Gregor of Langres

ON ST. GREGORY, BISHOP OF LANGRES.

Around the year 541.

Gregory, Bishop of Langres (St.)

[1] The Roman Martyrology thus consecrates the memory of this holy bishop on the day before the Nones of January: "At Langres, St. Gregory, Bishop, renowned for miracles." He is also recorded by Bellinus, Maurolycus, Molanus in his Additions to Usuard, Galesinius, Canisius, and the Carthusians of Cologne in their supplement to Usuard. In the manuscript Florarium of the Saints, however, his entry appears under January 6, in these words: "The Deposition of blessed Gregory, Bishop and Confessor of Langres. He died in the year of salvation 535." When St. Gregory died. Galesinius in his Notes reports he died in the year 524. Our Brouwerus, commenting on Poem 2 of Book 4 of Venantius Fortunatus, and Baronius, say 541 — but they do not correctly deduce this from his having attended the Council of Clermont, which was in fact celebrated in the year 535, as Sirmondus rightly demonstrates. However, he subscribed to the Third Council of Orléans through his priest Evantus in the year 538; but to the Fourth Council of Orléans, held in the year 541, he subscribed neither in person nor through a legate — whence it is probable he had died by then, perhaps that very year, and that the see was then vacant. Nor does Baronius solidly deduce that Gregory began to occupy the see in the year 509 from the Council of Epaone, for that was held not in that year but in 517, as our Sirmondus proves.

[2] By whom his Life was written. The Life of St. Gregory was written by St. Gregory of Tours in his book On the Lives of the Fathers, chapter 7, which our Rosweydus published along with an outstanding manuscript. We have collated it with manuscripts from the monasteries of Ste-Marie de Bonnefont, Ste-Marie de Ripatoire, and St-Maximin, as well as with the Surian edition and another from the Library of the Fathers, Mombritius, and Vincent, Book 21, chapter 53.

[3] The same Gregory of Tours also mentions him in his History of the Franks, Book 3, chapter 15, where he relates that Attalus, his grandson, was carried off into slavery and freed by the ingenuity of a certain cook named Leo, whom the saint then released from the yoke of servitude along with his whole household, and gave him his own land, in which he lived as a free man with his wife and children all the days of his life. In the same book, chapter 19, he calls him a great Priest of God, He frequently resides at Dijon. distinguished for signs and powers, and testifies that he was most especially present at the fortified place of Dijon. Besides Baronius and Brouwerus cited above, Claudius Robertus treats of him at length in his catalogue of the Bishops of Langres, as do Joannes Chenu and St. Antoninus, Part 2, Title 12, chapter 8, §1.

LIFE FROM MANUSCRIPTS.

By St. Gregory of Tours.

Gregory, Bishop of Langres (St.) — BHL Number: 3666

By St. Gregory of Tours.

PROLOGUE.

[1] Men of outstanding holiness whom the palm of perfect blessedness has raised from earth to heaven are those whom either the bond of unfeigned charity binds, or the fruit of almsgiving enriches, or the flower of chastity adorns, or the sure struggle of martyrdom crowns. In these, the zeal for beginning the work of perfect righteousness was such that they first offered their body without stain as a prepared dwelling for the Holy Spirit, and thus strove toward the heights of the other virtues. And having become persecutors of themselves, while they destroyed their own vices, they triumphed like proven Martyrs upon completing the course of a legitimate struggle. The grace of God is necessary for good works. No one will be able to accomplish this without God's help and unless he is protected by the shield of divine assistance, as though by a buckler or helmet; and whatever he does, he should ascribe not to his own glory but to the glory of the divine name, according to that saying of the Apostle: "Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord" 1 Cor. 1:31. For in this also blessed Gregory ** placed all glory: who from the exalted power of the senatorial order humbled himself to such a degree that, casting aside all worldly cares, he devoted himself solely to God in deed, whom he held in his heart.

* Other readings: "raised those given over to eternal things." Surian: "raising them from the earth."

** Other reading: "pressed down."

* "by arms and a helmet."

** Other reading: "had."

CHAPTER I.

The Family, Rank, and Holiness of St. Gregory.

[2] Accordingly, St. Gregory, appointed Count from the first of the Senators, St. Gregory's family, held the county of the city of Autun. While holding the county, he governed that region for forty years with justice as his companion, and was so severe and strict with evildoers dignity in the state that hardly any criminal could endure him. He took a wife of senatorial family, named Armentaria, whom he is said to have known only for the purpose of producing offspring; severity in governing. from her, by the Lord's gift, he received ** sons. chastity, But he never touched another woman, as youthful fervor is accustomed to inflame.

[3] promotion to the episcopate, After the death of his wife, he turned to God, and being elected by the clergy and the people, he was ordained Bishop of the city of Langres. He practiced great abstinence; but lest it be thought vainglory, he secretly placed thin barley loaves beneath wheat bread, breaking the wheat to distribute to others, hidden abstinence, while he himself secretly ate the barley, with no one knowing. He did the same with wine: when his cupbearer offered him water, he ordered wine to be poured on top to conceal it, choosing such a * glass as would hide the clarity of the water.

[4] sanctity of life. In fasting, almsgiving, prayer, and vigils, he was so effective and devout that, though placed in the midst of the world, he shone forth as a new hermit. For when demoniacs confessed him in the beginning of his episcopate, the priests asked him to deign to bless them, which he manfully refused, lest he incur vain glory, crying out that he was unworthy to be a minister for manifesting the Lord's powers. humility, But since he could not conceal this any longer, he ordered them to be brought to him, and without any touch, simply making the sign of the Cross before them, he commanded the demons by his word to depart. miracles, And they, immediately hearing, released the bodies they had bound with their wickedness. For in his absence, many hung from the staff he was accustomed to carry in his hand, and when the sign was made, they * expelled the demoniacs. Likewise, if any sick person took something from his bedding, it was an immediate remedy.

[5] Moreover, his * granddaughter Armentaria, when she was once grievously troubled in her youth by a quartan fever, even through his bed, and though often nursed by the care of physicians could feel no relief, and was frequently urged by the blessed Confessor himself to persist in prayer — one day she sought his bed, and lying upon it, her fever was so completely extinguished that she never again suffered from this illness.

* MS. St. Max.: "first, well instructed in letters." ** Other reading: "corrected." * MS. St. Max.: "escape." ** Among these was St. Tetricus, Bishop of Langres, venerated on March 18; and, as is reported, St. Eustadius, Abbot of Dijon, January 3. * Some read: "wine." MS. Rip.: "the first day." * Other reading: "had tormented." ** Other reading: "they struggled against them by their feet." * Others: "great-granddaughter."

CHAPTER II.

His Piety, Especially toward St. Benignus.

[6] St. Benignus appears to him; see November 1. St. Benignus the Martyr, who is rightly called the Apostle of the Burgundians, revealed himself to him, and salutarily rebuked him concerning the prohibition by which he had ignorantly forbidden his tomb to be frequented by the devout, and commanded that an oratory be built over it. Terrified by this revelation, he wept all the more bitterly for the faults of his past ignorance, the more he was exceedingly joyful at the discovery of so great a treasure. He labored so greatly in his service with all the readiness of his mind that he rebuilt the crypt, which had fallen into ruin from age, with a worthy work; He repairs his crypt: and he transferred the sarcophagus of his body — which was of the greatest weight — with only two priests of true holiness, wherever he wished, aided by the power of divine virtue. He moves an immense stone by divine power. For he desired, out of love for him, to spend an extended time near his mausoleum, both for the magnificent construction * of the church, which he was building, and the gathering of a monastic community, and also for the elegant beauty of the place.

[7] When therefore the aforesaid bishop was dwelling constantly at the fortress of Dijon, and his house was adjacent to the baptistery in which the relics of many saints were kept, at night he would rise from his bed with no one knowing, When going to the church at night, the doors open of their own accord. and would go to pray with God alone as his witness, the door being opened by divine power, and he would attentively chant psalms in the baptistery. But when he had done this for a long time, the matter was finally discovered and made known by a deacon. He, having learned that these things were happening, followed at a distance lest the man of God might notice him, and waited to see what he would do. For the deacon said that when the Holy One of God came to the door of the baptistery, knocking with his own hand, the door would open with no one appearing; and after he entered, there was the longest silence; and afterward, the chanting of many voices, as it were, was heard for a space of three hours or more. I believe that since the relics of great saints were kept in that place, they themselves, revealing themselves to the blessed man, joined in rendering praises to God together. The saints chant psalms with him. For when the course was completed and he returned to his bed, he would lay himself down so cautiously upon his couch that no one at all noticed. But the observers, finding the door of the baptistery locked, would open it with their key as usual; and when the bell was rung, the Holy One of God would rise for the divine office afresh, just like the rest.

* See January 4, page 61.

CHAPTER III.

Death, Burial, Miracles.

[8] He dies piously. This man therefore, after displaying the signs of many outstanding virtues and miracles, after gaining many faithful souls for God, when it was divinely ordained that he should be rewarded for his labors with the worthy prize of heavenly glory, walked to the city of Langres for the holy day of Epiphany; struck by a mild fever, His face and body are more beautiful after death. he left this world and departed to Christ in peace. His blessed face was so glorified after his passing that it appeared like roses — for it was ruddy — while the rest of his body gleamed like a shining lily, so that you would have thought him already prepared for the glory of the future resurrection.

[9] He is brought to Dijon. Those who bore him to the fortress of Dijon, where he had asked to be buried out of devotion to St. Benignus, were weighed down on that plain which lies to the north, not far from the fortress; * unable to carry him further, they set the bier upon the ground. There, recovering their strength for a little while and then lifting it again, they carried him to the church within the walls of the fortress. When the bishops arrived on the fifth day, he was being carried from that church to the ancient one, distinguished by the tombs of the Bishops of Langres, dedicated to St. John the Baptist. And behold, the prisoners in the jail, trusting in his merits, The prisoners call upon him. began to cry out to the blessed body, saying: "Have mercy on us, most holy Lord, so that those whom you did not release while living in this world, you may deign to release now that you are dead and possess the heavenly kingdom. Visit us, we beseech you, and have mercy on us." As they cried out these and other words, the body became heavy, The bier becomes immovable. so that they were completely unable to support it. Then, setting down the bier upon the ground, they awaited the power of the blessed bishop. While they waited, suddenly the doors of the prison were thrown open, the beam that confined the prisoners' feet was split in half with the bolts driven back, and all their chains were shattered, and they were all freed at once The prisoners are miraculously freed. and came to the life-giving relics of the saint with no one restraining them. Then, as the bearers lifted the bier, those who had been freed followed along with the rest, and afterward they were dismissed by the judge's sentence without any penalty.

[10] The heavens are seen to open at his death. After this, the blessed Confessor was buried and shone forth with many miracles. For a certain religious man said he had seen the heavens open on the day of his burial; nor is it to be doubted that after his ** heavenly deeds he was gathered to the celestial hosts.

[11] A certain prisoner was being led along the road by which the blessed body had been carried * from Langres to the aforesaid fortress. When the soldiers and horsemen who preceded him were dragging the wretched man, bound, behind them, they came to the place where the limbs of the blessed Confessor had rested. Passing by, the prisoner invoked the name of the holy bishop and begged that his mercy would free him. A prisoner who invokes him is freed. Sanctuary. While he prayed, the bonds on his hands were loosened; but sensing that he was free, he kept still, and with covered hands was thought still to be bound. When they entered the gate of the fortress and came before the atrium of the church, he immediately leaped up, threw the strap of his binding in the faces of those who dragged him, and sought the church, through which, with the help of almighty God and the merits of the blessed bishop, he was set free.

* MS. St. Max.: "fatigued." ** MS. Rip.: "angelic." * Other reading: "to Langres."

CHAPTER IV.

Translation, Other Miracles, Epitaph.

[12] His son St. Tetricus translates him. Admirable also is that miracle of how his blessed body appeared glorified when it was translated after a long time. For when the blessed bishop had been buried in a corner of the basilica, and the place was small, and the people could not approach as devotion demanded, St. Tetricus, his son and successor, seeing this and perceiving that miracles were continually worked there, laid foundations before the altar of the basilica, and built and vaulted a * remarkable apse. When the vault was complete and the wall broken through, he built an arch. When he had brought this work to completion and adorned it, he dug a tomb in the middle of the apse, wishing to transfer the body of his blessed father there. He summoned priests and abbots for this office, who kept vigil in prayer that the blessed Confessor would permit himself to be transferred to this prepared dwelling.

[13] In the morning, with choirs of chanters, they took hold of the sarcophagus and transferred it before the altar into the apse which the blessed bishop had built. While they were carefully arranging the tomb, suddenly — at God's command, I believe — Long after his death, his body and vestments are found incorrupt. the lid of the sarcophagus was moved on one side, and behold, his blessed face appeared whole and unharmed, so that you would have thought him not dead but sleeping; nor was anything of the vestment that had been placed with him shown to be diminished. Whence not undeservedly did he appear glorious after his passing, whose flesh was not corrupted by decay. Great indeed is the integrity of body and heart, which both bestows grace in the present age and grants eternal life in the future; concerning which the Apostle Paul says: "Pursue peace and holiness, without which no one will see God" Heb. 12:14.

[14] A certain girl on a Sunday, while arranging her hair, A girl combing her hair on Sunday is punished. — I believe on account of the dishonor to the holy day — found the comb stuck fast in her hands, so that its teeth, fixed in both her fingers and palms, caused her great pain. Going about weeping and beseeching from one basilica of the saints to another, she obtained no remedy; she then prostrated herself at the tomb of the blessed Bishop Gregory, She is freed at St. Gregory's tomb. trusting in his power. When she had long implored the aid of the holy Confessor, her hand was straightened and restored to its former function as the comb fell away.

[15] Demoniacs are freed. But also demoniacs, confessing his merits and his name, are often purged at his tomb. For after his passing we have frequently seen them fixed to the walls by the staff we mentioned above, which he carried in his hand, so that you would have thought them held by strong and sharp stakes. Indeed we have learned many other deeds concerning him, but lest they produce weariness in anyone, we have touched upon a few from among many. Blessed Gregory died in the thirty-third year of his episcopate, at the age of ninety, and frequently manifested himself through evident miracles.

[16] His epitaph. To perpetuate his memory, the most celebrated of poets, Fortunatus, composed this epitaph upon his mausoleum: Venantius Fortunatus, Book 4, Poem 2.

"After the heavenly Prince shattered the underworld, You lie beneath the feet of the righteous, hostile death. The venerable life of holy Gregory testifies to this, Who now after the tomb enters the heavens with honor. Noble, descending from the ancient ** glory of his parents, More noble by his deeds, he now abides above the stars. First a fierce judge, then a pious priest himself: Those whom he subdued as judge, he cherished with a father's * love. For thirty-two ** years he governed the sheepfold: And from the flock of Christ the shepherd holds his joys. If you ask his merit, the miracles of events proclaim it, Through whom kindly health is brought to the infirm."

These things were accomplished on the day before the Nones of January, with the help of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom, with God the Father and the Paraclete Spirit, belongs all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.

* Other reading: "a small crypt." ** Brouwerus: "stock." * Brouwerus: "He cherished with a father's love." MS. Rip.: "he cherishes with a father's love." ** Brouwerus: "piously" — which is absent from all my manuscripts.