ON ST. MAXIMUS, ABBOT AND CONFESSOR,
IN THE FORTRESS OF CHINON IN GAUL,
In the fifth century.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.
The place, the name, the cultus, the dignity, the Acts; St. Eucherius's care for the Saint; his relics.
Maximus the abbot, in the fortress of Chinon in Gaul (St.)
BY J. P.
Caino or Chinonium, commonly Chinon, The situation of the fortress of Chinon; the Saint's name; formerly a village, now a pleasant town of the province of Tours in Gaul, with a castle on a hill, on the river Vienne toward the district of Poitiers, is distant seven leagues from Saumur to the east, and five from Loudun to the north, on the testimony of Baudrand, whose words I have reported. Ferrari in his Topography to the Roman Martyrology, and Adrien de Valois in the Notitia Galliarum, may also be consulted concerning this place. But that something may here be noted in passing concerning the Saint's name: the French pronounce it with a far different formation, when for St. Maximus they substitute St. Meme or St. Mesme, for which I also read St. Meisme; nearer to his Latin name comes saint Maxe, by which he is somewhere said to be called, as will be said below. That his monastery subsists even today at Chinon … but was long since converted into a collegiate church, Ruinart, to be cited afterwards, observes.
[2] But although his public veneration is so ancient and certain his memory in the sacred Calendars; that it by no means needs to be proved by the testimonies of the sacred Calendars, nevertheless I shall produce some which announce him on this day. Among our Usuardine supplements it is thus reported: At the fortress of Chinon, of holy Maximus the confessor. Add Belinus, Molanus, Maurolico, and Galesinius; the last, however, adds a little more, recording him thus: In the village of Chinon, of holy Maximus the confessor. He, a disciple of the blessed bishop Martin, flourished in the religious life with heavenly virtues. In the Roman Martyrology he is thus marked: In the fortress of Chinon, of holy Maximus the confessor, a disciple of the blessed bishop Martin. I pass over du Saussay; as also Castellan in his Supplement. The new Parisian Martyrology praises the Saint not only for virtues but also for miracles, with the title of abbot, in these words: At Chinon, in the district of Tours, of holy Maximus the abbot, renowned for virtues and miracles before and after his death. Concerning his age, and some other matters pertaining to him, it remains to speak.
[3] Authors agree that he lived in the fifth century; the time; but not in what year of that century he ceased to live. Castellan differs exceedingly from the rest, and hallucinates, when he places the Saint about the year 900; unless perhaps one should wish to suspect that this was done by the fault of the typesetter, and that one should read about the year 500. In Ruinart, in the margin at chapter 22 of St. Gregory of Tours in his book On the Glory of the Confessors, in which the deeds of St. Maximus are set forth, there is marked the year 400 …: where indeed the fifth century is indicated, but the year of the same is left blank. The new Parisian Martyrology sets after its announcement the year 463, resting, as I suspect, upon this foundation, that Gregory of Tours narrates that the fortress of Chinon was besieged by Ægidius, as may be seen below at number 2; which, as Ruinart notes here, they think happened about the year 463: in which Ægidius or Gillo, prefect of the Roman soldiery, was compelled to raise the siege of Chinon.
[4] the abbatial office, the Acts. But since the Prelate of Tours says of our Saint, Coming to the fortress of Chinon of the city of Tours, he established a monastery, it does not seem doubtful to us that he was the head or abbot of that same monastery; and therefore we have distinguished him above with this title, which is confirmed from the letter of St. Eucherius, of which presently. But he has obtained as an outstanding herald the often-praised Gregory of Tours, who by these words, as the book of his life teaches, which we have read composed in verse, expressly testifies that his deeds were transmitted to posterity by another; and would that aged antiquity had not grudged us that precious monument! This life we have nowhere seen, says Ruinart in his notes; but we have another from a manuscript codex of Marmoutier, gathered by a certain monk or cleric of Chinon; but it has little beyond those things which are here brought forward by Gregory.
[5] But to those things which Gregory indicates concerning the departure of St. Maximus from the Barbara Island How highly St. Eucherius, bishop of Lyons, esteemed him. it is altogether fitting to observe the fatherly care of St. Eucherius, bishop of Lyons, by which, the necessities of life being supplied, he tried to retain the same Saint in that place. Let St. Eucherius be heard in his letter to Philo his priest, which is read published in Baluze in the Appendix to the Works of St. Agobard, bishop of Lyons, and which I here transcribe entire: To the holy lord and venerable brother, and our fellow-priest Philo, Eucherius the bishop says greeting in the Lord. I ask thy charity and love, which thou hast perfect in the Lord, that thou wouldst deign to weary thyself as far as the monastery of the Barbara Island; and see and exhort our brother Maximus the abbot, who presides over that monastery; because it has come to us that he wishes to depart from it and to forsake his brethren, for that many, out of fear of the nations, have withdrawn their offerings which they had been accustomed to give for God's sake. But if we live and return in health, we purpose in God's name to minister so much to him or to his monks that they may seem to lack nothing.
[6] is plain from the letter written concerning him to Philo. This nevertheless I ask more particularly of our brother himself, that he prepare for us the hanging house which we ordered to be made, and parchments. For if God grant it, we purpose to keep Lent in the Island with him, so that, residing there together, we may dispatch the work begun. Meanwhile order three hundred measures of grain, and two hundred measures of wine, two hundred pounds of cheese, and a hundred pounds of oil to be given him; that, when by our little offering he together with his congregation is refreshed, a return with safety may be granted us by the Lord at their prayers. Thus he there. By hanging house there is here likely signified a house constructed with rammed work. Of the relics of St. Maximus, and of his cultus at Bar-le-Duc, I shall speak in the Annotations. And so I now subjoin
THE ACTS
By St. Gregory of Tours, in his book On the Glory of the Confessors, chapter 22, of Ruinart's edition, columns 912 and 913.
Maximus the abbot, in the fortress of Chinon in Gaul (St.)
BHL Number: 5837
The Saint is divinely preserved from death: Now there was a certain religious man, both in virtues and in name Maximus, and, as the book of his life teaches, which we have read composed in verse, he was a disciple of our Martin. Who, desiring to conceal what he was, sought to sojourn as a stranger at the Barbara Island a of the monastery of Lyons: but being made known there also, he determined to return to his own country. At length, when he desired to cross the river Saône, the boat being overloaded is sunk, and the priest himself is covered by the flood, having about his neck, with the book of the Gospels, his daily ministry, b that is, a small paten with a chalice. But the divine goodness, not enduring that what is its own should perish, so restored him from this peril to the shore, at the Lord's bidding, that he neither suffered the loss of life nor bewailed the loss of his goods. And that was fulfilled which the Psalmist, at the inflowing of the Holy Spirit, sang: When the just man shall fall, he shall not be bruised, for the Lord upholdeth his hand. And again: The Lord will not slay the soul of the just.
[2] Then coming to the fortress of Chinon of the city of Tours, he founds a monastery, and by prayers obtains water: he established a monastery: which fortress, when it was besieged by Ægidius, and the people of that district were shut up there, the hostile enemy blocks up the well dug out at the side of the mountain, which the besieged had for the use of drinking. Which when the aforesaid servant of God, who was then shut in with the rest within the fortification of the fortress, perceived, and saw the people being consumed by the injury of thirst, he poured out prayer to the Lord the whole night, that, looking upon the people, he would put the wicked enemies to flight, and would not suffer them to be consumed by the burning of thirst. Then, the Holy Spirit revealing it to him, he said to the people: Whoever has a vessel, let him put it forth into the street, and let him beseech the Lord. For his bounty will today give you waters in abundance, that you and your little ones may not fail. As he said these things, clouds suddenly covered the sky, and a great rain came down from heaven, with thunders and lightnings, upon the fortress, affording a double benefit to the peoples, the rain keeping off thirst, the crashes putting the enemy to flight. And the vessels of all were filled, and all were satisfied. And thus by the intercession of the Priest, the adversaries being put to flight, the people, saved, departed from the fortress.
[3] His sepulchre is honored by miracles. But in the monastery c of that place he passed away full of days, and there he was buried: at whose sepulchre the sick are very often healed. Now a little boy of the household of the church of Tours fell into sickness. d When he lay panting, and, being set at the last, was thought to be breathing out his spirit, being carried to his basilica, straightway, the fever being extinguished, he was restored to health. But a girl also of these bondservants, e being feverish by a like lot, when she had been set out before the lattices of the monument, on that same day was restored to soundness. But when the knowledge of these things had come to us, we granted the boy, his hair being humbled, to this monastery; and the girl, her dress being changed, we ordered to be joined to the company of the nuns, to serve God.