ON ST. TROESIUS, ABBOT AND CONFESSOR, AT NEVERS IN GAUL,
5TH OR 6TH CENTURY.
HISTORICAL SYLLOGE.
The saint's cult; the foundation of Buxidum; the time of his life and death.
Troesius, abbot and confessor, at Nevers in Gaul. (S.)
J. V. H.
Although the cult of St. Troesius is certain, yet St. Troesius or Trojecius (in French St. Troé or Trohé) is scarcely known outside the territory of Nevers, and the ecclesiastical calendars are silent about him, if you except some more recent ones. Mention of him, then, is made by the more recent Martyrologies, that of Chastelain, the Paris one of Cardinal de Noailles, and the Auxerre one of Charles de Caylus, which has thus: "At Nevers, of St. Troesius, abbot." An abbatial church, now a parish church, was already distinguished with his name at Nevers in the ninth century, in which the body of the holy abbot is buried beneath the high altar. And this is almost all that has come down to us about St. Troesius, as the Reverend Mr. Crosnier, parish priest of Donzy (Donzy, Nièvre, arrondissement of Cosne), author of a still unpublished hagiology of Nevers, wrote back to me on the 7th of August 1847. Certainly, although St. Troesius was a monk and abbot, the authors who have written of the saints of the Order of St. Benedict, and whom it was permitted me to consult, are silent about his deeds. Jean Mabillon in his Annals does not touch St. Troesius by a single word, except where he treats of the church and monastery built in his honour.
[2] his deeds are uncertain: Nay, so meagre are the notices which we have of St. Troesius that it is not possible to define by any certain argument in what century he flourished. The cited Auxerre Martyrology plainly signifies this when, in order to indicate in some way the time of our saint, it says that already in the ninth century a church existed under his name. Nevertheless the praised hagiologist of Nevers judges that St. Troesius lived about the seventh century. And this indeed most likely, if it were certainly established that our saint is the same as Trogetius or Trecius, who occurs in the diplomas of Le Mans. For in the charter of Charles the Bald of the year 854 Dom Bouquet, volume VIII, p. 531. for the monastery of Deas, today the parish of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu (St-Philbert-de-Grand-lieu, department of Loire-Inférieure, arrondissement of Nantes) [Valois, Notitia Galliarum, under the word Herbatilicum, p. 245. Cf. the Life of St. Philibert, volume at the 20th of August, volume IV, p. 87, annotation.], it is said that a certain cell situated in the district of Le Mans, "founded in honour of blessed Peter, prince of the Apostles, by St. Trogetius … is conferred on the monastery of Deas, in which St. Philibert is held to be buried." And the same cell is called a little below Bussogilum. And if this St. Trogetius is the same as our St. Troesius, the more nearly we reach the origin of the monastery of Bussogilum, the more accurately we shall also find the age of the saint.
[3] he seems, from the founding of Buxidum, There were, further, in the bishopric of Le Mans two places which were reckoned under the name of Bussogilum or Buxidum and had a small monastery. One was founded by St. Lonegisilus in the 7th century, as is clear from his Life, published under the 13th day of January in the Appendix Acta Sanctorum, volume I of January, 1120., and from the Acts of the bishops of Le Mans, in which under Bishop Harlemund there is said to have been Mabillon, Vetera Analecta, 289. "a certain little monastery, whose name is Buxidus, which … Haduindus, at the supplication and ordering of St. Lonegisilus … had sanctified in a certain canonical village of the church of his see, and had placed some monks in it together with the above-said holy man." But another Buxidum is shown to us by a certain charter of Charlemagne of the year 802, in which among the monasteries of the jurisdiction of the Church of Le Mans is numbered also Ibid., p. 294. Ibid., p. 295 "the little monastery of St. John and St. Trechius in Buxidum," and a little below in the same instrument Ibid., p. 295 another little monastery of Buxidum is listed. A double Buxidum, therefore, is clearly manifested.
[4] which afterwards St. Lonegisilus Now further it must be seen whether St. Trogetius at some time founded a Buxidum: and in my opinion that one is to be preferred which obtained St. Peter the Apostle as patron, as the charter of Charles the Bald cited at no. 2 has it. But the very monastery founded by St. Lonegisilus bore the same patron Annuaire historique pour l'an 1838, p. 145., which, moreover, one may also presume from the story presently to be narrated; for the Life of St. Lonegisilus has this, chapter II, no. 6 Acta Sanctorum, volume I of January, p. 1121.: "One night (St. Lonegisilus), having entered the oratory (of Buxidum) according to his custom to perform the solemnities of Matins, was troubled with a sudden dread. For which cause he learned that that place had once been dedicated to public assemblies, and had been adorned with divers relics of saints. Perceiving that their cult had perished through negligence, calling together his fellow-citizens, on whose estate he was dwelling, he intimated that it was his desire to go to Rome for the sake of prayer, asking that their prayers accompany him on that journey. Having at length advanced to the places of the blessed asylums, he approached as a devout suppliant. There indeed, redoubling before the Lord the anxiety of his heart, he long besought the prelate of that See that he might merit to receive from him the longed-for gift of pledges. Certainly, wearied with much labour in business of this kind, when he was already almost despairing, behold, on the day before he determined to return, in the middle of that very night the Angel of the Lord stood by him, and said to him: 'Lonegisilus, why do you seethe amid cares, or why are you cast down? Gird yourself therefore, and, secretly approaching the altar of blessed Peter, carry with you what you find.' Rising at once from the vision, he carries out what had been commanded him, and found a tooth of the Prince of the Apostles placed upon his altar. Taking it, he had it as the companion of his return, and, refreshed with much joy, went back home."
[5] restored, once destroyed: From this narration we have first of all the reason why St. Lonegisilus wished his oratory dedicated under the name of St. Peter the Apostle, namely on account of the relics so prodigiously brought from Rome. But at the same time it is also shown that before the foundation of St. Lonegisilus, and so before the middle of the seventh century, there existed at Buxidum "a place dedicated to public assemblies, which had been adorned with divers relics of saints": and that indeed so long before the age of St. Lonegisilus that all memory of it had been wholly effaced, and could revive only by a heavenly vision. What then prevents us from saying that St. Trogetius, cited in the charter of Charles the Bald, was the founder of the earlier community or monastery? For by "a place dedicated to public assemblies" I understand a monastery; since, when St. Lonegisilus came there, the place did not lack its church and clerics, as the Acts of the bishops of Le Mans plainly indicate, when St. Lonegisilus himself says Vetera Analecta, p. 265. that he was detained in Buxiacum, a canonical village, by the presbyters and country people of the same place … "because the place was populous and much alms came there, etc." When, therefore, the heavenly vision revealed to the holy man that that place had once been dedicated to public assemblies, adorned with divers relics of saints, it surely did not indicate a church destined for lay people, inasmuch as that already existed then, but a community of monks, which had once had its founder, older than St. Lonegisilus; for after him the monastic foundation continued in an uninterrupted series Cf. Piolin, Histoire de l'Église du Mans, volume I, p. 336..
[6] whence the time of the saint is to be brought back to the 6th century; Since the matter stands thus, it becomes probable that Trogetius was the founder of St. Peter in Buxidum: but at the same time it also follows that his institution, already wholly abolished by the middle of the seventh century, belonged to the sixth or even the fifth century: to which time the age of St. Trogetius would also have to be referred. I confess indeed that all these things are rather ambiguous; but where nothing certain occurs, one may indulge in probable conjectures, especially because by similar divinations, as it were, the way is sometimes paved to attaining something certain. Meanwhile a twofold difficulty must be washed away: the first, namely, that in the charter of Charlemagne cited at no. 3 there is mentioned "the little monastery of St. John and St. Trechius in Buxidum," where you would easily interpret St. Trechius as St. Troesius; wherefore, since the patron is different, the church too seems different from that which St. Lonegisilus founded. I shall not say that a double monastery is plainly in question there, one of St. John, the other of St. Trechius, for the word "little monastery" is used in the singular number; but could it not have happened that in the name of the primary patron John was put for Peter, whether this error crept into the original charter or came in through the carelessness of copyists in the transcripts?
[7] provided there was not a double Troesius. But there remains the other difficulty, by no means to be despised, namely whether St. Trogetius, praised in the charter of Le Mans, is the same as St. Troesius of Nevers. The strangeness of the name certainly suggests this, which moreover nowhere
have I found except in St. Trojoecia, virgin of Rodez, on the 9th day of June Acta Sanctorum, volume II of June, p. 178., where the etymology of the name is also set out. To this point too is the fact that I have found no mention of the saint among the people of Le Mans, whence the suspicion arises that he did not meet his last day among them, otherwise some memory of his burial would have survived. But if we suppose that St. Troesius went from Le Mans to Nevers, and here, after founding a monastery, closed his last day, we rightly understand that he left no memory of himself among the people of Le Mans, especially when the monastery had been abolished. On the contrary, although he left nothing among the people of Nevers as regards his deeds, yet his name, cult and glory endure perennially at his tomb. Thus far, meagrely enough, on the deeds of St. Troesius.
[8] The saint's body rested in the church of his name, For from the Auxerre Martyrology we learn that already in the ninth century there was at Nevers a church distinguished with the name of St. Troesius. This indeed is established from the diploma of Charles the Fat given on the 15th day before the Kalends of January 887 [Mabillon, Annales Benedictini, volume III, p. 638. Gallia Christiana, volume XII, Instruments, column 311.], by which the emperor, at the request of Emmeno, bishop of Nevers, confirms all the churches of the bishopric of Nevers, among which comes the abbey of St. Troesius. The abbatial state continued in some fashion in this church down to Hugh II de Champallement, who held the see of Nevers from the year 1013 to 1065 Gallia Christiana, volume XII, column 634.. For he, about the year 1023, gives for the supplement of the sustenance of the canons "of the blessed martyr of Christ and child Cyricus and of his mother Julitta, whose bodies this holy mother church embraces, a certain abbey consecrated in honour of St. Troesius, confessor and monk, and situated in the suburb of this city, with all its appurtenances, namely lands, vineyards, meadows, woods and water-courses, mills and ovens, with the consent indeed and will of Evrard, canon and provost, whose benefice it was seen to be" Ibid., Instruments, column 323.. I said above that the abbatial state continued in some fashion in the church of St. Troesius; both because it had been given in benefice to Evrard the canon, and because no mention is made of monks, whose consent nevertheless would have been necessary for the alienation if the monastic state had continued there.
[9] [until at the beginning of this century it was translated to the church of St. Stephen.] The abbatial title having been removed, the church of St. Troesius was made a parish church under the patronage of the chapter of Nevers, as the hagiologist of Nevers writes; yet the collation of the parish seems to have belonged to the bishop, as the Polyptych of that diocese has it Pouillé de Nevers, p. 7.. For a time, however, that church with all its appurtenances was given in usufruct to Hugh, provost of Nevers, after he had ceded the provostship to the chapter, as is established from the charter of Bishop Hugh, confirmed by Leo IX at the council of Vercelli in the year 1050 Gallia Christiana, volume XII, Instruments, p. 325.. In the year 1471, on the 27th day of January, the sepulchre of St. Troesius, which consisted of a stone tomb and was hidden beneath the high altar, was opened by the official of the bishop of Nevers, Pierre de Fontenay, as the often-praised hagiologist has it Cf. Parmentier, Archives de Nevers, volume II, p. 313.. But at the end of the century just past, about the year 1793, that church was destroyed from its foundations; but by the happy industry of pious persons the relics of St. Troesius were snatched from the devastation, which today rest in the parish church of St. Stephen at Nevers, the neighbouring church having been destroyed. And these are the things which we have collected about St. Troesius, not so much in order to illustrate his deeds, unknown to us, as to record here the due memory of the holy man.