ON ST. ROMANUS OF AUXERRE, BISHOP, IN GAUL, ABOUT THE YEAR 564.
SYLLOGE.
Romanus, bishop and confessor, at Auxerre in Gaul. (S.)
BY J. B.
St. Romanus is, among the bishops of Auxerre, in order the sixteenth according to some, the seventeenth according to others: of St. Romanus, the sixteenth those who number him the seventeenth bishop of that see distinguish the bishops SS. Valerius and Valerian, assigning to the former the third, to the latter the fourth place in the see of Auxerre: others on the contrary confuse them, with whom agrees our Pierre Bosch in volume VII of July, page 208, in the Annotations on the Life of St. Germanus, bishop of Auxerre, written in the 5th century by Constantius the priest, a most weighty author. Indeed, as the said Bosch observes, in the vision of Corcodemus the martyr SS. Amator, Marcellian, Elladius and Valerian are said to have succeeded step by step to St. Peregrinus, first prelate of the people of Auxerre (although not in the order in which they are named); and no mention is made of a Valerius distinct from Valerian; so that hence it is quite probable that the third bishop of the people of Auxerre, called now Valerius, now Valerian, as not rarely happens, afforded to the incautious of later centuries occasion and handle to feign two bishops out of one. Dom Lebeuf, succentor of the cathedral church of Auxerre, adds, in volume 1 of the Monuments of the church of Auxerre, pages 14 and 15, printed at Paris in the year 1743, that several Calendars indeed, written five or six hundred years ago, entered the bishops Valerius and Valerian at the 6th of May; but that their authors were misled by the compilers of the History of Auxerre, who also fell into many other grave errors: that he had not found two bishops at that day in Calendars older than the 9th century: nay, that one Valerius is named in d'Achery's Corbie Hieronymian Martyrology, one Valerian in that of Echternach and very many others. Let St. Romanus therefore be the sixteenth in order in the series of the bishops of Auxerre, according to the more probable opinion of the authors just named.
[2] He had as predecessor in the episcopate St. Eleutherius, who subscribed to the 2nd, III, IV and V councils of Orléans, namely from the year 561 or the following, in the years 533, 538, 541 and 549, as Du Sollier writes, following Le Cointe, in volume III of August at the 16th day of that month, page 300. The same writers say that Eleutherius was raised to the episcopate of Auxerre in the year 532; from which, if the 28 years, 8 months and 9 days are numbered during which he is read to have borne the episcopal insignia in the History of the bishops of Auxerre in Labbe, volume 1 of the Library of Manuscripts, page 419, St. Eleutherius will have departed from the living in the year 561. Dom Lebeuf also tied the death of St. Eleutherius to this year; but he fixed the beginning of his episcopate in the year 533, neglecting, as it appears, the 8 months and 9 days which St. Eleutherius is said in the History just cited to have added to the 28 years passed in the episcopate. Eleutherius having died on the 16th day before the Kalends of September, says the same History, the city was without a bishop one year, 2 months, 10 days; in which case St. Romanus must have been made bishop of Auxerre in the year 562 towards the end of the month of October: but Le Cointe contends that this happened in the year 561 on the eleventh day before the Kalends of October, and departs from the History of the bishops of Auxerre, which, as was said above, is not very accurate, yet adduces no reason why he does so. St. Romanus therefore more probably went to the see of Auxerre in the year 561 or 562: for nothing certain occurs in favour of either side. But, you will say, how does this agree with the words of St. Eric, a monk, who lived in the time of the emperor Charles the Bald, and who in the books on the Miracles of St. Germanus of Auxerre, in Labbe cited above, page 566, after he has made mention of the death of St. Desiderius, bishop of Auxerre, who died in the 7th century, writes this of St. Romanus: Romanus is substituted in the see, of whom it is reported that, being a most holy man, he consummated martyrdom by the cutting off of his head on the day before the Nones of October, the time of his office being completed in III years, XV days?
[3] in the month of September I answer that St. Eric makes mention of some holy bishops of Auxerre whose bodies were deposited in the church of St. Germanus, not in the order in which they held the episcopate, but in that in which their remains were deposited beside the body of St. Germanus, as the succentor of Auxerre cited above rightly observed, lest St. Eric's narration should impose on anyone. Further, from the cited words of Eric we learn not only the duration of his episcopate and his day of death, but also the day on which he was consecrated bishop: for if you count fifteen days back from the sixth day of October, you will reach the day of his consecration, namely the 22nd day of September: whence it further follows that an error lies in the words of the compilers of the History of the bishops of Auxerre, related at the preceding number, according to which St. Romanus must have begun to occupy the episcopal see towards the end of October: and also in the words of Le Cointe, when he wrote at the year 561, number 2: Romanus succeeded (Eleutherius) on the eleventh (nay the tenth, from what has been said) day before the Kalends of October. But on the contrary George Viole, or whoever is the author of our manuscript on the bishops of Auxerre, whose words I render in Latin, wrote rightly on the matter: He entered the episcopate on the 22nd day of September, the feast of the glorious martyr Maurice, ancient patron and titular of the church of St. Germanus, in which it was the custom that the bishops of Auxerre should be elected and consecrated. I do not know for what reason Dom Lebeuf dissents from Eric, when he writes that St. Romanus sat three years and some months; whereas Eric affirms that he sat, besides three years, only 15 days, and the History of the bishops of Auxerre only 4 days.
[4] until the year 564 or the following, bishop of Auxerre, But if George Viole has rightly assigned the day on which St. Romanus was consecrated bishop, he was mistaken in the year both in which St. Romanus undertook the episcopate and in which he departed from the living: for from what has been said the first more probably happened in the year 561, or certainly 562; the second, having regard to the duration of St. Romanus's episcopate of 3 years and 15 days, in the year 564 or the following: but in the manuscript just now cited, the year 553 is added in the margin to the words rendered in Latin a little before, and a little after he is read to have died about the year 555. So indeed the author of the manuscript had to speak consistently, who had on his own authority taken 9 years away from Eleutherius, whose episcopate lasted 28 years. The History of the bishops of Auxerre likewise needs emendation, which also marked St. Romanus's episcopate with faulty chronological notes. It has thus: He lived in the times of the aforesaid Pope John (the III of this name) until Benedict, Justin the Younger reigning. But since, from what has been said, St. Romanus did not prolong his life beyond the year 565; and Justinian, the predecessor of Justin the Younger, ceased to be among the living in the year 566; he could not have seen the reign of Justin, much less the Pontificate of Benedict I, to which he was raised only in the year 573, substituted in the place of John III. Moreover, St. Aetherius was substituted for St. Romanus, and St. Aunarius for the latter, already from the year 571, as was said by the more probable calculation in volume VII of September in the preliminary Commentary to the Acts of St. Aunarius, page 90. And so we have fixed sufficiently closely the year and day both of the entering upon the episcopate and of the death of St. Romanus. But of his birth,
his virtues and his deeds we are compelled to be silent through the dearth of documents and ancient writers: it remains, therefore, that we turn our discourse to the Martyrologies and to the things which pertain to his cult.
[5] However obscure, as I have already said, the things done by St. Romanus may be, mention of him among some martyrologists; his sanctity is nevertheless clearly proved by the most ancient Martyrologies in which he is read inscribed. Edmond Martène published in the 17th year of this century, in volume 3 of the Anecdota, from column 1547, a Martyrology from a manuscript of the monastery of St. Germanus of Auxerre, compiled, as he says, about a thousand years ago under the name of St. Jerome, which at the 6th day of October has thus: At Auxerre, of Romanus, bishop. The Hieronymian Codex of Echternach at the same day uses these words: In the Gauls, in the city of Auxerre, of Romanus, bishop: and that of Corbie: In the city of Auxerre, the deposition of St. Romanus, bishop. That of Lucca agrees with that of Corbie; but in both (the Corbie in d'Achery, volume 4 of the Spicilegium, and the Lucca in Fiorentini) it is marked at the foot of the lists, as if added, in a different hand. Rabanus's words are: In the city of Auxerre, the deposition of Romanus, bishop. In Ado and Usuard there is no mention of St. Romanus, except in the Additions. The ancient Martyrology of the church of Auxerre, published by Martène in volume 6 of the Old Writers, announces St. Romanus a little more fully than all these, in this manner: At Auxerre, the deposition of St. Romanus, bishop, who, when he had governed the church committed to him III years, XV days, at length, as is reported, ended his life by martyrdom. The more recent martyrologists I pass over in silence: receive the words of the Roman Martyrology alone: At Auxerre, of St. Romanus, bishop and martyr: on which Baronius annotates this: Bede, Ado and others treat of the same on this day. He is ascribed as the seventeenth bishop of that see, and lived in the times of Pope John III until Benedict, as the Tables of the bishops of Auxerre teach, which Démocharès transcribed; concerning which consult what has been said both here and at numbers 1 and 4.
[6] The Roman Martyrology just cited makes St. Romanus a martyr; which opinion of his martyrdom seems to have flourished among the people of Auxerre already from the 9th century, as is evident from the words of Eric, who wrote in the 9th century, produced at number 2; from which whether he was a martyr, yet in such a way that they did not hold the matter as certain and undoubted, as the words, as is reported, added by Eric abundantly suggest; which I read inserted also in the Breviary of Auxerre published at Paris in the year 1736; where at the 6th day of October, in Lesson 2, these things are had concerning St. Romanus: Romanus, successor of Eleutherius, governed the church of Auxerre for about three years. Renowned for good works and sanctity, he is reported to have consummated martyrdom by the cutting off of his head on the sixth day of October about the year five hundred and sixty-four. He was buried beside his predecessors in the basilica of St. Germanus. But if St. Romanus truly underwent martyrdom, the compilers of this Breviary seem to have inclined to the view that he was removed from the midst by an unexpected homicide and a private crime: for which reason, as it appears, they joined to St. Romanus St. Tetricus, another bishop of Auxerre, pierced by the sword of an impious cleric (as is read in Lesson 3 of the same day), although he was formerly venerated on the 18th day of March. Dom Viole ascribes the murder of St. Romanus to the Arian Burgundians, or to the Simoniacs, of whom he says there was then an enormous number, or to the enemies of Gospel purity; but these are nothing but conjectures.
[7] or a confessor, is not clear: Du Sollier in his Usuard on this day reports two additions to Usuard, the one from the Martyrology of Centula, the other from the Lübeck-Cologne edition of Usuard; and a third from Greven, all of which expressly ascribe St. Romanus to the Confessors: the two former have thus: At Auxerre, of St. Romanus, bishop and confessor. The third: At Auxerre, the deposition of St. Romanus, bishop and confessor. Finally a fourth, from that of Rheims: At Auxerre, of St. Romanus, bishop and confessor: since, then, some Martyrologies name him confessor, others martyr, but doubtfully, others finally neither confessor nor martyr, as is clear from what has been said, it plainly remains doubtful, although in some he is called martyr without even any sign of doubt added, to which of the two St. Romanus is to be ascribed; although the opinion of the people of Auxerre about his martyrdom, which existed already from the 9th century, does not seem to be despised. Nor do I see that the silence of the Martyrologies about the martyrdom of St. Romanus is so much opposed to it as Dom Lebeuf seems to wish, writing thus on this matter: But the silence about the quality of martyrdom does not a little to impugn this opinion (about the martyrdom of St. Romanus). For although the older Martyrologies cited at number 5 do not say that he was a martyr, yet neither do they deny it, nor do they call him Confessor: and the cause of the silence could have been that at the time at which they were written it was not sufficiently clear whether he was a confessor or a martyr, just as it was not established for Eric in the 9th century either: nay, very many martyrs are to be seen in those Martyrologies who, although they truly were such, are nevertheless distinguished by no quality either of confessor or of martyr.
[8] The Saint's body is translated from the old tomb into the new After his death, whether natural or violent, St. Romanus obtained burial in the basilica of St. Germanus; and in it his body seems to have lain until about the year 866, in which it was translated into the crypts of the same basilica together with the remains of some other Saints: the time of the translation made is gathered from St. Eric; who, when in book 2 of the Miracles of St. Germanus, chapter 14, in Labbe, he had narrated that Erchenraus, bishop of Châlons, received as a gift from the monks of St. Germanus in the year of the Lord's Incarnation 865 relics of St. Urban, Pope and martyr, presently in chapter 15 describes the translation of which we treat in the following words: After the work comprised long above (he means the crypts of the basilica of St. Germanus, which he had written in chapter 7 of the same book 2 had been brought to completion in the year 859) was seen to be both congruous with Ecclesiastical beauty and worthy for laying up the pledges of the Saints, the judgement of wise men having been exercised, it seemed best to be done that the relics of the martyrs mentioned above, and also the bodies of the blessed Pontiffs of Auxerre formerly buried in the church itself, should be translated into the crypts, and laid up with special diligence of office around the body of the most blessed Germanus, by a divine mind and upright counsel, so that those whom the same royal court of heaven contains, the capacity of the same dwelling on earth might also associate.
[9] It was so done, and on the right side, that is, into the crypts of the basilica of St. Germanus about the year 859, from the Southern quarter, the bones of blessed Urban the Pope were placed with the head of Innocent the martyr in the same coffin. Next the body of the venerable Alaudius, formerly his successor, and then of three holy pontiffs, Ursus, Romanus and Theodosius. At the part of the feet, that is, the Eastern quarter, beside the altar, rest the most sacred members of the precious confessor and prelate Aunarius: the left, that is, the Northern side, the pledges of the glorious martyr Tiburtius occupied, with the venerable bodies of five pontiffs joined to them, that is, of St. Fraternus, bishop and martyr, of Censurius, Gregory, Desiderius and Lupus, and besides these of St. Moderatus, a boy, formerly crowned with martyrdom. Then he relates briefly the eulogies of the prelates of Auxerre in this order: of Alaudius, Fraternus and Censurius, Aunarius, Desiderius, Romanus (whose eulogy see at number 2), Ursus, Theodosius, Gregory. But they sat in this order: Fraternus, Alaudius, Censurius, Ursus, Theodosius, Gregory, … Romanus, … Aunarius, … Desiderius; so that it was rightly observed above, from Dom Lebeuf, that St. Eric did not here keep the order in which the individual prelates mentioned by him occupied the see of Auxerre. But what cause moved the people of Auxerre, or their prelate Christian, to wish the relics of the Saints spoken of above to be carried into the crypts of the basilica of St. Germanus, Eric was silent: but, having regard to the condition of those times, it is most probable that this happened out of fear of the Normans, who were then infesting Gaul with continual incursions.
[10] The other things which pertain to St. Romanus our Auxerre manuscript will supply: and it is inspected in the year 1636 by Séguier the bishop, whose it relates on page 51 that the tomb of St. Romanus was inspected in the year 1636 by Séguier, bishop of Auxerre, and the body of St. Romanus was found reduced for the greatest part to ashes. An image of the Saint was painted on the wall, and marked with this inscription: Saint Romanus; there was seen in that picture the instrument of his martyrdom, namely a sword, by which he is believed to have been slain: but it seems not to have been of very great antiquity. Now, however, no picture is seen placed on his tomb; but his name is read; the day sacred to him, the 6th of October, on which he is venerated in the whole diocese of Auxerre and in the abbey of St. Germanus; finally also an epitaph composed in Latin, but very recent. So nearly the Auxerre manuscript at the page cited. The testimony on this matter of Séguier, bishop of Auxerre in the year 1636, but afterwards promoted to the see of Meaux, given at Meaux in the year 1642 on the 29th day of April, is read in the other part of the same manuscript from page 265, from which we learn some things to be added to these. Séguier gives in his letters, page 267 and following, this account of the visitation undertaken: But because, in the year MDLXX (read MDLXVII), the city of Auxerre having been seized by fraud and occupied by the heretics, the aforesaid monastery of St. Germanus had been despoiled of all its ornaments, wealth, relics of the Saints, which were kept in most elegantly wrought reliquaries of gold and silver, and even of all wood and tile, the walls alone untouched, there was no moderate ground for doubting whether the sacred relics of the aforenamed Saints, never, as is piously done, placed in reliquaries, had escaped the sacrilegious hands of those Calvinists, so that the ancient and pious faith of the faithful had begun not only to waver but even to be abolished from the hearts of certain persons; wherefore the aforesaid Prior and monks (of St. Germanus), who judged the matter to be of the greatest moment, humbly and earnestly besought us that we would deign to come to their monastery to visit the sepulchres of the same Saints. Kindly assenting to their wishes, in the year of the Lord MDCXXXIV, on the 2nd day of November, together with many both of the clergy and of the chief men, we betook ourselves to the same monastery, etc.
[11] a testimony on this matter is exhibited. Then on page 271 receive again in Séguier's words what was observed concerning the body of St. Romanus: But in the year, he says, MDCXXXVI, on the seventh day of September, the same Prior and monks beseeching, and many of the clergy and people again accompanying, we went to the same church of St. Germanus, and, a humble prayer having been first made, the walls of the crypts having been inspected, imbued all round with letters and painting, the earth being dug up, we found in various places stone sarcophagi, which being opened, bodies were seen which in a manner corresponded to the inscriptions marking them. And first in the chapel of St. Germanus, in which his tomb is kept, besides that which is reported to be St. Theodosius's, we found two other sepulchres; one beside the aforesaid tomb of St. Theodosius, which they held to be that of St. Romanus, formerly bishop of Auxerre and M., whose body, almost reduced to ashes, with much dust which
had perhaps crept in through the little cracks of the sarcophagus, is mixed; beside that sepulchre we beheld an image of the same Saint with this title: Of St. Romanus: and marked with a twofold inscription (but not very old, as was said above). There follows the epitaph of St. Romanus, but composed in French: Here lies the body of lord St. Romanus, bishop and martyr, who presided over this city III years, XV days; crowned with martyrdom on the VI of October, Justin the Younger reigning. Nay, Justinian, if he truly fell as a martyr. They hold that the dust was mixed with the Saint's ashes, the stone of the sepulchre being broken, either when in the year 1277 Jean de Joceval, abbot of St. Germanus, repaired the ruined basilica of St. Germanus, or in the year 1567, in which the Calvinists raged in the same.
[12] [Besides his proper feast, he had another in common with others among the monks of St. Germanus.] Nor finally will it be beside the point to observe from the same letters of Séguier that the monks of the place formerly honoured St. Germanus together with the other Saints buried in the basilica of St. Germanus with a special Office and feast on the 8th day of November; on which matter Séguier speaks thus in our Auxerre manuscript, page 283 and following: These things being thus done, we asked the Prior and monks whether, either from the charters or from the books of their monastery, or from certain other codices found elsewhere, they could bring forward other testimonies by which they could inform and instruct us more fully about the sepulchres and relics laid up in the church itself; who indeed first of all brought forward a small but most ancient Breviary of the same monastery, in which for the eighth day of November such Lessons were assigned, to be recited in choir at the hours of Matins. To these he subjoins the Lessons themselves, which are eight: the second Lesson has this about the institution of this feast: Whence, since almost the whole world observes the most exalted solemnity of All Saints on the Kalends of November, as was decreed and enacted by the venerable Fathers (about the year 835), therefore the assembly of the monastery of blessed Germanus of Auxerre determined to take care, an episcopal decree authorizing it with the consent of the whole clergy and people, that on the Octave of the said solemnity there should be held loftily by the human company of the same bishopric a festal day of all the holy Martyrs, Confessors and Virgins who are buried within the borders of this bishopric, and especially of those whose bodies rest present within the precinct of the monastery of St. Maurice and St. Germanus. The rest I do not transcribe, because they contain nothing particular about St. Romanus. More about St. Romanus I have not to say; except that he is invoked in the Litanies placed at the end of the Breviary of Auxerre of the year 1736, among the holy Martyrs and Bishops of Auxerre, in this order: Saint Peregrinus, saint Fraternus, saint Romanus, saint Vigilius, etc.