ON SS. LEUTHERNUS AND LEVIANUS, BISHOPS AND CONFESSORS, AND ON ST. SCOPHILUS, ABBOT, IN GREAT BRITAIN AND BRITTANY,
AT AN UNCERTAIN TIME.
HISTORICAL SYLLOGE.
The cult of the saints, the translation and invention of their relics.
Leuthernus, bishop and confessor. (S.)
Levianus, bishop and confessor. (S.)
Scophilus, abbot and confessor. (S.)
V. D. B.
Why these saints are treated on this day. Among the Passed Over, at the name of St. Magloire, we mentioned eighteen saints whose relics were carried in the 10th century from Brittany to Paris. Of part of these saints it had already been spoken in our work, of another part it is still to be spoken on certain days; but the third part, consisting of three saints, has either been wholly omitted by our predecessors on their days, or they have no feast other than the present day. Wherefore it has seemed good to gather a few things about them in this place; and we shall indeed make a beginning by distinguishing from each other St. Leuthernus the bishop and St. Luctigern, the Irish abbot, who are confused by some writers.
[2] From St. Luctigern, Irish abbot, whose deeds are indicated, Further, of St. Luctigern, son of Huatratus and abbot of Inis-Tomen in Thomond, and who is treated in the Life of St. Ita the virgin, no. 30, published in our work on the 15th day of January, just as in the Life of St. Mochoemoc or Pulcherius the abbot on the 13th of March, no. 5, it was spoken among the Passed Over on the 28th of April, since the Festologies of Tallaght, of Marianus and of St. Aengus make his memory on that day; but very briefly, since nothing more was found about his life or cult; and indeed, besides his visits to St. Ita and one more celebrated visit made with St. Laserian Cf. Lanigan, Ecclesiastical History of Ireland, volume II, pp. 88 and 89., scarcely anything further about him has come down to us. The Reverend Mr. Tresvaux, canon of Paris, in his new edition of the Lives of the Saints of Brittany Vies des Saints de Bretagne, volume I, p. 348, Paris 1836. teaches us that he was a disciple of St. Ruadhan, and the Reverend Mr. Garaby does the same Vies des bienheureux et des Saints de Bretagne, p. 444., except that his book, by a typesetter's fault, makes him a disciple of St. Ruadlo; from where they drew this they do not indicate: certainly not from the Life of St. Rodanus or Ruadhan the abbot, which you have with us on the 15th day of April Acta Sanctorum, volume II of April, p. 382 and following.. Both relate that he afterwards lived with St. Columbanus in the monastery of Bangor, and indeed his name is found among the disciples whom St. Comgall sent out to found monasteries [Acta Sanctorum, volume II of March, p. 383; cf. volume VII of September, pp. 144 and 145.]. All writers agree, moreover, that he flourished in the 6th century.
[3] St. Leuthernus the bishop seems different, But we must part from the Reverend Messrs. Tresvaux and Garaby, and also from Chastelain (although he is doubtful), when they teach that this St. Luctigern is the same as the bishop whom we announced at the head of this sylloge. For the Irish writers, I mean the martyrologists and historians, agree in this, that they call St. Luctigern an abbot, while ours is held a bishop and has long been venerated as such. Then, although we confess that many saints in Ireland left their monasteries as abbots in order to migrate into Britain or other regions for the sake of religion, this thing, however, is not to be supposed but proved. Which is not done here; for the similarity or rather identity of the names (for Leuthernus, Loutiernus, Luctigernus, Luchtighernus seem to be various forms of the same name) no one will hold as a firm argument, while other supports are not present.
[4] who is venerated at Paris, and perhaps in Cornwall under the name Ludgran. Further, of St. Leuthernus we know very little indeed. His name is recorded in the old English or rather British litanies belonging to the 7th century, which report very many saints of the Britons, no names of the English. Toward the end, namely, of the Confessors comes the invocation Mabillon, Vetera Analecta, p. 68, edition of 1723.: "St. Loutiern, pray for us." In the History of his translation to Paris, as it comes in the Lucca edition of Mabillon's Annals Annales Benedictini, volume III, appendix, p. 667., he is called Lencernus, bishop; but in another manuscript codex Claude Chastelain Martyrologe universel, p. 802., just as Duchesne Cf. Acta Sanctorum, volume I of March, p. 248., reads Leuthernus; and so at Paris they called him in French St. Louthiern, which is very plain especially from the fact that the reliquary of St. Leuthernus, containing relics of other saints too, was called la Châsse de S. Louthiern Ibid., p. 815.. And since that History of the translation belongs to the middle of the 10th century, hence we have that he was already at that time venerated as a bishop. For the rest, of what see he was bishop, where he lived, in what year he died, all these things are unknown. I should believe, however, that he lived in Great Britain, since there was once in Cornwall a parish with the name of St. Ludgran as patron; as I find attested in a very learned English little book composed in the form of a Martyrology Memorial of ancient British piety, or a British Martyrology, appendix, p. 45.. If these things are so, it will have to be that his sacred remains were carried into Armorica or Lesser Britain either at the beginning of the 6th century [Cf. Alford, Annales ecclesiae Anglicanae, at the year 506, no. 1 and following, volume II, p. 11.] or about the year 586 Cf. the same, year 586, no. 1 and following, volume II, p. 94 and following., when so many British bishops fled with sacred relics into these parts and to the mountains in terror of the enemy. Of their translation to Paris it will be spoken at the end of this sylloge Memorial etc., p. 176..
[5] St. Levianus the bishop seems the same as St. Levanus, venerated in Cornwall, After St. Leuthernus there comes in the narration of the sacred bodies translated to Paris St. Levianus, bishop, equally obscure. Further, the memory of St. Levianus, or Levanus, survives in three places, if indeed it be admitted that the same one is treated in all. First, namely, at Paris, of which more will occur where the translation is treated; then in Cornwall; and finally, thirdly, in Armorica or Lesser Britain. As regards Cornwall, we read in the before-praised English Martyrology on the 24th of December Ibid., appendix, p. 45.: "In Cornwall, the commemoration of St. Levan and St. Mellinus, who communicated their name to the villages in which their bodies rest in expectation of the glorious resurrection"; and in the other appendix, which contains the names of those whose birthday is unknown, it is said Ibid., preface, p. 7.: "St. Levan gives his name to a church and parish of Cornwall"; and indeed this place on the sea-shore at the extremity of Cornwall is easily found on the larger maps of Britain. There is scarcely a doubt that in both places the same St. Levanus is spoken of; whence
it must be judged that he was commemorated on the 24th day of December at the discretion of the writer (for he confesses that he sometimes used this liberty Vies des Bienheureux et des Saints de Bretagne, p. 490.). Whence from this side nothing seems to prevent his being held the same as St. Levianus. But that his body is said to rest in Cornwall seems to have been added from mere conjecture or for the sake of ornament, unless perhaps some particles of the body are to be understood. Further, not only the similarity of the names but also the Armorican tradition about his origin bears on this point.
[6] the same as St. Levias, venerated in Lesser Britain. For St. Levias or Levianus, who is venerated there, is thought by the inhabitants to have come from Great Britain, as the Reverend Mr. Garaby is a rich witness Acta Sanctorum, volume I of March, p. 248.. He is said to have cultivated piety and virtue from his tender years, and to have vowed himself to God within the enclosure of a monastery; not so long afterwards to have been set over the brethren with the title of abbot, and to have performed that office most laudably; and, so that a wider field might lie open for the man of God to cultivate, to have been consecrated bishop, and then to have fulfilled with much zeal the part of a regionary bishop in Armorica. He has a chapel near Trecorium (Tréguier) in the village of Trédarzec, where his memory is still held in veneration, since perhaps he exercised the sacred ministry in these regions. When before the year 1793 the office was made of him on the 12th of September, he was venerated as a confessor not a pontiff, because his abbatial office alone was attended to. Yet on the other hand he was held, and is still held, a pontiff, since in the same place his image represents an old man adorned with alb, chasuble, gloves, pastoral staff and mitre; whence (if this image is of some age) from this too no obstacle arises to his being held the same as St. Levianus, whose relics are preserved at Paris. The Reverend Mr. Garaby, from whom we borrow these things, adds that he is invoked chiefly for the health of deformed and sickly children; his feast is now kept there on the second Sunday of September.
[7] St. Scophilus the abbot is to be judged the same as St. Escobitus. Of St. Scophilus Mabillon, Annales Benedictini, volume III, appendix, p. 667., or Scofilus Chastelain, Martyrologe universel, p. 802., in French Escuiphle Dictionnaire universel de la France, volume IV, p. 502, Paris 1804., absolutely nothing is known, except that he comes with the title of abbot in the history of the translation of the relics; and so the Reverend Messrs. Tresvaux and Garaby make not even a special mention of him. In the Universal Dictionary of France Acta Sanctorum, volume I of March, p. 248. there appears a village by the name of St Escobile, or rather St Escobille, as it is written in the topographical Maps of Cassini; and since in this name all the radical letters of the word Scophilus are found, then since the name of St. Escobille approaches no other name of any saint, and thirdly since it is most likely from the history of St. Scophilus that his relics were carried there, I scarcely, or rather not even scarcely, doubt that our St. Scophilus is venerated there. And the village of St Escobille lies in the prefecture of the Seine and Oise (department of Seine-et-Oise), three leagues to the west of Stampae (Étampes).
[8] About the year 965 the relics of these saints are translated to Paris, Now a few things on the translation of the relics of SS. Leuthernus, Levianus and Scophilus. Namely, on the occasion of the wars which broke out between Richard, duke of the Normans, and Theobald, count of Blois, in the first years of Lothair's reign, or about the year 962, and reached as far as the borders of Armorica, Salvator, bishop of Aleth, in fear of the impending disaster, gathered the relics of the saints of his diocese and carried them with him to Paris. On the journey clerics of Dol and Bayeux joined him, having with them their own remains of saints too. And in this way the relics of SS. Leuthernus, bishop, Levianus, bishop, and Scophilus, abbot, were brought to Paris, and by the intervention of Hugh Capet, duke, afterwards king, were deposited in the church of St. Bartholomew, afterwards of St. Magloire, near the royal palace, on the 17th day of October, about the year 965. Peace having been restored, some of the Bretons arranged to return with the bodies of the saints to their homeland, others to migrate to other places of Gaul. When this had been announced to the duke, unwilling to use force, he retained certain members of the saints and allowed them to go away. Of those departing, some sought the castle of Corboilum (Corbeil, department of Seine-et-Oise), others Bellus Mons on the Oise (Beaumont-sur-Oise), where they also rested. At Corbeil they left the relics of St. Guenailus Chastelain, Martyrologe universel, p. 804. and at Beaumont those of St. Leonorius Cf. Chastelain, work cited, p. 802 and following.. Others too went off to other places of Gaul. Nor do I doubt that it was then that the relics of St. Scophilus came to the village of St Escobille, which lies some leagues to the west of Corbeil. Yet of the eighteen saints whose bodies or parts of bodies were carried to Paris, some notable relics remained in the church of St. Bartholomew, afterwards of St. Magloire.
[9] in the year 1318 they are placed in another bier, When the monks of St. Magloire changed their seat in the year 1138, they translated there part of their Treasury, and among other sacred pledges the relics of St. Leuthernus and St. Scophilus. On the 9th day of July of the year 1318, when the bones of St. Magloire had been taken from the old gilded wooden bier, to be placed in a new one, the remains of other saints, namely of St. Leuthernus, were placed in that old reliquary. In the year 1706, when Chastelain was writing, the Fathers of the Oratory at St. Magloire were preserving a reliquary of carved wood called that of St. Leuthernus; in which were relics of this bishop, of St. Scophilus and of eleven other saints. It was doubted whether some fragments of bones were of St. Levianus or of St. Ciferianus. Whence it came about that in the Paris Breviary of the year 1736, on the 24th day of October, this clause was added to the third lesson of St. Magloire: "Finally in the church of St. James, which is now called St. Magloire, he rests with the bones of SS. Samson and Leuternus, bishops, Winganton and Scophilus, abbots, and of very many others."
[10] in 1793 they are buried, in 1797 dug up, in 1835 found again. When in the year 1791 Father Tournaire, superior of the Oratorians of St. Magloire, had fallen into apostasy, two years later, or in the year 1793, he ordered all these sacred pledges to be buried in the garden by a lay brother. He indicated them in the year 1797 to the schismatic presbyter Duval, who had care of the parish. Wherefore on the 9th day of September of the same year those relics were placed in the tomb of the high altar of the neighbouring church of St. James, commonly du Haut-Pas, before witnesses and with records added. This treasure had passed into oblivion when it was found in the year 1835; and then, after diligent examination, on the 13th day of October, these relics were again declared authentic by the archbishop of Paris, Hyacinthe de Quélen, and enclosed in one reliquary (because it was not known to which saints the individual bones belonged). And the reliquary is of gilded wood, divided into five parts, according as a physician had distributed the sacred bones into five classes. The archbishop himself celebrated this invention of the relics on the 24th day of October, and ordered that its anniversary memory be kept thereafter on the Sunday nearest the aforesaid day of October. All of which it does not please me to pursue more fully, since about the same solemnity it will have to be spoken most of all on the feast of St. Magloire, the 24th of October. Meanwhile let the reader, if he pleases, read what the Reverend Mr. Tresvaux wrote about this invention Vies des Saints de Bretagne, volume I, p. 349., who had a great part in these affairs, or the Notice of the relics found Notice historique sur les reliques nouvellement découvertes., or finally the account of the journal l'Ami de la religion Thursday 17 December 1835, volume LXXXVII, p. 532..