Georgia

CONCERNING ST. GEORGIA, VIRGIN DEVOTED TO GOD, AT CLERMONT IN GAUL.

Georgia, Virgin devoted to God, at Clermont in Gaul (Saint)

I. B.

[1] At Clermont, the capital of the Arverni in Gaul, St. Georgia, a Virgin devoted to God, is celebrated on February 15, concerning whom the Roman Martyrology says: St. Georgia is venerated on February 15. "Among the Arverni, of St. Georgia the Virgin." A more extensive eulogy is composed by Saussay in his Gallic Martyrology. Peter Galesinius assigned her birthday on March 11 thus: Elsewhere on March 2: "Among the Arverni, of St. Georgia the Virgin, who, devoted to prayers and fasts, so exercised her life and virginal mind with spiritual cultivation that, having obtained by the grace and gift of God the fruit of virginity, while she was being carried to church, she was wondrously honored with heavenly obsequies." On the same day Molanus placed her in his additions to Usuard in his first edition, but omitted her in subsequent editions. Likewise Canisius and Ferrari.

[2] Concerning her life and funeral, St. Gregory of Tours writes thus in his book "On the Glory of the Confessors," chapter 34, from whom the rest have copied: "It is related that there was also in that city (of the Arverni, as he had said in the preceding chapter) a certain young woman, devout and dedicated to God, She lives in the country: who, dwelling in the country, might, removed from the bustle of the city, more freely offer to God fitting sacrifices of praise. Daily she devoted herself to fasting and prayer. It came to pass, therefore, that upon departing this world, she was carried to the basilica of the town for burial; but when the bier was lifted and the body began to be borne along the road, a great flock of doves arrived and began to fly above her, Angels in the form of doves accompany her funeral: following by their flight wherever she was carried by her neighbors. When she was brought into the basilica, the entire flock was seen to settle upon the roof of the building. And when she was buried, the doves flew away to the heavens. Whence she was not undeservedly called Georgia, who so exercised her mind with spiritual cultivation that, having obtained the yield of the sixtyfold fruit of virginity, departing this world, she was honored with heavenly obsequies."

[3] So far Gregory, who by assigning the sixtyfold fruit to the Virgin means the hundredfold to belong to the Martyr. Saussay writes expressly that Angels in the form of doves accompanied her funeral with an elaborate retinue, as if in service. Our Francis Laherius, in his great Menology of Virgins, asserts that these doves were whiter than snow. He also errs in saying that the name Georgia means "earthly," for georgeia signifies agriculture or a crop. He also maintains that the Virgin's funeral was carried to the greater church of the city; Buried in the church of St. Cassius: but from an old book on the churches of the city of Clermont published by Savaron, it is established that the greater, or Mother church, was consecrated in honor of St. Mary, while St. Georgia rests in the church of St. Cassius, as is stated in chapter 9. The same Savaron affirms that it is now a parish church, and that in it the relics of St. Georgia, enclosed in a wooden chest, survive, with this inscription carved on the marble cover:

"Here in this tomb lies Georgia, consecrated to Christ, Devoted in goods, mind, faith, and merit: Although a great crowd of suitors pressed upon her father, Sought by many suitors, she preferred Christ: She chose God for a more blessed bed."

[4] Concerning the date of St. Georgia, the same author notes: "Baronius writes without citing any authority, in volume 6, that she lived about the year 480. Let the credit be his." Baronius does not write this, but only mentions her at that year, numbers 21 and 22, on the occasion of Victorius, Prefect of the Arverni. However, Gregory of Tours mentions her in such a way as to show that her memory is very ancient; When did she live? whence one might not rashly conjecture that she lived toward the end of the fifth century or the beginning of the sixth, or even earlier. For as to Laherius's assertion that she died around the year 500, how can that be proved by anyone who remembers that Gregory of Tours himself died before that year?

[5] The tomb of St. Georgia, as Savaron adds, was opened in the year 1532 by William Duprat, Bishop of Clermont, Relics inspected. and the head was granted to the monastery of Illidius. The monastery of St. Illidius is of the Benedictine Order, near the city of Clermont.