Buste-reliquaire de Saint Tillon de Solignac, La tête de ce buste-reliquaire date du 13e siècle. Le buste est un travail du 17e ou du 18e siècle. Les logettes à reliques ont été refaites au 19e siècle ou au début du 20e siècle : elles renferment des reliques, celles du buste sont identifiées : S. Tillo. E. Source : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buste-reliquaire_de_Saint_Th%C3%A9au.jpg
Saint Tillon
Disciple de saint
Éloi (+ 702)
Til ou Théau.
Disciple de saint Éloi et abbé de Solignac au diocèse de Limoges. Il quitta volontairement son abbaye pour devenir solitaire et c'est ainsi qu'il devint le père de très nombreux religieux.
St Till ou Tillon (+ 700) était le jeune fils de l'un des chefs saxons écrasés par Clotaire II. Vendu comme esclave, il est acheté par saint Éloi (celui de la chanson populaire) qui lui donne une formation chrétienne et artistique. Devenu prêtre, il se retire à l'abbaye de Solignac, près de Limoges, puis dans la solitude des gorges de l'Auze, à Brageac, où sa sainteté lui attire des disciples.
Il meurt le 7 janvier 700. On trouve encore la trace de sa cellule d'ermite, creusée dans le rocher, sous l'église abbatiale de Brageac. (diocèse de Saint-Flour)
À Solignac dans le Limousin, en 702, saint Théau ou Tillon. Disciple de saint
Éloi, qui le tira de l'esclavage et l'ordonna prêtre, il fut à la fois orfèvre,
homme de prière, et se retira comme reclus près du monastère.
Martyrologe romain
SOURCE : https://nominis.cef.fr/contenus/saint/5138/Saint-Tillon.html
Statue
de Théau de Solignac sur le portail d'entrée de l'église Saint-Théau d'Iseghem
Portalstatue
des hl. Tillmann, Sint-Tillo-Kerk, Isegem
SOURCE : https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Sint_Tillo_Izegem.jpg
Also
known as
Tillo of Westphalia
Tillo of Izegem
Filman…
Hillo…
Hilloin…
Hillonis…
Hillonius…
Hilonius…
Theau…
Théau…
Thielemann…
Thielman…
Thillo…
Tillmann…
Tilloine…
Tillon…
Tillone…
Tilman…
Tilmannus…
Tilón…
16
January on some calendars
Profile
Kidnapped by
raiders and brought to the Low Countries as a slave.
Ransomed by Saint Eligius
of Noyon. Benedictine monk at
Solignac, France. Priest. Missionary in
the regions around Courtrai, France.
Eventually retired to become a hermit at
Solignac.
Born
c.610 in Saxony (in
modern Germany)
702 at
Solignac, France of
natural causes
in Belgium
in France
abbot holding
a chalice and
staff
Additional
Information
Book
of Saints, by the Monks of
Ramsgate
Lives
of the Saints, by Father Alban
Butler
Lives
of the Saints, by Sabine Baring-Gould
Saints
of the Day, by Katherine Rabenstein
Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict, by Father Aegedius
Ranbeck, O.S.B.
books
Our Sunday Visitor’s Encyclopedia of Saints
Saints
and Their Attributes, by Helen Roeder
other
sites in english
images
webseiten
auf deutsch
sitios
en español
Martirologio Romano, 2001 edición
sites
en français
fonti
in italiano
websites
in nederlandse
nettsteder
i norsk
MLA
Citation
‘Saint Tillo of
Solignac‘. CatholicSaints.Info. 25 December 2023. Web. 7 January 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saint-tillo-of-solignac/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saint-tillo-of-solignac/
Article
(Tilman) (Saint) (January 7)
(8th
century) By birth a Saxon. He was carried as a prisoner
of war into Flanders, where he was baptised by Saint Eligius.
He worked as a missionary in
the country about Tournai and Courtrai, but retired some years before his death to
the Abbey of
Solignac, where he passed away A.D. 702.
MLA
Citation
Monks of Ramsgate.
“Thillo”. Book of Saints, 1921. CatholicSaints.Info.
27 December 2016. Web. 7 January 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-thillo/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/book-of-saints-thillo/
Saints of the
Day – Tillo of Solignac
Article
(also known as Thillo,
Thielman, Theau, Tilloine, Tillon, Tilman, Hillonius) Born in Saxony; died 702.
Tillo was kidnapped by robbers and carried off as a slave to the Low Countries
(Benelux), where he was ransomed by Saint Eligius. He became a hermit near the
abbey of Solignac, and was known for his austerity and devotion. After his
ordination to the priesthood, he evangelized the district around Tournai and
Courtrai. Eventually, he returned to Solignac where he spent the remaining
years of his life (Benedictines, Encyclopedia). In art Saint Tillo is a
Benedictine abbot holding a chalice and a pastoral staff. He is venerated in
Solignac (Roeder).
MLA
Citation
Katherine I
Rabenstein. Saints of the Day, 1998. CatholicSaints.Info.
11 August 2021. Web. 7 January 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/saints-of-the-day-tillo-of-solignac/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-of-the-day-tillo-of-solignac/
St. Tillo
Feastday: January 7
Death: 702
Benedictine monk, also
called Theau in France, Filman in Flanders, Belgium, and Hillonius in Germany.
A native of Saxony, he was kidnapped by raiders and brought to the Low
Countries as a slave. Ransomed by St. Eligius of
Noyon, he entered the Benedictines at Solignac, where he received ordination,
and labored as a missionary in the regions around Courtrai, France. He became a
recluse at Solignac in his later years.
SOURCE : https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=2292
Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict – Saint Tillo, Abbot and Hermit
In one of the many wars
between the Franks and the Germans, Clothair, King of France, invaded Saxony.
The battle that followed was long and bloody, but at last victory declared
itself on the side of the invaders. As was usual in those days, the prisoners
were sold as slaves. One of these, conspicuous for his youth, grace, and
splendid physique, attracted the notice of, and was purchased by, Saint
Eligius, O.S.B., who chanced to come into the market-place. He took his captive
to the Monastery of Solignac, then recently founded by himself, and handed him
over to the Abbot to be instructed in the Christian religion. This captive was
Saint Tillo. He soon saw the error of his heathen ways – all the Saxons at this
time were Pagans – and eagerly imbibed the truths of the Gospel. Eligius was so
satisfied with his progress, that he took him away from the monastery to be one
of his own household; in this lowly station he remained till Saint Eligius, on
his consecration as Bishop of Noviomagus, gave freedom to all his slaves.
When he obtained his
liberty, Tillo returned to Solignac, and was admitted as a monk. His brethren
were amazed at the earnestness and enthusiasm of one who was so lately a Pagan
and a slave. None surpassed him in obedience, fasting, and prayer. He also
devoted himself with the greatest assiduity to the study of the Sacred
Scriptures. Such piety and learning recommended him to Saint Eligius for the
priesthood; and further promotion was forced on him, much as his modesty long
strove against it. On the death of the Abbot, Bishop Eligius appointed his
former slave to rule the Abbey of Solignac. The new Superior’s mean origin
might, at first, have naturally excited discontent among the more nobly born of
his brethren, were it not restrained by obedience and monastic discipline ; but
the kind and prudent rule of Tillo soon won all hearts. Yet this was not the
field he had marked out for his labours in the service of Christ. He longed to
come to close quarters with the Evil One. Through respect for Eligius, he was
unwilling to lay down the charge that was laid on him. On the death of the
Bishop, however, he gladly surrendered the keys of office and retired to the
Auvergne mountains. In the midst of the precipitous and rugged cliffs he found
a spot in which grew wild berries sufficient to give him food; close by there
rose a clear spring, at which he could slake his thirst. There, having made
himself a rude hut, our Hermit fought the good fight, and, safe under the
protection of the Cross, he vanquished all the assaults of Satan.
As time went on, report
spread abroad the fame of the Anchorite of Auvergne – Paul he was called – and
numbers joined him, till three hundred hermits, under his rule, prayed and
mortified themselves in little cells scattered over the wild mountain-side. Yet
nobody dreamt that the lowly hut of Paul sheltered the mitred Abbot of
Solignac. Meanwhile his old subjects had not forgotten him. Night and day they
besought God to give them back their Abbot. The Almighty pitied them; so one
night an angel appeared to Tillo while engaged at his devotions, and told him
to choose another to take charge of the hermits in Auvergne, and to return
himself to Solignac. Such, said the Angel, was the will of Heaven. Accordingly,
having summoned his followers, Tillo disclosed to them his name and previous
rank, and repeated the message he had received. Then having, in obedience to
the Divine command, chosen a new Superior for them, he left them, stricken with
grief at his departure, and returned to Solignac. His arrival caused unbounded
joy in his old home. The monks grasped his hands, kissed his hermits cloak, and
inquired the reason of his long absence. When he had related how he had spent
the time during which he had been away, he insisted on being placed among the
lowliest in the Community.
As, in the course of
nature, his death could not now be far off, he asked of Gondobert, who was then
Abbot, to allow him to withdraw to a more retired cell, where he could prepare
himself for the last struggle. His request was granted, and a small cell was
built for him about five miles from the Monastery. In his ninetieth year he
received a warning that the end was at hand; so he sent word to his brethren,
and summoned Ermenus, the Bishop of Limoges, to give him the Last Sacraments.
The Bishop at this time was sick in bed, and could not move unless when lifted
by his attendants. By the kindness of the Almighty, however, strength returned
to his limbs, and he was enabled to proceed with the community of Solignac to
the cell of Tillo, there to perform the last offices for his old friend. After
receiving the Viaticum and being anointed with the Holy Oil, Saint
Tillo gave back his soul to his Maker while his brethren were reciting the
prayers for the dying. It is conjectured that his death took place towards the
close of the seventh century after Christ, for he survived for many years Saint
Eligius, who died A.D. 659, or 665.
– text and illustration
taken from Saints
of the Order of Saint Benedict by Father Aegedius
Ranbeck, O.S.B.
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/saints-of-the-order-of-saint-benedict-saint-tillo-abbot-and-hermit/
Baring-Gould’s
Lives of the Saints – Saint Tyllo, Hermit
Article
(about 700)
[Cologne, German, and
Belgian Martyrologies. The name is sometimes Tyllo, Thillo, or Hillo; in
Belgium, Theaulon or Tilman. Authority: A life published in the Bollandists,
which agrees with scattered notices of him in various writers.]
Saint Tillo, the Patron
of Iseghem, in Belgium, was a son of Saxon parents, but was stolen, when young,
from his home, and sold as a slave in Gaul. Saint Eligius, who redeemed many
slaves, bought the lad, and being struck with his beauty and intelligence, sent
him to the monastery of Solignac, to be educated by Saint Remade, then abbot of
Solignac. After his education was complete, he was returned to Saint Eligius,
who was a goldsmith, patronized by King Dagobert and the nobles of the court.
With him Tillo learned the trade of a goldsmith, and made many vessels and
ornaments of gold and silver, encrusted with gems, for the King. Whilst he
worked, he had the Holy Scriptiures open before him, and as he chased the
silver and gold he studied the Word of God. He kept ever in his heart the
maxim, “Whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them,”
and all his work was done to the best of his ability, and executed with
puncmality. Thus, he found favour with Eligius, and with all the customers of
his master. When Eligius left his shop, and became a bishop, he called to the
clerical office and to the religious life, his apprentice whom he had bought in
the market many years before. Tillo, as priest and monk, showed a pattern of
holiness, and was made abbot of Solignac, near Limoges. But ruling three
hundred monks and attending to the worldly affairs of a great monastery, and
more than that, the multitude of visitors, made the life one for which the
goldsmith’s apprentice, trained to work in silence, and think and read, felt
himself unfitted; so one night he fled away and was lost He penetrated the
woods and mountains of Auvergne, seeking out a suitable spot for a hermitage,
and one day he lit upon a quiet place, hid away among the rocky mountains, into
which he could only just crawl on hands and knees. Having got in, he found a
pleasant glade, surrounded ndth trees, having streams watering it from the
mountain side, and there were plenty of apple trees, from which he concluded it
had been previously a hermitage. Here he lived for some time, praying and
reading, and tilling the soil. By degrees, it was rumoured that a holy hermit
lived in that glade, and the people of the neighbourhood came to see him, and
he called himself Brother Paul. And to all who visited him this was the rule of
life he gave, “Believe in God the Father Almighty, and in Jesus Christ his Son,
also in the Holy Ghost, three persons, but one God. Keep your mind from vain
cogitations and your body pure from all uncleanness; avoid self-conceit, and be
instant in prayer.”
And when there was ever
more and more of a concourse, and many desired to put themselves under his
direction, he went forth, and sought out a suitable spot, and found it at
Bayac, where he founded a monastery. There he remained some while, till a
longing came over him to revisit Solignac, and he fled away when all his monks
were asleep, as he had fled previously from Solignac. And when he reached
Solignac, he was received with great joy. Then he asked the abbot Gundebert to
build him a little cell outside the monastery, in which he might reside with
one or two of the brethren who sought a stricter life. His -wish was granted,
and in this cell he spent the rest of his days.
He is regarded with
special veneration at Iseghem, in Flanders, because he visited that place in
company with Saint Eligius, and there remained some time teaching the people.
In art, he is represented
with a chalice in one hand and an abbatial staff in the other.
MLA
Citation
Sabine Baring-Gould.
“Saint Tyllo, Hermit”. Lives
of the Saints, 1872. CatholicSaints.Info.
17 December 2023. Web. 7 January 2026.
<https://catholicsaints.info/baring-goulds-lives-of-the-saints-saint-tyllo-hermit/>
SOURCE : https://catholicsaints.info/baring-goulds-lives-of-the-saints-saint-tyllo-hermit/
San Tillone Monaco
di Solignac
Festa: 7 gennaio
Monaco dell'abbazia di
Solignac, in Francia. Tillone nacque schiavo e fu liberato per intercessione di
sant'Eligio. Seguì il santo nella sua missione e, dopo la sua morte, si ritirò
nell'abbazia di Solignac, dove condusse una vita di preghiera e di lavoro. Era
un abile artigiano e realizzò oggetti di oreficeria e di arte sacra.
Martirologio
Romano: A Solignac presso Limoges nella regione dell’Aquitania, in
Francia, san Tillone, che, discepolo di sant’Eligio, fu artigiano e monaco.
Il 7 gennaio la Chiesa celebra la memoria di san Tillone, monaco dell'abbazia di Solignac, in Francia. Di lui si sa molto poco, ma le poche notizie che ci sono giunte ci consentono di tracciare un profilo di un uomo pio, devoto e lavoratore.
Tillone nacque in una famiglia di umili origini e, da giovane, fu schiavo di un ricco mercante. La sua vita cambiò quando, per intercessione di sant'Eligio, fu liberato. Tillone decise di seguire il santo nella sua missione e, insieme a lui, si dedicò alla diffusione del Vangelo e all'opera di carità.
Dopo la morte di sant'Eligio, Tillone si ritirò nell'abbazia di Solignac, dove condusse una vita di preghiera e di lavoro. Era un abile artigiano e, con le sue mani, realizzava oggetti di oreficeria e di arte sacra. I suoi lavori erano noti per la loro bellezza e per la loro spiritualità.
Tillone fu anche un maestro spirituale e, intorno a lui, si formò una comunità di monaci che lo veneravano come un padre. La sua vita fu un esempio di fede, di amore per il prossimo e di dedizione al lavoro.
Autore: Franco Dieghi
SOURCE : https://www.santiebeati.it/dettaglio/36540
Den hellige Tillo av
Solignac (~610-~702)
Minnedag:
7. januar
Skytshelgen mot feber og
barnesykdommer; for barn som har vanskeligheter med å lære å gå
Den hellige Tillo
(Thillo, Thielman, Thielmann, Tilman, Tillmann; belg: Filman, Hilonius; ty:
Hillonius; fr: Théau, Tilloine, Tillon) ble født rundt 610 i Sachsen (eller
Westfalen?) i Tyskland. Noen kilder kaller ham Tillo Paulus. Han kom
sannsynligvis fra en hedensk familie. Han ble kidnappet av røvere og ført til
Nederlandene, og derfra solgt som slave til Gallia. Der ble han kjøpt fri og
døpt av den hellige Eligius av Noyon (ca
588-660), som da fortsatt var i Paris, og han utdannet Tillo til gullsmed.
Eligius var myntmester og
en viktig rådgiver for merovingerkongene Klotar II av Neustria (584-629;
frankisk enekonge fra 613), Dagobert I (629-39) og Klodvig II av Neustria og
Burgund (639-58). Han tjente så mye penger i sitt embete at han i 632 grunnla
benediktinerklosteret Solignac (Solemniacum) i bispedømmet Limoges i
det nåværende departementet Haute-Vienne i regionen Limousin, som da var en del
av den større regionen Aquitania i Sør-Frankrike. Han grunnla klosteret sammen
med den hellige Remaclus på
et landområde han fikk av kong Dagobert. Eligius sendte Tillo for å studere i
Solignac. Der ble han benediktinermunk (Ordo Sancti Benedicti – OSB)
og i 641 presteviet. Han var en stund abbed i Solignac.
I 641 ble Eligius utnevnt
til biskop av Noyon ved Oise i Nord-Frankrike og Tournai i Flandern (det
nåværende Belgia). De fleste av innbyggerne i hans store bispedømme var ennå
hedninger, og i sine nitten år som biskop av Noyon-Tournai la Eligius mest vekt
på misjonering blant de germanske stammene i Flandern og Friesland. Til tross
for stor motstand omvendte han mange i områdene rundt Antwerpen, Gent og
Courtrai (Courtray, Kortrijk).
Eligius kalte Tillo til
seg og satte ham til å evangelisere i området rundt Courtrai og Tournai i
Nederlandene. Han må ha forkynt i et stort område, for han æres i dag ikke bare
i Flandern, men også i Tyskland. Det heter at han sannsynligvis gravla de
hellige misjonærene Evald den Lyse og
Evald den Mørke, men de døde rundt 695, lenge etter at Tillo hadde forlatt
området.
For Eligius døde i 660,
og en gang etter det vendte Tillo tilbake til Solignac. Han trakk seg tilbake
til en eneboerhytte i Brajac (Brajeac) ved Maurioc i Auvergne. Der ville han leve
et liv i bønn og streng bot for å sone det han hadde forsømt i sitt offentlige
liv. Han var nå kjent som Paulus eneboeren (ifølge legenden var Paulus hans
dåpsnavn).
Til slutt vendte han til
tilbake til klosteret Solignac. Der forutså han sin egen død, og en dag sendte
han en gutt til biskop Hermenus av Limoges idet han sa: «Min sønn, dra i all
hast til byen Limoges og si til hyrden i kirken at kan komme hit i morgen for å
anbefale min sjel til Gud og begrave mitt legeme». Deretter mottok han kommunionen
og døde. Det skjedde en 16. januar rundt 702 i svært høy alder, over 90 år
gammel. Biskop Hermenus som også lå syk, følte i samme øyeblikk at hans krefter
kom tilbake, og han kom til klosteret i rett tid til å begrave Tillo. 300
disipler sørget ved hans grav.
Tillos kult er gammel og
vidt utbredt i Belgia og Frankrike. Hans minnedag er 7. januar, men dødsdagen
16. januar nevnes også. Hans navn er for første gang tatt med i Martyrologium
Romanum i den nye utgaven fra 2001. Mange kirker er viet til ham i Flandern,
Limousin og Auvergne og andre områder i Frankrike. Han fremstilles som munk
eller som abbed med stav mens han holder en kalk og gullsmedverktøy. Han æres
fortsatt høyt i Flandern, spesielt i Izegem, en by i provinsen West-Vlaanderen
i Belgia. Der kalles han Tillo av Izegem. Han er skytshelgen for barn som har
vanskeligheter med å lære å gå og mot feber.
Tillo står på en liste
over helgener1 som
har det til felles at det ble sagt at det fra deres graver eller relikvier
strømmet ut olje til visse tider.2 Disse
helgenene ble gjerne kalt på gresk Myroblýtes («myrrautgytere»).
Tillos relikvier i Solignac ble ødelagt av de protestantiske hugenottene under
religionskrigene i Frankrike.
1
Catholic Encyclopedia: Oil of Saints
2
Acta Sanctorum, januar, I, s 380
Kilder: Kilder:
Attwater/Cumming, Butler (I), Benedictines, Bunson, Dammer/Adam, CSO, Patron
Saints SQPN, Infocatho, Bautz, Heiligenlexikon, Stadler, santiebeati.it,
nl.wikipedia.org, heiligen.net - Kompilasjon og oversettelse: p. Per Einar Odden -
Sist oppdatert: 2008-04-08 12:46
SOURCE : https://www.katolsk.no/biografier/historisk/tillo
Tillo von Solignac
französische Namen: Til, Théau, Tillon
eingedeutscht: Tillmann, Thielmann
auch: Hillonius, genannt Paulus
Gedenktag katholisch: 7.
Januar
Einsiedler, Abt in Brajac / Brageac
* in Westfalen
† um 702 in Solignac in
Frankreich
Tillo gelangte nach dem
Sieg von Merowingerkönig
Chlothar II. über die Sachsen 622
als Gefangener über Belgien nach Frankreich, wurde von Eligius von Noyon befreit
und bekehrt und dann um 635 im Kloster in
Solignac Priester und Mönch. 659 zog er sich als Einsiedler zurück in die
Einsamkeit von Brajac / Brajecte - dem heutigen Brageac - bei Aurillac; nachdem
sich ihm viele Schüler angeschlossen hatten, gründete er dort ein Kloster - an
der Stelle der heutigen Pfarrkirche.
Als 30 Mönche in seinem Kloster lebten, ging er wieder nach Solignac.
Im Kloster in
Solignac wurde 820 die Regel der Benediktiner eingeführt.
In der Französischen Revolution wurde es 1790 aufgelöst. Nach wechselnden
Nutzungen ist es seit 2021 wieder von Benediktinern bewohnt. An der Stelle des
732 von den Sarazenen zerstörten Klosters von Tillo wurde um 1160 in Brageac
erneut ein Kloster gegründet; dessen Kirche ist
heute Pfarrkirche.
Patron der Kinder,
die schwer gehen lernen; gegen Fieber
Stadlers
Vollständiges Heiligenlexikon
Die Klosterkirche in Solignac ist täglich von 5.25 Uhr bis 20.45 Uhr geöffnet. (2025)
Seite
zum Ausdruck optimiertUnser Reise-Blog:
Reisen zu den Orten, an denen die
Heiligen lebten und verehrt werden.
Empfehlung an
Freunde senden
Artikel
kommentieren / Fehler melden
Fragen? -
unsere FAQs antworten!
Impressum - Datenschutzerklärung
Schauen Sie sich zufällige Biografien an:
Heron
von Antiochia
Ulrich
Josef
Olallo Valdes
Autor: Joachim
Schäfer - zuletzt aktualisiert am 23.05.2025
Quellen:
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Th%C3%A9au_de_Solignac - abgerufen am 11.02.2025
• https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brageac#Lieux_et_monuments - abgerufen am 01.05.2025
• Infotafel an der Kirche in
Brageac
korrekt zitieren: Joachim Schäfer: Artikel Tillo von Solignac, aus dem Ökumenischen Heiligenlexikon - https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienT/Tillo_Tillmann_von_Solignac.htm, abgerufen am 6. 1. 2026
Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet das Ökumenische
Heiligenlexikon in der Deutschen Nationalbibliografie; detaillierte
bibliografische Daten sind im Internet über https://d-nb.info/1175439177 und https://d-nb.info/969828497 abrufbar.
SOURCE : https://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienT/Tillo_Tillmann_von_Solignac.htm
Tillo (ook Hilloin, Hilonius, Thé
au, Tillmann, Tilman, Tilmannus) van
Solignac (ook van Westfalen), Frankrijk; monnik; † ca 702.
Feest 7 & †
16 januari.
Tillo was een Saks van
geboorte; hij moet rond het jaar 610 in het gebied van Westfalen geboren zijn.
Volgens de overlevering heetten zijn vader en moeder Herkenbout (= 'heilig en
dapper') en Vramhilde (= 'eerlijke beschermster of heldin').
Als jongen van 15 zou hij
door gespuis dat de Rijn afstroopte op zoek naar goedkope buit, gevangen
genomen zijn. Zij boden hem als slaaf te koop aan op de markt van Parijs. Daar
woonde in die tijd een man die later beroemd zou worden als Sint Eligius (†
660; feest 1 december). Op dat moment was Eligius nog goudsmid in dienst van de
Frankische koning, Dagobert I († 639). Wel maakte hij al ernst met zijn
christelijk geloof, en probeerde hij zijn Heer na te volgen.
Vandaar dat hij
regelmatig op die slavenmarkt te vinden was om er gevangenen vrij te kopen. Als
edelsmid aan het hof was hij immers een welgesteld man. Zo kocht hij Tillo vrij
en omdat hij hoge verwachtingen van de jongen had, vertrouwde hij hem toe aan
de monniken van Solignac. Met dat klooster had Eligius veel contact, omdat de
monniken er in hun levensonderhoud voorzagen door heilig vaatwerk te smeden
voor de liturgie.
Nadat Tillo zijn vorming
had voltooid, keerde hij terug naar zijn weldoener in Parijs en trad in zijn
dienst. Ook hij leerde het vak van edelsmid. Maar toen Eligius werd weggeroepen
om bisschop te worden van Noyon en Doornik, had de smeedkunst voor Tillo geen
betekenis meer. Hij keerde terug naar Solignac om in te treden als monnik.
Hoe ijverig bisschop
Eligius zich intussen ook wijdde aan de verkondiging van het evangelie, toch
merkte hij dat het allemaal vruchteloos bleef; sterker nog, herhaaldelijk wekte
hij eerder vijandschap op bij zijn toehoorders dan een gewillig oor. Hij was
dan ook hun taal niet machtig. Nu deed hij een beroep op zijn oude leerling
Tillo; die sprak immers wel de taal van het volk hij deed zijn naam dus alle
eer aan!
Tillo betekent ‘ man
van het volk’ .
Of hij niet in plaats van
Eligius aan het volk van Vlaanderen het evangelie wilde verkondigen. Dat deed
hij, en op vele plaatsen wist hij de mensen te winnen voor Christus, getuige de
vele herinneringen die aan hem voortleven in Vlaanderenland tot op de dag van
vandaag, vooral in de omgeving van Kortrijk en Doornik.
Na de dood van Eligius,
in 660, keerde Tillo uit Vlaanderen terug naar zijn Solignac. Maar toen de
monniken hem vroegen hun abt te worden, trok hij zich verder terug in de
eenzaamheid van Brageac om zich als kluizenaar des te nadrukkelijker op God te
kunnen richten. Hij at alleen maar kruiden en appelen, en dronk niet anders dan
water. Verder deed hij niets dan vasten en bidden en psalmen zingen. Hij waste
zich niet en sliep slechts op de koude grond. Zijn naam zou hij veranderd
hebben in Paulus (= 'kleine' of 'nederige'). Naast zijn kluizenaarswoninkje
bouwde hij een kapelletje ter ere van Sint Eligius.
Toch wisten de mensen hem
te vinden. Een vrouw met een open wond werd door hem genezen. Hetzelfde deed
hij bij een andere vrouw met een gevaarlijk gezwel in haar hals. Ook wordt
verteld hoe iemand bij hem kwam om olie voor een zieke. Toen hij zijn hand
zegenend boven het lege ampulletje hield, vulde het zich vanzelf met zachte,
heerlijk geurende olie.
Intussen was hij al over
de 90; hij voelde zijn einde naderen. Hij stuurde iemand naar de bisschop van
Limoges, Erminus genaamd, met de vraag of deze hem wilde bijstaan in zijn laatste
momenten. De gevraagde bisschop arriveerde juist op tijd om bij het sterven
aanwezig te zijn. Het schijnt dat hij op dat moment zelfs bisschop Erminus van
een of andere lastige kwaal wist te bevrijden. Na zijn overlijden werd hij als
een heilige bijgezet in de grote abdijkerk van Solignac. Volgens de
overlevering druppelde er uit zijn kist lange tijd een geurige olie...
Afgebeeld
Hij wordt afgebeeld als abt (hoewel hij dat strikt genomen waarschijnlijk nooit
geweest is) met een staf in de ene en een kelk in de andere hand.
Hij is patroon van de Vlaamse plaatsen Gits en Izegem.
Zijn gedachtenis wordt daar dan ook levend gehouden, alsmede in de Franse
bisdommen Toul, Limoges en St-Flour.
[124p:134-135; 127» Théau; 132» Théau; 143» Théau; 200/1» 01.07; 500; Dries van
den Akker s.j./2010.02.21]
© A. van den Akker
s.j. / A.W. Gerritsen
SOURCE : https://heiligen-3s.nl/heiligen/01/07/01-07-0702-tillo.php
Saint Tillon ou Théau (vers 608 – vers 702) : https://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/index2.php?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amisaintcolomban.org%2Fattachments%2FFile%2FPatrimoine_colombanien%2Fsaints_2%2F76_Tillon.pdf
