Saint Meinrad
Ermite
à Einsiedeln (✝ 861)
Voilà plus de dix siècles
que l'on vénère à Einsiedeln en Suisse, au canton de Schwytz, "Notre-Dame
des ermites", un don fait par la petite-fille de Charlemagne à son cousin,
ermite, saint Meinrad qui vivait là depuis de longues années. Après avoir fait
ses études des Belles-Lettres qui introduisaient à la lecture de l'Écriture
Sainte, il partit mener la vie érémitique. Peu à peu, et comme toujours, la
sainteté attire les pèlerins, qui purent ainsi vénérer la sainte Mère de Dieu
en ce sanctuaire. Un soir, deux garçons de mauvaise vie demandèrent à saint
Meinrad l'hospitalité. Il les logea et les nourrit. Le lendemain matin, il
célébra la messe et c'est là que les deux hommes l'assassinèrent, pensant
trouver beaucoup d'argent. Ils ne trouvèrent aucun trésor, car saint Meinrad
n'acceptait jamais d'argent de la part des pèlerins.
Près du lac de Zurich en Suisse, vers 864, saint Meinrad, prêtre, qui mena d’abord la vie de cénobite, puis celle d’ermite, et fut massacré par des brigands à qui il avait donné l’hospitalité.
Martyrologe romain
Meinrad of Einsiedeln, OSB Hermit M (RM)
(also known as Maynard, Meginrat)
Born at Solgen (Sulichgau near Wurtemberg), Swabia; died at Einsiedeln,
Switzerland, c. 861-63. The abbey of Saint Meinrad at Einsiedeln near Lake
Zurich takes its name from this saint. It's interesting that several sources
(who may have copied from each other or another single source) say that Saint
Meinrad was born of the noble Hohenzollern family. Farmer reports that his
parents were free peasants. In either case, he was educated, professed, and
ordained at the abbey of Reichenau, Switzerland. He had some teaching
assignment near the upper lake of Zurich.
Meinrad's soul,
however, longed for solitude, and to devote itself to contemplation. He looked
for and found the perfect place in a forest. With the permission of his
superiors, about 829, Meinrad went to live as a hermit at the place. Like many
hermits before him, Meinrad practiced austerity. Word of his holiness spread
and attracted many visitors. So many that he found it necessary to move to a
remoter spot, where the abbey was built 40 years after his death.
On January 21, 861,
courteously received two visitors, whom he fed and provided shelter although he
knew them to be ruffians. They were robbers who murdered Meinrad with clubs
upon finding he had no tangible treasure. Because Meinrad was a holy man, he
was regarded as a martyr. The thieves were found, judged, and executed.
Meinrad's body was enshrined at Reichenau, where it was venerated.
Beginning about 900
with Blessed Benno, a succession of solitaries occupied his hermitage (which is
what the name 'Einseideln' means), and eventually, in the 10th century, a
regular Benedictine monastery was established there. It became a great
monastery and pilgrimage center that has an unbroken history of over 1,000
years. The statue of the Blessed Virgin in the huge church is said to have
belonged to Meinrad himself. He is the patron of Einsiedeln (Switzerland) and
Swabia (Germany) (Attwater, Attwater2, Benedictines, Coulson, Encyclopedia,
Farmer, Walsh).
In art Saint
Meinrad is generally grouped with Saint Benedict, holding a club and ciborium.
Sometimes he may be pictured (1) beaten to death with clubs by two men; (2) as
a monk with a tau staff going into the wilderness; (3) with two ravens near
him, or pursuing his murderers; or (4) eating fish with a widow (Roeder).
Saint Meinrad of
Einsiedeln
Saint Meinrad of
Einsiedeln
Also known as
- Meinrad of Reichenau
- Maynard….
- Meginrad….
- Meginrat….
- Meino….
Profile
May have been a
member of the noble Hohenzollern family. Educated, professed as a Benedictine monk, and ordained at the abbey
on the island of Reichenau, in Lake Constance in Switzerland. Teacher in Zurich, Switzerland. Around 829 he withdrew to live in prayer
as a hermit in the Black Forest. As word of his holiness and wisdom
spread, he attracted many visitors and would-be students. In 836 he retreated to a more remote location near Einsiedeln (which means hermitage).
On 21 January 861 he received, fed, sheltered and entertained two rough-looking travellers. They were thieves, and when they found that Meinrad was a holy hermit who owned nothing worth stealing, they were so angry that
they beat him to death. Legend says that his body was protected by ravens who
attacked and chased away the murderers. Because he was such a holy man, he was
considered a martyr, but there is no evidence that he died defending the faith.
In the years
following his death, a series of hermits, including Blessed
Benno, used his hermitage.
In 934 a Benedictine monastery
was built there. It survives today, still serving as monastery,
retreat center, and pilgrimage site. The statue of the Blessed
Virgin in its huge church is thought to have belonged to Meinrad himself.
Born
- at Solgen, Swabia (Sülichgau near Wurtemberg)
Died
- beaten to death with clubs by robbers on 21 January 861 at Einsiedeln, Switzerland
- relics in the abbey church at Einsiedeln
- dead monk with ravens pursuing his murderers
- dead monk with two ravens near him
- monk being beaten to death with clubs by two men
- monk eating fish with a widow
- monk holding a club and ciborium
- monk with a tau staff walking into the wilderness
- monk with Saint Benedict
- two ravens
The Life
of Venerable Meinrad, the Hermit
Note: The following text is from the
Latin account of the life of the martyr Meinrad, who is known as the patron
saint of hospitality, and was probably written in the 10th century by a monk of
Reichenau Abbey. The English translation was completed by the monks of Saint
Meinrad Archabbey.[1]
Before I tell the
story of the passion and death of the venerable man Meinrad, it will be good as
a kind of foretaste to write briefly of when he was born, whence he came and
where he went, where or rather to whom he was first sent to learn to read and write,
under what abbot he took upon himself the keeping of the monastic life and, how
also, from battle in common with his brothers, he entered into the single
contest of the desert. Then I will go back to the things I propose to deal with
more fully.
In the time of Charles,
most glorious emperor of the Franks and the first among them to receive the
name of Caesar, Meinrad was born in Alamannia, in the country which of old was
called Sulchgau after the village of Sulchen.[2] His parents were Alamanni and were noted more for the nobility of their
lives than for their familiarity with riches.
When at length he
had reached the age when he might suitably learn to read and write, his father
took him to the island which old people called Sindlazaugia, from the name of a
certain priest called Sindlaz. Sindlaz was the first to build lodgings for
monks on the island. At the command of the most noble Peratold of the Alamanni,
he persuaded St. Pirmin with his companions to live there, in the time of
Pippin, king of the Franks, and named the island for himself. [3]
It was here, then,
that the boy Meinrad was led by his father, and put in the care of a man in all
things most honorable, the monk Erlebald, who was as well related to Meinrad by
marriage. When he saw that the child was of good character, Erlebald willingly
accepted the task of rearing him.
His Early Education
He taught him carefully and
instructed Meinrad so thoroughly that he was instilled with no small knowledge
of sacred Scripture. For from the earliest age, the boy avoided the frivolities
and errors in which youth is usually entangled, and set his mind to take in
those things which his teacher had taught.
When he was 25 years old,
Meinrad was raised to the office of deacon, and not long afterwards to the rank
of priest, doing as did his teacher. This was when Louis, the son of Charles,
reigned as emperor, and the abbot of the island was a man named Hatto.[4] Hatto was very distinguished for his teaching, good works, and nobility
of life, and was bishop of the church of Basel. He renounced the affairs of the
active life, however, and gave himself over to the beauty of the contemplative
life.
So it was that,
elected by all the brethren, Erlebald was put in charge of the island and the
brothers, and with the permission of Louis, the emperor, placed in the office
of abbot[5] Once he took up this charge, he
immediately persuaded the venerable man Meinrad to accept the yoke of the rule (Rule of St. Benedict) and undertake to keep the standard of
monastic life.
Meinrad consented
to this sound advice, made his promise, and strove with every effort to keep
what he had promised. He was always prompt to obey, strict in fasting, zealous
in prayer, generous in works of mercy, and most of all in humility did he place
himself beneath everyone else.
While he grew
strong in these ways, Meinrad was assigned by the abbot to a certain small cell
belonging to the monastery, close by Lake Zurich, into which the river Limmat
empties, so that Meinrad could be in charge of the school there, and share with
many to the Lord's advantage the talent with which he had been enriched.
Seeking Solitude
Some time passed while he
was so engaged. One day, he took with him some students he had brought up, and
crossing the lake, entered a deserted place which adjoined the lakeshore. He
went all the way to the Swiss Alps[6] and came to the village of Chama to do some fishing-and to find a place
for a hermitage.
So they came to a
certain river which flowed down in that solitude. And there the blessed man
engaged his companions in fishing, while he on the other hand wandered about,
alone with himself, contemplating the solitude. For he was very much on fire
with love for this solitary place.
After pasturing his
mind for a long time on this thought, he returned to his comrades and found
them weighed down with no small catch of fish. And he said to them:
"Thanks be to God, who in his generosity has mercifully enriched us with
his gifts. Now my sons, if you please, we must return and look after our
home." They went back and came down to the village located not far from
the shore.
There they entered the inn
of a certain woman, rested a little while, and refreshed themselves with food
and drink. But the man of God, discerning that this woman was God-fearing and
very ready to look after guests, opened to her the secret desire of his mind.
And he began in
these words: "O woman dear to Christ, did you want to hear it, I would
tell you the secret of my heart. But before I do, I ask you to keep my will and
words hidden, until you see whether the work can be accomplished which I think
myself to have conceived with a devout mind. Living in this lonely place
delights me beyond all riches, and if I found someone who wanted to supply my
bodily necessities out of the love of God, I would want even now to put my
cabin here, so that I could be free to pray more frequently. But since I am
denied this consolation at present, I ask that in the meantime what I desire be
hidden."
Inspired by God (as
I believe), the woman replied: "I will reveal your secret to no one as
long as it is against your wish, but you should know that if you decide to
persist in your undertaking, I will supply your necessities for the sake of
God, and help you in your vow as much as I can."
Searching for God's Will
Returning thanks for this
promise, Meinrad walked back to his cell, whence he had set out, and there he
begged God continually with fasting and prayer to deign to establish in his
soul His Divine Will about this matter. And at length, strengthened with divine
inspiration, Meinrad left the cell and the school he had presided over, and
visited the woman again, for he wanted to find out whether or not she was
willing to persist in her promise.
When he saw that
she had remained constant in the offer of the promised aid to him, he built a
hut for himself in a lonely place [on Mount Etzel], not far from the village
where the woman lived.[7] And there Meinrad served the Creator unceasingly with fasts and
prayers; and the woman and other pious folk provided him with the necessities
of life.
For seven years
Meinrad served the heavenly King there; but since he was not strong enough to
bear the multitude of people who came to him, he moved and found a patch of
level ground among the mountains, very difficult to reach, four miles from the
lakeshore. There, with the help of pious folk and especially a certain abbess
by the name of Helwiga, he built a cabin, the bare necessity for his vow, and
he remained in that place for the rest of his life.[8]
He mortified
himself with the greatest fasts, as much as human frailty allowed, and prayed
without ceasing. He gave out as alms to his visitors all those things which
faithful men and women used to send him.
One day while he
was praying, it happened that a great host of demons surrounded him from every
side, and the servants of darkness so overshadowed him that he could no longer
see even the light of day. With terrible threats and the greatest dread, they exhausted
him. Prostrate in prayer, as the situation then required, he commended himself
with every desire to the holy Lord. Things went on in this way for a long time.
Then, he saw a
light from the east. Following this light, an angel came to him where he was
lying prostrate in prayer in the midst of the evil spirits; and with great
authority, the angel ordered the impious array to depart and to dare not
inflict further temptation or terror on Meinrad. After the host left, the angel
consoled Meinrad, as one friend another, and departed. And so from that day on,
as the venerable man himself used to say, he suffered no further terror from
evil spirits.
Spiritual Wonders
Afterwards, it happened as
well that a certain brother from the monastery came to visit Meinrad. Meinrad
received him and the companions who had come with him willingly, and he kindly
furnished all the things that befit guests, as much as was possible. When the
time for vespers had come, and the stars by their shining suggested sleep, they
renewed themselves with the sweet discourse of holy things, and after compline
went in to sleep, the visiting brother in one place, his companions in others,
and the venerable man in his private chamber.
After he had
refreshed his body with sleep for a little while, the man of God arose and
watched in vigil with his accustomed prayers. The visiting brother, though
resting in bed, passed the whole night practically sleepless. While he cast his
eyes curiously here and there, he saw a child of wondrous beauty in white
robes, who seemed to him about seven years old, come out of the oratory. And
the child went in to the man of God, prayed with him, and spoke of various
matters with him.
Although the
brother could hear the sound of the boy's conversation, he nevertheless did not
understand the sense of it. And the child stood by the brother, who was fully
awake, and warned him of certain things, which the brother himself said he was
altogether forbidden to speak about openly.
For the sake of
brevity, I omit many wonders concerning Meinrad, which a full and faithful account would set forth, and turn to how he gained the palm of
martyrdom.
After Meinrad had
lived in that lonely place for 26 years, serving the Lord in fasts and by
abstinence from all worldly things, it came about by the inspiration of the one
who entered the serpent and through its mouth deceived our first parents and
threw them out of paradise that two men made their way to his cell in order to
kill him.[9] They came to the village on the shore of Lake Zurich, asked where lay
the path that led to his cell, and had it pointed out to them.
And getting up in good
time the next morning, they went up the path shown them, driven by the terrible
spirit with which they were filled. For a long time, however, they strayed from
the right path leading to his cell. Greatly put out, they at length got to
where they wanted to go after the greater part of the day was spent. Meinrad,
keeping watch with his accustomed prayers, was devoutly offering the solemnity
of the Mass to the Creator.
Meinrad Foresees His Death
Now before the evil men
entered his cell-one of whom was called Richard and was from the nation of the
Alamanni, and the other of whom was called Peter and was born of the nation of
the Raetians-[before they entered his cell, I say,] the chickens which the
venerable man kept there saw the men come near, scattered through the hermitage
as if they were being chased by a fox, and filled the woods with a resounding
and unusual clamor and unheard of noise, such that the thieves themselves were
astonished and wondered greatly at it, and in their own minds perceived that it
was unnatural. Still, they were not distracted from their task, and approached
the chapel.
Here, as was said, the man
of God was reconciling God to himself with abundant prayers. Foreseeing what
would happen, he had received the Lord's body as the viaticum of his death with
a pure heart and devout mind. For already the man of God sensed that his
slayers were at hand.
Still, he did not
offer himself to them at once, but delaying yet a little while, kept the door
of his chapel closed so that he could linger yet a little while in prayer. So
he finished his prayer with force, and taking up in his hands the reliquaries
of the saints one by one, he kissed them reverently, and was commending his
agony to the Lord and to the saints whose relics he reverently embraced.
The evil men had
now arrived, and were watching him do this through a kind of chink in the wall.
At last this strong athlete went out to the fight with God's help, and did not
deny his presence to the murderers. First offering them words of greeting, he
then said: "O friends, why did you come so late? Why didn't you hurry and
come and hear my humble Mass so that I could pray to our common Lord on your
behalf? But even now go in, ask God and his saints to be gentle with you, and
afterwards return to me, so that I may share for the love God whatever blessing
I can offer you that he bestows. And so finish the work that you have come to
do."
A Final Request
So they went into the
oratory, not intent on what he had urged them to do, but rather on the evil
they had come to commit, and they came back to him quickly. The man of God gave
them his tunic and cuculla, and added as well bread and drink, saying:
"Take these things from my hands; indeed, once you finish what you have
come to do, you can take for yourselves whatever you want of these things here.
For I know that you have come to kill me. But one favor I beg of you. After you
have ended the course of my present life, place these candles which you see and
which I made for this very purpose, one burning at my head and one at my feet.
Then afterwards quickly leave this place, lest those who are used to visit me
come upon you and force you to pay the penalty of your crime."
Then all at once
Richard seized the blessed man with his filthy hands, and locked his little
body fast in his arms, weakened as it was by fasting. And with an oath, he
ordered his companion to club the holy man. Peter disabled Meinrad by beating
him on his sides and legs, while the holy man raised his hands to God.
Richard said:
"We haven't got all day; hit him in the head and finish him off. Hurry up,
or I'll do it myself." And at once he took up the club and landed a blow
on Meinrad's head with all his might. So stricken, the holy man sank to the
ground half dead. And they flung themselves on him and strangled him with their
hands until he breathed out his spirit.
Meinrad's soul then
went forth, and in the very last gasp of breath, an odor of such sweetness came
out and filled the whole cell, as if perfumes of all aromas had been strewn
around and were sending out their fragrance. Then the thieves stripped him of
the clothing he was wearing, carried the man of God to the bed where he used to
rest, and put him in it.
They put a cloak
underneath him, and a blanket over him; and, as the man of God had asked when
alive, they took the candles, placed one at his head, and ran with the other to
the chapel to get a light from the flame that burned constantly in the oratory.
Ravens Reveal the Crime
Coming back to the little
body of the dead man, they found the unlit candle that they had put there
burning brightly. And all at once, such a great fear entered them that they did
not dare to touch any of the things related to the service of the altar. So
taking up the clothing and some bed coverings, they retraced their steps in
haste back to where they had come from.
Now there were some
ravens who used to come regularly to the servant of God when he was alive and
take what was offered from his hands. And as if wishing to avenge the dead man,
the ravens followed the thieves while they were fleeing from the hermitage, and
filled the woods with loud cawing. And flying as close to the murderers' heads
as they could, they published the crime that had been committed.
Not long afterwards, the evil men were arrested, and the crime which they had
committed in secret was revealed, since God did not wish to postpone the
punishment of the sin that they had merited by killing the servant of God. For
indeed, after the judges and the Christian people under count Adalbert
condemned them to it, they were burned alive.
Now the candle they
had put at the head of the man of God and which was lighted by heaven burned
down to the straw they had put over his body. The fire burnt part of the straw
and went all the way up to the limbs of the dead man. But when it touched his
limbs, just as it was divinely lit, so also it was extinguished at the command
of God. From this, however, the news of his death spread abroad.
When it became
known, the venerable abbot Walter[10] and the brothers living under him took the body of the man of God from
his hermitage, and transferring it to the monastery of Reichenau, buried it
there with due honor. So suffered the holy martyr, on the 21st day of January
in the eight hundredth and sixty-third year from the incarnation of the Lord,
while Louis reigned as king over the east Franks, in the 28th year of his
reign.
Footnotes
- 1 Translated from the "Vita S.
Meginrati," edited by O. Holder-Egger, Monumenta
Germaniae Historica, Scriptores v. 15, pt. 1, pp. 444-448. Further
notes are from this edition. Holder-Egger supposes the author is a monk of
Reichenau, writing not long after the beginning of the 10th century, and
thinks its attribution to Abbot Berno of Reichanau (1008-1048) by Chr.
Hartmann (whom Mabillon follows in this) without foundation. Return to text.
- 2 In the text: Sulichkewe and Sulich. Sulchgau is
the site of modern Rottenburg. Return to text.
- 3 Rather, in the time of Charles Martel, it would
seem, about 724. Return to text.
- 4
Abbot 807-823. Thus, the events are to be dated somewhere from 814 to 823.
Return to text.
- 5 The year is 823; Hatto was abbot from 823 to
838. Return to text.
- 6 In
the text, the Penine Alps, but which as named today would be too distant
from Lake Zurich. Return to text.
- 7 The
year is about 829. Return to text.
- 8 The year is about 836. Return to text.
- 9 The
year is perhaps 861. Return to text.
San Meinrado (Meginrado) di Einsiedeln Eremita e martire
† Einsiedeln, Svizzera, 861
Martirologio Romano: Tra i monti intorno al lago di Zurigo nell’odierna
Svizzera, san Meinrado, sacerdote, che, dedito dapprima alla vita cenobitica,
poi a quella eremitica, fu ucciso dai briganti.
San Meinrado (o Meginrado) nacque da una famiglia di contadini a
Sulichgau, nei pressi di Wurtemberg in Germania. Entrò nel monastero
benedettino di Reichenau in Svizzera, ove ricevette l’ordinazione presbiterale.
Divenne poi insegnante vicino al lago di Zurigo. Sognando una vita di
solitudine, verso l’829 i suoi superiori acconsentirono al suo passaggio alla
vita eremitica e si stabilì dunque in una vicina foresta. Divenne ben presto famoso per la
santità e l’austerità che contraddistinguevano la sua vita. Cominciando ad
affluire numerosi i visitatori, Meinrado preferì trasferirsi in un luogo ancora
più isolato, nei pressi di Einsiedeln, ove rimase per venticinque anni sino
alla morte. Due briganti, convinti che il santo eremita nascondesse un tesoro,
andarono a trovarlo spacciandosi per pellegrini e ricevettero cortese
accoglienza. Non trovando però alcun tesoro, lo bastonarono a morte per poi
darsi alla fuga.
La leggenda vuole che i due ladri vennero inseguiti da altrettanti corvi fino a
Zurigo e qui gracchiando avvertirono le autorità. Furono dunque catturati e
messi al rogo. Le spoglie mortali di Meinrado furono ritrovate e traslate a
Reichenau per ricevere solenne sepoltura. Nonostante non fosse propriamente
morto in odio alla fede, si sviluppò nei suoi confronti un culto quale martire.
Quarant’anni dopo, un sacerdote di nome Benno tornò ad occupare l’eremo
che era stato di San Meinrado. Convinto poi ad accettare la sede episcopale di
Metz, preferì in seguito fare ritorno ad Einsiedeln per dare vita ad un
monastero benedettino ancor oggi fiorente.
Autore: Fabio
Arduino
