Praecordius

ON ST. PRAECORDIUS, PRIEST, OF CORBIE AND VAILLY IN GAUL.

Sixth Century.

Praecordius, Priest, at Corbie in Belgic Gaul (St.)

I. B.

[1] Corbie is ^a most noble monastery of Belgic Gaul on the river Somme and the stream Corbie, about which we have treated at length on January 11 in the Life of St. Adalard the Abbot, and on the 26th in the Life of St. Bathildis the Queen. It has given many Saints to heaven and devoutly preserves the relics of many others brought from elsewhere. Among these are those of St. Praecordius, ^a Scottish Priest, who lived at Vailly, or Vasly, on the river Aisne, and there lay entombed for four hundred years, famous for miracles. Ferrarius in his General Catalogue of Saints writes "Vigliacum" for "Valliacum"; he confesses, however, that it is called "Vasliacum" by others. the burial of St. Praecordius at Vasly, But he errs in writing that it is ^a village, with ^a Benedictine monastery, in the County of Burgundy. For it is ^a town in the diocese of Soissons on the Aisne. It seems to be called "Velia" by Papyrius Masson in his Description of Gaul by Rivers, where he reports the following about the Aisne: "The same river, running through the territory of Rethel, washes the town of Rethel itself, then Chateau-Porcien, and finally, hastening past Velia, washes the famous city of Soissons." There still exists, as Jean Colgan testifies, in the suburbs of the town of Vasly, ^a notable church church, dedicated to the name of St. Praecordius. feast day February 1.

[2] The feast of St. Praecordius is recorded on the Kalends of February by Molanus in his Additions to Usuard in these words: "At Vasly, the feast of St. Praecordius, Confessor." Canisius has the same; likewise Ferrarius, except that he writes "Vigliacum" for "Vasliacum," as we have noted. More briefly, the MS. Martyrology of the Church of St. Gudula at Brussels: "And of Praecordius, Priest." his era: That he lived in the sixth century is established by the fact that he was ^a familiar of St. Remigius, Bishop of Reims, who (as we shall say elsewhere) died in 532. Translation June 5, about the year 940: The relics, as will presently be said, were translated to Corbie under Abbot Berengarius, who, as Claude Robert writes, succeeded Walbert when the latter was raised to the See of Noyon in 932, and died on November 13, 942. The Translation took place on June 5, on which day the following is read in ^a certain MS. Martyrology: "At the monastery of Corbie, the Reception of the body of St. Praecordius, Confessor."

[3] A brief history of the Life and Translation of St. Praecordius was transcribed from hand-written codices by Nicolas Belfort, ^a Regular Canon of the monastery of St. Jean-des-Vignes at Soissons, the history of this saint, from whom we give it here. The same is found in Colgan's Acts of the Saints of Ireland, transcribed from Belfort's copy, but less accurately, as anyone who compares the two will perceive.

LIFE AND TRANSLATION

BY AN ANONYMOUS AUTHOR,

Extracted from MSS. by Nicolas Belfort.

Praecordius, Priest, at Corbie in Belgic Gaul (St.)

BHL Number: 6914

By an Anonymous Author. From MSS.

[1] All the glory of Corbie grew by both divine and human provision. Hence it had that amplitude of lands which, with moderate increase, could nearly have sufficed for ^a kingdom, the former riches of Corbie, and that present veneration of relics which still remains to the church, concerning which ^a report is contained in their proper places. Now there must be appended the truly admirable Translation of St. Praecordius, which is established from antiquity to have occurred as follows.

[2] Among the estates of the Church of Corbie, Vailly is found in the district of Soissons, so fertile in its fields and vineyards that, from the abundance of its citizens, it could be called not ^a village but ^a most full city. For, situated next to the river Aisne, it is proud in its waters and meadows. To this place, therefore, there once came by chance ^a certain man of the race of the Scots, St. Praecordius, ^a Scot, dwells at Vailly, ^a familiar of St. Remigius, distinguished in virtue and in all ways of ^a venerable life; and dwelling there he grew to love the place, and stayed so long that he remained there entirely, and died there happily. Moreover, he shone with such great perfection and uprightness of character that he became ^a familiar of Blessed Remigius, who was then the Bishop of the metropolis of Reims, resplendent in sanctity; and to him indeed the sacrifice of God was most dear, wherever it was. after death he is famous for miracles: Nor did this fail to prove true, for his precious death showed how great he had been in life. When, worn out by great old age, he had happily closed his life in Christ, he was honorably buried there in one of the churches; and by frequent benefits and reliefs he won for himself the favor of the people, who flocked to his tomb.

[3] A certain Priest named Tihardus, seeing that by the frequentation of this veneration the ecclesiastical revenues were growing and increasing, applied all his craft, money, and ingenuity to divert these ecclesiastical goods to his own use. Having obtained his wish, shortly afterward, as one abounding in another's riches, he began to be unable to contain himself; but he hired ^a certain Priest for wages and committed to him the guardianship of the office and of so great ^a treasure. This man, therefore, devoutly fulfilled the guardianship a chaplain guards his relics, and performed the office, and by ^a certain pretense of kindness was winning for himself the friendship of the inhabitants -- until at last, though belatedly, he was known by his evil fruits. Job 5:6 Although, as Scripture attests, nothing happens on earth without ^a cause, he was ^a minister, though unknowing, of ^a heavenly disposition. What, then, did he do? At the twilight of ^a certain night, he entered the church of which he was guardian; as ^a pretense, he lit ^a lamp, as was his custom, before the holy body; and having locked the door, he departed, came home, and waited for the hour. When night spread its darkness, at the first watch he entered the church again, extinguished the lamp he had previously lit, he secretly carries them to England, and with bold theft embracing the coffin of the holy body -- which any other Priest would scarcely have dared to touch -- he took flight with the utmost diligence, and hastening, reached the seashore. Then, ill-assured of his own safety and fearing the pursuit of the populace from behind, he compelled the sailors to hope for ^a calm day and to scorn the disturbances threatened by the terrible waves. he goes inland: When all had safely made port in England, the Priest, passing by the coastal settlements, as one who did not yet believe himself sufficiently secure, at length obtained ^a habitation in ^a certain village, and quickly gained the friendship of the inhabitants; and so he was also permitted to bring the Relics into the church and to have them in his keeping.

[4] When Tihardus arose in the morning and went to the church as usual, he found it, to his amazement, empty and open; and entering, he waited ^a long time with the people for the Priest who had gone and was not returning. At length the man was sought at home, and because he was not there, he was not found, and his absence was reported. Tihardus the Priest, Tihardus began to take notice, and upon inspecting the coffin of his Patron, he was struck with wretched confusion that he had lost such ^a treasure. Yet he stood his ground and sadly celebrated the office, fearing not so much for the loss as for the danger. But as soon as it was heard -- the people in tumult, for it could not be concealed -- all the people flew to the church and clamored that Tihardus was an accomplice in the crime, accusing him of faithlessness and bad guardianship, though he made excuses. Nor could the tumult be calmed until he agreed to follow the Priest and bring back the relics, if he could by any means overtake him.

[5] he pursues him: Taking provisions, therefore, he followed the Priest's tracks not so much by foot as by tongue; and he happened upon the same lodgings as the other, all the way to the seashore. When he arrived there, he paid the fare, crossed over, and reached the same English port as the other. Not knowing where to go, by the will of God and the Saint, he came to the very place where the other had arrived. Seeking him, he found him; having found him, he pardoned him. he finds him: And having been warned by him that if he had come for that reason, he consented to dwell with him for some time -- yet carefully concealing his purpose, he wished to outwit art with art, and to wait for an opportunity. But in vain: for the other weighed another's mind by his own deed. To be brief: on ^a certain day, while the Priest was bathing, and Tihardus was waiting on the servant as ^a servant, he secretly snatched the key with the belt and, wishing to have ^a copy of such ^a thing, carefully pressed it into wax. he secretly carries off the relics: When he had ^a copy, having found the right moment, he unlocked the casket and emptied it of the treasure he had long sighed for, and hastily made for the seashore; for he had the key to the relics with him, while the Priest was not guarding himself against such things. Then, finding certain men on the shore who were vainly waiting for ^a wind suitable for sailing, he began to urge them to cross over, saying that God's mercy was known to him, he happily carries them back to Gaul, and from his trust in God he promised them ^a prosperous voyage. Giving credit to his words, they raised the sail; and from the English shore they were received on the Gallic shore sooner than they had hoped.

[6] Having entered port, they gave thanks to the Priest, as if by his merits they had escaped so great ^a danger. The Priest himself also rejoiced that he was bringing back the relics of St. Praecordius, by whose illustrious merits he had had such happy successes. Whence also, exceeding the bounds of his joy, he hastened to gladden with so great ^a report those whom he had once left affected with no small grief. he deposits them at Folliacum, locked in ^a chest: But since sometimes hastening more than is right hinders more than it helps, and God who had begun was disposing the matter, not the Priest, by an error divinely sent, he began to go astray until he came to Folliacum, an estate of the Church of Corbie. Recognizing this, as one who often came there, he entered the house of ^a certain friend of his named Seranus. After friendly greetings and ^a shared meal, Tihardus, wishing to depart on the morrow, asked his host to provide ^a chest in which his belongings might be deposited until he should visit his relatives, intending to return to him afterward. He obtained this, deposited the relics, secured them with ^a key, took the key with him, came to his own people, found them sad, and gladdened them by his return. Asked by them whether he had brought back the relics of the Saint, or knew them to be held by anyone, he said: "I know where they are, but they will not be extracted except for ^a great price." They replied: "The price will not be lacking, so long as we do not lose the protection of our Father."

[7] Meanwhile, while the Priest was vainly feeding his hopes on the security of the relics and no less on the promise of money, God willed to make manifest what merit that man had whom ^a rustic and cheap chest held enclosed at Folliacum. For in the dark silence of ^a certain night, while Seranus, unaware of so great ^a guest, was indulging in sleep, they are illuminated by ^a heavenly light: the chest in which the relics were burst open with ^a great crash, and the house appeared to flash continuously like lightning. The household rose and ran to the spot; and striking their breasts, they stood afar off and dared not approach. Seranus himself, rising at that very hour, made for Corbie, the matter reported to Abbot Berengarius, which is reckoned adjacent to Folliacum; and knocking at the chamber of Lord Abbot Berengarius, with no one doubting that he was bringing news, he was admitted without delay. Asked why he had run there at that very hour, he laid out the whole matter in order. The Abbot, hearing what was said, ordered the wiser of the monks and Clerics and the nobler of the laity to be present; and their unanimous judgment was that the village should be visited and the holy relics carried to the monastery with due reverence.

[8] They go, therefore, to the place, and, just as the rustic had said, they find ^a magnificent splendor. Then, approaching prostrate they are carried to Corbie, and lifting the relics of such great power not without fear, they place them to be carried by ^a certain venerable Cleric, and they themselves follow behind with praises. Whoever he is, he is devoutly carried; who he is, is still at that time unknown. But though the name lay hidden, of what merit he was quickly became evident, whom God had made glorious by such ^a miracle. he obtains the long-desired rain: At length, when for ^a space of three months the whole land of the Amiens region was drying up from lack of rain, as soon as the relics of the Saint were brought out from the house, the sky was covered with ^a dark cloud; and before the bearers had reached the church, they saw and felt the rain pouring down. On the Nones of June, therefore, he was brought into the church of St. John the Evangelist, where for some time he rested, not without signs. For, still unknown by name to those who had translated him, though not unknown by his merits, he was not placed in the principal position, because the inquiry into his name was deferred. Afterward, however, ^a reliquary of gold and silver was fashioned for his reposition, and he was translated to the church of St. Peter and placed among the others with due reverence and honor, his name also having been made known -- about whose ignorance the monks had grieved -- by the following Divine disposition.

[9] For the aforesaid Priest, when, loaded with money from his parishioners, he returned to the place where he had left so great ^a joy, found nothing but grief and groaning. For the one whom he had been pressing to sell to his mourning people, he hears has been given gratis to the men of Corbie by Christ. After remaining for some time at ^a loss for counsel, he nevertheless wishes to go to the Abbot and demands the relics back. The Abbot replied: "Whose relics do you seek?" And he said: "Those of St. Praecordius the Confessor, which you took from the house of my host Seranus." The Abbot, exulting at hearing the Saint's name, said: "I did not take him from you, but God sent him to me by the grace of His favor." Then the Priest said: "Alas, how quickly I have lost the one for whom I committed myself to the perils of the sea. Tihardus the simoniac vainly demands them back, Wretch that I am, what shall I do? Why have I lost the grace of so great ^a Patron?" "You shall not be deprived of your reward," said the Abbot, "for he who wished you to be the minister of his translation will repay you. Even now you shall not go away from us unrewarded." Thus, having been given ^a suitable sum of money by the Abbot, he returned to his own people, sad and mourning, swearing an oath that just as he had snatched him from English soil, so he would snatch him from Corbie, if he lived for ^a full year. But by God's permission, he died within that same year. and shortly dies: Thus the men of Corbie still exult in their Praecordius, whose heartfelt love may reconcile them to the God of gods, who lives and reigns forever and ever.

[10] After, therefore, St. Praecordius had received the hospitality which he had chosen for himself in the church of Corbie, and had obtained ^a place together with the holy martyr Gentianus, Corbie began to flourish with many signs of miracles -- and especially after ^a collation of the holy relics was made at Amiens for the purpose of establishing peace. miracles wrought at them: For there God made known how wondrous He is in His Saints, and by how great merits of the Saints the place of Corbie excelled.

[11] At length no great space of time had passed, and as the report went forth into every land, people from all sides flowed together to Corbie -- all who had any care for their body or their soul. Among them ^a certain man from Amiens was brought, bound upon ^a cart with ropes and chains, and before the monastery of St. John the Evangelist he was unloaded from the cart still bound, and was pushed into the monastery by twenty very strong men. But their labor was in vain: for many were with him -- namely, ^a most wicked legion of demons, for whom he had prepared lodging in his body. a demoniac forced into their presence, He is pushed and resists; he is dragged, and does not advance ^a foot; all are dripping with sweat, and he alone does not labor. A wretched strength, which had taken neither food nor drink for ^a whole month. The feast of St. Praecordius was that very night; vespers were being celebrated with due veneration. The lord of the castle was present, and with him ^a number of his monks. When he saw this, he cried out to his soldiers: "Help those men! For I see ^a wondrous thing: one conquering many." With the strength of many thus deployed, they lead -- or rather drag -- the resisting and struggling man, at the very hour when the Choir was singing the responsory of St. Praecordius. When they had come before the altar, they compelled him willy-nilly to fall prostrate on the ground, and placing their feet upon him, as though they were trampling ^a demon, not ^a man, they admonished the wretched man to pray to God and the Saints. After he had lain thus for some time under the feet of the men, before the Choir had finished the responsory, he is set free, not immune from the prayer of those who were chanting, he begged his brother to give him ^a candle. He was immediately raised up by the men, ^a candle was brought to him, he was led to the bier of St. Praecordius, and the candle was placed from his hand upon the bier, and he was placed beneath it. He fell asleep shortly after, and afterward, awaking, he asked for food, which he had not taken for ^a month. They ran to the refectory; bread and wine were brought to him. He ate and drank, and, somewhat relieved by the food, fell asleep again. Happy sleep, in which, while he slept, St. Praecordius watched through Christ. After he had slept the whole night of the feast beneath the bier, on the morrow at last, shaking off the sleep of body and mind, he stood before all, sound and of sound mind, and giving thanks to God, to St. Praecordius, and to the rest of the Saints, he asked to be released. He is freed in body, whom God had freed in mind; and he stood as ^a witness to all of his error and infirmity, his tongue also not silent in divine praises. When he had returned to Amiens, the fame of so great ^a power spread; the greater part of the people of the whole city poured forth to seek St. Praecordius; God was praised for so great ^a work, wondrous in His Saint.