ON ST. BONITA, VIRGIN, AT BRIOUDE IN AUVERGNE,
Perhaps between the 9th and the 11th century.
PRELIMINARY COMMENTARY.
Bonita, virgin, at Brioude in Auvergne. (S.)
St. Bonita is venerated on the 16th of October St. Bonita, whose name sounds the same as "comely" (as the present-day Spanish language clearly witnesses), becomes known to me from the Universal Martyrology of Claude Chastelain alone. The announcement of her memory runs thus: "In Auvergne, of Saint Bonita, Virgin, born at Alvier, which is a village next to Brioude, especially devoted to Saint Julian, and buried at Brioude at Saint Martin's"; which assertions will be subjected to examination below. And since the life and cult of this Saint are exceedingly obscure, we sent letters to Brioude, inquiring for more about her deeds, her Relics, and her popular veneration. But such was the destruction of sacred things there in the last century that we received no other answer than that nothing more is found in those parts about St. Bonita. Using therefore only printed books, which are very few in number that treat of St. Bonita, I now set before the kind reader such a sylloge on Saint Bonita as I can. First of all Chastelain rightly referred her feast to the 16th day of October, and not to the 15th; which is to be noted, since Jacques Branche in the Lives of the Saints of Auvergne, at the end of the Life of St. Bonita Vies des Saints d'Auvergne, p. 603., writes in full that he drew his assertions from the lessons of the Breviary of Brioude which are recited on the fifteenth of October. It is not, however, permissible to accuse Branche of error, for in the margin of the Life of St. Bonita he everywhere marks the 16th day of October: whence it follows that before the year 1652, in which the said hagiophile entrusted his work to the press, the feast of St. Bonita had been transferred on account of the concurring feast of St. Bertrand, bishop of Comminges and canon regular of Toulouse. But these things were changed in the Breviary from which I myself copied the Life of Saint Bonita, and which was printed in the year 1654 for the use of the collegiate church of Brioude; for there the feast of Saint Bertrand appears at the 15th of October, and that of Saint Bonita at the 16th of the same month: and this day is the memorial of the translation, not of the birthday.
[2] At Brioude in Auvergne. Further, Brioude, of which our predecessors have already spoken a hundred times, is twofold; the one Old Brioude, formerly a town, now a village, notable above all for its wonderful bridge, which spans the river Allier with one arch, called in French Vieille Brioude; the latter Brioude, which is called Brioude-at-the-church, commonly Brioude-glise, enjoyed the tomb of St. Julian, the most celebrated Martyr, venerated on the 28th of August, up to the tumults of the French republic; formerly with a noble college of canons
it was illustrious, and long since made a town; this Brioude lies on the left, the other on the right, if you follow the Allier downstream. Both were formerly comprised in the diocese of Saint-Flour; but now in that of Le Puy (Le Puy, dépt. Haute Loire.). Near Old Brioude is the village of Albarium (Alvier), which was the native place of St. Bonita. At what time she was born, the canons of Brioude themselves were unable to define, as is clear from their Breviary. Chastelain likewise assigned her age to an uncertain time; but I do not know why he placed her before the Saints of the 7th century. From us, however, you will seek nothing certain, since documents of every kind are almost lacking.
[3] She is certainly older than the 15th century, But from the lessons to be recited below it may be gathered that St. Bonita lived before the year 1454, and that therefore her Life was written before that time. For since Lesson V has: "One day, when the Allier ran out beyond the bounds of its bed, and a boat was lacking by which to cross the river on account of the excessive abundance of the waters, the virgin stood anxious on the bank," it is clear that the most celebrated bridge of Brioude had not been built at the time when these things happened, and also at the time when the codex was written from which these things were transferred into the Breviaries of Brioude; for otherwise it was altogether plain that the writer would have alluded to this bridge. Now, although the word Brivas, Briva, etc. signifies a bridge in Celtic, and that name given to these places is most ancient; although moreover the ready geographers, both older and more recent, will have it that the bridge which is now seen there was built by the Romans, and indeed by C. Julius Caesar (of which opinion it will be enough to have named as promoters Moréri, La Martinière, d'Expilly in their geographical and historical Dictionaries at the word Brioude, and the authors of the Universal Dictionary of France, printed at Paris in the year 1804); it is nevertheless established that that bridge was begun in the year 1454, as a certain investigator of antiquities, by name Dijon, showed in a commentary on this bridge which he read in the year 1754 in the literary society of Clermont, and which the editors of the Mercure de France partly made public in the year 1755: for the commentator brought forward the contract entered into in the year 1454 with the workmen for building this very bridge. On which matter more may be seen in the Historical Library of France of Le Long, revised by Fevret de Fontette Vol. III, p. 502.; from which these things had to be drawn by me.
[4] and perhaps even than the 12th century. We must not, however, stop at this year 1454: the authors of the Brioude Breviary indeed write: "At what time she lived is uncertain: she is said to have lived when the English were fighting against the French, whose ambushes she discovered when they were attempting to besiege Brioude." But since these things rest only on some uncertain tradition, which no monuments support; since moreover it is related in the Dictionary of France Vol. I, p. 467. cited above that Brioude, so far from being delivered from the arms of the English, was on the contrary taken by storm by them; which things are perhaps to be referred to the wars between Philip Augustus, monarch of France, and Richard, called the Lion-Heart, king of England; and finally since it is quite customary that there be attributed to Saints while living, by the people or by non-contemporary writers, things which ought rather to be ascribed to them after they have departed this life and are interceding with God in heaven (of which we had an example above in the Historical Sylloge on St. Gurdanius); the foundation laid in the cited words seems to us much too fragile for us on that account to fix the age of St. Bonita to the times of Philip Augustus, or to the end of the 12th century.
[5] It is probable that she lived between the 9th and the 11th century. For my part I would willingly establish that St. Bonita lived between the 9th century and the 11th or 12th. For that space of time which ran between the year 730 and 830 is certainly to be excluded from her life, because, as the Gallia Christiana teaches from authentic documents Vol. II, col. 468., the church of St. Julian then lay in ruins; which church nevertheless the holy Virgin, while she lived, is related in the Brioude Breviaries, which admit no doubt here, to have been accustomed to visit very frequently. As regards the other limit of time, or the 11th or 12th century, the reason that forbids St. Bonita being placed more recently than this time lies in this, that in the 12th century, and indeed at the end of the 11th, the usage already commonly obtained in Gaul of carrying the causes of those to be canonized to Rome; which nevertheless, on account of the almost total lack of documents about St. Bonita, seems not at all to have been done: which reason is somewhat strengthened by the fact that the canons of Brioude were immediately subject to the Holy See, and therefore could the more easily commend the praises of this blessed Virgin. And indeed that lack of documents which I have mentioned concerning a Blessed one so earnestly venerated by the chapter of Brioude is another not despicable consideration, which does not allow her age to be put off to more recent times. And let these things be said by conjecture, so that the reader may know why at the front of this Commentary we have said that St. Bonita died perhaps between the 9th and the 11th century.
[6] Many things about this Saint are obscure. But if her age is obscure, no less obscure is the place where St. Bonita was first buried: Branche indeed hints that she always lay buried in the chapel of St. Martin, which is in the church of Brioude not far from the chapel of St. Julian, and therefore that after death she was not separated from the patron whom living she had most earnestly honoured; but from the Office of the year 1654 we understand that she was formerly translated. From the mentioned statements of Branche, however, which agree with the Office of the year 1654, it is established that the chapel, or capella, of St. Martin is not a church different from the church of St. Julian (which nevertheless the words of Claude Chastelain, as they sound in French, hint), but only an altar dedicated to St. Martin in the very church of St. Julian. From the lessons presently to be cited it is established that this chapel of St. Martin was formerly very beautiful; but what it is like today, whether the painted windows showing the miracle of St. Bonita still exist there; what the Relics of this Saint suffered while impiety raged in the Gauls in the last century; what their present state is; whether the cult of the people towards St. Bonita continues, which Branche in his time judged worthy of praise; what fate finally befell the MS. codices which the Office presently to be recited recalls, and other things of that kind, we cannot resolve, since, as was said at n. 1, the deep silence in answer to our requests could scarcely be broken. Wherefore let the studious reader now receive the hymn and three lessons taken from the double Office of our Saint, as they were copied by me from the Brioude Breviary, which is kept at Paris in the library of the former college of the canons of St. Genevieve under the mark BB. 871.
[7] A synopsis of her Life from the Hymn. Hymn.
Bonita, nursling of Christ, A poor little child of her parents, Is said to have lived as a little servant For the keeping of geese. Once, leaving them for the day, Going to the sacred thresholds, The diligent virgin gave herself To the praises of Julian. The banks of the river swell: On the shore she prays in anxiety: While she wept, an Angel is present; The maiden has a guide before her. O how great the Martyr's power! How fervent his charity, Which, having found a heavenly boatman, Breaks the onrush of the waters! Like a simple dove She passed her days in innocence, And running a short course Carried off the prize as victor. At the prayer of this Virgin Be Thou, O Christ, our boatman, That we may walk through The winding paths of the world. To God the Father be glory, And to His only Son, With the Spirit Paraclete For everlasting ages. Amen.
I do not know whether it is worth while to have indicated that the twelfth verse was corrected there with a pen thus: Et est puellæ prævius And he is the maiden's guide. Prayer. "O God, who gladdenest us by the yearly solemnity of blessed Bonita, Thy virgin: mercifully grant that we may be helped by the merits of her by whose examples of chastity we rejoice. Through our Lord, etc."
LIFE OF ST. BONITA, VIRGIN,
From the Breviary of the canons of Brioude of the year 1654.
Bonita, virgin, at Brioude in Auvergne. (S.)
St. Bonita keeps geese and cultivates devotion towards St. Julian. Lesson IV. Bonita, a virgin, was born in a humble station in the district of Alveyrium a of the lordship of Brioude b, on the river Allier c not far from the city (Brioude), of parents who were nevertheless Christian. Given over by them to the mean keeping of geese, and taught the rudiments of the faith, she was from her tender years kindled with an incredible fire of devotion towards the most Blessed Martyr Julian d; which so blazed up that, leaving her geese daily in the pastures, she hastened to Brioude to his tomb, where she poured out fervent prayers, that almighty God, the Martyr helping, would suggest and supply to her what was necessary for salvation.
[2] With an Angel as guide she crosses the river; Lesson V. One day, when the Allier ran out beyond the bounds of its bed, and a boat was lacking by which to cross the river e on account of the excessive abundance of the waters, the Virgin stood anxious on the bank, entreating God with prayers and tears that her accustomed pilgrimage to the Saint's thresholds might not be hindered on this occasion. Wonderful to tell! an Angel meets her as she weeps, whom the maiden has as a guide before her through the midst of the angry waves. The inhabitants, astonished, having seen the miracle, tell the great works of God. O faith of the Virgin beyond faith! O clemency of God! O singular power of our Martyr! This the codices of this basilica f show, this the tradition of our forefathers, this finally the old windows g of the chapel of Saint Martin, where the Virgin's body rests, in which the whole series of the event is seen depicted.
[3] she dies, is translated, her Relics are recognized. Lesson VI. After this singular benefit of God, Bonita the virgin, renouncing the care of the world, keeping the simplicity of the dove, and constant in extolling the praises of God and the merits of Julian the Martyr, led a short but innocent and wholly heavenly life. At what time she lived is uncertain; she is said to have lived when the English were fighting against the French, whose ambushes she discovered when they were attempting to besiege Brioude h. Her bones, lately i recognized, are proof that she finished her course in youth, so as to be joined to Christ her spouse; the clothes kept in the same place, of mean cloth, that she was of mean birth; finally her hair, still intact, of a light reddish-yellow colour and very comely, likewise affords no small proof of her untouched virginal chastity; the day of her birth is unknown; today's is that of the translation k, from the fasti of this basilica.