Caletricus

ON ST. CALETRICUS, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR, AT CHARTRES IN BEAUCE, A PROVINCE OF GAUL,

About the year DLXXIII.

SYLLOGE.

Mention of the Saint among the martyrologists; his notable eulogy from Venantius Fortunatus; the time of his episcopate; the councils at which he was present; his relics and cult.

Caletricus, bishop and confessor, at Chartres in Beauce, a province of Gaul. (S.)

BY J. B.

At Carnotum or Carnutum (in French Chartres) Galesini today announces St. Caletricus or Chaletricus, bishop of Chartres, thus: Of St. Caletricus, of whom in the Martyrologies At Carnutum, of saint Caletricus, bishop, who was present at the first council of Paris and the second of Tours with great testimony of his holiness. Ferrari also mentions him in the Topography, likewise assigning the 8th day of October to his cult. Du Saussay likewise, at the same day, in the Gallican Martyrology, writes thus of him: At Carnutum, of saint Caletricus, bishop and confessor, whom, when he was sick, saint Leobinus, bishop, wonderfully healed by anointing with sacred oil: and foretold that he would be prelate after him. Substituted in his place, he imitated his holiness excellently. And after many gains of piety, having been present at the synod of Paris and that of Tours, he departed to his eternal rewards. At the eighth day of October his feast, to be celebrated with semidouble rite, is inscribed in the Breviary of Chartres published at Paris in the year 1633. But Greven, in Du Sollier among the Usuardine auctaria, at yesterday's day, as was said there among the Passed Over, records the finding of the body of St. Caletricus in this manner: In the city of Chartres, the finding of the body of saint Caletricus, bishop of the same city. Finally Chastelain, as was likewise observed among us among the Passed Over in volume 2 of September, page 5, and then also the Paris Martyrology of the year 1727, referred St. Caletricus to the 4th day of September, because he is believed to have died on that day, from the inscription to be recited at number 5.

[2] I render the French words of Chastelain into Latin: At Carnutum, St. Chaletricus, bishop; mention is made on various days, who subscribed the third council of Paris: his body, which was preserved in the apse of St. Sergius in a tomb adorned with ivory statues, the back part of which was under the principal altar, is now enclosed in a reliquary in the cathedral church. On the day after St. Sergius (that is, the 8th day of October) his feast is celebrated. From the two last Martyrologies it may be observed here in passing that the French name of St. Caletricus is formed in various ways: for him whom Chastelain names St. Calers, the Paris Martyrology just praised calls besides St. Caletric and Caltry. Rouillard, in the History of Chartres, names him now St. Caletric, now St. Calais (which name some French also give to St. Carilefus, who founded the monastery of Anisole among the Cenomani). And of the old writers, Fortunatus, bishop of Poitiers, his contemporary, gave notable testimony to his virtues and holiness in the following Epitaph, which he composed for him (see the Brower edition of the Works of Fortunatus, book 4, Epitaph 7, page 99).

[3] It runs thus:

My eyes weep, my bowels are shaken with weeping, Venantius Fortunatus honoured him with a notable eulogy: Nor can trembling fingers write hard things. While now the words which I wished to give to the living I shall give to the buried, Even in sweet song I am compelled to speak bitter things. Worthy of thy merits, Chalactericus, priest, Known to me late, how quickly, Dear one, dost thou flee? Thou seekest again thy homeland, thou leavest us sad beneath * the city, A shining hall holds thee, a tearful day holds us. Behold, beneath this tomb the limbs of piety rest, And a tongue sweeter than honey lies buried. A comely form, a seemly mind, kind without end, A sweet voice, which meditated beforehand the law of God. Hope of the clergy, guardian of widows, bread of the needy, Care of his kinsfolk, ready for every good. He sang the instruments of the Psalter with sweet measure, And, praising, touched the blessed plectrum of God. Purging well the wounds of disease with the cautery of eloquence, While he fed it, there was a faithful remedy for the flock. Thou who, bearing six lustres, good one, and eight years besides, Snatched from the earth, returnest just to the stars. Thou, a citizen, being led back to the banquets of Paradise, Whence the world groans, heaven rejoices in honour. And because I do not doubt how great is thy glory of praises, Neither oughtest thou, such a one, to be wept, Friend of God. I who, holy Father, whisper these small things for great, Pray, I beseech thee, for thy Fortunatus.

[4] made bishop of Chartres about the year 557 St. Caletricus had as predecessor in the see of Chartres Leobinus, likewise inscribed in the Calendars of the Saints at the 14th day of March, at which you have his Acts illustrated in our Work, volume 2 of March, page 349 and following, where he is determined to have died about the year 557. About the year 555 he is read subscribed to the second Council of Paris: but to the third council of Paris, celebrated about the year 557, his successor St. Caletricus subscribed in this manner, in Sirmond, volume 1 of the Councils of Gaul, page 317: I, Chaletricus, a sinner, bishop of the church of Chartres, have consented and subscribed: from which the time at which Caletricus began to sit at Chartres becomes known closely enough; so that both Rouillard is refuted, who hands down that he succeeded St. Leobinus in the year 537, and Galesini, who writes, in the words cited above, that he was present at the 1st council of Paris. Of what family he was born, and how his future episcopal dignity was manifested by God, the biographer of St. Leobinus, among us in volume 2 of March, page 353, relates thus: That helpful miracle too is to be brought back to memory by us, by which the holy man Leobinus, illustrious bishop, shone forth among the people. A certain blessed man named Caletricus, noble by birth but nobler in merits, after the departure of Blessed Leobinus appointed bishop at Chartres, while in the rank of the priesthood he was rendering himself pleasing both in the sight of God and in the eyes of men by holy conversation, was seized with such distress of infirmity that he scarcely fluttered with his last breath. His venerable Sister, named Mallegundis, having swiftly sent messengers to the holy bishop, begged that he would send blessed oil to relieve her brother's infirmity: and he, coming in person with the oil, asked silence of all, saying: Lord, who knowest all things, if Thou judgest this Thy Servant necessary to Thy church or people, by the help of Thy power restore him to us sound. Then the sick man, immediately on being anointed with the oil of the sacred unction, was restored to such grace of health as if the trouble of no infirmity had ever touched his limbs. And for proving the virtue of the holy Man, it is established that the remaining part of the oil was turned into such brightness of beauty that to all who were present it seemed not the sheen of oil, but the splendour of crystal shining: prefiguring, no doubt, that he who was to be bishop would sanctify the oil of consecration through the episcopal ministry, and would shine with divine virtues through heavenly grace.

[5] St. Caletricus subscribed not only the third Council of Paris, he was present at councils of Gaul, and died about the year 573. as we saw above, but also in the same words the 2nd Council of Tours of the year 567, in the said Sirmond, page 343, but in this place Caletricus is read for Chaletricus: Rouillard writes that he died, after he had ruled the church of Chartres 14 years, in the year 551; but he wrongly bound the epoch of the chair of the church of Chartres entered upon by St. Caletricus to the year 537. But if we count those 14 years from the year 557, we are brought down to the year 571; which indeed cannot be far from the true year of St. Caletricus's death, since in the year 573 Pappolus, elected bishop of Chartres some time before, as he himself speaks, presented to the Fathers of the IV council of Paris, celebrated in the year 573, a petition against the Priest Promotus, who was acting as bishop in the Castle of Châteaudun of the diocese of Chartres, as may again be seen in Sirmond, page 350; from which it is plain besides that Pappolus was wrongly omitted in the Series of the bishops of Chartres by Rouillard, who places Magobodus after St. Caletricus. Likewise that in Chastelain, which perhaps happened by a typographical error, the year of his death is wrongly ascribed in the margin, namely about the year of Christ 599. The Paris Martyrology notes about the year 567, namely that in which he subscribed the 2nd council of Tours. Finally, that the six lustres and eight years which Venantius Fortunatus above attributes to him are to be understood not of the duration of his episcopate but of his age: so that he seems to have been adorned with the episcopal dignity sooner than usual, on account of the excellence of his virtues, as sometimes (see volume 1 of October, pages 71 and 367) has happened. Aimoin, edited by du Breul, On the Deeds of the Franks, book 3, at the end of chapter 2, presents a pretended charter of St. Germanus, bishop of Paris, given to the monastery of St. Vincent in the 5th year of king Charibert, to which among the other bishops subscribe Domicianus, bishop of Chartres… Caletricus, a sinner: but we understand from the subscriptions of the bishops who were present at the second Council of Tours, celebrated in the 6th year of the same king Charibert, that the see of Chartres ought to be ascribed to Caletricus, and that of Angers to Domitian. In what words Caletricus subscribed to it, the name of his see being expressed, from what has been said

you have: and immediately after Caletricus, Domitian is read subscribed to the same in this manner: I, Domitian, a sinner, bishop of the church of Angers, have consented and subs.

[6] [His relics are preserved today in the cathedral church of Chartres, and his feast] His body is now honourably preserved in the Greater church, as Chastelain wrote above: but that it was formerly kept in the episcopal chapel of St. Nicholas, otherwise of SS. Sergius and Bacchus, the writers of the enlarged Gallia Christiana hand down, volume 8, column 1097, in these words: When the domestic chapel of the episcopal palace, of which above, was being pulled down on the 25th day of April MDCCIII, some tombs were found: among these, under the altar, the empty tomb of saint Chaletricus, on whose stone, hollowed in the manner of a chest, this inscription was carved in uncial letters: "Here rests Chaletricus, bishop, whose sweet memory transported his life into the heavens on the day before the Nones of September." He is venerated in the church of Chartres on the 7th day of October with a semidouble Office, the Lessons of whose second Nocturn, proper to the Saint, I transcribe here from the Breviary of Chartres of the year 1633. The First runs thus: Caletricus, born at Carnutum of an old and honoured family, since he was conspicuous for wisdom and holiness of life, is substituted, with the joyful acclamation of all, in the place of the deceased divine Leobinus, bishop of Chartres, who had long before foretold that he would be his successor. And having entered upon the pontificate, he turned his mind to restoring the ecclesiastical discipline, which had almost collapsed, and to amending the depraved morals in the clergy and people: so that he omitted nothing anywhere which pertained to the office of a good pastor.

[7] is celebrated on this day with semidouble rite. Second: Further, his chief care was to keep the law of the Most High. Therefore he grew daily in the most ample function of the priesthood, he grew in the example of his life, he grew in the fame of holiness: he became the good odour of Christ in every place. How dear he was to Him was abundantly testified by so many excellent graces of mind, so many gifts of charismata, so many ornaments of virtues, by which, as long as he lived, he was venerable. Third. Then there were very many indications in the church of Chartres of his divine and admirable virtue. For at his prayers demons were often routed, the sick healed by the imposition of hands: and there was nothing of evils which did not flee the presence of Caletricus. At length, having administered the affairs of the church most holily, renowned for faith and pious works, on the eighth day before the Ides of October he fell asleep in the Lord, who glorified him in glory and caused him to have praise in His name. The brothers Sainte-Marthe write, in the series of the bishops of Chartres, that St. Caletricus has a very ancient abbey in the district of Le Mans, named after his name St. Caletricus, otherwise called Anisole. But in the Work which they composed on the abbeys of Gaul they rightly said that the monastery or abbey of Anisole is not of St. Caletricus, as they make it here, but of Carilefus, who is also called in French St. Calais, as I advised above.

* otherwise: orbe the world