1358 at the age of seventy-four. Her tomb is
next to that of her husband in the city of Apt in southern France. Numerous
miracles increased the veneration paid to her and pope Urban V solemnly
approved this veneration.
From: The Franciscan Book of Saints, by Fr Habig, OFM
Return to Saints Page
Return to Roman Catholic Saints Homepage
SOURCE : https://www.roman-catholic-saints.com/blessed-delphina-of-glandeves.html
Sant' Elzeáro di
Sabran Conte di Ariano, terziario francescano
Festa: 27 settembre
Apt, Francia, 1284/1287 -
Parigi, Francia, 27 settembre 1323
Martirologio
Romano: A Parigi in Francia, sant’Elzeáro di Sabran, che, conte di Ariano,
osservata la verginità e tutte le altre virtù insieme a sua moglie, la beata
Delfina, morì in ancor florida età.
Un santo laico del XIII secolo, francese di nascita, sposo casto, condottiero di esercito, difensore del papa, è compatrono di Ariano Irpino città dell’Avellinese, di cui porta il titolo di conte.
Elzeario, il cui nome nei vari processi di canonizzazione è modificato in vari modi fra latino, lingua volgare e francese, nacque ad Apt in Provenza fra il 1284 e il 1287, primogenito di Ermengao de Sabran conte di Ariano e di Laudana d’Albe de Roquemartine.
Studiò presso lo zio Guglielmo de Sabran, abate del monastero benedettino di S. Vittore in Marsiglia. Per volere del re Carlo II d’Angiò, dovette sposare verso i 18 anni nel 1299, la futura beata Delfina di Signe, così pur non volendo, si incontrarono due anime belle, che riluttanti al matrimonio, stabilirono di comune accordo, di conservare la loro castità.
Elzeario, morto il padre, ereditò fra l’altro il titolo di conte d’Ariano, quindi venne in Italia, in Irpinia, per prendere possesso della contea, ma l’accoglienza di quel popolo fu ostile, in quanto contrario al vassallaggio, preferendo dipendere direttamente dal re.
Fu suo merito e per le virtù professate, che riuscì a conquistare l’amore del popolo, per questo fu apprezzato dal re di Napoli Roberto d’Angiò, che quando nel 1312, fu necessario inviare dei soldati in aiuto del papa assediato a Roma dall’esercito dell’imperatore Enrico VII di Lussemburgo, ne affidò il comando ad Elzeario.
Fu inoltre incaricato di delicate missioni presso la corte di Francia, dove nel 1323, durante uno di questi incarichi, si ammalò gravemente, tanto da morire a Parigi il 27 settembre 1323 a soli 38 anni; fu sepolto ad Apt nella chiesa dei Francescani, di cui era fedele Terziario.
La sua fama di grande uomo di carità, specie nell’assistenza ai lebbrosi, si diffuse largamente al punto di attirare l’interesse dei pontefici dell’epoca e fu proprio papa Urbano V, che era suo figlioccio di battesimo, che ne riconobbe la santità, ma che venne poi proclamata ufficialmente il 5 gennaio 1371 dal suo successore papa Gregorio XI.
Le sue reliquie furono trasferite nel 1791 dalla chiesa francescana di Apt, alla cattedrale della città, dove sono tuttora venerate, insieme a quelle della sua casta sposa, la beata Delfina.
Ha culto liturgico in Apt, in Avignone, nella Badia di S. Vittore di Marsiglia, nell’Ordine Francescano e in Ariano Irpino, dove nel giorno della sua festa il 27 settembre, si tiene un’antichissima fiera con grande partecipazione di popolo.
Autore: Antonio Borrelli
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/91126
Beata Delfina di
Signe Contessa di Ariano
Festa: 26 novembre
Puimichel, Francia, c.
1285 - Apt, Francia, 1360
Martirologio
Romano: Ad Apt nella Provenza in Francia, beata Delfina, che, moglie di
sant’Elzearo di Sabran, insieme al quale fece voto di castità, dopo la morte
del marito visse in povertà e dedita alla preghiera.
Delfina è nata infatti a Puimichel, probabilmente nel 1285. Era figlia del signore del luogo. La madre era di Barras, a circa dieci chilometri da Digne. Giovanissima, Delfina perde i genitori, ha una sorellastra, dal leggiadro nome di Alayette, che entra presto in convento. Quanto a Delfina, i parenti che le restano, degli zii, la mettono nel monastero agostiniano di Santa Caterina, a Soys, dove si trova sua zia, una certa suor Cecilia, che probabilmente esercita una forte influenza sulla bambina. I suoi zii la riprendono quando ha tredici anni, poiché la vogliono maritare.
Carlo II d'Angiò, re di Sicilia, la destinava al figlio del conte di Ariano. Delfina rifiuta: dichiara alla sua famiglia che ha deciso di restare vergine e di votarsi a Dio. Furore degli zii, che insistono tanto più in quanto temono che il re fraintenda la causa del rifiuto, e vi veda una maniera mascherata di respingere la domanda. Per cercare di convincere la fanciulla, e ritenendo che un religioso la potrà influenzare meglio di loro, fanno intervenire un francescano, a cui Delfina comunica esplicitamente la sua intenzione di votarsi a Dio. Il religioso le spiega la difficile situazione in cui metterebbe la sua famiglia, e le consiglia di consentire comunque al fidanzamento, salvo poi rifiutare il matrimonio, in seguito. Delfina si lascia persuadere e scambia le promesse richieste con il giovane Elzeario (Auzias) di Sabran, probabilmente nel 1297.
Due anni dopo, il 5 febbraio 1300, il matrimonio è celebrato ad Avignone. Delfina ha quindici anni, due di più del giovane sposo. Quando quest'ultimo le parla di rapporti sessuali, risponde invocando l'esempio di Cecilia e di Valeriano suo sposo, nell'antichità, oppure la vicenda di Alessio che abbandonò il tetto familiare la sera delle sue nozze. E lo fa con tanta gentilezza, si legge nel processo di beatificazione di Delfina, che Elzeario "si mise a piangere, per un senso fortissimo di devozione".
Tuttavia, senza scoraggiarsi, ogni tanto insiste con la giovane moglie, al punto che un giorno essa si ammala, colpita da una forte febbre, e fa sapere al suo sposo che guarirà solo se egli le prometterà di vivere accanto a lei in uno stato di astinenza perpetua.
Poco dopo Elzeario parte per assistere a una vestizione nel castello di Sault. Durante questa assenza riflette profondamente sulla richiesta di una sposa che ama, e decide di accettare la sorprendente situazione che ne deriva per entrambi.
Poiché era morto suo padre, dovette recarsi in Italia per regolare la successione; la sua assenza si sarebbe protratta per quattro anni. Quando ritorna, Delfina gli confessa di avere fatto voto di verginità nella cappella del castello di Ansouis, Lungi dall'adombrarsi, Elzeario vuole pronunciare lo stesso voto; dopodiché i due sposi ricevono insieme la comunione dalle mani del loro confessore. Entrambi trascorrono la vita compiendo opere buone, tanto quanto possono. Pur amministrando i suoi beni e possedimenti, Elzeario ha riunito a Puimichel una piccola comunità che accetta una regola di vita che potremmo dire monacale: funzioni religiose, discorsi spirituali, opere di carità. Apparentemente vive come un gran signore del suo tempo, ma ha visioni mistiche; e, sebbene Elzeario condivida il letto della sua sposa, quest'ultima dorme vestita, ed entrambi quando sono soli nella loro camera si alzano e pregano insieme.
Elzeario fu inviato alla corte di Francia per un'ambasciata: si trattava di proporre una sposa per il duca di Calabria. Durante questa assenza, mentre si trovava ad Avignone e pregava, Delfina ebbe improvvisamente la visione di tutta la famiglia del conte vestita di nero. Capì che Elzeario era morto. E infatti qualche tempo dopo la notizia giungeva da Parigi alla Provenza. Delfina pianse a lungo quello sposo così amato, fino al giorno in cui, mentre pregava nuovamente, nella sua camera, a Cabrières, egli le apparve e disse: "II nostro vincolo si è spezzato; ne siamo liberi". Infatti entrambi erano ormai liberi da quel legame coniugale che era stato insieme la loro gioia e il loro tormento. In seguito Delfina decise di vendere tutto quello che possedeva per darne il ricavato ai poveri, prendendo alla lettera le parole del Vangelo; prima i beni mobili, poi i castelli. Poiché la regina di Sicilia, Sancia, moglie del re Roberto, glielo chiese, si recò a Casasana in Sicilia, dove restò parecchi anni per prendersi cura della regina e farle compagnia. Lì fece voto di povertà assoluta, conforme all'iniziativa presa in Provenza. Convocò i suoi familiari, i domestici, dichiarando che tutto ciò che si trovava nella sua residenza apparteneva loro e che ne avrebbero goduto vita natural durante, con l'obbligo di donare tutto ai poveri dopo la morte; "Se, per amore di Dio, vi piacesse tenermi con voi, insieme a mia sorella monaca, e procurarci le cose necessarie alla vita come fareste con due donne povere qualsiasi, spero che Dio vi compenserà... E voglio che d'ora in poi non mi consideriate più come la vostra signora, ma solo come vostra compagna e come una semplice pellegrina che avete ospitato in nome di Cristo". Ritornata in Provenza, partecipava a tutti i lavori domestici e specialmente a quelli più semplici, come scopare o lavare i piatti. Portava solo abiti grossolani di semplice bigello, e, in testa, un velo di tela di lino.
Delfina morì trentasette anni dopo il suo sposo, nel 1360, "il giorno successivo a Santa Caterina, all'aurora". Aveva settantasei anni, ed era già malata da parecchio tempo. Elzeario era stato dichiarato santo dopo un processo avviato nel 1351. Tre anni dopo la morte di Delfina cominciava anche il suo processo di beatificazione. Le persone del suo ambiente riferirono numerosi miracoli accaduti poco dopo la sua morte. Infatti il 26 novembre 1360 il suo corpo, rivestito del saio dei frati minori, era stato trasportato nella chiesa di Santa Caterina. La notte successiva si udì risuonare una musica armoniosa, riferiscono dei testimoni. Molti dichiarano di essere usciti per vedere donde provenissero quei canti, ma, poiché non videro nessuno, li attribuirono ai cori angelici. Un certo Stefano Martino, che non poteva camminare senza le grucce, entrò nella chiesa e ne uscì guarito, quel 26 novembre; e il giorno dopo il procuratore di Apt, Raybaud de Saint-Mitre, che aveva deciso di offrire un pasto ai poveri nella casa della contessa, fu sorpreso vedendo arrivare molte più persone di quelle previste. Egli aveva fatto cuocere solo un'émine, vale a dire circa cinque litri di piselli; ce ne sarebbe voluto il triplo, per nutrire le duecento persone circa che si presentarono; ma dopo che tutti ebbero mangiato rimase ancora una grossa marmitta piena di piselli.
Dunque i miracoli si susseguirono dopo la morte di Delfina, tanto che, nel
1363, fu intrapreso il suo processo di canonizzazione. L'arcivescovo di Aix, i
vescovi di Vaison e di Sisteron furono incaricati dell'indagine, che cominciò
il 14 maggio 1363 ad Apt, nella chiesa dei Cordiglieri, Una seduta solenne
nella cattedrale riunì tutta la folla, che approvò il processo e dichiarò la
santità della contessa d'Ariano.
Da quel momento il processo con le deposizioni dei testimoni oculari è
considerato concluso. Il testo è consegnato al papa nell'ottobre successivo. Ma
a questo punto i penosi eventi che affliggevano la cristianità avevano un
contraccolpo. Urbano V, che allora occupava il trono pontificio di Avignone, e
che era il figlioccio di Elzeario, si trovava in una posizione difficile.
Desiderava rientrare a Roma, effettuò persino un ritorno che sarebbe stato
brevissimo, e preferì rinviare la canonizzazione di Delfina. Poi si succedono,
ad Avignone, dal 1378, pontefici eletti in condizioni più che dubbie, e con i
quali si apre il periodo chiamato del Grande Scisma. Occorre attendere il 1417
perché siano ristabilite, nella Chiesa, la pace e l'unità. Nel frattempo, nella
cappella dei Cordiglieri di Apt, il corpo di Delfina era stato deposto in una
cassa vicino a quella che conteneva le spoglie del suo sposo sant'Elzeario. Il
tempo passava. Il processo non fu mai ripreso. Elzeario è sempre venerato come
santo, mentre Delfina ha solo diritto al titolo di beata.
Lo strano destino di questa coppia di santi assume tutto il suo rilievo solo se è collocato sullo sfondo tragico e perturbato in cui visse. Sappiamo che nel XIV secolo hanno luogo grandi catastrofi naturali; la carestia del 1315-16, la peste nera del 1348; e, oltre alle guerre franco-inglesi, la cristianità è in uno stato di incertezza di fronte a un papato un poco indebolito, tenuto al guinzaglio dal re di Francia e dall'Università di Parigi, e residente ad Avignone dal 1309. In quest'epoca così perturbata, la santità di questa coppia vergine e totalmente accordata con la vita del Regno di Dio e i destini escatologici dell'umanità intera assume un alto significato: "Saranno come angeli nel cielo", si legge nel Vangelo.
In maniera più concreta, Elzeario e Delfina, nella loro preoccupazione costante di approfondire la fede che li anima, sono utili più volte. Elzeario è amico di un famoso francescano, Francesco di Maironnes, del convento di Sisteron, che, recatesi a Parigi per insegnare, ha potuto assistere il conte di Ariano nel momento della sua morte. Quanto a Delfina, i testimoni del suo processo dichiarano più volte che sapeva dissuadere coloro che " avevano opinioni false, o parlavano male del Sommo Pontefice". Si doveva discutere intensamente nella regione avignonese, e non a torto, di fronte a una corte pontificia di cui il meno che si possa dire è che conduceva un'esistenza poco conforme alla povertà evangelica! Ancor più, il suo processo è l'eco delle asserzioni eretiche allora molto diffuse intorno alla Santa Trinità e al "Regno dello Spirito Santo" che annunciavano numerosi visionari, e che aveva l'effetto di introdurre nella vita divina una specie di "quaternità": conseguenza delle predicazioni profetiche di un Gioacchino da Fiore, che al suo tempo non era stato quasi ascoltato, ma di cui lontani discepoli riprendevano le accese teorie intorno a una Chiesa dello Spirito Santo che sarebbe succeduta a quella di Cristo . Sappiamo in che modo tali errori avessero trovato spesso eco nei francescani, nel ramo di quelli che erano chiamati spirituali. Un certo Durando, che depone al processo di Delfina, mostra la contessa " inorridita " dalle opinioni eretiche di un frate minore di cui non ha potuto ricordare il nome e che era venuto da Napoli per discutere con lei sulla fede nella Trinità. " Si serviva di sofismi per tentare di provare che c'era in Dio una quarta persona" dichiara. La contessa rispose ricordando l'insegnamento della Chiesa e il simbolo di Atanasio. In un'altra occasione, fu davanti al papa stesso, Clemente VI, che Delfina, chiamata a discutere con santi dottori, li sbalordì con la sua autorità; e tutti conclusero che non poteva sapere tante cose "se non per ispirazione dello Spirito Santo".
Si tratta probabilmente dello stesso Durando di cui più testimoni narrano la vita al processo di Delfina, da cui fu miracolato.
Si trattava di un guascone, Durando Arnaldo de la Roque Aynière. Lui e alcuni compagni imperversavano per la Provenza, nel 1358, quando caddero in un'imboscata preparata dalla gente di Ansouis, che, senza processo, li gettò in un pozzo " profondo circa ventidue canne", come precisa un testimone. Lo chiusero con grosse pietre, poi si allontanarono. Quando gli avevano legato le mani, Durando aveva invocato nel suo cuore la contessa Delfina, che era allora ad Apt, e di cui lo aveva profondamente colpito la fama di santità. Ora, in fondo al pozzo, dove era stato gettato il lunedì, tornò in sé il mercoledì mattina, e una voce interiore gli disse: "Alzati, esci di qui"; si accorse che i cadaveri dei suoi compagni che erano stati gettati prima di lui avevano attutito la sua caduta, e che era stato colpito solo da una grossa pietra, alla tibia. Riuscì ad alzarsi, gridò con tutte le sue forze; stupefatti, quelli che erano nel castello lo sentirono, gli portarono delle corde e lo tirarono fuori sano e salvo. In seguito Durando si recò da Delfina, ascoltò le sue esortazioni e si convertì, si confessò e per qualche tempo restò vicino ad Apt, nel romitaggio di Santa Maria di Clermont. Pare che in seguito sia diventato frate, probabilmente a Rocamadour. Nel processo di canonizzazione depone a tre riprese.
Autore: Guido Pettinati
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/90451
Delphina von Glandenes
auch: Dauphine, auch: von
Signe, von Puimichel
Gedenktag katholisch: 26. November
nicht gebotener Gedenktag bei den Franziskaner-Tertiaren: 26. September
Name bedeutet: aus
Delphi stammend (griech. - latein.)
Terziarin
* 1283/1284 in Pui, heute Puimichel bei Digne-les-Bains in Frankreich
† 26. November 1360 in Apt in
Frankreich
Delphina war die Tochter
des Grafen Michel von Pui - dem heutigen Puimichel, geboren im dortigen
damaligen Schloss an der Stelle einer um 1700 dort erbauten, Elzearius
von Sabran geweihten Kapelle -
heute ein Veranstaltungsraum. Delphina wurde schon als kleines Kind Waise und
dann erzogen von ihrer Tante, der Äbtissin des damaligen Katharinenklosters
Sorps - heute versunken im Stausee Lac de Sainte-Croix vor Bauduen bei
Toulon. 1299 heiratete sie den 14-jährigen Elzearius
von Sabran. Als ihr Mann bald nach der Hochzeit für viele Jahre beruflich
am Königshof im damals neuen Castel
Nuovo in Neapel weilte, wurde sie dort Hofdame bei Königin Sancha von
Anjou. 1307 bis 1310 lebte das Ehepaar in Delphinas Schloss in Pui. Nach der
Rückkehr auf das Schloss ihres
Mannes in Ansouis 1314 weihte sich das Paar einem frommen und wohltätigen
Leben, 1316 versprachen sie sich für die Zukunft eine jungfräuliche Ehe; beide
schlossen sich 1317 den Franziskaner-Tertiaren an.
Nach dem frühen Tod ihres Mannes 1323 und dem Tod der Königin 1330 verkaufte
sie ihren beträchtlichen Besitz, gab den Erlös an Arme und lebte die letzten 15
Jahre zurückgezogen in Apt in
der Provence.
Delphina erhielt ihr Grab
neben dem ihres Mannes in Apt, Reliquien sind
auch in der Kirche des
Schlosses in Ansouis.
Kanonisation: Der 1323 eingeleitete Heiligsprechungsprozess wurde nie abgeschlossen. Delphinas Verehrung wurde 1694 von Papst Innozenz XII. anerkannt.
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Autor: Joachim
Schäfer - zuletzt aktualisiert am 21.05.2024
Quellen:
• Ekkart Sauser. In: Friedrich-Wilhelm Bautz †, Traugott Bautz (Hg.):
Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon, Bd. XV, Herzberg 1999
• Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche, begr. von Michael Buchberger. Hrsg. von Walter Kasper, 3., völlig neu bearb. Aufl., Bd. 3. Herder, Freiburg im Breisgau 1995
• https://web.archive.org/web/20170326052216/http://www.daniel-thiery.com/index.php/23-etudes-communes-du-var/5-bauduen - abgerufen am 21.01.2024
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delphine_de_Sabran - abgerufen am 21.05.2024
korrekt zitieren: Joachim Schäfer: Artikel Delphina von Glandenes, aus dem Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon - https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienD/Delphina.html, abgerufen am 23. 12. 2024
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet das Ökumenische
Heiligenlexikon in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte
bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über https://d-nb.info/1175439177 und https://d-nb.info/969828497 abrufbar.
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienD/Delphina.html
Voir aussi : http://nouvl.evangelisation.free.fr/delphine_de_sabran.htm
http://alexandrina.balasar.free.fr/elzear_de_sabran.htm
http://carmina-carmina.com/carmina/Mytholosaintes/delphine.htm
