;
Ilistoiia
Epis- coporum Tullensium, cap.
O'Hanlon - Lives of the Irish Saints - v9
335,
336.
45 See a very complete account of this dis-
tinguished prelate in Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des Saints," tome iv. , Jour xxiiie
d'Avril, pp. 623 to 632.
46 Surnamed the Great. He became
tin,
Saints," tome x. , 433*
Jour
iiie de
Septembre, p.
44 Adso states " :
Emperor of Germany, a. d. 936.
He was of
a
dies vii Idus Septembris agitur. "
the Saxon line,
and had
inherited
Cujus
depositions See the Vita
prepon- derating power in the north of Germany, Prolixior, lib. ii. , cap. ii. , pp. 647, 648. which he greatly increased by his own
success in war. He died on the 25th of December, A. D. 967. See Dean Henry
"
Adso is mistaken in the account that St. Gauzlin was in the forty-fourth year of his con- secration as since his
Hart Milman's
History of Latin Chris-
bishop, predecessor, Drogon, died on the iv. of the March Nones, A. d. 922, which a Charter of Charles the
tianity," vol. iii. , book v. , chap, xii. , pp. 305 to 316.
of 2 who continued to travel Barrois,*
of the Otho 6 of the and Emperor I. ,* clergy
with the
people of Toul, and he was consecrated at Treves. One of his earliest cares
Simple, King of Fiance, proves, dated on the "
same year and day. See Calmet's Histoire
on his back—for
D
5o LIVESOfTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3
was to visit the church in which reposed the body of St. Maunsey. There he prayed with great devotion, and took a vow, that he would endeavour to effect its entire renovation. He resolved on seeking aid from a powerful patron. With such a view he obtained a charter from the Emperor Otho I. , 4 ? dated in the year 965, on the iv. of the June Nones. This confirmed the possessions, privileges and rules of the monks therein living, and who were under the Order of St. Benedict. *8 He not that
foundation, butheliberallyendowedit. 4^ Moreover,headvancedthePrioroverSt. Peter's monasterytothedignityofanAbbot. OnthesiteofSt. Peter'soratory,a celebrated Benedictine Abbey was built, and it was dedicated to St. Mansuy. s°
The choir of the Abbey Church was erected over the saint's tomb.
Various translations of the holy Bishop's relics are on record. It is said, that about the year 971, St. Gerard, Bishop of Toul, repaired that church
dedicated to St. Maunsey's memory, and that afterwards, he solemnly translated the relics of the holy patron from the place of their deposition, to one more suitable for their reception. The relics were placed in a wooden shrine within the church, and before it the monks sang their office, with their accustomed rites, while the faithful frequenting the sanctuary to pray received many benefits through the saint's intercession. Moreover, it is related of this pious prelate, that a band of Greeks and Scots having arrived in Toul, he maintained them at his own 1 In an
had
altars, at which they offered prayers to God, according to the manner of their respective nations. 52 It is supposed, that the disturbances of the time in their own countries5* brought those strangers to seek an asylum in his city
expense. *
During times ot great drought, and when a loss of the growing crops was feared, the clergy and people of Toul sought the saint's shrine in solemn procession, and devoutly trusted that the prayers of their Patron should procure for them fertilizing showers. This was illustrated in a miraculous manner, during the period of St. Gerard's incumbency in the see of Toul. 55 An unusually dry season had visited the country all around ; the earth cracked open, and vegetation was burned up, through excessive heat ; the labours of the husbandman seemed destined to produce nothing of value from the land; even the sky presented very extraordinary phenomena. Deeming these to
from the charitable bishop. 54
4? See an account of this celebrated Em- side of the ancient walls of the
city,
in the
"
peror in Jules Zeller's
magne," tome ii. , chap, xiii. , pp. 250 to 385.
4® The feast of this illustrious Abbot falls onthe21stofMarch. SeeanaccountofSt.
Faubourg de St. Mansuis.
5I " Hie cation Gnvcorum ac Scotto-
rum congregasse, ac propriis stipendiis aluisse dicitur, divisis inter illos altaribus in
Benedict and of his Order in
"
Histoire
oratorio, ubi Deo supplices laiules peisolvcrent
Complete et Costumes des Ordres Monas-
tiques, Religieux et Militaires, et des Con-
gregations Seculieres des deux Sexes," par
le R. P. He'lyot, avec Notice, Annotations et Complement, par V. Phillipon de la Madelaine, tome iv. , Premiere Partie, pp. 5 et seq.
49 See Mabillon's " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," at A. D. 982. Tomus iv. , lib. xlix. , num. xiii. , pp. 8, 9.
50 Besides a fine copper-plate engraving of a map, representing the former Diocese of Toul, in Dom Augustin Calmet's " Histoire Ecclesiastique et Civile de Lorraine," tome i. there is another Plan de la Villede Toul, on which its position is shown near the northern
Mabillon's " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus iv. , lib. I, num. cii. ,
p. 90.
sa This account seems to indicate, that both
the Greeks and Irish, who are here alluded
to, prayed in their own language, and used
their own peculiar rites of worship, differing from those of Gaul.
53 Especially in Ireland the Danes and Norwegians committed great devastations during the ninth and tenth centuries, as noticed in our Annals.
54 See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des Saints," tome iv. , Jour xxiiic d'Avril, p. 625. ss See Dom Calmet's Histoire Ecclesias- tique et Civile de Lorraine," tome i.
Histoire d'Alle-
,
only completed
morepatriot—
oratory they
separate
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 51
be indications of the Divine displeasure for the sins of his people, and at their request, the holy Bishop Gerard instituted a fast for three days, at the end of which time, the shrine of St. Maunsey, containing his blessed body, was to be borne in solemn procession over the parched fields. While litanies and hymns were sung by the clergy and a vast number of the laity assembled, and while they thus moved to the church of St. Apri or Epvre, which was a stage to be reached by the processionists ; suddenly the clouds lowered, the lightnings flashed, and loud peals of thunder followed. Then came torrents of rain, which drenched the multitude present, but which
brought refreshing showers on the fields, the object so earnestly sought. Nor was this the only remarkable occurrence to be related. Sindebard, Count of Toul, was about to have his hand cauterized, because it had withered and caused him great agony \ yet, remembering the merits of the Patron saint, he most earnestly desired leave for carrying that shrine, in which the sacred remains were deposed. This permission he readily obtained, and with Immon, a noble officer in the bishop's service, he walked in that procession. When the shrine was returned to the place in which it usually had been deposited, Mass was commenced, and at its conclusion, the Count found all pain removed from his hand. This he raised up before all those who were present, as a manifestation of St. Maunsey's merits and intercession^6 Immediately after these occurrences, and having placed the sacred remains in the church,5? after vigils and devotions of the previous night, it was solemnly dedicated in honour of the Holy Mother of the Man-God and ofSt. Maunsey. Thenceforward,severalremarkablemiracleswerewrought in it through their intercession, and numbers of devout worshippers were favoured with remission of their sins. Another miracle is related regarding a boy, who had long been a cripple, owing to some spinal contraction. His father, a rustic, had conveyed him in his arms for ten successive years to the tomb of St. Maunsey, but without any alleviation of his son's sufferings. One day, a certain Jew reproached the poor man for his credulity ; when suddenly, the boy who had been laid on the pavement before the shrine felt himself able to arise and walk, to the great admiration of the devout persons who were present. 58 Moreover, on another occasion, and on a Saturday night, while the monks were engaged reciting the Divine Office, and preparing for the Sunday's services on the morrow, St. Gerard, happening to sleep in their monastery at that time,s° had an apparition of St. Maunsey,60 who seemed to enter the chamber with an effulgence of light. Approaching the bed on which the bishop lay, the latter found a hand laid on his body, and
"
heard a voice calling out,
vigils, why are you buried in so deep a slumber ? for the kingdom of Heaven comes not to those sleeping, but to the wakeful. '' At once the bishop arose, and not without some shameful feeling and excitement, he hastened to the church and joined the choir, although not in good time, as the office had long before commenced. 67
Preuves de l'Histoire de Lorraine, Historia
Episcoporum Tullensium, cap. xx. , col. 101.
56 The old writer, who records the
then maintained at the charges of the church. 59 It is stated, the bishop had been much
venerable aspect, his habit being of a white colour.
6l This narrative Adso had from St. Gerard himself,andheaddsinconclusion: "Cujus rei testis non sine sui pudore refert, quid in illo sit passus secreto cubiculi virtute prae-
:
57 This raisedfromitsfoundations.
ipse
previously
Ibid.
Bishop
Gerard had
Why sleep you ? while others keep their pious
fatigued, owing " 6o
previous
miracle, adds
—testis certus, si a quolibet fuerit requisitus. "
Cujus rei adhuc est
s8 In continuation the chronicler remarks, that when he wrote, that boy was living and
foregoing
.
to
He seemed of large stature, and of a
labours
52 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3.
On several occasions, when the plague prevailed in the city and country around Toul, the people offered prayers to St. Mansuy, and bore the shrine
containing his body in public and solemn procession. We have an account 62
of that deadly plague, which visited the city during the pontificate of St.
Gerard, when great numbers of all classes and of both sexes were stricken
with the pest. This usually proved mortal after an illness of three days.
Whereupon, St. Gerard resolved on proclaiming a fast for three days, at the
end of which time, he intended removing the saint's shrine from the place in
which it had been deposited not long before, and having called the people
together, a procession was formed to the church of the Blessed Virgin at
Ecrouves,63 near Toul. From that time forward, the plague was known to
have decreased in virulence. Yet, public apprehensions were not wholly
allayed, when a second and much greater procession took place to the Bene-
dictine 6* at 6* where the nuns were to receive the Convent, Buxeria, prepared
precious remains. In that place, also, Bishop Gerard spent the night. Multitudes assembled to join the procession from the villages and farms along the route, both going and returning ; nor was the River Meurte an obstacle to their pious zeal, for many persons forded it, although swollen with a night's rain. On the return to St. Maunsey's church, the sun shone out with remarkable brightness, while the enthusiasm of the people was mani- fested in tears of joy, shared even by their saintly bishop. Although abating, the plague had not altogether ceased, and a third procession was ordered, when the bodies of St. Maunsey and of St. Epvre were brought in their respectiveshrinesthroughthestreetsofToul. Afterwards,thepestentirely
relief and
of the 66 people.
to the
St. Gerard had granted the villages of Angeria and Molesiac to the
monastery of St. Maunsey, as dependencies for its maintenance ; but, he afterwards revoked this grant, and then he remarked a sudden failure of his strength and health. He became so spare and debilitated, that, he had no appetite, nor could he sleep, Especially for three weeks did he continue in this state, and had abandoned all hope of recovery. Despite the objections raised by members of his household, he expressed a wish to be conveyed to the monastery of St. Maunsey. This happened in the year 974, when he was afflicted with that severe malady, which his physicians were unable to heal through the ordinary courses prescribed. The bishop was restored, however, by invoking the aid of St. Maunsey, and by making a visit to the holy Patron's shrine and monastery.
A remarkable miracle, wrought in favour of an English girl through the merits of St. Maunsey, took place in the year iooq. 6? She had been accessory
stanti beati Mansueti. "—Vita prolixior, lib. by no religious vow.
ii. , cap. iii. , p. 649. 6s The modern French name for it is
disappeared
great
joy
63
and St. Gerard, adds :
ita superveniens irruperat, ut ad unum the Moselle, about five hours' journey from
The old chronicler in relation to Toul Bouxieres-aux- dames. It is situated on the
"
quemlibet, exceptis aliis diversarum eccle- siarum, locum, sicut idem pontifex non sine
gemitu memorabat, denos vel septenos mor- . fuorum loculos sub oculis aspiceret inferri tumulandos. "
Ilanc urbem clades River Meurte, and near its junction with
Ccen—obium Sancti conservat ab igne 63 The chronicler remarks that, the place voraci. " See Dom Augustin Calmet's
was remarkable, also, for the many miracles
there wrought.
64 This had been founded by St. Gauzlin,
and it was tenanted originally by Benedictine
nuns. In the last century, an abbess and Benedicti," tomus iv. , lib. lib. , sect, xxv. , canonesses were the occupants, but bound pp. 209, 210.
Toul.
^ In certain Latin hexameter lines, written
in praise of St. Gerard, we read, that he s—aved
the Monastery of St. Mansuy from fire
"
:
" Histoire Ecclesiastique et Civile de Lor- raine," tome i. Preuves, &c.
; Ilistoiia Epis- coporum Tullensium, cap. xxxv. , col. 133.
67 See Mabillon's " Annates Ordinis S.
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 53 to her mother's death, in conjunction with her brother, a cleric, who had
68 For this crime, were both con- they
resolved on a avenging
family injury.
demned to a punishment common at the period, which was, to have iron
bands fastened about their arm and 6^ were also to body. They obliged
undertake a pilgrimage, so that while visiting Jerusalem, they might expiate in some measure, their matricide by prayer at the holy places. 7° On return- ing, the guilty brother died, but his sister Godelinde visited Toul, to obtain reliefthroughtheintercessionofSt. Maunsey. Thisinpartwasexperienced, as one of the bands loosened on her arm, the other remaining fast. She was accompanied through a motive of charity, by an innocent brother, named
1
Rodulf ; and they next resolved on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Oldericus,?
of 2 when had come to the forest of patron Augsburg. ? However, they
the
the Vosges mountains, where the monastery known as Vallis-Gaiilese had been founded by St. Deodatus,73 Godelinde had a vision of St. Maunsey in her sleep, and she was recommended by him to return. This warning she would not take, but continued her journey towards the city of Strasburg. Again the vision was repeated during her sleep ; yet notwithstanding the dangers of the journey represented to her, she would persevere in her resolution. The sufferings and privations endured by the pilgrims were great beyond expression ; but, she at length returned to Toul, in the extremity of misery, and offered up her prayers with vigils at the tomb of St. Maunsey. Whenshedespairedofrelief,themomentofmercycame. Theironband burst asunder, and fell from her arm. Astonished at such a result, she fainted on the spot ; but soon her senses were restored, and she returned full of joy and gratitude to the country of her birth. 74
68 " These were of noble birth both on the
father's and mother's side. When about to
die, the father commended his children to
the care of his wife ; but, after his death,
unmindful of the trust committed to her, she
again married, and her second husband,
while retaining the daughter in her paternal
castle, most inhumanly cast out her brothers,
and deprived them of their natural inherit-
ance. Stung to frenzy by this conduct, the si aliquid inconsuetum et capitale crimen cleric, with an armed band, and in the dead
hour of the night, entered the castle, with the aid of his sister. Proceeding to the bed- chamber of his mother and step-father, he endeavoured to kill the latter, but the deadly weapon transfixed the body of the former.
69 It would seem the provocation had been
so great, and probably the parricide having
been unintentional, the culprits escaped
capital punishment ; but, they were obliged Vosges territory. His feast is held on the
to bear iron bands or chains, closely bound on the naked body or limbs. In this case, the brother had " toto trunco corporis artatur
19th of June.
74 The more circumstantial details of this
miracle, as given in the Bollandists' "Acta
strictis circulis," while the sister accepit duos in sinistro brachio. " During the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries, such a punish-
ment was frequently inflicted on parricides, or those who murdered relations in blood, sometimes for a term of years, and sometimes
Sanctorum," thus concludes :
Praedicti
for a life-time
;
while were as they enjoined
tamen circuli pendent ad pedes crucifixi
Domini, quorum prior Kalendis Januarii
proruit, necnon alter XIII. Kalendas Junii
cecidit anno ab Incarnatione Domini nono
et milessimo, pontificante Tullense ecclesi—am
domne Bertoldo Indictione vii. " episcopo,
Tomus i. , Septembris iii. De S. Mansueto
Epis. et Conf. Miraculum quod contigit
an expiatory penance to visit Jerusalem, Rome, or some other place, where saints were
Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. iv. , sect, vii. , pp. 87, 88.
70 Certain abuses seem to have arisen from this usage. Thus, in a Council, held at Aix- la-Chapelle, in the time of Charlemagne, it
"
rantes et servientes et pcenitentiam agentes, secu—ndum quod sibi canonice impositum
"
sit. " Sirmond, Conciliorum," tomus ii. ,
p. 154-
71 St. Oldericus or Uldaricus is venerated
on the 4th day of July.
72 Formerly called Augusta Vindelicorum. 73 Bishop of Nevers and Apostle of the
was decreed,
non sinantur vagari et decep- tiones hominibus agere . . . isti nudi cum ferro, qui dicunt se data sibi poenitentia ire vagantes. Melius videtur, ut,
commiserint, uno in loco permaneant labo-
""
held in particular veneration. Examples of anno Mix. , auctore anonymo, pp. 651 to
this kind are to be found, in Mabillon's
653.
54 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3.
CHAPTER III.
STATE OF TOUL DURING THE MIDDLE AGES—REPUTED CANONIZATION OF ST. MAUNSEY BY POPE LEO IX. —VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS OF HIS RELICS—THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. STEPHEN, AT TOUL, AND ITS SHRINES—DESTRUCTION OF ST. MAUNSEY's ANCIENT CHURCH IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY—FESTIVALS AND MEMORIALS OF ST. MAUNSEY —COMMEMORATIONS IN CALENDARS AND MARTYROLOGIES—CONCLUSION.
During the Middle Toul maintained a sort of 1 under Ages, independence,
the nominal control of a long line of bishops, and as a free city of the German
Empire.
2 The
prelates
were
sovereigns,
who
regulated
its and government,
appointed its guards and officials, while they sat as magistrates to administer
justice in cases of litigation among their peopled
The public veneration for St. Maunsey continued to increase, when St. Bruno* was consecrated bishop of Toul, a. d. 1027. 5 He entertained the greatest devotion towards the holy patron, whose intercession procured relief for many sufferers, during the period when he presided over that see, and until he was called upon to rule over the universal Church in 1048, under the designation St. Leo IX. 6 Among the afflicted was a person of distinction, named Odelric de Novo-villari,? who had experienced so many benefits from St. Maunsey's prayers, that he desired to be buried in the church, with his wife, and he left certain farms of land to the monastery. This donation bishop Bruno confirmed by his authority, in the year 1034. After his
8
elevation to the chair of St. Peter, and while still in the city of Toul, with a
certain Deacon Peter of the Roman Church, another miracles is recorded to have occurred during the month of September, a. d. 1049. Li tnis> the eleventh century, St. Maunsey was canonized, as we are told, by Pope Leo
the Ninth, 10 He also confirmed the
1
Chapter hi. — The French kings from
the Merovingian period, and afterwards the German Emperors, left the bishops of Toul temporary lords of the city and of its surround- ing territory. The inhabitants of the former had municipal institutions, while the latter was held in fief by the Dukes of Lorraine. See " Nouveau Dictionnaire de Geographie Universelle," tome vi. , p. 758.
2 See Murray's " Handbook for Travellers
in France," sect, ix. , Route 165, p. 618.
3 Even at the present time, a stone seat on which those judgments were delivered is shown in Toul. See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des Saints," tome iv. , Jour xxiiie
d'Avril, p, 623.
* He was son to Hughes, Count of happen to be employed, as explained in Du
Egisheim, cousin-german of the Emperor
Conrad le Salique, and he was born in Alsace,
June 21st, a. d. 1002. His mother, Heilvige,
was the only daughter and heiress of Louis,
Count of Dachsbourg or Dagsbourg, also known as Dabo. His career in the Church
was distinguished. See ibid. , Jour xixe dAvril, pp. 491 to 520.
s He was elected by the clergy and people
on the death of his predecessor, Bishop Ber-
thold. See Michaud, "Biographie Univer-
selle, Ancienne et Moderne," tome xxiv. , p.
15"-
6 He died on the 19th of
8
The Life of this celebrated Pontiff was
a. d.
See an account of his life and pontificate, in
Also, Harris' Ware, vol. ii. "WritersofIreland,"booki. ,chap,i. , p. 4.
April,
1054.
pp. 389, 390.
rights
and
privileges
of the of Chapter
R. P. Natalis Alexandri Ordinis FF. Prredi- catorum, in Sacra Facultate Parisiensi Doc- toris et Emeriti Professoris " Historia Ecclesiastica Veteris Novique Testamenti," tomus xiv. , cap. i. , art. vi. , pp. 12 to 18.
7 He was a man of substance, who before his death bequeathed two Mansi, and other farms, to the Monastery of St. Mansuetus, on the xvii. of the September Kalends, A. D. 1034, while Hunald was Abbot, and this donation was confirmed in due legal form, with the seal of Bruno, Bishop of Toul. See
Mabillon's
"
Annales Ordinis S- Benedicti,"
tomus iv. , lib. lvii. , num. xxxvii. , pp. 392, 393. The term Mansus, Mama or Mansum has
Cange's "Glossarium ad Scriptores Mediae
et Infimae Latinitatis," tomus iv. , sub voce,
col. 432 to 435, Ediiio 1733.
various significations, according as it may
written originally by three contemporaneous authors : Wibert, Archdeacon of the Church
of Toul, Anselm, monk ot Saint-Remi, and Bruno, Bishop of Segni.
9 It is to be found very circumstantially
related, in M. l'Abbe Guillaume's " Histoire
de l'Eglise de Toul. "
10 "
See Archbishop Ussher's Britannica-
rum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvi. ,
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 55
Canons,attachedtoToulCathedralin1051. " Wehavealreadyseen,that this Sovereign Pontiff is said to have canonized St. Erard or Erhard" of Ratisbon, in Bavaria—another Irish missionary—and at a time when he was
foundations of a tower, which was carried up to the roof of the church. During the time his successor Abbot Grimbaldus1 ^ presided over the mon-
astery of St. Maunsey, he completed that work, which was one of great architectural beauty, while it was surmounted with a gilt cross, and an eagle
with out-spread wings. Moreover, while he built the church exteriorly, he added ornamental features within, having decorated the altar of Saints Peter and Paul with a silver tablet, shining with gems and gold. He was succeeded by Albricus,16 whose eloquence and learning brought a large concourse of persons to the sacred mysteries and ceremonies of the church, so that he was obliged to undertake its enlargement. Albricus therefore raised an ambit of wall, and by a circuit it was brought to the curvature of the arches. In the crypt of this building, the remains of that Abbot were afterwards deposed. *? Next to Albricus came Theomarus. 18 He resumed the work of his predecessor, who had elevated the walls to the vaulted arches, which were to support two towers. These were built very speedily, and it being necessary to continue the work of restoration, the old altars were destroyed, and gave place to new ones. Afterwards, the relics of the Holy Apostles,
1
with a portion of the wood of the True Cross, ? were removed, with a three
1* city.
a visitor to that
While Dodo14 ruled over the monastery of St. Maunsey, he laid the
11 See this decree in Dom
met's " Histoire Ecclesiastique et Civile de Lorraine," and thus dated : "Datum Tulli in majora Ecclesia per manus Udonis Tul- lensis Ecclesise
bibliothecarii Sanctse Apostolicae Sedis xj. Kalend. Novembris, anno Dominica? Incar- nationis milessimo quinquagesimo primo,
Indictione iv. anno — Domini apostolatus
with these lines —
:
"Abbas Albricus sapiens, pius atque pudi* cus
" Hanc fabricam statuit, causa caputque fait"
The same writer has it, that the crypt built by the Abbot Albricus was consecrated—he does not give the patron's title— on the 5th of
Leonis IX. , Papse ij. " Tome
Toul. Father
primicerii,
cancellarii et
i. Preuves de 1' Histoire de Lorraine, cols. 435 to 437.
Limpen supposes
it to likely
12
See his Life, in the First Volume of this work, at the 8th of January, Art. ii. , chap, iii.
have been consecrated to St. Maunsey, and
that his remains had been there deposited.
13 Probably in the year 1052. See L'Abbe "
Fleury's Histoire Ecclesiastique," tome xii. , liv. lix. , sect, lxxix. , p. 594.
according to the old chronicler,
dierum felici exitu migravit ad Dominum, in ecclesia eadem II. Kal. Febr. xxxni. ordi- nationis sua? anno cum digno honore sepul- tus. "
19 These relics were found on the right
side, in the foremost part of the old high
alta'r, and in a stone repository, having on it
this " In hoc conditorio shoe inscription:
sunt reliquiae Sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, insuper etiam de ligno Domini.
336.
45 See a very complete account of this dis-
tinguished prelate in Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des Saints," tome iv. , Jour xxiiie
d'Avril, pp. 623 to 632.
46 Surnamed the Great. He became
tin,
Saints," tome x. , 433*
Jour
iiie de
Septembre, p.
44 Adso states " :
Emperor of Germany, a. d. 936.
He was of
a
dies vii Idus Septembris agitur. "
the Saxon line,
and had
inherited
Cujus
depositions See the Vita
prepon- derating power in the north of Germany, Prolixior, lib. ii. , cap. ii. , pp. 647, 648. which he greatly increased by his own
success in war. He died on the 25th of December, A. D. 967. See Dean Henry
"
Adso is mistaken in the account that St. Gauzlin was in the forty-fourth year of his con- secration as since his
Hart Milman's
History of Latin Chris-
bishop, predecessor, Drogon, died on the iv. of the March Nones, A. d. 922, which a Charter of Charles the
tianity," vol. iii. , book v. , chap, xii. , pp. 305 to 316.
of 2 who continued to travel Barrois,*
of the Otho 6 of the and Emperor I. ,* clergy
with the
people of Toul, and he was consecrated at Treves. One of his earliest cares
Simple, King of Fiance, proves, dated on the "
same year and day. See Calmet's Histoire
on his back—for
D
5o LIVESOfTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3
was to visit the church in which reposed the body of St. Maunsey. There he prayed with great devotion, and took a vow, that he would endeavour to effect its entire renovation. He resolved on seeking aid from a powerful patron. With such a view he obtained a charter from the Emperor Otho I. , 4 ? dated in the year 965, on the iv. of the June Nones. This confirmed the possessions, privileges and rules of the monks therein living, and who were under the Order of St. Benedict. *8 He not that
foundation, butheliberallyendowedit. 4^ Moreover,headvancedthePrioroverSt. Peter's monasterytothedignityofanAbbot. OnthesiteofSt. Peter'soratory,a celebrated Benedictine Abbey was built, and it was dedicated to St. Mansuy. s°
The choir of the Abbey Church was erected over the saint's tomb.
Various translations of the holy Bishop's relics are on record. It is said, that about the year 971, St. Gerard, Bishop of Toul, repaired that church
dedicated to St. Maunsey's memory, and that afterwards, he solemnly translated the relics of the holy patron from the place of their deposition, to one more suitable for their reception. The relics were placed in a wooden shrine within the church, and before it the monks sang their office, with their accustomed rites, while the faithful frequenting the sanctuary to pray received many benefits through the saint's intercession. Moreover, it is related of this pious prelate, that a band of Greeks and Scots having arrived in Toul, he maintained them at his own 1 In an
had
altars, at which they offered prayers to God, according to the manner of their respective nations. 52 It is supposed, that the disturbances of the time in their own countries5* brought those strangers to seek an asylum in his city
expense. *
During times ot great drought, and when a loss of the growing crops was feared, the clergy and people of Toul sought the saint's shrine in solemn procession, and devoutly trusted that the prayers of their Patron should procure for them fertilizing showers. This was illustrated in a miraculous manner, during the period of St. Gerard's incumbency in the see of Toul. 55 An unusually dry season had visited the country all around ; the earth cracked open, and vegetation was burned up, through excessive heat ; the labours of the husbandman seemed destined to produce nothing of value from the land; even the sky presented very extraordinary phenomena. Deeming these to
from the charitable bishop. 54
4? See an account of this celebrated Em- side of the ancient walls of the
city,
in the
"
peror in Jules Zeller's
magne," tome ii. , chap, xiii. , pp. 250 to 385.
4® The feast of this illustrious Abbot falls onthe21stofMarch. SeeanaccountofSt.
Faubourg de St. Mansuis.
5I " Hie cation Gnvcorum ac Scotto-
rum congregasse, ac propriis stipendiis aluisse dicitur, divisis inter illos altaribus in
Benedict and of his Order in
"
Histoire
oratorio, ubi Deo supplices laiules peisolvcrent
Complete et Costumes des Ordres Monas-
tiques, Religieux et Militaires, et des Con-
gregations Seculieres des deux Sexes," par
le R. P. He'lyot, avec Notice, Annotations et Complement, par V. Phillipon de la Madelaine, tome iv. , Premiere Partie, pp. 5 et seq.
49 See Mabillon's " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," at A. D. 982. Tomus iv. , lib. xlix. , num. xiii. , pp. 8, 9.
50 Besides a fine copper-plate engraving of a map, representing the former Diocese of Toul, in Dom Augustin Calmet's " Histoire Ecclesiastique et Civile de Lorraine," tome i. there is another Plan de la Villede Toul, on which its position is shown near the northern
Mabillon's " Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus iv. , lib. I, num. cii. ,
p. 90.
sa This account seems to indicate, that both
the Greeks and Irish, who are here alluded
to, prayed in their own language, and used
their own peculiar rites of worship, differing from those of Gaul.
53 Especially in Ireland the Danes and Norwegians committed great devastations during the ninth and tenth centuries, as noticed in our Annals.
54 See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des Saints," tome iv. , Jour xxiiic d'Avril, p. 625. ss See Dom Calmet's Histoire Ecclesias- tique et Civile de Lorraine," tome i.
Histoire d'Alle-
,
only completed
morepatriot—
oratory they
separate
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 51
be indications of the Divine displeasure for the sins of his people, and at their request, the holy Bishop Gerard instituted a fast for three days, at the end of which time, the shrine of St. Maunsey, containing his blessed body, was to be borne in solemn procession over the parched fields. While litanies and hymns were sung by the clergy and a vast number of the laity assembled, and while they thus moved to the church of St. Apri or Epvre, which was a stage to be reached by the processionists ; suddenly the clouds lowered, the lightnings flashed, and loud peals of thunder followed. Then came torrents of rain, which drenched the multitude present, but which
brought refreshing showers on the fields, the object so earnestly sought. Nor was this the only remarkable occurrence to be related. Sindebard, Count of Toul, was about to have his hand cauterized, because it had withered and caused him great agony \ yet, remembering the merits of the Patron saint, he most earnestly desired leave for carrying that shrine, in which the sacred remains were deposed. This permission he readily obtained, and with Immon, a noble officer in the bishop's service, he walked in that procession. When the shrine was returned to the place in which it usually had been deposited, Mass was commenced, and at its conclusion, the Count found all pain removed from his hand. This he raised up before all those who were present, as a manifestation of St. Maunsey's merits and intercession^6 Immediately after these occurrences, and having placed the sacred remains in the church,5? after vigils and devotions of the previous night, it was solemnly dedicated in honour of the Holy Mother of the Man-God and ofSt. Maunsey. Thenceforward,severalremarkablemiracleswerewrought in it through their intercession, and numbers of devout worshippers were favoured with remission of their sins. Another miracle is related regarding a boy, who had long been a cripple, owing to some spinal contraction. His father, a rustic, had conveyed him in his arms for ten successive years to the tomb of St. Maunsey, but without any alleviation of his son's sufferings. One day, a certain Jew reproached the poor man for his credulity ; when suddenly, the boy who had been laid on the pavement before the shrine felt himself able to arise and walk, to the great admiration of the devout persons who were present. 58 Moreover, on another occasion, and on a Saturday night, while the monks were engaged reciting the Divine Office, and preparing for the Sunday's services on the morrow, St. Gerard, happening to sleep in their monastery at that time,s° had an apparition of St. Maunsey,60 who seemed to enter the chamber with an effulgence of light. Approaching the bed on which the bishop lay, the latter found a hand laid on his body, and
"
heard a voice calling out,
vigils, why are you buried in so deep a slumber ? for the kingdom of Heaven comes not to those sleeping, but to the wakeful. '' At once the bishop arose, and not without some shameful feeling and excitement, he hastened to the church and joined the choir, although not in good time, as the office had long before commenced. 67
Preuves de l'Histoire de Lorraine, Historia
Episcoporum Tullensium, cap. xx. , col. 101.
56 The old writer, who records the
then maintained at the charges of the church. 59 It is stated, the bishop had been much
venerable aspect, his habit being of a white colour.
6l This narrative Adso had from St. Gerard himself,andheaddsinconclusion: "Cujus rei testis non sine sui pudore refert, quid in illo sit passus secreto cubiculi virtute prae-
:
57 This raisedfromitsfoundations.
ipse
previously
Ibid.
Bishop
Gerard had
Why sleep you ? while others keep their pious
fatigued, owing " 6o
previous
miracle, adds
—testis certus, si a quolibet fuerit requisitus. "
Cujus rei adhuc est
s8 In continuation the chronicler remarks, that when he wrote, that boy was living and
foregoing
.
to
He seemed of large stature, and of a
labours
52 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3.
On several occasions, when the plague prevailed in the city and country around Toul, the people offered prayers to St. Mansuy, and bore the shrine
containing his body in public and solemn procession. We have an account 62
of that deadly plague, which visited the city during the pontificate of St.
Gerard, when great numbers of all classes and of both sexes were stricken
with the pest. This usually proved mortal after an illness of three days.
Whereupon, St. Gerard resolved on proclaiming a fast for three days, at the
end of which time, he intended removing the saint's shrine from the place in
which it had been deposited not long before, and having called the people
together, a procession was formed to the church of the Blessed Virgin at
Ecrouves,63 near Toul. From that time forward, the plague was known to
have decreased in virulence. Yet, public apprehensions were not wholly
allayed, when a second and much greater procession took place to the Bene-
dictine 6* at 6* where the nuns were to receive the Convent, Buxeria, prepared
precious remains. In that place, also, Bishop Gerard spent the night. Multitudes assembled to join the procession from the villages and farms along the route, both going and returning ; nor was the River Meurte an obstacle to their pious zeal, for many persons forded it, although swollen with a night's rain. On the return to St. Maunsey's church, the sun shone out with remarkable brightness, while the enthusiasm of the people was mani- fested in tears of joy, shared even by their saintly bishop. Although abating, the plague had not altogether ceased, and a third procession was ordered, when the bodies of St. Maunsey and of St. Epvre were brought in their respectiveshrinesthroughthestreetsofToul. Afterwards,thepestentirely
relief and
of the 66 people.
to the
St. Gerard had granted the villages of Angeria and Molesiac to the
monastery of St. Maunsey, as dependencies for its maintenance ; but, he afterwards revoked this grant, and then he remarked a sudden failure of his strength and health. He became so spare and debilitated, that, he had no appetite, nor could he sleep, Especially for three weeks did he continue in this state, and had abandoned all hope of recovery. Despite the objections raised by members of his household, he expressed a wish to be conveyed to the monastery of St. Maunsey. This happened in the year 974, when he was afflicted with that severe malady, which his physicians were unable to heal through the ordinary courses prescribed. The bishop was restored, however, by invoking the aid of St. Maunsey, and by making a visit to the holy Patron's shrine and monastery.
A remarkable miracle, wrought in favour of an English girl through the merits of St. Maunsey, took place in the year iooq. 6? She had been accessory
stanti beati Mansueti. "—Vita prolixior, lib. by no religious vow.
ii. , cap. iii. , p. 649. 6s The modern French name for it is
disappeared
great
joy
63
and St. Gerard, adds :
ita superveniens irruperat, ut ad unum the Moselle, about five hours' journey from
The old chronicler in relation to Toul Bouxieres-aux- dames. It is situated on the
"
quemlibet, exceptis aliis diversarum eccle- siarum, locum, sicut idem pontifex non sine
gemitu memorabat, denos vel septenos mor- . fuorum loculos sub oculis aspiceret inferri tumulandos. "
Ilanc urbem clades River Meurte, and near its junction with
Ccen—obium Sancti conservat ab igne 63 The chronicler remarks that, the place voraci. " See Dom Augustin Calmet's
was remarkable, also, for the many miracles
there wrought.
64 This had been founded by St. Gauzlin,
and it was tenanted originally by Benedictine
nuns. In the last century, an abbess and Benedicti," tomus iv. , lib. lib. , sect, xxv. , canonesses were the occupants, but bound pp. 209, 210.
Toul.
^ In certain Latin hexameter lines, written
in praise of St. Gerard, we read, that he s—aved
the Monastery of St. Mansuy from fire
"
:
" Histoire Ecclesiastique et Civile de Lor- raine," tome i. Preuves, &c.
; Ilistoiia Epis- coporum Tullensium, cap. xxxv. , col. 133.
67 See Mabillon's " Annates Ordinis S.
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 53 to her mother's death, in conjunction with her brother, a cleric, who had
68 For this crime, were both con- they
resolved on a avenging
family injury.
demned to a punishment common at the period, which was, to have iron
bands fastened about their arm and 6^ were also to body. They obliged
undertake a pilgrimage, so that while visiting Jerusalem, they might expiate in some measure, their matricide by prayer at the holy places. 7° On return- ing, the guilty brother died, but his sister Godelinde visited Toul, to obtain reliefthroughtheintercessionofSt. Maunsey. Thisinpartwasexperienced, as one of the bands loosened on her arm, the other remaining fast. She was accompanied through a motive of charity, by an innocent brother, named
1
Rodulf ; and they next resolved on a pilgrimage to the shrine of St. Oldericus,?
of 2 when had come to the forest of patron Augsburg. ? However, they
the
the Vosges mountains, where the monastery known as Vallis-Gaiilese had been founded by St. Deodatus,73 Godelinde had a vision of St. Maunsey in her sleep, and she was recommended by him to return. This warning she would not take, but continued her journey towards the city of Strasburg. Again the vision was repeated during her sleep ; yet notwithstanding the dangers of the journey represented to her, she would persevere in her resolution. The sufferings and privations endured by the pilgrims were great beyond expression ; but, she at length returned to Toul, in the extremity of misery, and offered up her prayers with vigils at the tomb of St. Maunsey. Whenshedespairedofrelief,themomentofmercycame. Theironband burst asunder, and fell from her arm. Astonished at such a result, she fainted on the spot ; but soon her senses were restored, and she returned full of joy and gratitude to the country of her birth. 74
68 " These were of noble birth both on the
father's and mother's side. When about to
die, the father commended his children to
the care of his wife ; but, after his death,
unmindful of the trust committed to her, she
again married, and her second husband,
while retaining the daughter in her paternal
castle, most inhumanly cast out her brothers,
and deprived them of their natural inherit-
ance. Stung to frenzy by this conduct, the si aliquid inconsuetum et capitale crimen cleric, with an armed band, and in the dead
hour of the night, entered the castle, with the aid of his sister. Proceeding to the bed- chamber of his mother and step-father, he endeavoured to kill the latter, but the deadly weapon transfixed the body of the former.
69 It would seem the provocation had been
so great, and probably the parricide having
been unintentional, the culprits escaped
capital punishment ; but, they were obliged Vosges territory. His feast is held on the
to bear iron bands or chains, closely bound on the naked body or limbs. In this case, the brother had " toto trunco corporis artatur
19th of June.
74 The more circumstantial details of this
miracle, as given in the Bollandists' "Acta
strictis circulis," while the sister accepit duos in sinistro brachio. " During the ninth, tenth, and eleventh centuries, such a punish-
ment was frequently inflicted on parricides, or those who murdered relations in blood, sometimes for a term of years, and sometimes
Sanctorum," thus concludes :
Praedicti
for a life-time
;
while were as they enjoined
tamen circuli pendent ad pedes crucifixi
Domini, quorum prior Kalendis Januarii
proruit, necnon alter XIII. Kalendas Junii
cecidit anno ab Incarnatione Domini nono
et milessimo, pontificante Tullense ecclesi—am
domne Bertoldo Indictione vii. " episcopo,
Tomus i. , Septembris iii. De S. Mansueto
Epis. et Conf. Miraculum quod contigit
an expiatory penance to visit Jerusalem, Rome, or some other place, where saints were
Annales Ordinis S. Benedicti," tomus i. , lib. iv. , sect, vii. , pp. 87, 88.
70 Certain abuses seem to have arisen from this usage. Thus, in a Council, held at Aix- la-Chapelle, in the time of Charlemagne, it
"
rantes et servientes et pcenitentiam agentes, secu—ndum quod sibi canonice impositum
"
sit. " Sirmond, Conciliorum," tomus ii. ,
p. 154-
71 St. Oldericus or Uldaricus is venerated
on the 4th day of July.
72 Formerly called Augusta Vindelicorum. 73 Bishop of Nevers and Apostle of the
was decreed,
non sinantur vagari et decep- tiones hominibus agere . . . isti nudi cum ferro, qui dicunt se data sibi poenitentia ire vagantes. Melius videtur, ut,
commiserint, uno in loco permaneant labo-
""
held in particular veneration. Examples of anno Mix. , auctore anonymo, pp. 651 to
this kind are to be found, in Mabillon's
653.
54 LIVESOFTHEIRISHSAINTS. [September3.
CHAPTER III.
STATE OF TOUL DURING THE MIDDLE AGES—REPUTED CANONIZATION OF ST. MAUNSEY BY POPE LEO IX. —VARIOUS TRANSLATIONS OF HIS RELICS—THE CATHEDRAL OF ST. STEPHEN, AT TOUL, AND ITS SHRINES—DESTRUCTION OF ST. MAUNSEY's ANCIENT CHURCH IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY—FESTIVALS AND MEMORIALS OF ST. MAUNSEY —COMMEMORATIONS IN CALENDARS AND MARTYROLOGIES—CONCLUSION.
During the Middle Toul maintained a sort of 1 under Ages, independence,
the nominal control of a long line of bishops, and as a free city of the German
Empire.
2 The
prelates
were
sovereigns,
who
regulated
its and government,
appointed its guards and officials, while they sat as magistrates to administer
justice in cases of litigation among their peopled
The public veneration for St. Maunsey continued to increase, when St. Bruno* was consecrated bishop of Toul, a. d. 1027. 5 He entertained the greatest devotion towards the holy patron, whose intercession procured relief for many sufferers, during the period when he presided over that see, and until he was called upon to rule over the universal Church in 1048, under the designation St. Leo IX. 6 Among the afflicted was a person of distinction, named Odelric de Novo-villari,? who had experienced so many benefits from St. Maunsey's prayers, that he desired to be buried in the church, with his wife, and he left certain farms of land to the monastery. This donation bishop Bruno confirmed by his authority, in the year 1034. After his
8
elevation to the chair of St. Peter, and while still in the city of Toul, with a
certain Deacon Peter of the Roman Church, another miracles is recorded to have occurred during the month of September, a. d. 1049. Li tnis> the eleventh century, St. Maunsey was canonized, as we are told, by Pope Leo
the Ninth, 10 He also confirmed the
1
Chapter hi. — The French kings from
the Merovingian period, and afterwards the German Emperors, left the bishops of Toul temporary lords of the city and of its surround- ing territory. The inhabitants of the former had municipal institutions, while the latter was held in fief by the Dukes of Lorraine. See " Nouveau Dictionnaire de Geographie Universelle," tome vi. , p. 758.
2 See Murray's " Handbook for Travellers
in France," sect, ix. , Route 165, p. 618.
3 Even at the present time, a stone seat on which those judgments were delivered is shown in Toul. See Les Petits Bollandistes, "Vies des Saints," tome iv. , Jour xxiiie
d'Avril, p, 623.
* He was son to Hughes, Count of happen to be employed, as explained in Du
Egisheim, cousin-german of the Emperor
Conrad le Salique, and he was born in Alsace,
June 21st, a. d. 1002. His mother, Heilvige,
was the only daughter and heiress of Louis,
Count of Dachsbourg or Dagsbourg, also known as Dabo. His career in the Church
was distinguished. See ibid. , Jour xixe dAvril, pp. 491 to 520.
s He was elected by the clergy and people
on the death of his predecessor, Bishop Ber-
thold. See Michaud, "Biographie Univer-
selle, Ancienne et Moderne," tome xxiv. , p.
15"-
6 He died on the 19th of
8
The Life of this celebrated Pontiff was
a. d.
See an account of his life and pontificate, in
Also, Harris' Ware, vol. ii. "WritersofIreland,"booki. ,chap,i. , p. 4.
April,
1054.
pp. 389, 390.
rights
and
privileges
of the of Chapter
R. P. Natalis Alexandri Ordinis FF. Prredi- catorum, in Sacra Facultate Parisiensi Doc- toris et Emeriti Professoris " Historia Ecclesiastica Veteris Novique Testamenti," tomus xiv. , cap. i. , art. vi. , pp. 12 to 18.
7 He was a man of substance, who before his death bequeathed two Mansi, and other farms, to the Monastery of St. Mansuetus, on the xvii. of the September Kalends, A. D. 1034, while Hunald was Abbot, and this donation was confirmed in due legal form, with the seal of Bruno, Bishop of Toul. See
Mabillon's
"
Annales Ordinis S- Benedicti,"
tomus iv. , lib. lvii. , num. xxxvii. , pp. 392, 393. The term Mansus, Mama or Mansum has
Cange's "Glossarium ad Scriptores Mediae
et Infimae Latinitatis," tomus iv. , sub voce,
col. 432 to 435, Ediiio 1733.
various significations, according as it may
written originally by three contemporaneous authors : Wibert, Archdeacon of the Church
of Toul, Anselm, monk ot Saint-Remi, and Bruno, Bishop of Segni.
9 It is to be found very circumstantially
related, in M. l'Abbe Guillaume's " Histoire
de l'Eglise de Toul. "
10 "
See Archbishop Ussher's Britannica-
rum Ecclesiarum Antiquitates," cap. xvi. ,
September 3. ] LIVES OF THE IRISH SAINTS. 55
Canons,attachedtoToulCathedralin1051. " Wehavealreadyseen,that this Sovereign Pontiff is said to have canonized St. Erard or Erhard" of Ratisbon, in Bavaria—another Irish missionary—and at a time when he was
foundations of a tower, which was carried up to the roof of the church. During the time his successor Abbot Grimbaldus1 ^ presided over the mon-
astery of St. Maunsey, he completed that work, which was one of great architectural beauty, while it was surmounted with a gilt cross, and an eagle
with out-spread wings. Moreover, while he built the church exteriorly, he added ornamental features within, having decorated the altar of Saints Peter and Paul with a silver tablet, shining with gems and gold. He was succeeded by Albricus,16 whose eloquence and learning brought a large concourse of persons to the sacred mysteries and ceremonies of the church, so that he was obliged to undertake its enlargement. Albricus therefore raised an ambit of wall, and by a circuit it was brought to the curvature of the arches. In the crypt of this building, the remains of that Abbot were afterwards deposed. *? Next to Albricus came Theomarus. 18 He resumed the work of his predecessor, who had elevated the walls to the vaulted arches, which were to support two towers. These were built very speedily, and it being necessary to continue the work of restoration, the old altars were destroyed, and gave place to new ones. Afterwards, the relics of the Holy Apostles,
1
with a portion of the wood of the True Cross, ? were removed, with a three
1* city.
a visitor to that
While Dodo14 ruled over the monastery of St. Maunsey, he laid the
11 See this decree in Dom
met's " Histoire Ecclesiastique et Civile de Lorraine," and thus dated : "Datum Tulli in majora Ecclesia per manus Udonis Tul- lensis Ecclesise
bibliothecarii Sanctse Apostolicae Sedis xj. Kalend. Novembris, anno Dominica? Incar- nationis milessimo quinquagesimo primo,
Indictione iv. anno — Domini apostolatus
with these lines —
:
"Abbas Albricus sapiens, pius atque pudi* cus
" Hanc fabricam statuit, causa caputque fait"
The same writer has it, that the crypt built by the Abbot Albricus was consecrated—he does not give the patron's title— on the 5th of
Leonis IX. , Papse ij. " Tome
Toul. Father
primicerii,
cancellarii et
i. Preuves de 1' Histoire de Lorraine, cols. 435 to 437.
Limpen supposes
it to likely
12
See his Life, in the First Volume of this work, at the 8th of January, Art. ii. , chap, iii.
have been consecrated to St. Maunsey, and
that his remains had been there deposited.
13 Probably in the year 1052. See L'Abbe "
Fleury's Histoire Ecclesiastique," tome xii. , liv. lix. , sect, lxxix. , p. 594.
according to the old chronicler,
dierum felici exitu migravit ad Dominum, in ecclesia eadem II. Kal. Febr. xxxni. ordi- nationis sua? anno cum digno honore sepul- tus. "
19 These relics were found on the right
side, in the foremost part of the old high
alta'r, and in a stone repository, having on it
this " In hoc conditorio shoe inscription:
sunt reliquiae Sanctorum Apostolorum Petri et Pauli, insuper etiam de ligno Domini.
