Justus

ON SAINT JUSTUS,

BISHOP OF URGELL IN SPAIN.

AFTER THE YEAR DXLVI.

HISTORICAL COLLECTION.

On his cult and deeds.

St. Justus, Bishop of Urgell in Spain.

BY THE AUTHOR G. H.

Urgellus or Orgellus, a city of Hither Spain in Catalonia, at the roots of the Pyrenean mountains and the river Segre, in the County of Cerdanya, enjoys the Episcopal title under the Archbishop of Tarragona. The Bishop of this See, and as far as we gather from the Episcopal Catalogues, the first, was St. Justus, St. Justus, referred to this XXVIII of May in the Tables of the Roman Martyrology in these words: At Urgell, in Tarraconensian Spain, of St. Justus the Bishop. Baronius in the Notes says, that this is established from the records of his Church, and that in the Flowers of the Saints his Birthday is celebrated on this day. These are the authors, Alphonsus Villegas, on the Extravagant Spanish Saints toward the end; Joannes Marietta, book 5 on the Saints of Spain chapter 11; Antonius Vincentius Domeneccus, on the Saints of Catalonia on this day, and several others. Baronius adds, that the same is treated of by St. Isidore on Illustrious Men chapter 21, and from him by Honorius and others. He in chapter 20 had written these things. he wrote on the Song of Songs, Justinianus of the Church of Valencia in Spain, one of four brothers and Bishops begotten of the same mother, wrote a book of Responses. &c. Then in the said chapter 21 he subjoins these things: Justus of the Church of Urgell of the Spains, and brother of the aforesaid Justinianus, published a little book of exposition on the Song of Songs, discussing the whole very briefly and openly through the sense of allegories. Of this man also the brothers Nebridius and Elpidius are said to have written certain things: of whom because we are unacquainted, we confess they are rather to be passed over in silence. These things St. Isidore, from whom the same Honorius book 3 chapter 25, Trithemius, Possevinus, Bellarmine, and others. His little Commentary, or Mystical exposition on the Song of Songs of Solomon, was restored by Menradus Molherus and brought into the light at Hagenau in the year MDXXIX, he subscribed the Council of Toledo in the year 527 then at Basel in the year MDLI among the Orthodoxographa, afterward in the Libraries of the ancient Fathers continually reprinted. The same Baronius suggests thirdly, that St. Justus was present at the Council of Toledo II, as its Acts indicate. To this he subscribed in these words. Justus, in the name of Christ Bishop of the Catholic Church of Urgell, this constitution of my fellow-priests, held in the city of Toledo, when after some time I had arrived, the authority of the ancient canons being safe, reread, approved, and subscribed. By almost which formula subscribed his brother Nebridius, Bishop of the Church of Egara; of whom and his See we treated on February IV. There is said at the beginning a Synod held in the city of Toledo, before Montanus the Bishop, on the day XVI of the Kalends of June, in the V year of the reign of Amalaric in the Era DLXV, that is in the year of Christ DXXVII. There was afterward held the Synod of Lérida

in the Era DLXXXIV, that is in the year of Christ DXLVI, at which Justus was present and subscribed, namely the one of Urgell, and at Lérida in the year 546 as Garcias Loaisa indicates, in his Notes on the said Synod. And these are the times of the Emperor Justinian, in which Baronius also had observed him to have flourished; nay also of Theudis Prince of the Goths, under whom Isidore indicated he flourished. How long he lived afterward, is not established. His successor in the Episcopate is named Simplicius, who subscribed the Council of Toledo in the Era DCXXVII, or the year of Christ DLXXXIX. Tamayus Salazar, in the Hispanic Martyrology on this XXVIII of May, asserts that on his sarcophagus this inscription was once seen.

At Urgell Justus is now enclosed in a just cave: an epitaph feigned for him, The body given to the ground, the spirit holds the stars.

But all those Epitaphs of Tamayus, of recent fiction, long ago convicted among the wiser Spaniards, obtain henceforth no faith with us, since we repent of having sometime taken account of them. Masinus in his survey of Bologna, on this day says, that some Relics of St. Justus the Bishop are kept in the Basilica of St. Stephen. But on what foundation, I pray, did he suppose those, whether Relics at Bologna perhaps carried away from Rome, to be of the Spanish Bishop, that he should make mention of them on this day? Truly we are compelled to confess, that very many of those who write of the Saints, from time to time combine even the most disparate things; with this confidence only, that the temerity, about to turn to no one's prejudice, will be believed to have no reprover either: as if it were not a sufficiently just cause of reprehending, to have asserted something about any Saint without foundation. Conjectures in obscure matters I do not condemn, nay I think they make much to the purpose; but I would have conjectures brought forward as conjectures, not as truths certainly ascertained, which, need no proof on account of their evidence or the certainty of the monuments whence they are taken. Hence it comes, that in this our work, the further we proceed, the more with suspended foot we walk, measuring by the experience of the past and fearing the things to follow which remain; and altogether persuaded, that in the hearing of witnesses the first question to a historian ought to be, which is wont to be in forensic judgments, concerning the ground of knowledge.

ON SAINT JUSTUS

LAYMAN OF VICH IN SPAIN.

From Vincentius Domeneccus.

St. Justus, Layman of Vich in Spain.

BY G. H.

Vicus, commonly Vich, to the ancients Ausa and Ausona, an Episcopal city in Catalonia keeps with great veneration the body of St. Justus. The sacred cult That his feast is celebrated on this XXVIII of May, with Ecclesiastical Office and Mass, in whose Collect or Prayer his name is expressed, Antonius Vincentius Domeneccus hands down, in the general History of the Saints of Catalonia, and from him Ferrarius in the general Catalogue, and Tamayus Salazar in the Hispanic Martyrology. Some Acts of him the said Domeneccus published in Spanish, Tamayus de Salazar rendered them thus into Latin.

[2] Justus, as ancient tradition is, a Catalan by nation, A life perfect in the state of a layman, originating from the city of Ausona, which today they call Vich, proceeding in lay conversation, treated common business, just as other citizens, without offense. But fleeing those and other things of the world, he trod down its allurements with strenuous piety: so that forthwith collecting the treasures of spiritual riches, he heaped up a rich store of virtues. For relying on this protection he so wove his life, that he reached the height of the greatest opinion, and merited to be described in the Catalogue of the Saints. After St. Justus had done many deeds for the service of God, and knew the end of his rightly accomplished life would quickly come, God so disposing being prepared for death, he rendered his spirit to the Creator. certain miracles wrought after death. But the divine Goodness did not wish to shut up the sanctity of Justus; but determining to manifest it to the world, wrought very many miracles by his intervening merits. But, on account of the negligence of predecessors, very few remained in notice: of which in the ancient Breviary of this Episcopate three miracles of great weight are contained, which in a certain Hymn of this Saint are thus narrated. A high and strong wall once fell upon the sepulchre of the Servant of God: whose fabric, utterly destroyed by the force of so great a blow, the believing faithful; and forthwith drawing away the rubble; found the tomb entire without any harm by the providence of God. A lamp was burning on the altar of St. Justus, upon which the wall fell, and the lamp was found entire by the people, admiring so great a miracle, and giving thanks to God. The sacred bones of St. Justus in the sarcophagus some young men first heard moved with a certain noise, then admonished by these the Lord Priests of this Church heard the same commotion.

[3] Thus far from Domeneccus Tamayus: but since Domeneccus professes that nothing is had of this St. Justus besides the ancient Breviary of Vich, The Hymn supposititious for an ancient one. from which the aforesaid miracles are taken; Tamayus would have consulted well for our faith and his, if he had taken care that that Hymn be sought. He took care perhaps (for so he writes in the Notes on this day) The Hymn related by Domeneccus has not yet come to my hands, unless it be a certain one which in the margin of my codex, traced by hand is found, although composed beyond the rules of prosody. He then brings forth the Hymn itself, but which if thou readest, thou wilt judge, rude indeed, as Tamayus prefaces, but yet of recent fabric. But this he wished to dissimulate, and with trash of this kind probably composed by himself, but published either under another's name or none, he stuffed his Martyrology. This we having found by longer use, learned to hold suspect all things which he praises, as found in his Manuscripts, until of them it be more certainly established to us from elsewhere. It remains therefore that from the old Breviary of Vich itself someone send us the aforesaid Hymn, together with the Lection on the life, if any there be, as Domeneccus seems to hint.