ON S. LUCENTIA THE VIRGIN,
AT PROVINS IN FRANCE.
From the report of Claude Castellanus Canon of Paris.
CommentaryLucentia the Virgin, at Provins in France (S.)
D. P.
The Brienne pagus in Gaul, whose head is Melun, among the more noble towns of its circuit numbers Provins, commonly Provins, a notable municipality below the springs of the Vosia stream, about 18 leagues from Paris going toward the Southeast in Champagne of France, to whose government it is subject with the whole Brienne province; whence to "Provins solidi" their name in the Capitularies of Charlemagne and Charles the Bald, Claude Castellanus Canon of Paris in 1685 noted by Hadrian Valesius in the Notitia of the Gauls. Going there in September 1685 Claude Castellanus, Canon of Paris, to learn whether anything congenial to our work might be found there, and so intent on this care as if this study of his were principal; he numbered there more than twenty churches, of which one, principal among the three Collegiate, at Provins in the Collegiate of S. Quiriacus is sacred to S. Quiriacus, and on this 4th of June has S. Lucentia the Virgin inscribed in its Calendars; yet in such a way that her feast is celebrated as movable on the day after the Ascension of the Lord, under the entire Office of the Common of one Virgin.
[2] Indeed although she is believed there born, there also to have lived and died, yet nothing else about her either in writing or memory do the inhabitants retain; only in the aforesaid Major church, behind the principal altar, they show a pulpit, and above it a chest guarding the sacred body; which if at some time is opened, she has announced to have found the cult and body of S. Lucentia. I conceive some hope that there will be found something of fuller knowledge. While that is awaited, it shall be enough to have commended the diligent zeal of the praised Castellanus, by suggesting this his information; that also others, who can do similar things, may be animated by such an example. For there is scarcely any province of the Gauls that does not number several Saints passed over by the Author of the Gallican Martyrology, and escaping common knowledge; as anyone may easily observe, who shall wish to run through the topographical tables of the individual Provinces; he will find everywhere very many places, having their name from some Saint. A truly useful thing for the glory of God and the Saints he will do, whoever shall sometime enter into a reckoning of them in alphabetical order; then if he shall take care to note, what is each Saint's old and Latin name (for many through the lapse of time have incredibly much degenerated from their pristine form), and the day on which each is venerated there, not without some further knowledge of their life and acts, received by writing or tradition.
[3] About Lucentia it once occurred to Castellanus to suspect, that she is the same, of whom, He doubts whether she is the S. Lucegia reported on May 18. under the name Lucegia Virgin, from the Ms. Ado of Liège and our Florarium, we made mention, without other knowledge, on the 18th of May. It would not indeed be entirely alien from probability such a thought, about her whose feast is held as movable, to be celebrated the day after the Ascension. For just as, when Easter is celebrated on March 29, then the Friday following the Ascension falls on May 18; and when Easter is held on April 5, then the same Friday concurs with June 4; so it could have been; that the occasion of celebrating the feast on such Friday was taken from a translation made on one or the other day, since on either day outside such concurrence the Saint died: who once indeed had veneration on her true birthday, but afterwards, on account of the Translation more solemnly made, it was changed to the other day, famous the first time by such concurrence. But more reason is required, that what could be done, should be said in fact to have been done: otherwise the names Lucentia and Lucegia are very close; the latter softened by popular use, the former more Latin.