Denkmal der de:Lioba von Tauberbischofsheim in Schornsheim
Sainte Lioba
Abbesse bénédictine à
Schornsheim (+ 782)
Parente de saint Boniface, elle
quitta l'Angleterre, son pays natal, pour fonder des monastères en Germanie. Il
l'installa d'abord dans le monastère de Bischofsheim, la maison de l'évêque, non
loin de Mayence, puis, à sa mort, elle se retira dans un des monastères voisins
qu'elle avait fondé à Schonersheim. Charlemagne avait beaucoup d'estime pour
elle et Hildegarde, l'épouse impériale, aimait la consulter.
Près de Mayence en
Rhénanie, vers 782, sainte Lioba, vierge, qui fut appelée d’Angleterre en
Germanie par son parent saint Boniface et placée par lui à la tête d’un
monastère à Tauber, où elle dirigea les servantes de Dieu sur la voie de la
perfection par sa parole et son exemple.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : http://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/1933/Sainte-Lioba.html
Sainte Lioba
Abbesse de Bischoffsheim
(Mayence)
Fête le 28 septembre
† v. 781
Autre graphie :
Lioba ou Liobe
Issue d’une bonne famille
anglo-saxonne, Lioba fut nonne à Minster-in-Thanet puis élevée à l’abbaye de
Wimborne Minster, près de Poole, dans le Dorset, et elle y devint religieuse,
sous sainte Tetta. Plus tard, elle fut envoyée en Germanie avec un groupe de
moniales, à l’appel de saint Boniface, l’apôtre des Germains. Le monastère
qu’elle dirigea devint la maison mère de nombreuses filiales et joua un rôle
important dans la conversion et la civilisation des Germains. Très cultivée
pour son époque, Lioba organisa son monastère selon la pure règle bénédictine,
c’est-à-dire qu’elle sut combiner le travail manuel et le travail intellectuel,
l’austérité et la modération, la piété et la bonne santé physique et
sprirituelle. Elle fut l’amie intime de saint Boniface, qui puisa dans ses
conseils le réconfort et l’ardeur apostolique nécessaires à ses travaux
missionnaires ; elle fut également l’amie d’Hildegarde, l’épouse de
Charlemagne. L’église de Sainte-Lioba à Tauberbischofsheim, près de Würzburg,
est consacrée à sainte Lioba, sainte patronne de la famille de l’évêque, saint
Boniface ; elle fut abbesse, au VIIIe siècle, de l’un des premiers couvents
d’Allemagne. La protection qu’accorda saint Boniface au village lui valut le
nom de Bischofsheim (demeure de l’évêque). Au sommet du Petersberg, près de
Fulda en Hesse, la crypte de l’abbaye bénédictine renferme les restes de sainte
Lioba. Elle fut ensevelie dans l’église abbatiale de Fulda, près du tombeau de
saint Boniface.
Pfarrkirche St. Magnus, Waldburg, Landkreis Ravensburg. Figuren: Hl. Walburga mit Ölfläschchen (Walburgisöl) ; Erzengel Michael, 18. Jh. ; Hl. Lioba, Äbtissin in Tauberbischofsheim
Sainte LIOBA
Née à Wimborne,
Dorsetshire, Angleterre; morte à Schornsheim (près de Mainz), Germanie, vers
779.
La mère de Sainte Lioba, descendante d'une illustre famille et proche parente
de Saint
Boniface (5 juin), était restée stérile longtemps durant, avant que la
sainte ne naquit. Dès lors, Ebba l'offrit immédiatement à Dieu et l'éleva dans
la piété. Elle reçut sa prime éducation à Minster-in-Thanet.
Pendant que Lioba était encore jeune, elle fut confiée aux soins de la soeur du
roi, sainte Tetta (28 septembre) au couvent Bénédictin à Wimborne (Winburn ou
"fontaine de vin"). Lioba acquit une maturité spirituelle et
émotionnelle sous la tutelle de Tetta, et pour finir elle prit le voile de
religieuse.
Tetta veilla aussi à ce qu'elle eut une bonne éducation. Les lettres à Boniface
révèlent que Lioba comprennait et écrivait en vers en latin. Elle limita ses
lectures, cependant, aux livres qui éleverait son esprit dans l'amour de Dieu.
Elle connaissait par coeur les divins préceptes de l'Ancien et du Nouveau
Testament, les principaux Canons de l'Église, les saintes maximes de Pères, et
les règles de la vie monastique.
Boniface garda
le contact avec sa jeune parente à travers de fréquentes correspondances.
Reconnaissant sa vertu et ses capacités, en 748, il demanda à son évêque et à
son abbesse qu'on la lui envoie avec 30 pieuses compagnes pour entreprendre des
oeuvres de charité auprès des femmes en Germanie. Bien que Tetta regrettât la
perte de sa protégée, elle ne pût refuser.
A leur arrivée en Germanie, Boniface installa les moniales à Tauberbischofsheim
("maison de l'évêque," possiblement sa propre résidence précédente).
Lioba attira par son zèle tant de vocations que son couvent donna naissance à
nombre d'autres fondations à travers le pays. Le couvent de Lioba fut un des
plus puissants facteurs dans la conversion de la Germanie.
La sainte organisa ses couvents dans la véritable tradition monastique, avec la
combinaison du travail manuel (au scriptorium, à la cuisine, boulangerie, brasserie,
et au jardin), l'étude intellectuelle (elles avaient toutes à apprendre le
latin), dévotions communautaires, et détente. Les austérités extrêmes ne furent
pas autorisées pour ne pas interférer avec la vie sociale établie par la Règle.
Son amour pour Dieu était très attachant. Elle était toujours prête à s'atteler
à toute tâche qu'elle aurait pu demander aux autres et le faisait avec joie et
modestie. On rapporte qu'elle était fort belle, que sa contenance était
angélique, et que ses moniales l'aimaient. C'est probablement parce que Lioba
prit à coeur le conseil de saint Paul : "Ne faites rien par égoïsme ou
vaine gloire; plutôt, regardant humblement les autres comme plus importants que
vous-mêmes" (Philippiens 2,3) et "Que votre charité soit sans feinte,
détestant le mal, solidement attachés au bien; que l’amour fraternel vous lie
d’affection entre vous, chacun regardant les autres comme plus méritants"
(Romains 12,9-10). Ainsi, Lioba lavait régulièrement les pieds de ses soeurs en
imitation du Seigneur. Les actes de miséricorde corporelle lui étaient une
joie, particulièrement dans l'hospitalité offerte aux étrangers et le soin des
pauvres. Elle était toujours patiente, douce, et accessible à tous ceux qui en
avaient besoin.
De ce fait, rois et princes l'honoraient et la respectaient, en particulier
Pépin le Bref, le Bienheureux Carloman (17 août) et Charlemagne. Ce dernier
l'appela souvent à sa court à Aix-la-Chapelle (Aachen) pour lui demander
conseil. Son épouse, la Bienheureuse Hildegarde (30 avril), l'aimait
profondément et accordait toujours grande attention à son conseil, comme le
faisaient quelques évêques.
Avant son martyre, saint Boniface recommanda Lioba et sa communauté aux soins
de saint Lullus (16 octobre) et ses moines de Fulda, et demanda que les
reliques de Lioba soient enterrées auprès des siennes une fois qu'elle serait
morte, afin qu'ils puissent se lever à la Résurrection ensemble et vivre ainsi
l'éternité. On dit que la tendre affection unissant Boniface et Lioba forme un
des plus beaux épisodes de l'histoire de l'Église. Après la mort de Boniface en
754, Lioba visita fréquemment Fulda. Par dispense spéciale, elle fut autorisée
avec 2 soeurs âgées à se joindre au choeur.
Sur conseil de Lullus, Lioba abdiqua de ses charges dans son vieil âge et se
retira au couvent de Schornsheim, où elle redoubla en prière et pénitence.
Occasionnellement, elle répondait aux demandes de l'impératrice Hildegarde de
la visiter, mais ensuite retournait aussi vite que possible à sa cellule. A sa
dernière visite, elle enlaça la reine, embrassa ses vêtements, et lui donna la
sainte accolade, puis dit : "Au revoir, précieuse partie de mon âme;
puisse le Christ, notre Créateur et Rédempteur, nous accorder que nous
puissions nous retrouver sans erreur au jour du Jugement".
Après sa mort, Lioba fut enterrée à Fulda, côté nord du maître-autel, près de
la tombe de saint Boniface. Sa tombe fut honorée de miracles; son biographe,
Rudolphe de Fulda, assure qu'il fut lui-même témoin de plusieurs d'entre eux.
Ses reliques furent transférées en 819 et à nouveau en 838 à l'église du
Mont-Saint-Pierre. Son nom fut déjà introduit dans le martyrologe de Hrabanus
Maurus (Raban Maur) vers 836.
SOURCE : http://stmaterne.blogspot.ca/2014/09/sainte-lioba-abbesse-de-bischoffsheim.html
Also
known as
Lioba of Wimborne
Leoben of…
Liobgytha of…
Liobgetha of…
Truthgeba of…
Profile
Born to the Wessex
nobility to parents who had long prayed for
a child.
Relative of Saint Boniface with
whom she corresponded for several years. Educated at
the convent of
Minster-in-Thanet and in Wimborne in
Dorset, England. Nun at Wimborne at
a time when Saint Tetta
of Wimborne served as abbess.
In 748 Lioba
led a group of 30 nuns,
one of whom was Saint Agatha
of Wimborne to Germany to
help the missionary work
of Saint Boniface and
found convents.
They based their work at Bischofsheim in Würzburg, Franconia, followed
the Benedictine Rule,
and Lioba served as abbess.
Noted for her intelligence, her endless optimism and positive attitude for the
work, and her constant study of the scriptures. Her work and the houses she
founded were instrumental in the conversion of Germany to Christianity.
Lioba retired from her
position in 776 only
to start another house Schornsheim, Mainz.
Visited the court of Charlemagne in Aachen, Germany and
became a close friend of Empress Hildegard.
The Benedictines of Saint Lioba are based in Frederiksberg, Denmark.
Born
c.710 in
Wessex, England as Truthgeba (= God‘s
gift)
28
September 782 in
Schornsheim, Germany of
natural causes
buried next
to Saint Boniface in Fulda, Germany
relics later
moved to Saint Peter Berg Abbey in Fulda, Germany
Benedictine abbess with
a book (indicative
of her scriptural knowledge), a clock,
and lightning (which
she once miraculously turned
aside)
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Catholic
Truth Society of London
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
other
sites in english
Life of
Leoba, by Rudolf of Fulda
images
webseiten
auf deutsch
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
fonti
in italiano
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
“Saint Lioba of
Bischofsheim“. CatholicSaints.Info. 10 March 2022. Web. 28 September 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-lioba-of-bischofsheim/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-lioba-of-bischofsheim/
St.-Lioba-Brunnen,
Gebäude, Institutionen und Straßen in Tauberbischofsheim
(Saint)
Virgin (April
23) (8th
century) An Anglo-Saxon lady who at the invitation of Saint Boniface passed
over, together with Saint Thecla and others, into Germany, to aid the Saint in
his Apostolic labours. Saint Lioba was made Abbess of the monastery then just
founded at Bischoffsheim, and quickly won the respect and love of princes and
people. She died about A.D. 779, and was interred, like Saint Boniface, at
Fulda. Her biographer assures us that he himself was an eye-witness of some of
the miracles wrought at her tomb.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Lioba”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
8 November 2014. Web. 28 September 2025.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-lioba/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-lioba/
.jpg)
Römisch-katholische
Kirche St. Lioba in Detmold-Heidenoldendorf
St. Lioba
Feastday: September 22
Death: 781
Benedictine abbess, a
relative of St. Boniface. Born in Wessex, England, she was trained by St.
Tetta, and became a nun at Wimboume Monastery in Dorsetshire. Lioba, short for
Liobgetha, was sent with twenty-nine companions to become abbess of
Bischofheim Monastery in Mainz, Germany She
founded other houses as well and served as abbess for
twenty-eight years. She was a friend of St. Hildegard, Charlemagne's wife.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=4290
.JPG)
Wertheim,
St. Lioba-Kirche im Hofgarten, Fassadenrelief
September 28
St. Lioba, Abbess
THIS saint was a great
model of Christian perfection to the church, both of England, her native
country, and of Germany. She was descended of an illustrious English-Saxon
family, and born among the West-Saxons at Winburn, which name signifies
fountain of wine. Ebba, her pious mother, was nearly related to St. Boniface of
Mentz, and though she had been long barren, and had no prospect of other issue,
when Lioba was born, she offered her to God from her birth, and trained her up
in a contempt of the world. By her direction our saint was placed young in the
great monastery of Winburn in Dorsetshire, under the care of the holy abbess
Tetta, a person still more eminent for her extraordinary prudence and sanctity,
than for being sister to a king. 1 Lioba
made great progress in virtue, and took the religious veil. She understood
Latin, and made some verses in that language, as appears from her letters to
St. Boniface: but she read no books but such as were proper to nourish piety
and devotion in her soul. St. Boniface, who had kept up an epistolary
correspondence with her, and was perfectly acquainted with her distinguished
virtue and abilities, became an earnest suitor to her abbess, and bishop, that
she might be sent to him with certain pious companions, in order to settle some
sanctuaries and nurseries of religion for persons of their sex in the infant
church of Germany. Tetta regretted the loss of so great a treasure, but could
not oppose so urgent a demand.
Lioba arriving in
Germany, was settled by St. Boniface, with her little colony, in a monastery
which he gave her, and which was called Bischofsheim; that is, Bishop’s House.
By the prudence and zeal of our saint, this nunnery became in a short time very
numerous, and out of it she peopled many other houses which she founded in
Germany. She never commanded others anything which she had not first practised
herself. Her countenance appeared always angelically cheerful and modest,
breathing a heavenly devotion and love. Her time was spent in prayer, and in
holy reading and meditation. She knew by heart the divine precepts of the Old
and New Testaments, the principal canons of the church, the holy maxims of the
Fathers, and the rules of the monastic life and perfection. By humility, she
placed herself beneath all others, and esteemed herself as the last of her
community and washed often the feet of the sisters. The exercise of hospitality
and charity to the poor was her delight. Kings and princes respected and
honoured her, especially Pepin king of the Franks, and his two sons, Charles or
Charlemagne and Carloman. Charlemagne, who reigned alone after the death of his
brother, often sent for her to his court at Aix-la-Chapelle, and treated her
with the highest veneration. His queen Hildegardis loved her as her own soul,
and took her advice in her most weighty concerns. She was very desirous to have
her always with her, had it been possible, that she might always enjoy the edification
and comfort of her example and instructions. But the holy abbess made all
possible haste back to her monastery. Bishops often had conferences with her,
and listened to her counsels. St. Boniface, a little before his mission into
Friesland and his martyrdom, recommended her in the most earnest manner to St.
Lullus, and to his monks at Fulda, entreating them to have care of her with
respect and honour, and declaring it his desire, as by his last will, that
after her death she should be buried by his bones, that both their bodies might
wait the resurrection and be raised together in glory to meet the Lord, and be
for ever united in the kingdom of his love. After St. Boniface’s martyrdom she
made frequent visits to the abbey of Fulda, and leaving her four or five
sister-companions, in a neighbouring cell, she was allowed, by a singular
privilege, to enter the abbey with two elder sisters, and assist at the divine
service and conferences; after which she returned to her companions in the
cell; which when she had continued for a few days, she went back to her own
nunnery. When she was grown very old, by the advice of St. Lullus, she settled
all the nunneries under her care, and resigning the government, came to reside
in a new nunnery at Scornesheim, four miles from Mentz to the south, where she
redoubled her fervour in the exercises of holy prayer and penance. Queen
Hildegardis invited her so earnestly to the court at Aix-la-Chapelle, that she
could not refuse to comply: but, after some days, would absolutely return to
her solitude. Taking leave of the queen, embracing her more affectionately than
usual, and kissing her garment, her forehead, and mouth, she said: “Farewell,
precious part of my soul; may Christ our Creator and Redeemer grant that we may
see each other without confusion in the day of judgment.” She died about the
year 779, and was interred at Fulda, on the north side of the high altar. Her
tomb was honoured with miracles; her historian assures us he was himself an
eye-witness of several. See her life carefully written, soon after her death,
by Ralph of Fulda. in Mabillon, Acta Bened. and l. 1. Rerum Mogunt. See also
Bulteau, Hist. Mon. l’Occid. t. 4. Perier, t. 7. Sept. p. 748.
Note 1. The ancient
great monastery of Winburn, built by the West-Saxon kings, was double; each
separated from the other and surrounded with high walls. No monk could ever set
foot in the inclosure of the nuns, except in their church to say mass, and
immediately after he came down from the altar to leave it and return to his own
cloister. No nun could ever go out of her own inclosure. [back]
Rev. Alban
Butler (1711–73). Volume IX: September. The Lives of the
Saints. 1866
SOURCE : http://www.bartleby.com/210/9/282.html
Liobakirche, Main-Tauber-Kreis,
Heilbronn-Franken, Stuttgart Government Region, Baden-Württemberg
_19.jpg)
Liobakirche, Main-Tauber-Kreis,
Heilbronn-Franken, Stuttgart Government Region, Baden-Württemberg
_43.jpg)
Liobakirche, Main-Tauber-Kreis,
Heilbronn-Franken, Stuttgart Government Region, Baden-Württemberg
Medieval
Sourcebook:
Rudolf of Fulda:
Life of Leoba (c.836)
[Talbot Introduction]
The author of the
following Life was Rudolf, a monk of Fulda and a pupil of Rhabanus Maurus,
probably the most learned man of his age We do not know the exact year of his
birth, but by 821 he was a sub deacon. After his ordination to the priesthood
he was placed in charge of the school at Fulda in succession to Rhabanus and
carried on the traditions for which the school had become so famous. One of his
pupils, Ermenric, Abbot of Elwangen, tells us, in the preface to a work which
he dedicated to Rudolf, that his scholarship was of a high order and that he
was no less talented than Rhabanus. Louis, King of Germany, impressed by his
attainments, took him from Fulda to become his chaplain, preacher and
confessor, and in recognition of his services gave him certain revenues which
Rudolf left after his death for the benefit of his school.
The Life of Leoba,
Abbess of Bischofsheim in the diocese of Mainz, was composed by him on the
orders of Rhabanus Maurus, and was probably finished by the year 836. He tells
us that Mago, one of the priests from whom he had obtained some of his details,
had been dead five years; and as Mago is recorded as having died in 831, this
enables us to fix the date of the composition fairly accurately. It was
certainly written before 837, for in that year was made the translation of the
relics of Leoba, a fact which Rudolf passes over in silence. As Leoba died in
779, Rudolf could not write from firsthand knowledge, and therefore he gives
us the sources of his information, the memoirs of four nuns of Bischofsheim and
the written notes of Mago, the monk of Fulda.
In his life of Rhabanus
Maurus, who died in 856, Rudolf recalls this biography of Leoba.
Sources: The Life of St.
Leoba was first published by Surius, De Probatis Sanctorum Historits (Cologne,
1574), vol. v, pp. 396-406. The best edition, upon which this translation is
based, is found in Monutnenta Gerrnaniae Historica, Scriptores, ed.
Waitz (Hanover, 1887), vol. xv, I, pp. 127-31. There has been no previous
complete translation into English of this biography, though Serenus
Cressy (Church History of Brittany, bk. xxiv, 4) translated much of
it.
_06.jpg)
Liobakirche,
Tauberbischofsheim
THE LIFE OF SAINT LEOBA
BY RUDOLF, MONK OF FULDA
THE SMALL book which I
have written about the life and virtues of the holy and revered virgin Leoba
has been dedicated to you, O Hadamout, virgin of Christ, in order that you may
have something to read with pleasure and imitate with profit. Thus by the help
of Christ's grace you may eventually enjoy the blissful reward of him whose
spouse you now are. Most earnestly do I beg you and all the nuns who
unceasingly invoke the name of the Lord to pray for me, so that I, Rudolf, a
monk of Fulda and a wretched sinner, in spite of my unworthiness to share the
fellowship of the elect of God, may through the merits of those who are
pleasing to Him receive pardon of my sins and escape the penalties due to them.
PROLOGUE
Before I begin to write
the life of the blessed and venerable virgin Leoba, I invoke her spouse,
Christ, our Lord and Saviour, who gave her the courage to overcome the powers
of evil, to inspire me with eloquence sufficient to describe her outstanding
merits. I have been unable to discover all the facts of her life. I shall
therefore recount the few that I have learned from the writings of others,
venerable men who heard them from four of her disciples, Agatha, Thecla, Nana
and Eoloba. Each one copied them down according to his ability and left them as
a memorial to posterity.
One of these, a holy
priest and monk named Mago, who died about five years ago, was on friendly
terms with these women and during his frequent visits to them used to speak
with them about things profitable to the soul. In this way he was able to learn
a great deal about her life. He was careful to make short notes of everything
he heard, but, unfortunately, what he left was almost unintelligible, because,
whilst he was trying to be brief and succinct, he expressed things in such a way
as to leave the facts open to misunderstanding and provide no basis for
certainty This happened, in my opinion, because in his eagerness to take down
every detail before it escaped his memory he wrote the facts down in a kind of
shorthand and hoped that during his leisure he could put them in order and make
the book more easy for readers to understand. The reason why he left everything
in such disorder, jotted down on odd pieces of parchment, was that he. died
quite suddenly and had no time to carry out his purpose.
Therefore it is not from
presumption but in obedience to the command of my venerable father and master,
Abbot Rhabanus that I have tried to collect together all the scattered notes
and papers left by the men I have mentioned. The sequence of events which I
have attempted to reconstruct for those who are interested in knowing them, is
based on the information found in their notes and on the evidence I have
gathered from others by word of mouth. For there are several religious men
still living who can vouch for the facts mentioned in the documents, since they
heard them from their predecessors, and who can add some others worthy of
remembrance. These latter appeared to me suitable for inclusion in the book and
therefore I have combined them with material from the written notes. You will
see, then, that I have not only reorganized and completed the work set on foot
by others but have written something on my own account. For it seems to me that
there should be no doubt in the minds of the faithful about the veracity of the
statements made in this book, since they are shown to be true both by the
blameless character of those who relate them and by the miracles which are
frequently performed at the shrine of the saint.
But before I begin the
narration of her remarkable life and virtues, it may not be out of place if I
mention a few of the many things I have heard about her spiritual mistress and
mother, who first introduced her to the spiritual life and fostered in her a
desire for heaven. In this way the reader who is made aware of the qualities of
this great woman may give credence to the achievements of the disciple more
easily the more dearly he sees that she learned the elements of the spiritual
life from so noble a mistress.
In the island of Britain,
which is inhabited by the English nation, there is a place called Wimbourne, an
ancient name which may be translated "Winestream ". It received this
name from the clearness and sweetness of the water there, which was better than
any other in that land. In olden times the kings of that nation had built two
monasteries in the place, one for men, the other for women, both surrounded by
strong and lofty walls and provided with all the necessities that prudence
could devise. From the beginning of the foundation the rule firmly laid down
for both was that no entrance should be allowed to a person of the other sex.
No woman was permitted to go into the men's community, nor was any man allowed
into the women's, except in the case of priests who had to celebrate Mass in
their churches; even so, immediately after the function was ended the priest
had to withdraw. Any woman who wished to renounce the world and enter the
cloister did so on the understanding that she would never leave it. She could
only come out if there was a reasonable cause and some great advantage accrued
to the monastery. Furthermore, when it was necessary to conduct the business of
the monastery and to send for something outside, the superior of the community
spoke through a window and only from there did she make decisions and arrange
what was needed.
It was over this
monastery, in succession to several other abbesses and spiritual mistresses,
that a holy virgin named Tetta was placed in authority, a woman of noble family
(for she was a sister of the king), but more noble in her conduct and good
qualities. Over both the monasteries she ruled with consummate prudence and
discretion. She gave instruction by deed rather than by words, and whenever she
said that a certain course of action was harmful to the salvation of souls she
showed by her own conduct that it was to be shunned. She maintained discipline
with such circumspection (and the discipline there was much stricter than
anywhere else) that she would never allow her nuns to approach clerics. She was
so anxious that the nuns, in whose company she always remained, should be cut
off from the company of men that she denied entrance into the community not
merely to laymen and clerics but even to bishops. There are many instances of
the virtues of this woman which the virgin Leoba, her disciple, used to recall
with pleasure when she told her reminiscences. Of these I will mention but two
examples, so that from these the rest may be conjectured.
In that convent there was
a certain nun who, because of her zeal for discipline and strict observance, in
which she surpassed the others, was often appointed prioress and frequently
made one of the mistresses. But as she was too incautious and indiscreet in
enforcing discipline over those under her care, she aroused their resentment,
particularly among the younger members of the community. Though she could
easily have mollified them and met their criticisms, she hardened her heart
against taking such a course of action and went so far in her inflexibility
that even at the end of her life she would not trouble to soften their hearts
by asking their pardon. So in this stubborn frame of mind she died and was
buried; and when the earth had been heaped over her, as the custom is, a tomb
was raised over her grave. But this did not appease the feelings of the young
nuns who hated her, and as soon as they saw the place where she was buried they
reviled her cruelty and even climbed on to her tomb, as if to stamp upon her
corpse, uttering bitter curses over her dead body to assuage their outraged
feelings. Now when this came to the ears of the venerable abbess of the
community she reprehended the young nuns for their presumption and vigorously
corrected them. She went to the grave and noticed that in some extraordinary
way the earth which had been heaped over the corpse had subsided and lay about
six inches below the surface of the surrounding ground. This sight struck her
with great fear. She understood from the subsidence of the ground how the dead
woman had been punished, and judged the severity of God's sentence upon her
from the sinking of the grave. She therefore called all the sisters together
and began to reproach them for their cruelty and hardness of heart. She
upbraided them for failing to forgive the wrongs they had suffered and for
harbouring ill feelings on account of the momentary bitterness caused by harsh
discipline. She told them that one of the fundamental principles of Christian
perfection is to be peaceable with those who dislike peace, whereas they, far
from loving their enemies as God had commanded, not only hated their sister
whilst she was alive but even pursued her with their curses now that she was
dead. She counselled them to lay aside their resentment, to accept the illtreatment
they had received and to show without delay their forgiveness: if they wished
their own sins to be forgiven by God they should forgive others from the bottom
of their hearts. She begged them to forget any wrongs infticted by the dead
woman before her death and to join with her in prayer that God, in His mercy,
would absolve her from her sins. When they had all agreed to follow her advice,
she ordered them to fast for three days and to give themselves earnestly to
watching, prayer and the recitation of psalms for the repose of her soul.
At the end of the fast on
the third day she went with all the nuns into the church, singing litanies and
invoking the Lord and His saints; and after she had prostrated herself before
the altar she prayed for the soul of the deceased sister. And as she persevered
in prayer, the hole in the grave, which previously had appeared to be empty,
suddenly began to fill in and the ground rose, so that the moment she got up
from her knees the grave became level with the surface of the ground. By this
it was made clear that when the grave returned to its normal state the soul of
the deceased sister, through the prayers of Tetta, had been absolved by divine
power.
On another occasion it
happened that when the sister who looked after the chapel went to close the
door of the church before going to bed after Compline she lost all the keys in
the darkness. There were very many of them belonging to various things locked
away in the treasury of the church, some of silver, others of bronze or iron,
all fastened together with a metal clasp. When she rose at the sound of the
bell for Matins and could not find the keys for opening the doors of the
church, she lit a candle and carefully searched all the places in which there
was any hope of finding them; and as if one search was not enough, she went
over the same ground again and again looking for them. When she had done this
several times without success, she went to the abbess, who as usual had
anticipated the hour for the night office and was deep in prayer, whilst the
others were still at rest. Trembling with fear, the nun threw herself at the
feet of the abbess and humbly confessed the negligence of which she was guilty.
As soon as the abbess heard it she felt convinced that it was the work of the
devil, and, calling the sisters together, she recited Matins and Lauds in
another building. When this was ended, they all gave themselves to prayer. At
once the wickedness of the old enemy was brought to light, for, whilst they
were still at prayer, a little dead fox was suddenly seen at the doors of the
chapel holding the keys in his mouth, so that what had been given up as lost
was found. Then the venerable mother took the keys and ordered the doors to be
opened; and going into the church accompanied by the nuns, who at that time
were about fifty in number, she gave thanks to God in hymns and praise for
mercifully hearing His servants who had trusted in Him and for putting the
wicked spirit to confusion. For he who had said " I will set my throne
higher than God's stars " was transformed for his pride into a beast, and
he who would not humbly submit to God was unmasked as a fox through the prayers
of the nuns and made to look foolish.
Let these instances of
the virtues of the venerable mother Tetta suffice. We will now pursue our
purpose of describing the life of her spiritual daughter, Leoba the virgin.
*
As we have already said,
her parents were English, of noble family and full of zeal for religion and the
observance of God's commandments. Her father was called Dynno, her mother
Aebba. But as they were barren, they remained together for a long time without
children. After many years had passed and the onset of old age had deprived
them of all hope of offspring, her mother had a dream in which she saw herself
bearing in her bosom a church bell, which on being drawn out with her hand rang
merrily. When she woke up she called her old nurse to her and told her what she
had dreamt. The nurse said to her: " We shall yet see a daughter from your
womb and it is your duty to consecrate her straightway to God. And as Anna
offered Samuel to serve God all the days of his life in the temple, so you must
offer her, when she has been taught the Scripture from her infancy, to serve
Him in holy virginity as long as she shall live." Shortly after the woman had
made this vow she conceived and bore a daughter, whom she called Thrutgeba,
surnamed Leoba because she was beloved, for this is what Leoba means. And when
the child had grown up her mother consecrated her and handed her over to Mother
Tetta to be taught the sacred sciences. And because the nurse had foretold that
she should have such happiness, she gave her her freedom.
The girl, therefore, grew
up and was taught with such care by the abbess and all the nuns that she had no
interests other than the monastery and the pursuit of sacred knowledge. She
took no pleasure in aimless jests and wasted no time on girlish romances, but,
fired by the love of Christ, fixed her mind always on reading or hearing the
Word of God. Whatever she heard or read she committed to memory, and put all
that she learned into practice. She exercised such moderation in her use of
food and drink that she eschewed dainty dishes and the allurements of sumptuous
fare, and was satisfied with whatever was placed before her. She prayed
continually, knowing that in the Epistles the faithful are counselled to pray
without ceasing. When she was not praying she worked with her hands at whatever
was commanded her, for she had learned that he who will not work should not
eat. However, she spent more time in reading and listening to Sacred Scripture
than she gave to manual labour. She took great care not to forget what she had
heard or read, observing the commandments of the Lord and putting into practice
what she remembered of them. In this way she so arranged her conduct that she
was loved by all the sisters. She learned from all and obeyed them all, and by
imitating the good qualities of each one she modelled herself on the continence
of one, the cheerfulness of another, copying here a sister's mildness, there a
sister's patience. One she tried to equal in attention to prayer, another in
devotion to reading. Above all, she was intent on practising charity, without
which, as she knew, all other virtues are void.
When she had succeeded in
fixing her attention on heavenly things by these and other practices in the
pursuit of virtue she had a dream in which one night she saw a purple thread
issuing from her mouth. It seemed to her that when she took hold of it with her
hand and tried to draw it out there was no end to it; and as if it were coming
from her very bowels, it extended little by little until it was of enormous
length. When her hand was full of thread and it still issued from her mouth she
rolled it round and round and made a ball of it. The labour of doing this was
so tiresome that eventually, through sheer fatigue, she woke from her sleep and
began to wonder what the meaning of the dream might be She understood quite
clearly that there was some reason for the dream, and it seemed that there was
some mystery hidden in it. Now there was in the same monastery an aged nun who
was known to possess the spirit of prophecy, because other things that she had
foretold had always been fulfilled. As Leoba was diffident about revealing the
dream to her, she told it to one of her disciples just as it had occurred and
asked her to go to the old nun and describe it to her as a personal experience
and learn from her the meaning of it. When the sister had repeated the details
of the dream as if it had happened to her, the nun, who could foresee the
future, angrily replied: " This is indeed a true vision and presages that
good will come. But why do you lie to me in saying that such things happened to
you ? These matters are no concern of yours: they apply to the beloved chosen
by God." In giving this name, she referred to the virgin Leoba. "
These things," she went on, " were revealed to the person whose
holiness and wisdom make her a worthy recipient, because by her teaching and
good example she will confer benefits on many people. The thread which came
from her bowels and issued from her mouth signifies the wise counsels that she
will speak from the heart. The fact that it filled her hand means that she will
carry out in her actions whatever she expresses in her words. Furthermore, the
ball which she made by rolling it round and round signifies the mystery of the
divine teaching, which is set in motion by the words and deeds of those who
give instruction and which turns earthwards through active works and
heavenwards through contemplation, at one time swinging downwards through
compassion for one's neighbour, again swinging upwards through the love of God.
By these signs God shows that your mistress will profit many by her words and
example, and the effect of them will be felt in other lands afar off whither
she will go." That this interpretation of the dream was true later events
were to prove.
At the time when the
blessed virgin Leoba was pursuing her quest for perfection in the monastery the
holy martyr Boniface was being ordained by Gregory, Bishop of Rome and
successor to Constantine, in the Apostolic See. His mission was to preach the
Word of God to the people in Germany. When Boniface found that the people were
ready to receive the faith and that, though the harvest was great, the
labourers who worked with him were few, he sent messengers and letters to
England, his native land, summoning from different ranks of the clergy many who
were learned in the divine law and fitted both by their character and good
works to preach the Word of God. With their assistance he zealously carried out
the mission with which he was charged, and by sound doctrine and miracles
converted a large part of Germany to the faith. As the days went by, multitudes
of people were instructed in the mysteries of the faith and the Gospel was
preached not only in the churches but also in the towns and villages. Thus the
Catholics were strengthened in their belief by constant exhortation, the wicked
submitted to corrrection, and the heathen, enlightened by the Gospel, flocked
to receive the grace of Baptism. When the blessed man saw that the Church of
God was increasing and that the desire of perfection was firmly rooted he
established two means by which religious progress should be ensured. He began
to build monasteries, so that the people would be attracted to the church not
only by the beauty of its religion but also by the communities of monks and
nuns. And as he wished the observance in both cases to be kept according to the
Holy Rule, he endeavoured to obtain suitable superiors for both houses. For
this purpose he sent his disciple Sturm, a man of noble family and sterling
character, to Monte Cassino, so that he could study the regular discipline, the
obsevance and the monastic customs which had been established there by St.
Benedict. As the future superior, he wished him to become a novice and in this
way learn in humble submission how to rule over others. Likewise, he sent
messengers with letters to the abbess Tetta, of whom we have already spoken, asking
her to send Leoba to accompany him on this journey and to take part in this
embassy: for Leoba's reputation for learning and holiness had spread far and
wide and her praise was on everyone's lips. The abbess Tetta was exceedingly
displeased at her departure, but because she could not gainsay the dispositions
of divine providence she agreed to his request and sent Leoba to the blessed
man. Thus it was that the interpretation of the dream which she had previously
received was fulfilled. When she came, the man of God received her with the
deepest reverence, holding her in great affection, not so much because she was
related to him on his mother's side as because he knew that by her holiness and
wisdom she would confer many benefits by her word and example.
In furtherance of his
aims he appointed persons in authority over the monasteries and estab]ished the
observance of the Rule: he placed Sturm as abbot over the monks and Leoba as
abbess over the nuns. He gave her the monastery at a place called Bischofsheim,
where there was a large community of nuns. These were trained according to her
principles in the discipline of monastic life and made such progress in her
teaching that many of them afterwards became superiors of others, so that there
was hardly a convent of nuns in that part which had not one of her disciples as
abbess. She was a woman of great virtue and was so strongly attached to the way
of life she had vowed that she never gave thought to her native country or her
relatives. She expended all her energies on the work she had undertaken in
order to appear blameless before God and to become a pattern of perfection to
those who obeyed her in word and action. She was ever on her guard not to teach
others what she did not carry out herself. In her conduct there was no
arrogance or pride; she was no distinguisher of persons, but showed herself
affable and kindly to all. In appearance she was angelic, in word pleasant,
dear in mind, great in prudence, Catholic in faith, most patient in hope,
universal in her charity. But though she was always cheerful, she never broke
out into laughter through excessive hilarity. No one ever heard a bad word from
her lips; the sun never went down upon her anger. In the matter of food and
drink she always showed the utmost understanding for others but was most
sparing in her own use of them. She had a small cup from which she used to
drink and which, because of the meagre quantity it would hold, was called by
the sisters " the Beloved's little one ". So great was her zeal for
reading that she discontinued it only for prayer or for the refreshment of her
body with food or sleep: the Scriptures were never out of her hands. For, since
she had been trained from infancy in the rudiments of grammar and the study of
the other liberal arts, she tried by constant reflection to attain a perfect
knowledge of divine things so that through the combination of her reading with
her quick intelligence, by natural gifts and hard work, she became extremely
learned. She read with attention all the books of the Old and New Testaments
and learned by heart all the commandments of God. To these she added by way of
completion the writings of the church Fathers, the decrees of the Councils and
the whole of ecclesiastical law. She observed great moderation irl all her acts
and arrangements and always kept the practical end in view, so that she would
never have to repent of her actions through having been guided by impulse. She
was deeply aware of the necessity for concentration of mind in prayer and
study, and for this reason took care not to go to excess either in watching or
in other spiritual exercises. Throughout the summer both she and all the
sisters under her rule went to rest after the midday meal, and she would never
give permission to any of them to stay up late, for she said that lack of sleep
dulled the mind, especially for study. When she lay down to rest, whether at
night or in the afternoon, she used to have the Sacred Scriptures read out at
her bedside, a duty which the younger nuns carried out in turn without
grumbling. It seems difficult to believe, but even when she seemed to be asleep
they could not skip over any word or syllable whilst they were reading without
her immediately correcting them. Those on whom this duty fell used afterwards
to confess that often when they saw her becoming drowsy they made a mistake on
purpose to see if she noticed it, but they were never able to escape
undetected. Yet it is not surprising that she could not be deceived even in her
sleep, since He who keeps watch over Israel and neither slumbers nor sleeps
possessed her heart, and she was able to say with the spouse in the Song of
Songs: " I sleep, but my heart watcheth."
She presened the virtue
of humility with such care that, though she had been appointed to govern others
because of her holiness and wisdom, she believed in her heart that she was the
least of all This she showed both in her speech and behaviour. She was
extremely hospitable. She kept open house for all without exception, and even
when she was fasting gave banquets and washed the feet of the guests with her
own hands, at once the guardian and the minister of the practice instituted by
our Lord.
Whilst the virgin of
Christ was acting in this way and attracting to herself everyone's affection,
the devil, who is the foe of all Christians, viewed with impatience her own
great virtue and the progress made by her disciples. He therefore attacked them
constantly with evil thoughts and temptations of the flesh, trying to turn some
of them aside from the path they had chosen. But when he saw that all his
efforts were brought to nought by their prayers, fasting and chaste lives, the
wily tempter turned his attention to other means, hoping at least to destroy
their good reputation, even if he could not break down their integrity by his
foul suggestions.
There was a certain poor
little crippled girl, who sat near the gate of the monastery begging alms.
Every day she received her food from the abbess's table, her clothing from the
nuns and all other necessities from them; these were given to her from divine
charity. It happened that after some time, deceived by the suggestions of the
devil, she committed fornication, and when her appearance made it impossible
for her to conceal that she had conceived a child she covered up her guilt by
pretending to be ill. When her time came, she wrapped the child in swaddling
clothes and cast it at night into a pool by the river which flowed through that
place. In this way she added crime to crime, for she not only followed fleshly sin
by murder, but also combined murder with the poisoning of the water. When day
dawned, another woman came to draw water and, seeing the corpse of the child,
was struck with horror. Burning with womanly rage, she filled the whole village
with her uncontrollable cries and reproached the holy nuns with these indignant
words: " Oh, what a chaste community ! How admirable is the life of nuns,
who beneath their veils give birth to children and exercise at one and the same
time the function of mothers and priests, baptising those to whom they have
given birth. For, fellowcitizens, you have drawn off this water to make a
pool, not merely for the purpose of grinding corn, but unwittingly for a new
and unheard of kind of Baptism. Now go and ask those women, whom you compliment
by calling them virgins, to remove this corpse from the river and make it fit
for us to use again. Look for the one who is missing from the monastery and
then you will find out who is responsible for this crime." At these words
all the crowd was set in uproar and everybody, of whatever age or sex, ran in
one great mass to see what had happened. As soon as they saw the corpse they
denounced the crime and reviled the nuns. When the abbess heard the uproar and
learned what was afoot she called the nuns together, told them the reason, and
discovered that no one was absent except Agatha, who a few days before had been
summoned to her parents' house on urgent business: but she had gone with full
permission. A messenger was sent to her without delay to recall her to the
monastery, as Leoba could not endure the accusation of so great a crime to hang
over them. When Agatha returned and heard of the deed that was charged against
her she fell on her knees and gazed up to heaven, crying: " Almighty God,
who knowest all things before they come to pass, from whom nothing is hid and
who hast delivered Susanna from false accusations when she trusted in Thee,
show Thy mercy to this community gathered together in Thy name and let it not
be besmirched by filthy rumours on account of my sins; but do Thou deign to
unmask and make known for the praise and glory of Thy name the person who has
committed this misdeed."
On hearing this, the
venerable superior, being assured of her innocence, ordered them all to go to
the chapel and to stand with their arms extended in the form of a cross until
each one of them had sung through the whole psalter, then three times each day,
at Tierce, Sext and None, to go round the monastic buildings in procession with
the crucifix at their head, calling upon God to free them, in His mercy, from
this accusation. When they had done this and they were going into the church at
None, having completed two rounds, the blessed Leoba went straight to the altar
and, standing before the cross, which was being prepared for the third
procession, stretched out her hands towards heaven, and with tears and groans
prayed, saying: " O Lord Jesus Christ, King of virgins, Lover of chastity,
unconquerable God, manifest Thy power and deliver us from this charge, because
the reproaches of those who reproached Thee have fallen upon us."
Immediately after she had said this, that wretched little woman, the dupe and
the tool of the devil, seemed to be surrounded by flames, and, calling out the
name of the abbess, confessed to the crime she had committed. Then a great
shout rose to heaven: the vast crowd was astounded at the miracle, the nuns
began to weep with joy, and all of them with one voice gave expression to the
merits of Leoba and of Christ our Saviour.
So it came about that the
reputation of the nuns, which the devil had tried to ruin by his sinister
rumour, was greatly enhanced, and praise was showered on them in every place.
But the wretched woman did not deserve to escape scotfree and for the rest of
her life she remained in the power of the devil. Even before this God had
performed many miracles through Leoba, but they had been kept secret. This one
was her first in Germany and, because it was done in public, it came to the
ears of everyone.
On another occasion, when
she sat down as usual to give spiritual instruction to her disciples, a fire
broke out in a part of the village. As the houses have roofs of wood and
thatch, they were soon consumed by the flames, and the conflagration spread
with increasing rapidity towards the monastery, so that it threatened to
destroy not only the buildings but also the men and beasts. Then could be heard
the mingled shouts of the terrified villagers as they ran in a mob to the
abbess and begged her to avert the danger which threatened them. Unruffled and
with great self-control, she calmed their fears and, without being influenced
by their trust in her, ordered them to take a bucket and bring some water from
the upper part of the stream that flowed by the monastery. As soon as they had
brought it, she took some salt which had been blessed by St. Boniface and which
she always kept by her, and sprinkled it in the water. Then she said: " Go
and pour back this water into the river and then let all the people draw water
lower down the stream and throw it on the fire." After they had done this
the violence of the conflagration died down and the fire was extinguished just
as if a flood had fallen from the skies. So the buildings were saved. At this
miracle the whole crowd stood amazed and broke out into the praise of God, who
through the faith and prayers of his handmaid had delivered them so
extraordinarily from a terrible danger.
I think it should be
counted amongst her virtues also that one day, when a wild storm arose and the
whole sky was obscured by such dark clouds that day seemed turned into night,
terrible lightning and falling thunderbolts struck terror into the stoutest
hearts and everyone was shaking with fear. At first the people drove their
flocks into the houses for shelter so that they should not perish; then, when
the danger increased and threatened them all with death, they took refuge with
their wives and children in the church, despairing of their lives. They locked
all the doors and waited there trembling, thinking that the last judgment was
at hand. In this state of panic they filled the air with the din of their
mingled cries. Then the holy virgin went out to them and urged them all to have
patience. She promised them that no harm would come to them; and after
exhorting them to join with her in prayer, she fell prostrate at the foot of
the altar. In the meantime the storm raged, the roofs of the houses were torn
off by the violence of the wind, the ground shook with the repeated shocks of
the thunderbolts, and the thick darkness, intensified by the incessant flicker
of lightning which flashed through the windows, redoubled their terror. Then
the mob, unable to endure the suspense any longer, rushed to the altar to rouse
her from prayer and seek her protection. Thecla, her kinswoman, spoke to her
first, saying: " Beloved, all the hopes of these people lie in you: you
are their only support. Arise, then, and pray to the Mother of God, your
mistress, for us, that by her intercession we may be delivered from this fearful
storm." At these words Leoba rose up from prayer and as if she had been
challenged to a contest, flung off the cloak which she was wearing and boldly
opened the doors of the church. Standing on the threshold, she made a sign of
the cross, opposing to the fury of the storm the name of the High God. Then she
stretched out her hands towards heaven and three times invoked the mercy of
Christ, praying that through the intercession of Holy Mary, the Virgin, He
would quickly come to the help of His people. Suddenly God came to their aid.
The sound of thunder died away, the winds changed direction and dispersed the
heavy clouds, the darkness rolled back and the sun shone, bringing calm and
peace. Thus did divine power make manifest the merits of His handmaid. Unexpected
peace came to His people and fear was banished.
There was also another of
her deeds which everyone agrees was outstanding and memorable, and which I
think it would be wrong to pass over in silence. One of the sisters of the
monastery named Williswind, of excellent character and edifying conduct, was
attacked by a grave illness; she suffered from what the doctors call
haemorrhoids, and through loss of blood from her privy parts was racked by
severe pains of the bowel. As the ailment continued and increased from day to
day in severity, her strength ebbed away until she could neither turn over on
her side nor get out of bed and walk without leaning on someone else. When she
was no longer able to remain in the common dormitory of the monastery because
of the stench, her parents who lived close by asked and obtained permission for
her to be taken on a litter to their house across the river Tuberaha. Not long
afterwards, as the sickness gained hold, she rapidly drew near her end. As the
lower part of her body had lost all sense of feeling and she was barely able to
breathe, the abbess was asked by her parents not to come and visit the sick nun
but to pray to God for her happy decease. When Leoba came, she approached the
bed, now surrounded by a weeping throng of neighbours, and ordered the covering
to be removed, for the patient was already enveloped in a linen cloth, as
corpses usually are. When it was taken away she placed her hand on her breast
and said: " Cease your weeping, for her soul is still in her." Then
she sent to the monastery and ordered them to bring the little spoon which she
usually used at table; and when it was brought to her she blessed milk and
poured it drop by drop down the throat of the sick nun. At its touch, her
throat and vitals recovered; she moved her tongue to speak and began to look
round. Next day she had made such progress that she was able to take food, and
before the end of the week she walked on her own feet to the monastery, whence
she had previously been carried on a litter. She lived for several years
afterwards and remained in the service of God until the days of Lewis, King of
the Franks, always strong and healthy, even after the death of Leoba.
The people's faith was
stimulated by such tokens of holiness, and as religious feeling increased so
did contempt of the world. Many nobles and influential men gave their daughters
to God to live in the monastery in perpetual chastity; many widows also forsook
their homes, made vows of chastity and took the veil in the cloister. To all of
these the holy virgin pointed out both by word and example how to reach the
heights of perfection.
In the meantime, blessed
Boniface, the archbishop, was preparing to go to Frisia, having decided to
preach the Gospel to this people riddled with superstition and unbelief. He
summoned his disciple Lull to his presence (who was afterwards to succeed him
as bishop) and entrusted everything to his care, particularly impressing on him
a solicitude for the faithful, zeal for preaching the Gospel and the preservation
of the churches, which he had built in various places. Above all, he ordered
him to complete the building of the monastery of Fulda which he had begun to
construct in the wilderness of Bochonia, a work undertaken on the authority of
Pope Zacharias and with the support of Carloman, King of Austrasia. This he did
because the monks who lived there were poor and had no revenues and were forced
to live on the produce of their own manual labour. He commanded him also to
remove his body thither after his death. After giving these and other
instructions, he summoned Leoba to him and exhorted her not to abandon the
country of her adoption and not to grow weary of the life she had undertaken,
but rather to extend the scope of the good work she had begun. He said that no
consideration should be paid to her weakness and that she must not count the
long years that lay ahead of her; she must not count the spiritual life to be
hard nor the end difficult to attain, for the years of this life are short
compared to eternity, and the sufferings of this world are as nothing in
comparison with the glory that will be made manifest in the saints. He
commended her to Lull and to the senior monks of the monastery who were
present, admonishing them to care for her with reverence and respect and
reaffirming his wish that after his death her bones should be placed next to
his in the tomb, so that they who had served God during their lifetime with
equal sincerity and zeal should await together the day of resurrection.
After these words he gave
her his cowl and begged and pleaded with her not to leave her adopted land. And
so, when all necessary preparations had been made for the journey, he set out
for Frisia, where he won over a multitude of people to the faith of Christ and
ended his labours with a glorious martyrdom. His remains were transported to
Fulda and there, according to his previous wishes, he was laid to rest with
worthy tokens of respect.
The blessed virgin,
however, persevered unwaveringly in the work of God. She had no desire to gain
earthly possessions but only those of heaven, and she spent all her energies on
fulfilling her vows. Her wonderful reputation spread abroad and the fragrance
of her holiness and wisdom drew to her the affections of all. She was held in
veneration by all who knew her, even by kings. Pippin, King of the Franks, and
his sons Charles and Carloman treated her with profound respect, particularly
Charles, who, after the death of his father and brother, with whom he had
shared the throne for some years, took over the reins of government. He was a
man of truly Christian life, worthy of the power he wielded and by far the
bravest and wisest king that the Franks had produced His love for the Catholic
faith was so sincere that, though he governed all, he treated the servants and
handmaids of God with touching humility. Many times he summoned the holy virgin
to his court, received her with every mark of respect and loaded her with gifts
suitable to her station. Queen Hiltigard also revered her with a chaste
affection and loved her as her own soul. She would have liked her to remain
continually at her side so that she might progress in the spiritual life and
profit by her words and example. But Leoba detested the life at court like
poison. The princes loved her, the nobles received her, the bishops welcomed
her with joy. And because of her wide knowledge of the Scriptures and her
prudence in counsel they often discussed spiritual matters and ecclesiastical
discipline with her. But her deepest concern was the work she had set on foot.
She visited the various convents of nuns and, like a mistress of novices,
stimulated them to vie with one another in reaching perfection.
Sometimes she came to the
Monastery of Fulda to say her prayers, a privilege never granted to any woman
either before or since, because from the day that monks began to dwell there
entrance was always forbidden to women. Permission was only granted to her, for
the simple reason that the holy martyr St. Boniface had commended her to the
seniors of the monastery and because he had ordered her remains to be buried
there. The following regulations, however, were observed when she came there.
Her disciples and companions were left behind in a nearby cell and she entered
the monastery always in daylight, with one nun older than the rest; and after
she had finished her prayers and held a conversation with the brethren, she
returned towards nightfall to her disciples whom she had left behind in the
cell. When she was an old woman and became decrepit through age she put all the
convents under her care on a sound footing and then, on Bishop Lull's advice,
went to a place called Scoranesheim, four miles south of Mainz. There she took
up residence with some of her nuns and served God night and day in fasting and
prayer.
In the meantime, whilst
King Charles was staying in the palace at Aachen, Queen Hiltigard sent a
message to her begging her to come and visit her, if it were not too difficult,
because she longed to see her before she passed from this life. And although
Leoba was not at all pleased, she agreed to go for the sake of their
long-standing friendship. Accordingly she went and was received by the queen
with her usual warm welcome. But as soon as Leoba heard the reason for the
invitation she asked permission to return home. And when the queen importuned
her to stay a few days longer she refused; but, embracing her friend rather
more affectionately than usual, she kissed her on the mouth, the forehead and
the eyes and took leave of her with these words. "Farewell for evermore,
my dearly beloved lady and sister; farewell most precious half of my soul. May
Christ our Creator and Redeemer grant that we shall meet again without shame on
the day of judgment. Never more on this earth shall we enjoy each other's
presence."
So she returned to the
convent, and after a few days she was stricken down by sickness and was
confined to her bed. When she saw that her ailment was growing worse and that
the hour of her death was near she sent for a saintly English priest named
Torhthat, who had always been at her side and ministered to her with respect
and love, and received from him the viaticum of the body and blood of Christ.
Then she put off this earthly garment and gave back her soul joyfully to her
Creator, clean and undefiled as she had received it from Him. She died in the
month of September, the fourth of the kalends of October. Her body, followed by
a long cortege of noble persons, was carried by the monks of Fulda to their
monastery with every mark of respect Thus the seniors there remembered what St.
Boniface had said; namely, that it was his last wish that her remains should be
placed next to his bones. But because they were afraid to open the tomb of the
blessed martyr, they discussed the matter and decided to bury her on the north
side of the altar which the martyr St. Boniface had himself erected and
consecrated in honour of our Saviour and the twelve Apostles.
After some years, when
the church had grown too small and was being prepared by its rectors for a future
consecration, Abbot Eigil, with permission of Archbishop Heistulf, transferred
her bones and placed them in the west porch near the shrine of St. Ignatius the
martyr, where, encased in a tomb, they rest glorious with miracles. For many
who have approached her tomb full of faith have many times received divine
favours. Some of these which occur to me at the moment I will set down plainly
and truthfully for my readers.
A certain man had his arms so tightly bound by iron rings that the iron was almost covered by the bare flesh that grew up around it on either side. One of these had already come off one arm and had left a deep scar that was plain to see. This man came to the church and went round the shrines of the saints, praying at each altar. When he reached the tomb of the holy virgin Leoba and began to pray some hidden force expanded the iron ring and, breaking the clamps, cast it from his arm, leaving it all bloody. With joy and gladness he gave thanks to God, because by the merits of the blessed nun he, who until that moment had been bound in fetters on account of his sins, was released.
There was another man
from Spain, who for his sins was so afflicted that he twitched most horribly in
all his limbs. According to his own account he contracted this infirmity
through bathing in the river Ebro. And because he could not bear his deformity
to be seen by his fellowcitizens he wandered about from shrine to shrine,
wherever he had a mind to go. After travelling the length of France and Italy,
he came to Germany. When he had visited several monasteries to pray there, he
came to Fulda, where he was received into the pilgrim's hospice. He stayed
three days there, going into the church and praying that God would be appeased
and restore him to his former state of health. When he entered the chapel on
the third day and had gone from altar to altar praying, he automatically came
to the shrine of the holy virgin. He ended his prayer there and then went down
to the western crypt above which the body of the holy martyr Boniface lies at
rest. Prostrate in prayer, he lay like one asleep, but not twitching as he
usually did when he slept. A saintly monk and priest named Firmandus, who used
to sit there because he had an infirmity which prevented him from standing,
noticed this and was struck with astonishment. He ordered those who wished to
lift him not to touch him, but rather to wait to see what would happen.
Suddenly the man got up and, because he was cured, he did not twitch. On being
questioned by the priest, who, as an Italian, understood his language, he said
that he had had an ecstasy in which he saw a venerable old man, vested in a
bishop's stole, accompanied by a young woman in a nun s habit, who had taken
him by the hand, lifted him up and presented him to the bishop for his
blessing. When the bishop had made the sign of the cross on his breast an inkyblack
bird like a raven had flown out of his bosom and through the hood of his tunic;
as soon as it alighted on the ground it changed into a hen and then transformed
itself into the shape of a very ugly and horrible little man, who emerged from
the crypt by the steps of the north entrance. No Christian man can doubt that
he was restored to health through the prayers of the holy virgin and the merits
of the blessed martyr. These two, though they do not share a tomb, yet lie in
one place and never fail to look on those who seek their intercession with the
same kindliness now they are in glory as they did when they lived on earth and
showed pity and compassion on the wretched.
Many other marvels did
God perform through the prayers of the holy virgin, but I will not mention them
lest by prolonging my story I inflict tedium on the reader. But I recall these
two, because several of the brethren who are still alive have borne witness in
words that are not lightly to be disregarded that they saw them. I also was
present when they occurred. I write this, then, for the praise and glory of the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who glorifies those who glorify him and who
grants to those who serve Him not only the kingdom of heaven but also in this
world nobility and honour. To whom be glory with the Father and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever, Amen.
Source:
C. H. Talbot, The
Anglo-Saxon Missionaries in Germany, Being the Lives of SS. Willibrord,
Boniface, Leoba and Lebuin together with the Hodoepericon of St.
Willibald and a selection from the correspondence of St. Boniface, (London and
New York: Sheed and Ward, 1954)
The Latin Life of
Leoba was first published in 1574:-
Surius, De Probatis
Sanctorum Historiis, (Cologne: 1574), Vol. V, pp. 396-406.
The best edition is in:-
Monumenta Germaniae
Historicae, Scriptores, ed. Waitz, (Hanover: 1887), Vol. XV, I, pp. 127-131.
Although Talbot's was the
first full English translation, much of it was translated in:-
Serenus
Cressy, Church History of Brittany, Bk, 24, 4 (Rouen: 1668, microfilm:
Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 137:9)
There is also a version
as:-
"Life of
Leoba," edited by Dorothy Whitelock in English Historical Documents,
Vol I: c.500-1042, Second Edition (London: Methuen, 1955), pp.
719-722.
See also:
Stephanie
Hollis, Anglo-Saxon Women and the Church, (Woodbridge, Suffolk [UK] ;
Rochester, NY, USA : Boydell Press, 1992.1992)
Jo Ann McNamara et al.,
eds., Sainted Women of the Dark Ages, (Durham N.C.: Duke University Press,
1992), for 17 more lives of women saints between fifth and seventh centuries.
The copyright status of
this text has been checked carefully. The situation is complicated, but in sum
is as follows. The book was published in 1954 by Sheed & Ward, apparently
simultaneously, in both London and New York. The American-printed edition
simply gave 'New York' as place of publication, the British-printed edition
gave 'London and New York'. Copyright was not renewed in 1982 or 1983, as
required by US Law. The recent GATT treaty (1995?) restored copyright to
foreign publications which had entered US public domain simply because
copyright had not be renewed in accordance with US law. This GATT provision
does not seem to apply to this text because it was published simultaneously in
the US and Britain by a publisher operating in both countries (a situation
specifically addressed in the GATT regulations). Thus, while still under copyright
protection in much of the world, the text remains in the US public domain.
Some years ago, a
collection of such hagiographical texts, including some texts from Talbot, was
published:-
Thomas F.X. Noble and
Thomas Head, Soldiers of Christ: Saint and Saints' Lives from Late
Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, (University Park, PA: Pennsylvania State
University Press, 1995).
Soldiers of
Christ uses, among others, the Talbot translated texts, but is much
improved by additional notes by the two editors, and by new translations of
some parts. Readers from outside the US should consult this volume, and readers
in the US would find it profitable to do so.
This text is part of
the Internet
Medieval Source Book. The Sourcebook is a collection of public domain and
copy-permitted texts related to medieval and Byzantine history.
Unless otherwise
indicated the specific electronic form of the document is copyright. Permission
is granted for electronic copying, distribution in print form for educational
purposes and personal use. If you do reduplicate the document, indicate the
source. No permission is granted for commercial use.
© Paul Halsall June 1997
SOURCE : http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/basis/leoba.asp
St. Lioba an der Merzhauser St. Galluskirche
Catholic
Truth Society of London – Saint Lioba
Her birth and early
consecration to God.
Saint Lioba belonged to
that noble band of Anglo-Saxon women who, in the seventh and eighth centuries,
took so large a share in the propagation of the Faith in heathen lands. Burning
with the same enthusiasm and animated with the same virtues as their brother
missionaries, they sometimes even excelled them in the patience and heroism
with which they bore fatigue and hardship. The self-sacrifice and devotedness
requisite for so arduous a vocation were unknown qualities among the heathen,
but the Saxon women, penetrated with the true Christian spirit, gladly came
forward to take part in so great a work. Every rank of society was represented,
ladies of noble rank being especially conspicuous by their number and by the
zeal which made them brave all the dangers incumbent on such an enterprise.
They were eager to carry the light of the Cross from their own English homes
into lands still wrapped in the darkness of paganism; and scarcely was the
Faith established in this country when Saxon missionaries set out for Germany
to bear into that land the glad tidings of salvation.
The most famous among
these missionaries was Boniface, who justly bears the title of Apostle of
Germany, and who laboured with untiring zeal in preaching the gospel and in
paving the way for civilization and culture.
Lioba, animated by her
lively faith and deeply moved by his noble example, earnestly desired to take
part in his great work. She was one of those pure and gifted souls endowed with
wonderful strength of purpose, uniting, as we shall see later, the power of a
man’s mind to the tenderness of a woman’s heart. At the time of her birth, the
beginning of the eighth century, religion was everywhere most flourishing.
Kemble, in his work, The Saxons in England, tells us that nowhere had Christianity
made so deep and lasting an impression as in England, for we find not only the
noblest of the land among the bishops and archbishops, but even warlike kings
willingly renounced all worldly grandeur, and, laying aside their crowns,
either retired into monasteries or \vent as pilgrims to the tombs of the
Apostles. Then, too, might be seen princesses and noble ladies making choice of
the religious state, founding monasteries, and leading many souls to God by the
path of self-renunciation. Men of noble birth seemed to find no rest until they
had carried the tidings of salvation to distant and savage races; they hungered
and thirsted for a life of self-sacrifice and the crown of martyrdom itself. It
was a sublime and extraordinary spectacle, which compels us to believe in the
deep, earnest, conscientious spirit of religious fidelity which then
characterized the Anglo-Saxon race. The same author numbers thirty Saxon kings
and queens who, in the course of two centuries, laid aside their crowns that
they might devote themselves undisturbed to a holy and spiritual life. Many of
these were ranked amongst the Saints, and crow r ds of holy missionaries went
forth from England to evangelize Holland, Germany, and Scandinavia.
England was then divided
into seven kingdoms known as the Heptarchy. Saint Lioba’s parents dwelt in
Wessex, or the kingdom of the West Saxons. This province was divided into two
large dioceses, one governed by Daniel, Bishop of Winchester, the other by
Saint Aldhelm, Bishop of Sherborne, Nowhere in the land was religious life more
flourishing; the two most famous monasteries being those of Glastonbury, whose
foundation tradition ascribed to Saint Joseph of Arimathea, and Wimborne, a
double monastery for monks and nuns. Ina was the reigning king, who, to satisfy
his ever-increasing desire for holiness, at length forsook his throne and went
on a pilgrimage to Rome, where he died.
Tinne and Ebba, Saint
Lioba’s father and mother, were both of noble Saxon race. Ebba was related to
Saint Boniface, but the old chroniclers do not say exactly in what degree. They
led holy and God-fearing lives, earnestly striving to keep the Commandments and
faithfully to fulfill all the duties of religion. For many years they were
childless, and at length, as old age crept upon them, they gave up all hope of
transmitting their name to posterity. And yet they never wearied in prayer,
imploring from God the fulfillment of their most cherished desire.
One morning Ebba awoke,
her mind tilled with a most wonderful vision which had been vouchsafed to her
in her sleep. She had dreamt that she carried in her breast a church bell, and
that, as she stretched out her hand to take hold of it, it rang out in sweet,
melodious chimes. Calling her faithful nurse, she told her of the dream; and
the aged slave, moved by a prophetic spirit, said to her, “You will give birth
to a daughter whom you must dedicate to the service of God.” Ebba promised to
make the sacrifice of her child, and soon after gave birth to a daughter, who
was baptized Truthgeba, but was always afterwards called Leobgytha or Lioba,
the beloved one,” because she was a special gift from God, and was so
universally beloved by all The good old nurse obtained her freedom as a reward
for the accomplishment of her prediction.
Ebba carefully nursed and
tended her child, but the thought of having to part with her only treasure was
a great trial to her; yet, mindful of her vow, she never wavered in her
resolution, and in due time she took this consecrated little one to the Abbess
Tetta to be instructed by her in the spiritual life and brought up in the Abbey
of Wimborne.
She enters the monastery
at Wimborne. Her education and character.
The nuns of the eighth
century, like those of our own day bound themselves by vow to a life separated
from the world a life of prayer and labour, which enabled them to raise their
hearts above the things of earth and seek those which are eternal. They renounced
all that they possessed, and led a life as austere as it was holy. The rules
followed by the Anglo-Saxon nuns of that period are remarkable for their
prudence, regularity, and austerity tempered by charity. An extract from one
which concerns the Abbess gives evidence of this; it runs thus:’s The Abbess
should be chosen rather on account of her holiness and wisdom than on account
of her nobility of birth. She must train all by her instructions, but must
never gainsay her teaching by her own conduct, for inferiors are more easily
led by example than by words. The spotlessness of her purity and her
self-denial should be so manifest as that all may look to her as their model.
Rich in love and goodness, may she rejoice the hearts of all the faithful, may she
be assiduous in her attention to strangers and guests, full of watchful care
for the sick and a generous benefactor to the poor. Yet she must so temper her
benevolence as not to countenance what is wrong by an exaggerated kindness. She
must punish the wayward according to those words of the Psalmist, Teach me, O
Lord, goodness, discipline, and knowledge. Abbess must ever remember that she
has as many characters to deal with as there are souls under her care, and must
have regard to the requirements of each’s &c.’s For those, who are placed
in a monastery to be educated, must be treated with loving affection and kept
under discipline. They must be imbued with a holy fear and love of God; they
must be instructed in the duties of religion, and must diligently learn in chi
hood what Willie useful to them in after years All these arrangements belong to
the Abbess for to her is entrusted, as the head of the family and the mother of
the community, the spiritual and temporal welfare of her children.”
Thus we see that
monasteries were the “nurseries” of religion, of sound education, and of
regular discipline, and the life of a nun was rightly regarded as one of very
real happiness. We need not, then, be surprised at Saint Lioba’s parents
consecrating her to God at such a tender age. In those days the highest
ambition of parents was to see their daughters “Godes Brydes”; and in order to
ensure this they gladly deprived them selves of the joy of their homes and the
support of their old age. Mindful of that saying of our Lord, “Suffer little
children to come unto Me,” they brought their children to Him while their
hearts were as yet untarnished by the world, and transplanted them as pure
white lilies under the safe shadow of the cloister.
The monastery of Wimborne
was situated on the Stour, in what is now the county of Dorset. It had been
built by King Ina and his sister Cuthberga, and was surrounded by a high wall.
In Lioba’s time it was governed by the Abbess Tetta, a lady of royal birth, who
was even more distinguished by her virtue than by the nobility of her race. She
ruled over her nuns with great wisdom and discretion, and inculcated true
perfection more by her example than by her words. Under her watchful care Lioba
grew up, and was trained by her in the spiritual life. Taken from the world
while yet so young, the child grew up happily ignorant of its dangers and
seductions, concentrating all her efforts on the one desire of her heart, which
was to become a worthy Spouse of Christ. Nature seems to have endowed her with
every virtue, which her life in the cloister served to develop and bring to
maturity. She had a tender piety, while at the same time her sweet humility and
gentle ways made her much beloved by all, and bore witness to the spotlessness
of her pure soul. She was so abstemious that even on festive occasions she
hardly relaxed her frugality. No labour seemed too hard or too coarse for her,
being mindful of the monastic axiom, “If a monk will not work, neither let him
eat,” while at the same time she diligently applied herself to her studies. She
studied Latin, and was able to read the Holy Scriptures and the writings of the
Fathers in that language. Her letters prove her well grounded in the Latin
tongue, and show how thoroughly she had mastered its difficulties.
Yet notwithstanding all
her gifts, both natural and spiritual, Lioba in her humility knew nothing of
her own virtues, she only saw and thought of those of her sisters, and was
always striving to imitate what she saw in others, being eager to learn and to
be taught by all.
One night she had a dream
in which it seemed to her that a flame-coloured thread was growing out of her
mouth, and that when she tried to remove it, more and more came forth, as it
were, from her inmost heart. As the rich silken thread began to fill her hand
she wound it into a ball which grew larger and larger, until she became weary
of winding it and fell asleep from sheer exhaustion and anxiety.
The vision was so deeply
impressed on her memory that she could not forget it. It became a continual
weight on her mind, for she felt that some mystery regarding herself lay
concealed in that dream, yet in vain did she try to fathom it. There was at
that time living in the monastery an aged nun remarkable for the prophetic
spirit with which God had favoured her, and very highly esteemed by all. Lioba
thought of un burdening her heart to this holy religious and seeking from her
the real meaning of her strange dream; but natural timidity held her back, and
she begged one of the other sisters to go to the nun in question and relate to
her the vision as though it had happened to herself and ask for an explanation.
The sister complied with Lioba’s request; but when she had given all the
details of the dream as though relating to herself, her listener replied in a
severe tone: “The vision is indeed a true one and betokens a future good; but
why have you lied to me, saying you yourself saw the wonder? It does not refer
to you, but to God’s beloved one’s (referring to her name, Lioba.” This vision
was vouchsafed to her on account of her sanctity and wisdom. She will be a help
to many, both by the example of her life and by her teaching. The thread which
issued from her heart through her mouth betokens the wisdom of her learning,
which manifests itself in her exhortations to perfection. The filling of her
hand with the thread denotes that whatever she teaches by words, she her self
practices by her deeds. Finally, the ball which Lioba wound, and which in
consequence of the round shape could be rolled, signifies the mystery of the
divine Word, which is at one time diffused over the world in the active life;
at another it is exalted on high in the contemplative; while again it urges to
suffering for the sake of others, and by means of love causes souls to soar on
high to heavenly things. God has revealed by this sign that Lioba will profit
many in the world by her words and example not, however, here, but in the far
distant land and among another nation will she dwell until her death.”
Her profession. Saint Boniface.
Faithful to the vocation
for which her parents had destined her, Lioba, throughout her childhood and
youth, bore ever in mind that day so ardently longed for when, having reached
the age required by the Church, 1 she might pronounce her sacred vows and
receive from the Bishop the veil of a Spouse of Christ. In England, as
everywhere else under the ancient discipline, it was the Bishop alone who had
the right to receive the vows of a virgin and to consecrate her solemnly to
God.
The morning of her bridal
day, so long desired, dawned at last for Lioba. The ceremony began by the
Bishop blessing the black habit which she was hence forth to wear as her only
adornment. It was put on in a private room, and then the novice returned to the
church, and standing before the altar pronounced her sacred vows, and received
the veil from the hands of the Bishop. The prayers used on this solemn occasion
have been preserved to us in the Pontifical of Egbert, Archbishop of York, and
in an Anglo-Saxon manuscript found in the Abbey of Jumieges. They are too long
to be inserted here, but in several places are identical with the ancient rite
for the Consecration of Virgins still in use in many Benedictine monasteries at
the profession of nuns.
After the prayers
followed a long blessing, which almost assumed the form of a litany, as the
bystanders united in saying aloud’s Amen’s after each petition, earnestly
begging of God to grant every grace and blessing to the newly professed
religious.
The ceremony was over,
and the echoes of the last Amen had died away, but a new life had begun for
Lioba now that she was bound for ever to her divine Spouse. From that time
forth she gave herself no rest; with burning zeal she strove unceasingly after
higher perfection, and the fame of her piety and learning spread far and wide
beyond the walls of her monastery.
Shortly before this time
Saint Boniface, who was, as we have already seen, a kinsman of Lioba’s, and
like her a native of Wessex, had been consecrated Bishop in the year 723 by
Pope Gregory II, and sent back to Germany as an “Episcopus regionarius,” or
Bishop without a fixed see, to preach the gospel to the multitudes as yet
plunged in the darkness of heathenism. The whole life of this great Saint was
one of prayer and labour; strengthened for his labours by prayer, and spending
himself for his divine Master with inde fatigable zeal; while he longed for the
martyr’s crown which he knew would one day be given to him in reward for his
fidelity in combating evil wherever he found it, either in heathen lands or
among Christians unworthy of the name.
Saint Boniface and his
apostolic work naturally excited great interest among the religious communities
in England, and especially at Wimborne, where he was well known and had many
friends and relations. Lioba, above all, was deeply moved by the accounts of
his labours and the wonders wrought by him, and at length ventured to address
to him the following letter:
“To the Reverend Lord and
Bishop, Boniface.
“Lioba, the last of
Christ’s handmaids, sends the immortal greeting of salvation to Boniface her
most beloved in Christ, to him who is adorned with the highest dignity of our
Lord and bound to her by the ties of kindred.
“I beg your Lordship will
deign to remember your early friendship with my father Tinne, an inhabitant of
Wessex, who has now been dead eight years, for whose soul I beseech your
intercession with God. I also recommend to you my mother Ebba, who, as you
know, is bound to you by ties of kindred. Her life is passed in suffering, and
she has, for a long time, been bowed down by the weight of corporal
infirmities. I am her only child and would fain be allowed, though unworthy, to
look on you as a brother in whom I have more confidence than in any other of my
kindred. I send you this little -gift, not that it is worthy of your favour,
but that thereby you may ever bear in mind my lowliness, and that distance of
place may not obliterate me from your memory. Much more earnestly do I wish
that this token may draw closer the bond of true love and that it may endure
for ever. I beseech you, beloved brother, to aid me with the shield of your
prayers that I may fight against the assaults of the hidden enemy. I would ask
you also to deign to correct this unlearned letter and not to refuse to send me
a few kind words, which I ardently long for as a proof of your favour. I have
endeavoured to compose the following verses according to the rules of poetical
metre, though I have little reliance on my skill and only desire to exercise my
poetical vein, as yet very weak, showing that in this also I have need of your
direction. I have learnt the art from Eadburga, who never ceases to meditate
upon God’s holy law. Farewell May you live long and be happy and pray for me
always.” (Then follow four lines of Latin verse.)
We find no further
mention made of the little gift sent with this letter; probably it was some
piece of embroidery worked by herself, by means of which she could prove the
sincerity of her feelings even better than by her words. Saint Boniface responded
very heartily to Lioba’s appeal, and a familiar correspondence was opened
between them; but this is the only letter of hers which has been preserved.
She goes to Germany and
is placed over the Abbey of Bischofsheim.
As years went on, in
order to complete the conversion and civilization of Germany, Saint Boniface
determined to invite some nuns to come from England to establish themselves in
various parts of the country and provide for the education of their own sex.
His thoughts naturally turned to Lioba, whom he knew by her letters, and the
fame of whose wisdom and learning had long since reached him. He felt, with
reason, that a soul endowed with strength of purpose such as he knew her to
possess would be eminently qualified for the task he had in store for her. He
therefore addressed a letter to the Abbess Tetta, about the year 748, ear
nestly entreating her to send Lioba to Germany to be a consolation to him in
his pilgrimage, and a help to him in his labours, adding that her learning and
virtues were well known to him.
It was a bold request to
make, and Tetta may well have hesitated to comply with the desire of the holy
Bishop, for the design seemed fraught with innumerable difficulties. It
required heroic faith and confidence in God to part with her cherished child,
to send Lioba into a half-civilized country for a new foundation in a place
where she would often have no one to turn to for guidance, as Boniface would
only be able to pay her very rare visits to let her go forth from the shadow of
her peaceful cloister to brave the clangers of such a journey and the
difficulties inherent to such an under taking. Yet Tetta did not shrink,
neither did Lioba, nor the companions who volunteered to accompany her, and
with unflinching courage they now left their country at the voice of God as
heretofore they had left their parents homes.
The little band of
missionaries numbered about thirty in all; among them were Saint Walburga and
Saint Thecla, destined for other foundations in the same country. It was a long
and tedious journey, and we who live in the days of steamboats and trains can
scarcely realize what it meant to cross the sea in rough sailing vessels, to
travel on foot or on horseback over bad roads, braving the inclemency of the
weather and the very doubtful accommodation which the inns might afford to
ladies, all delicately nurtured and unaccustomed to long journeys. They had a
very stormy journey before they arrived at Antwerp, where they rested some days
before proceeding to Mayence. There they were met with every token of respect
and affection by Boniface. Closer acquaintance confirmed the high opinion he
had formed of Lioba, and he congratulated himself on the treasure which he had
obtained, and promised himself great results from the prayers and example of
her and her nuns. He had already prepared a monastery for her reception at
Bischofsheim, and very soon she was duly installed there.
Pepin le Bref, the father
of Charlemagne, then ruled over that portion of Germany, and did all he could
to second the efforts of Saint Boniface for the spread of Faith among his
subjects. As the field of his labours increased Boniface found it necessary to
subdivide the archdiocese, which had now grown too large for one Bishop to
administer, and he erected the four bishoprics of Wurtzburg, Eichstedt of which
Saint Willibald was named Bishop Erfurt, and Ratisbon. Bischofsheim, when Saint
Lioba arrived, belonged to the diocese of Wurtzburg, but was afterwards
attached to the arch diocese. The monastery, of which no trace now remains, was
so situated that the river Tauber, after running through a deep and narrow
valley, passed through the grounds of the Abbey, and, besides supply ing it
with abundance of water, turned the mill for the nuns.
With the exception of a
few cottages, which formed what we should now call the village, the surrounding
country was for the most part wild and uncultivated and very thickly wooded.
Very soon after her
arrival a large number of young maidens had collected at Bischofsheim under the
motherly care of Lioba, who devoted herself to their training with ardent love
and zeal, and, assisted by those companions who had accompanied her from
Wimborne, she soon succeeded in carrying out the regular observance of the Rule
of Saint Benedict in her new foundation.
Her Life at Bischofsheim.
Rudolph of Fulda, Saint
Lioba’s biographer, has left us a simple but touching sketch of our Saint,
which gives us an insight into her life and characteristics as Abbess of
Bischofsheim. He writes as follows: “A numerous band of God’s handmaids was
there assembled together led in the paths of heavenly wisdom by Lioba’s
example, and so fashioned under her guidance that many became teachers in their
turn. Indeed, in that country there was hardly a monastery of nuns who did not
solicit Lioba for her pupils to be their teachers. She was endowed with such
high virtue, and animated with such courage and strength of purpose in the
performance of her duty, that she never seemed to give a thought to the country
and to the dearly-loved ones whom she had left behind. She put forth all her
energy to the work which she had in hand, and endeavoured always so to act that
she might be acceptable to God and an example to her sisters, never teaching
them what she did not herself practise. There was nothing of arrogance in her
behaviour, nothing of bitterness in her words, but she showed herself kind and
affable to all. Her beauty was remarkable, her countenance truly angelic,
always sweet and joyful, though she was never known to indulge in laughter. No
one ever saw her angry, or heard her say an uncharitable word. She was patient,
boundless in charity, and admirable in her understanding. With regard to food,
she was always most liberal to others, yet she ate and drank but sparingly
herself, as we know from her cup, which, from its diminutive size, her sisters
were wont playfully to call dilcdiv pawns, or the little cup of the beloved
one.”
Of her studious habits at
Wimborne we have already spoken. At Bischofsheim these were by no means abated,
in spite of the press of work entailed by her position as Abbess, so that
except when engaged in prayer she was generally to be found with a book in her
hands. Instructed from her youth in grammar, poetry, and the liberal arts, she
had by her assiduous reading so increased the treasures of her learning that
she had committed to memory a great part of the Old and New Testament, and she
was familiar with the writings of the Fathers and with the decrees and canons
of the Church.
She always insisted that
her nuns should take the siesta, or mid-day repose mentioned in the Rule of
Saint Benedict, alleging that want of sleep and indiscreet austerities tend to
blunt the mind and incapacitate it for study. But when she herself lay down to
rest she would call one of the novices to read aloud the Holy Scriptures by her
couch, and though she appeared to be sleeping, no word could be omitted or
mispronounced without her noticing it. Those whose privilege it was thus to
read to her would often relate how, when their mother seemed sleeping, they
would purposely make a fault in the reading, but immediately she would open her
eyes and correct the mistake. Truly, like the Spouse who dwelt in her heart,
she “neither slum bered nor slept,” and with Him she could say, “I sleep, but
my heart watcheth.”
Yet, with all her
learning, Lioba was so humble and modest that she ever sought to be regarded as
the least in the house. She often acknowledged herself as such, and proved the
genuineness of her humility by the lowliness of her deportment in all her
dealings with others. Her hospitality was truly Benedictine, her monastery was
a shelter for all who needed it without distinction of person; while with her
own hands she would pre pare food for strangers and the poor, and tenderly wash
and kiss their feet.
Lioba was now in the
prime of life of firm and vigorous mind; indeed, to govern so young and so
large a community, to make a new foundation in a recently converted but
half-civilized nation, to train these people in a life so utterly strange to
them, to keep in check their naturally strong passions and impetuous
characters, unused to the restraint of monastic discipline, sufficiently speaks
for her powers of government and of winning souls to God. Lioba governed with a
strong hand, yet she made it her chief care to instill into her dealings with
her religious a spirit of maternal love and forbearance.
Rudolf, in his preface to
her Life, says: “I myself did not know of all her good deeds, but some which I
have related were imparted to me by venerable men who in their turn had learnt
them from four of Lioba’s pupils, viz., Agatha, Thecla, Nana, and Eolioba.”
Rudolph also gives us
some details about the daily life at Bischofsheim. Useless conversations were
never allowed, but the Abbess used to devote two hours each day to see any of
the nuns in private who might need help, reprehension, or advice. Silence was
everywhere carefully observed, especially in the refectory, except on certain
great Feasts. Their food was very simple, consisting of only two dishes and
some fruit. Their drink consisted of water or a kind of mead made in the
monastery. The cellarer superintended the religious engaged in the kitchen or
bake-house; all the duties there were taken by each sister in turn for a week
at a time. They were engaged in manual labour every day, with the exception of
Sundays and Feasts, when more leisure was given for prayer and reading. A
certain fixed time was daily appointed for needlework, when all worked in common,
while the Holy Scriptures were read aloud. Special care was bestowed on the
sick; not only on the religious them selves, but also on the sick and aged poor
of the neighbourhood, who always received a loving welcome in the monastery;
for Lioba bore in mind the precept of the Rule which ordains that’s every care
is to be taken of the sick, so that they be served in very deed as Christ
Himself, who has said, I was sick and you visited Me; and, What ye did to one
of these My least brethren, ye did unto Me.”
Such was the exterior
training of the nuns of Bischofsheim; with regard to their intellectual
acquirements they were very highly educated. They were taught to write and
speak in Latin; they studied grammar, rhetoric, and philosophy; and we are told
that they applied themselves to the transcription of books with wonderful
industry. This assiduous study was well calculated to enlarge and strengthen
the mental capabilities of the more highly talented, and we read that the
Anglo-Saxon nuns then settled in Germany were renowned for their literary
tastes. We must at the same time remember that literature in those days was of
a very deep and solid character. There was no light reading: transcripts of the
Gospels, of the Psalter, and even of the entire Scriptures multiplied in their
silent Scriptoriums; some being wonderfully adorned with illuminations and
their bindings studded with gems. We are told how, on one occasion, Saint
Boniface asked the nuns to make him a copy of the Epistles of Saint Paul in
letters of gold so as to inspire his neophytes with greater reverence for the
Holy Scriptures. It was no empty praise which Mabillon gave to the English nuns
of that period when he styled them the “peculiar glory of the Benedictine
Order.”
With regard to their
interior life, their life of prayer, their daily tribute of praise to God, we
have said nothing; yet the great work of their life was the divine Office, and
union with God by means of holy contemplation was the aim of those who, in
those days as now, bore the very name of Contemplatives. Thus the first and
principal place in the time of the nuns was occupied by prayer and by the
solemn and continual celebration of the monastic liturgy. We read that at
Wimborne five hundred nuns were always present at the night Office. At
Bischofsheim, of course, the numbers were nothing like so great; but the
fervour of their prayers pleaded powerfully before the throne of God and
brought down from heaven countless graces upon the missionaries, in whose work
they were silently yet efficaciously co-operating.
Thus, under Lioba’s firm
but gentle rule, the nuns lived sweetly and peacefully together; the virtues of
the mother urging on the daughters to imitate her, and banishing pride,
jealousy, and disobedience from the house of God.
Troubles at Bischofsheim.
The power of her prayers.
The days at Bischofsheim
passed quietly away with their regular round of prayer, reading, study, and
labour, and maybe the nuns felt that they were en joying the hundredfold reward
of the double sacrifice they- had made for their Divine Spouse. Yet Satan never
wearies, and he was cunningly preparing a shaft to aim at their reputation and
to destroy if possible their peace of mind. The foul breath of calumny had
never as yet troubled Lioba’s pure soul, but it is the crucible through which
all the Saints have passed, and now she was to undergo the ordeal and pass
through it unharmed. None the less was it a most grievous trial for the
community at Bischofsheim. Rudolph of Fulda gives the incident as follows:
There was at Bischofsheim
a poor beggar who through weakness and ill-health was scarcely able to drag
herself about. She came constantly to the Abbey for alms, and daily received
food, besides clothes and anything else she might want. Unfortunately, through
the malice of the devil, the woman was tempted to drown her infant and to throw
the body into the river where it ran through the monastery grounds. When the
dead body was found suspicion immediately fell upon the nuns and caused great
scandal and dis turbance in the neighbourhood. When Lioba heard the news she
did not give way to sadness or grief at the false accusation, but assembled all
her community in the church, and they remained some time in silent prayer
before the altar. Then Lioba had the entire Psalter recited aloud, the nuns
kneeling meanwhile with outstretched arms to implore the mercy of God. When
this was finished she ordered three solemn processions to be made after Terce,
Sext, and None, during which the Litanies were to be chanted. Twice the procession
had been duly made, and the nuns were preparing again to follow the crucifix
borne aloft for the third time when the guilty woman impelled, as it were, by
an invisible hand, made her way to the Abbess’s side and there loudly
proclaimed herself the culprit and acknowledged her sin. The people were filled
with admiration at this manifestation of divine power, while the nuns wept for
joy, praising God’s goodness and Lioba’s virtue. Thus it came to pass that her
fame, which Satan had tried to injure, was by this very means spread abroad
with greater lustre.
Let us now turn to some
more pleasing incidents showing the great power of her intercession with God.
On one occasion while she was giving a spiritual conference to the nuns a fire
broke out in the village, which quickly spread and destroyed the thatched
cottages. The villagers had no means of arresting the flames, which soon
threatened the monastery buildings, and the farm servants and the animals were
in imminent peril. The terrified people, with cries of distress, hastened to
Lioba, imploring her to avert the danger by her prayers. In the face of this
peril the saintly Abbess’s implicit trust in God was made manifest, and while
the panic-stricken crowd hastened hither and thither and the wildest confusion
reigned she remained calm and self-possessed. She caused a vessel of holy water
to be brought to her, in which she mixed some salt which the holy Bishop
Boniface had blessed. Then with unshaken confidence inspired by her lively
faith she desired that the water should be thrown on the flames. At once the
fury of the conflagration abated and the monastery was saved.
Another time a terrific
thunderstorm was raging, the lightning flashed, the wind howled, all the
elements seemed “let loose, while darkness added to the alarm which prevailed.
The farmers hastened to fetch in their flocks to save them from destruction,
but as the storm increased in fury the people seemed beside them selves with
terror. They rushed from their cottages and fled as fast as they could in the
darkness and tempest to the monastery their only hope in Lioba’s prayers. They
crowded into the church, where they found her and her nuns, and the holy Abbess
exhorted them to be calm and to put their trust in God. Mean while she
prostrated herself at the foot of the altar in earnest prayer. But a tremendous
clap of thunder shook the building to its very foundations, and every one
believed that the next shock would bring it to the ground. The people could not
contain their dread any longer; they flocked round Lioba begging her to rise
and save them, as though she alone was able to ward off the danger. Then her
cousin Thecla said to her, “Mother, dear mother, all these poor people look to
you for help, will you not rise and implore your Patroness, Our Blessed Lady,
to save us from this tempest?’s At these words Lioba arose and walked down the
church to the door, which she opened, and bravely crossing the threshold made
the sign of the saving cross in the air, invoking three times the mercy of God,
that, for the sake of His blessed Mother Mary, He would deign to protect them
against the violence of the storm. Her prayer took instantaneous effect, and to
the amazement of all present a great calm ensued.
There is another
remarkable miracle related biographer which illustrates her supernatural power
of healing the sick. One of her nuns named Willeswind, who was especially
beloved by her for her many virtues and edifying life, was suffering from a
very grievous sickness. Her condition became at length so pitiable that her
parents, in hope of obtaining some alleviate for her, asked and obtained leave
to have her home for a time. But instead of growing better at home: became
daily worse, and as she seemed on the verge of death her unhappy parents sent
to Lioba to implore her prayers that their daughter might die peacefully. When
the saintly Abbess heard of the danger ot her child she hastened to her bedside
to help and console her. When she arrived she found the relations and friends
weeping round the death-bed; the poor child > face was already covered with
a cloth, for she was thought to be dead. Lioba quickly removed the cloth, and
turning to the bystanders she said,’s She- dead; weep not.” Then she sent for
some milk, and having blessed it she took her own little spoon and poured a few
drops between the lips of the invalid. Willeswind opened her eyes, awakening as
it were from a deep sleep, and recognizing Lioba called her by her name. She
soon was so far recovered as to t able to return to the monastery. She survived
Lioba many years, serving God faithfully, and ended her life in a convent in
Thuringia during the reign of Louis le Debonnaire, third son of Charlemagne,
about the year 815.
Her correspondence with
Saint Boniface, His martyrdom.
It is not difficult for
us to picture to ourselves the holy love and mutual esteem which existed
between the two Saints, Boniface and Lioba. Boniface was Lioba’s mainstay, her
spiritual father and guide, the one to whom she could turn in all her
difficulties and doubts, one on whom she could lean in those early days, when
as Abbess she may perhaps have felt keenly her inexperience in the guidance of
souls of a different race and temperament from those she had been accustomed to
live with. He entered into all her trials, and realizing fully the difficulty
of her task, she was the one woman whom he permitted to visit him in his
monastery at Fulda. There were four hundred monks in this famous monastery,
founded by Saint Boniface, following the Rule of Saint Benedict with great
exactness, and most zealous in God’s service.
Boniface, in his turn,
was often consoled by Lioba and helped by her prayers. In the many
disappointments and apparent failures of a missionary, he found always in Lioba
a comforter and sympathizer to whom he could from time to time unburden his
heart. There is a beautiful letter still preserved which he wrote to her and
her community, showing how he looked to them to obtain for him from God courage
and perseverance in his arduous labours for the conversion of souls. It runs as
follows:
“I send a greeting of
everlasting love to the reverend and most dear Sisters Lioba, Thecla, Cynehild,
and all who dwell together with you.
“I conjure and exhort you
as my dearest children to continue your prayers on my behalf that, as the
Apostle says, We may be delivered from violent and wicked men, for all have not
the faith. Implore the Lord God, who is the refuge of the poor and the hope of
the needy, to deliver us from our troubles and from the allurements of this
contemptible world, so that the Divine Word may be spread abroad, the glorious
gospel of Christ be magnified, and that the grace of God in me may not be in
vain. And as I am the least and the most imperfect of all the ministers whom
the Catholic and Apostolic Church has sent to preach the gospel, pray that I
may not die sterile in good works and unsuccessful in my mission, but that I
may be accompanied by spiritual sons and daughters on my heavenward way: so
that when the Lord comes, He may not find me like the slothful servant, who
buried his talent, and that on account of my sins He who sent me may not visit
me with punishment instead of reward for having laboured in vain. Many whom I
believed would stand as faithful sheep on the right hand of the Judge on the great
day of reckoning have turned out wicked and obstinate goats, who will be placed
on His left. Pray then, my children, that God may strengthen my heart by His
almighty power, so that I, an unworthy shepherd whom He hath placed over His
people, may may not fly like the hireling at the approach of the wolf, but
that, following the example of the Good Shepherd, I may endeavour to defend
both the sheep and the lambs, that is the Holy Catholic Church with her
children, sons and daughters, against heretics, unbelievers, and hypocrites.
Moreover, since the present days are evil, be not foolish, but understanding
the will of God in your regard be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act
mercifully, and be strong. Whatsoever you do, do it out of love, and in the words
of the Gospel, In patience you shall possess your souls. Remember the Apostles
and Prophets who suffered great things for our Lord, thereby obtaining an
eternal reward. Be mindful also of the words of the Psalmist, Many are the
afflictions of the righteous, but out of them all will the Lord deliver them,
and will grant His blessing to those who persevere to the end.”
We have another little
note from Boniface to Lioba, unimportant in itself, but which shows us how
Lioba acted under obedience to him and subjected to his decision even such a
small matter as devoting some of her time to instructing a young girl.
“Boniface, the servant of
the servants of Christ, sends to Lioba, Christ’s handmaiden, dearly beloved now
and to eternity, his hearty greeting. Be it known to you, beloved Sister, that
our brother and fellow-labourer Forhthat has informed us, that by his
entreaties he has persuaded you to devote some time to teaching a certain
learned maiden if my consent can be obtained. Know then, beloved Sister, that we
unhesitatingly consent to whatever you consider advantageous to the person con
cerned. Farewell in Christ.”
Boniface was now growing
old, and he felt that the time had come to put into effect a plan he had long
cherished of ending his days as he had begun them, as a simple missionary. In
the year A.D. 753 he held a Council at Mayence, at which, with King Pepin’s con
sent and the Pope’s approval, he consecrated Saint Lullus to succeed him as
Archbishop, and then, taking him by the hand, he presented him to the assembly
and bade them yield reverence and obedience to him in future. He commissioned
the new Archbishop to complete the churches which he himself had begun to build
in several places, most especially that of the monastery of Fulda, which he had
destined for his last resting- place. He implored the King’s protection for his
clergy and their churches, telling him that they were mostly Saxons, some of
them old men who had been sharers in his labours.
When at length all the
preparations for his departure were complete, he sent for Lioba to pay her a
last fare well. Their interview was most touching, and neces sarily made a deep
impression on Lioba. He made her promise never to forsake the land of her
adoption nor to relax her energy in the work she had so generously begun, but
to increase daily and hourly in doing good.’s Let not,” he said,’s the weakness
of the body be considered, nor the steady advance of old age count the goal too
high, nor think the cost of the attainment too heavy. For the duration of time
when compared to eternity is but a short span, and the sufferings of this life
are not to be compared to the glory which shall be revealed to us in the world
to come.” He then recommended her to Bishop Lullus and to the monks of Fulda,
bidding them treat her with all honour and respect. He told them that it was
his wish that after her death Lioba’s body should rest beside his in the same
tomb, and that as, during life, they had served God with a single aim and had
shared each other’s hopes and laboured in the same cause, so together they
might await the day of the glorious resurrection. Again exhorting her never to
forsake the land of her pilgrimage, he bade her a last farewell, giving her as
a parting token of his affection his monastic cowl.
Boniface set out in A.D.
754 with some fifty companions and made his way to Frisia, where he converted
great numbers of pagans. These he determined to baptize with all solemnity on
Whitsun Eve, which fell that year on June 5th. He therefore fixed a meeting
place on the banks of a little river near Dockum, where the ceremony was to
take place, and went thither the night before with his companions. In the
morning they were watching in prayer, awaiting the arrival of the neophytes,
when, instead of the expected converts, a furious band of infidels burst upon
them. Saint Boniface’s companions were for making some resistance, as most of
them were armed, but the holy old man begged of them to desist and not to rob
themselves of a glorious triumph. “Behold,” he exclaimed, “the day so long
wished for, so ardently longed for has arrived at last.”
At that moment the leader
of the troop struck at him with his weapon, and he, raising his hand which
still held the Book of the Gospels to ward off the blow, the dagger pierced the
book and then penetrated to his heart. This book was found afterwards soaked in
his blood, and was taken to Fulda, where it was, and is still, preserved as a
most precious treasure. When the pagans had put all to the sword they began to
search for booty; but to their disgust they found that all the Bishop’s baggage
consisted, not of gold or silver, but only of books and relics, which they left
as so much refuse scattered about the field.
Saint Boniface was
seventy-five years old at the time of his martyrdom. His body was carried first
to Mayence, and afterwards was translated by Saint Lullus to the Abbey church
of Fulda, in accordance with the Saint’s own wishes. There it has reposed in
peace ever since, the object of universal veneration. The number of miracles
wrought at the shrine is almost incredible. The news of the martyrdom soon
spread abroad and filled all with consternation. For none realized how much
they had lost in Boniface until he had gone beyond recall. On no one, perhaps,
did the blow fall more heavily than upon Lioba, even though she had such a
strong presentiment of it. But Lioba was brave and tried in virtue, and a trial
such as this brought out all that was heroic in her character. She could find
it in her heart to rejoice with utter unselfishness over the glory of her
kinsman and spiritual father and friend, and as she had left her home and
country at the request of Boniface, but not for his sake, so she now turned
with absolute trust to her Lord and Spouse who had called her to follow in his
footsteps, and taking up her cross with renewed vigour, now that it had grown
the heavier, she pressed onwards with unflinching heart.
Her foundations Her
friendship with Queen Hildegarde.
Lioba was now entering on
what we may call the third period of her life. The first, as we have seen, had
been passed in the peaceful cloister of Wimborne under the watchful care of the
Abbess Tetta. There she had prepared herself, by exercising herself in virtue
and by the practice of the Rule of Saint Benedict, for the task which lay
before her. Then a complete change had come over her life; she went forth from
home and country, and her light had been set upon a mountain that it might
shine before a heathen nation, and serve as a beacon to attract souls to God.
But she was not alone in that foreign land at first. For seven years she had
laboured under the direction of the holy Bishop Boniface. Now he was dead, and
Lioba had still twenty-four years of life before her, during which she was to
toil and strive for her own sanctification and for the salvation of her
neighbour.
How unweariedly she
worked we may judge from the results; for during that time she founded a great
number of monasteries. These she constantly visited, especially at the
beginning of their foundation, in order to set them on a firm footing and
ensure in them the exact observance of religious discipline. While she lived
the nuns in their respective monasteries always looked to Lioba as their mother,
and turned to her for advice and support, help and encouragement in all their
difficulties, both spiritual and temporal. The temporal difficulties cannot
have been few. Even in the present time we know the many trials incumbent on
new foundations, but in those days, when religious houses mainly depended for
their sustenance on their own lands, we cannot but marvel how Saint Lioba
managed to provide for all her monasteries of nuns.
Doubtless she was
assisted very much by her friends and benefactors, not the least of whom was
Pepin, King of the Franks, and his two sons, Carloman and Charles. Apart from
the fact that she was of royal blood, and therefore entitled to their esteem
and consideration, she had won their admiration by her holiness, coupled with
so great a mind and so great a power of administration. Her fame had spread
abroad in Germany, and many a knight came forward to offer her either a site
for a new house or some rich plate or other valuables for the adornment of her
churches. Probably too, in many cases, the owners of the properties on which
the nuns had settled would, in the spirit of chivalry which animated that age,
watch over the little band of the weaker sex who had come to live under their
protection.
The Bishops, too, seemed
to have regarded Lioba as an oracle, and consulted her in the weightiest
matters, even in questions of theology and ecclesiastical affairs. After the
death of Boniface, a dispute having arisen between Sturm, the Saint’s favourite
disciple and first Abbot of Fulda, and Saint Lullus, his successor in the
archdiocese, on the subject of certain privileges, it was to Lioba they turned
to settle the contest, and willingly submitted themselves to her arbitration
and judgement in the matter.
Lioba, as a rule, made
her headquarters at Bischofshelm, and always returned there, as to a home,
after the many fatiguing journeys she was obliged to undertake for the
foundation and supervision of her convents. When on her homeward way she seldom
failed to turn her steps towards Fulda to venerate the relics of the great
Martyr, and to pour out her heart in prayer before his shrine, gathering there
the strength she so much needed. It was the law of the monastery that no woman
should ever pass the threshold, but the monks continued to make an exception in
her favour; for had not Boniface, their glorious founder, committed her to
their care? and had he not expressly stated that he wished her to be buried in
his own grave? and thus make Fulda her last resting-place? So it came about that
whenever Lioba visited the Abbey she would leave her companions in a hospice
close by and, taking with her but one elder nun, she would enter the enclosure
and be permitted to assist at the divine Office and conferences, and to watch
by the tomb of her spiritual Father. Then, as the shades of evening fell, she
would leave the cloister refreshed and comforted and rejoin again her
companions in the hospice, where the monks would send them food from their own
table.
At one time we read that
Saint Lioba and her nuns fell into dire poverty and that the holy Abbess was in
the greatest distress to find support for her monasteries, but the chronicler
does not tell us how this happened. In her anxiety she turned to Saint Lullus,
to whom Saint Boniface had specially entrusted her, and he wrote her the
following letter:
“Lullus, the humble
minister ot Christ endowed with authority by Bishop Boniface, sends greeting in
the Lord to Lioba, our dearly-loved Sister in Christ.
“I am convinced that in
your wise zeal you are not unmindful of that saying of the Gospel, wherein it
is written: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. This poverty consists in enduring in patience, as the same Gospel
affirms: In patience you shall possess your souls. Take to heart also that
sentence of holy David: According to the multitude of my sorrows the
consolations of the Lord will rejoice my soul.
“Think not, clear Sister,
that we forget you or that we are unmindful of you though absent from one
another in body. Do not imagine that I tire of hearing of your distress, but
know that I also am harassed and fatigued by the craft of the evil one, and by
the malicious attacks of his ministers. Because of these sons of iniquity I can
well say with the Prophet that my life is a burden to me. Let me know by the
deacon Grundwin what ever you stand in need of; and do you beg of him not to
grow weary of helping me in my labours, for there are very few who will share
my trials with me. Fare well in Christ. Intercede earnestly for me, because my
burden and distress daily increase.”
Yet in the midst of her
many difficulties and trials Lioba was not without her consolations. Among
these may be reckoned the holy friendship which existed between her and the
queen Hildegarde. Hildegarde was a Suabian by birth, and was Charlemagne’s
second wife. This good queen loved Lioba as her own soul, and was never so
happy as when in her company, profiting by her words and example and seeking
her advice in her most important concerns. She was anxious to keep Lioba always
by her side, but a court life had no attractions for the humble nun, and though
she was compelled to present herself from time to time at Herstal, from motives
of charity and on business connected with her foundations, she would make as
little stay as possible, and, urging that the place for an Abbess was in her
monastery with her nuns, she would hurry back to Bischofsheim.
At last, when she had
been Abbess of Bischofsheim some twenty-eight years, she earnestly sought to
resign her dignity in order to end her days in solitude, that she might devote
herself to a fervent preparation for death by redoubling her prayers and
penances. She consulted Bishop Lullus on the matter, telling him she had now
firmly settled all her monasteries, that her work was done, and that she was
most anxious to lay down the cares of government. He acceded to her request,
and recommended her to go to Schonersheim, a house situated about four miles
from Mayence.
Schonersheim signifies
“the home of the beautiful,” and was a fitting place for God’s “beloved one” to
pass her closing years.
Pepin died A.D. 758, and
only three years later his eldest son Carloman followed him to the grave. Thus
Charles, or’s Charlemagne’s as he has been called by posterity, was left sole master
of the empire. He fixed his court at Aix-la-Chapelle. Shortly before Lioba’s
death royal messengers were dispatched by his Queen, Hildegarde, begging Lioba
to come to her. She was old and feeble to undertake such a journey, but mindful
of the faithful friendship which had grown up between them, and of the many
favours she had received from the Queen, Lioba set out at once in answer to the
summons. She was received at Aix-la-Chapelle with every possible mark of honour
and affection. Hilde garde was overjoyed by her presence, and could not bring
herself to part with her; she therefore used every means of persuasion to
induce her to prolong her stay. But Lioba entreated to be allowed to return to
her monastery, and no pretext could prevail on her to prolong her visit at the
court.
The parting between the
two friends is touchingly described by her chronicler. Lioba, taking leave of
the Queen, kissed her again and again, saying:’s Farewell, most precious part
of my soul, my lady, my sister, my dearly loved one! May Christ our Creator
grant that we may meet each other in the Day of Judgement without confusion,
for in this life we shall see each other no more.” Her words were realized, for
they never met again.
Her death. Miracles at
her shrine. Her relics.
Lioba returned from her
visit to Aix-la-Chapelle much fatigued, and after a few days she was obliged to
take to her bed. As her weakness and sufferings daily increased, she realized
that the time of her happy release could not be far distant, and she asked for
the last rites of Holy Church to strengthen her on her passage to eternity. A
priest named Sorabent, who was, like herself, a Saxon, and who u always had
remained with her and served her with love and reverence,” was summoned to her
bedside and administered to her the Sacraments of Extreme Unction and the Holy
Viaticum. And so, comforted and refreshed, Lioba joyfully awaited the summons
of the divine Bridegroom, which came to her on 28 September 779, l when her
pure soul, unsullied by sin, and freed from its earthly fetters, took its
flight to heaven and found rest in the eternal embrace of the Beloved.
The monks of Fulda had
not forgotten Saint Boniface s express wish that Saint Lioba should be buried
beside him. But as so many years had elapsed since his death, they feared to
open the holy Bishop’s grave; and having consulted together, they agreed to
bury her on the north side of the altar which Saint Boniface himself had
consecrated in honour of the twelve Apostles. The monks therefore set out for
Schunersheim to fetch the sacred relics, and brought their precious burden all
the way to Fulda in solemn procession. Many knights and noble men joined the
monks, besides a large concourse of the country people, eager to accompany the
Saint on her last journey and pay a farewell tribute of affection and respect
to one they had so greatly honoured.
Among the wonderful
miracles worked at her shrine we select the two following, related by Rudolph
of Fulda: A certain criminal who, in punishment of his crimes, had had his
right arm encircled with an iron ring, came to Fulda. The ring was riveted so
tight that it eat into his Hesh and caused him great pain. As he was praying
before Saint Lioba’s grave the Saint, who had ever been so compassionate to
every form of suffering, took pity on him, and by an invisible power caused the
ring to snap suddenly and to fall to the ground. Inexpressibly relieved, and
his heart overflowing with joy, the penitent man loudly proclaimed his
gratitude to God and his sorrow for his past sins, trusting in the divine
mercy, that as he had been freed from his iron band through the merits and
intercession of the Saint, so he might also be delivered from the eternal
punishment due to his many crimes.
In those days the Church
sometimes enjoined a seven years penance for very serious crimes, during which
time the penitent was compelled to wander in exile, clothed in a woollen
garment and living on bread, water, and herbs. King Ethelwolf, father of Alfred
the Great, obtained a commutation of this kind of penance for his subjects from
Rome; and it was decreed that no Englishman was to suffer the punishment in
irons” outside his own country. But the people were so tenacious of this custom
abroad that, although prohibited by Charlemagne, it was still in use in the
tenth century.
The second miracle we
will recount is a wonderful cure which Saint Lioba obtained for a Spanish
pilgrim. He was suffering from an incurable palsy which so grievously afflicted
him that, seeing no human help could avail him, he turned in his anguish to God
and His Saints and made many pilgrimages, hoping to obtain his cure in some
hallowed spot. At length he came to Fulda and was received into the hospice
there. After he had been three days in the place, and had prayed, first before
one altar and then before another, he came to Saint Lioba’s shrine, and having
finished his devotions there, he passed on to the crypt where Saint Boniface
lay buried. There he threw himself on the ground and fell asleep. As he slept
the shaking in his limbs ceased, as the monk Firmandus took note of. This monk
had helped the sick man, as he could, not stand alone, and he was so struck by
what he saw, that when some of the bystanders wanted to raise the sleeping man
from the ground he dissuaded them, telling them to wait and see the completion
of the miracle. Presently the Spaniard awoke and got up perfectly cured. When
questioned, he replied, a I became unconscious, and in this state I saw a man
of venerable aspect wearing the pallium, and he was accompanied by a lady
dressed like a nun. The lady took me by the hand and led me to the Bishop that
he might bless me. The Bishop made the sign of the cross on my breast, and
immediately a blackbird, which seemed to turn into a hideous demon, flew out
from the folds of my cloak and disappeared into the crypt.”
We will now finish our
life of this holy English virgin with a short and necessarily rather an
incomplete account of her relics. The church at Fulda has been several times
rebuilt, but the body of Saint Boniface still lies in the ancient crypt, which
has been preserved intact, and the pilgrim may still see the ivory crozier he
was wont to use and the dagger which won for him a martyr’s crown.
Saint Lioba’s body was
translated by the Abbot Eigel, when he enlarged and reconsecrated the church,
to the Chapel of Saint Ignatius the Martyr in the east aisle, where it
continued to attract numbers of pilgrims. In A.D. 837 a large portion of her
relics was taken to the church of Petersburg, near Fulda, a church consecrated
by the famous Benedictine Abbot Rabanus Maurus; but there are documents dating
from the fifteenth century which prove that some of her relics were still
preserved at Fulda. Only a very small portion can, however, now be traced owing
to the lapse of time, the ravages of war and fire, and the rebuilding of the
church; also the great demand for them which has much diminished them and which
proves the great veneration in which her memory was held. Thus we read that
Rabanus Maurus alone gave some of her relics to no less than five monasteries
and churches which were eager for them. These gifts may be verified by the
inscriptions still extant which Rabanus Maurus himself wrote for the altars of
these churches. The following is an example taken from the Lady altar of the
Church of Hersfeld:’s O holy Virgin, who didst bear and nourish the Saviour of
the world, watch over this altar, bestow thy favours upon it, for it is
dedicated to thee and to other holy virgins. May they all hear the prayers of
this thy people! May the Virgins Agatha, Cecilia, Lioba, and Juliana ever abide
with us!’s Here we have a striking testimony to the high honour in which Saint
Lioba was held, since not fifty years after her death we find her ranked among
the most esteemed of the virgin martyrs of holy Church.
Of the history of the
Abbey, of Bischofsheim after the death of Saint Lioba nothing is known. Every
trace of its existence seems lost until 1631 or 1636; the Franciscans built a
convent on the spot hallowed by tradition, and revived devotion to the Saint,
bringing to her church a portion of her relics; a detailed account of this is
given in a manuscript which dates back to the year 1683. In this document is
mentioned the first translation of Saint Lioba’s relics to the church at Petersberg
and the veneration in which they were held. It then goes on to say that they
were brought back to Fulda, and that her skull was enshrined in a costly casket
set with pearls and precious stones. In 1665, as the Father Provincial of the
Franciscans was making a visitation of the province of Thuringia, he passed by
Fulda, and begged from the Abbot a portion of Saint Lioba’s relics for the
friars at Bischofsheim. His request having been acceded to, the relics were
carried thither with great pomp, and a new church was built in which the high
altar was dedicated by the friars to the memory of Saint Lioba. The Franciscans
continued to be the faithful guardians of their treasure until the beginning of
the nineteenth century, when their convent was seized by the Government. The
church, however, is still standing and is attached to a college. Over the altar
is a large picture, painted in the seventeenth century, in which is depicted
the miracle connected with the finding of the dead body of the child in the river,
mentioned in her life. Saint Lioba is represented in this picture wearing the
Benedictine habit. Over the entrance to the college is a statue of the Saint,
in wood, also clothed in her cowl. In one hand she holds the abbatial staff,
the insignia of her office; in the other hand she holds a book, the symbol of
her great learning. A bell rests upon the book in allusion to her mother s
wonderful dream before her birth.
Lioba’s wise and gentle
spirit still seems to linger around the scene of her earthly labours, and she
is justly looked up to by the students of Tauber-Bischofsheim as their
patroness; for was she not the first to plant the Cross on the banks of the
Tauber, and to raise there the standard of learning and science?
But if Germany may truly
rank her among its apostles, we can also claim a share in her intercession as a
truly English Saint, and therefore one whose heart still yearns for the
conversion of her country and the sanctification of her countrymen.
– text taken from the
booklet Saint Lioba, author unknown,
published by the Catholic Truth Society of London
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/catholic-truth-society-of-london-saint-lioba/
Kath.
Kirche St. Lioba in Leingarten
Lioba/Leobgytha/Leoba,
abbess of Tauberbischofsheim
Title
social-status:
abbess of
Tauberbischofsheim
Biography:
Lioba was a missionary in
Germany with Boniface to whom she was related through her mother Aebbe. She had
been trained first by abbess Eadburg at Minster, then by abbess Tetta at
Wimborne. Boniface asked Tetta to send Lioba to help in his mission, and made
her abbess of Bischofsheim on the Tauber, where she trained several nuns who
later became abbesses, according to the life of Lioba (Vita Leobae) written by
Rudolf, a monk of Fulda in the ninth century. Rudolf says she was learned in
the scriptures, the fathers, the councils, and ecclesiastical law, that she was
respected by kings, that bishops discussed spiritual matters and ecclesiastical
discipline with her, and that she was the only woman allowed to pray in the
monastery of Fulda. Boniface asked to have her body laid beside his when she
died, "so we who with a like desire and devotion have served Christ here
may side by side await the day of resurrection" (cited by Eleanor S.
Duckett, Anglo-Saxon Saints and Scholars [New York: Macmillan, 1947],
452. Lioba was also known to lay rulers: Charlemagne sent presents and his
queen Hildegard pressed her to visit the court, which she did, and to live
there, which she did not.
SOURCE : http://epistolae.ccnmtl.columbia.edu/woman/55.html
Katholische
Kirche St. Marien in Heidelberg-Pfaffengrund, Altarbild von Paul Hirt (linke
Seite): hll. Maria, Lioba, Elisabeth von Thüringen und Agnes
Paintings of Lioba of
Tauberbischofsheim ; Interior of St. Marien
(Heidelberg) ; Paul Hirt ; 1940 paintings in Germany ; Paintings of Virgin Mary
in Germany ; Paintings of
Elisabeth of Hungary in Germany ; Paintings of Saint
Agnes of Rome in Germany
Santa Lioba Venerata
a Fulda
Festa: 28 settembre
Martirologio
Romano: Presso Magonza in Renania, in Germania, santa Lioba, vergine:
chiamata dall’Inghilterra in Germania da san Bonifacio, suo parente, fu messa a
capo del monastero di Tauberbischofsheim, dove guidò le ancelle di Dio sulla
via della perfezione con la parola e l’esempio.
Molti fra gli Anglo-Sassoni del Sud-Ovest dell'Inghilterra, dove si trovano ora le contee del Dorset e del Devon, si convertirono alla fede di Cristo e nessuno fu piú venerato di Winfryth, chiamato piú tardi Bonifacio, che divenne apostolo della Germania. Due suoi congiunti, s. Willibald e s. Winnibald, gli si associarono nell'opera di apostolato.
Non contento dell'aiuto di monaci e preti, Bonifacio fece appello alle sue compatriote, monache di Wimborne (Dorset) e Minster (Kent), affinché anche loro partecipassero all'opera di evangelizzazione.
Lioba, parente di Bonifacio, si mostrò particolarmente desiderosa di raggiungere i luoghi di missione. Ella aveva ricevuto la sua educazione a Minster e Wimborne, sapeva leggere bene il latino ed aveva avuto uno scambio di corrispondenza con s. Bonifacio, per migliorare la conoscenza della poesia latina. Ma il suo reale desiderio era quello di dedicarsi all'apostolato, per cui ottenne, infine, il consenso di Tetta, badessa di Wimborne.
Lioba fondò il convento di Tauberbischofsheim, nel Baden, dove riunì intorno a sé un folto gruppo di monache, animate dal suo stesso zelo. Con s. Bonifacio mantenne frequenti contatti epistolari e si conserva ancora una lettera a lui diretta, traboccante di affetto e devozione. Il santo, prima di partire per la Frisia dove doveva essere martirizzato, esortò Lioba a mantenersi costante al suo posto di combattimento per la causa di Dio, le lasciò il suo mantello ed espresse il desiderio che le loro ossa fossero vicine nella tomba. Quando il corpo del grande vescovo fu traslato a Fulda Lioba ottenne di poter pregare sulla tomba, dispensata dalla clausura.
Morí verso il 782 presso Magonza a Schorusheim, un 28 settembre. In ossequio al
desiderio di s. Bonifacio fu sepolta a Fulda a poca distanza dal sepolcro del
martire. L'elevazione del suo corpo avvenne nell'819; l'abate di Fulda, Rabano
Mauro, nell'838 lo trasferì nella chiesa del Monte S. Pietro, ad est
dell'abbazia e iscrisse Lioba nel suo Martirologio, mentre, per suo incarico,
il monaco Rodolfo scriveva la Vita della santa attingendo ai ricordi di quattro
discepole di lei: Agata, Tecla, Maria e Eoliba.
Nel Martirologio Romano Lioba è iscritta al 28 settembre.
Autore: John Sréphan
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/72350
Der Liobaaltar in der Stadtkirche St. Martin in Tauberbischofsheim
Der Liobaaltar in der Stadtkirche St. Martin in Tauberbischofsheim
Den hellige Lioba av
Bischofsheim (~710 - 782)
Minnedag:
28. september
Den hellige Lioba (Leoba,
Liobgytha) ble født ca år 710 i en fornem familie i Wessex i England. Hennes
egentlige navn var Truthgeba, «Guds gave», fordi foreldrene hadde ventet lenge
på et barn. Hennes mor Ebba var en slektning av den hellige Bonifatius,
Tysklands apostel, og hun ga datteren tilnavnet Lioba, fordi hun hadde henne så
kjær. Det samme ble hun siden kalt av nonnene som sto under henne, og av samme
årsak. Hun ble først utdannet i nonneklosteret i Minster in Thanet og deretter
ca 735 i Wimborne i Dorset, der hun ble nonne under den begavede abbedisse
Tetta.
Hun brevvekslet i flere
år med sin slektning Bonifatius i Tyskland, og den sjarmerende teksten av
hennes første brev er ennå bevart. I 748 sendte Tetta etter anmodning av
Bonifatius tretti av sine nonner under ledelse av Lioba ut for å hjelpe ham i
misjonsarbeidet i Tyskland ved å grunnlegge kvinneklostre.
Nonnene bosatte seg i
Tauberbischofsheim (Bischofsheim) ved Würzburg i Franken, muligens i
Bonifatius' egen tidligere bolig, under Lioba som abbedisse. Hennes biografi av
Rudolf av Fulda, skrevet omkring femti år etter hennes død og basert på vitnemål
fra fire av hennes ledsagere, tegner et tiltrekkende portrett av henne. Det
fortelles at hun var vakker, alltid vennlig og smilende, intet kunne få hennes
tålmodighet til å briste, og hun var like intelligent som edelmodig. Det ble
sagt at «de hellige skrifter var aldri ute av hennes hender», og hun ledet en
kommunitet hvor man følte seg hjemme.
Klosteret ble raskt en
kraft i den tyske misjonen. De fulgte den hellige Benedikts regel
og var hardt arbeidende kvinner, som både var i stand til å lese og skrive,
hadde noe kjennskap til latin og kunne gi kvalifisert hjelp til
misjonsprestene. Alle måtte også gjøre manuelt arbeid i scriptoriet, kjøkkenet,
bakeriet, bryggeriet og hagen, men alt var underordnet den offentlige bønn for
Kirken. Klosteret ble så høyt verdsatt at abbedisser for andre hus gjerne ble
hentet derfra. Lioba ble kjent nær og fjern, hennes naboer kom til henne i
enhver nød og fare og både biskoper og verdslige stormenn ba om hennes råd.
Før sin siste
misjonsreise til Friesland i 754 sa Bonifatius farvel til henne, anbefalte
hennes omsorg til både den hellige Lullus og til
munkene i Fulda, og sa at han ville at hennes legeme skulle gravlegges i
nærheten av hans. Etter hans død pleide hun å få det privilegium å besøke
Fulda.
Da Lioba hadde vært
abbedisse i 28 år, trakk hun seg i 776 tilbake til et annet nonnekloster i
Schornsheim ved Mainz, men en gang besøkte hun Karl den Stores
hoff i Aachen på invitasjon av hans dronning Hildegard, som hadde blitt en nær
venn i hennes modne alder.
Ikke lenge etter, den 28.
september 782 døde hun i Schornsheim. Hun ble gravlagt like ved St. Bonifatius
i Fulda. Hennes relikvier ble overført, først i 819, igjen i 839, og hviler nå
i krypten i kirken i kvinneklosteret på Petersberg i Fulda.
Hennes minnedag er 28.
september. Den hellige Rabanus Maurus satte
hennes navn i sitt martyrologium ca 836, og det opptrer også i litanier fra
800-tallet. Hennes kult har alltid vært sentrert i Tyskland, men overraskende
nok har hun vært lite kjent i England. Hennes navn står i Martyrologium
Romanum. Hun blir avbildet som benediktinerinneabbedisse med en bok som det
ligger en klokke på, omgitt av lyn, som hun en gang skal ha avverget.
I Tyskland finnes en egen
kongregasjon oppkalt etter henne, Benediktinerinnene av den hellige Lioba, og
de har også et kloster på Frederiksberg i Danmark.
Kilder: Attwater
(dk), Attwater/John, Farmer, Schnitzler, Melchers, Schauber/Schindler,
Attwater/Cumming - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 1998-06-06 22:12
