ON ST. LEVANGIUS, OR LIVANIUS, BISHOP OF SENLIS AND CONFESSOR,
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE VI CENTURY.
COMMENTARY.
The beginnings of the church of Senlis wrapped in dense darkness. The memory of St. Levangius from the Martyrologies and the ecclesiastical office. In what year the first council of Orléans was celebrated, at which St. Levangius was present. Relics.
Levangius or Livanius, bishop of Senlis, confessor in Gaul. (S.)
B. B.
Scarcely anything has come down to us about the first Bishops of Senlis. Le Cointe writes [Annales Ecclesiastici Francorum at the year 513, no. III, volume I, p. 295. Paris edition, 1665.]: "From the first synod of Orléans, to which Livannius or Livangius, bishop of Senlis, subscribed in the year DXI, up to the fifth synod of Orléans, at which Gonotigernus, bishop of Senlis, was present in the five hundred and forty-ninth year of Christ, there occurs in the ancient documents no chronological character on which the list of the prelates of Senlis might rest. In the catalogues of the prelates of Senlis, between Levangius and Gonotigernus are placed in the middle Pasius and Nonnullus. How many years each sat we shall report from the annals of Senlis of Charles Jaulnay, who, although in most places he plainly sins against chronology, assigns the years of the aforesaid pontiffs in such a way that he by no means departs from the subscriptions of the aforecited councils, which alone survive as notes of time to be weighed for circumscribing those pontificates. In the first place he relates that Levangius died in this year (513), then he attributes six years of pontificate to Pasius, and twenty-eight to Nonnullus, so that by his reckoning the death of Pasius coincides with the five hundred and forty-seventh year of Christ. He observes moreover that St. Levangius is venerated on the seventh day before the Ides of October, and that his relics are kept in the church of St. Regulus (S. Rieule) near the high altar."
[2] The fame of his holiness from the Martyrologies. The Roman Martyrology does not make mention of St. Levangius. His memory occurs in the Auctaria of Usuard from the Greven codex in Sollerius in these words: "Of Bevagius, bishop of Senlis and confessor"; as also in the Martyrologies of St. Regulus and of St. Frambaldus, which have thus: "On the 14th day before the Kalends of November, at Senlis, the deposition of St. Levangius, bishop and confessor." Both the mentioned churches of St. Regulus (in the vernacular S. Rieul) and St. Frambaldus (S. Frambourg), formerly noble collegiate churches, after the overthrow of the state and the Concordat following in the year 1801, remained suppressed, as also the see of Senlis itself, whose cathedral is now a parish, as they say, of the first class, in the diocese of Beauvais.. Likewise St. Levangius is announced in the Martyrologies of Paris and of Évreux. That of Auxerre has a somewhat more prolix encomium: "At Senlis, the birthday of St. Libanius, bishop, who sat in the first council of Orléans. Not only in the diocese of Senlis, but also in that of Chalon, he is honoured with a peculiar cult." It agrees with Chastelain, who has almost the same things word for word, but in French. He is also commemorated, as the Gallia Christiana relates, in the necrologies of the churches of Senlis and Troyes Volume X, column 1381.. And in all these the memory of St. Levangius is kept on this 19th day of October; nor have I found anyone who, as Le Cointe above from Charles Jaulnay praised in the same place, writes that he is venerated on the seventh day before the Ides, or the 9th of the same month, except Pagi in the critique No. XII at Baronius's year, p. 507..
[3] Lessons from the Breviary of Senlis. Certainly in the Breviary of Senlis there is noted on the said 19th day, on the feast of St. Levangius, bishop of Senlis, a semidouble office; whose lessons II and III are proper, which for that reason we set down here. Lesson II. "Levangius, who is also called Livanius and Levianus, eighth prelate of Senlis after St. Regulus, held the episcopal see in those times in which the Franks, having expelled the Romans, subdued the Gauls. It is a most ancient tradition that our Prelate, at the request of King Clovis, pulled one tooth from the jaw of St. Regulus. Which deed was followed by a wave of fresh blood. But thou, etc." Lesson III. "At the desire of the same king, Levangius was present at the first council of Orléans, in which so many most wise canons pertaining to discipline were drawn up. Up to extreme old age the unwearied pastor solicitously fed and guarded his flock. A little after his passing he was inscribed in the calendars of the Saints. His relics are preserved in a reliquary
gilded, and are religiously venerated in the sanctuary of the church of St. Regulus. But thou, etc." From these very lessons it appears how little has come down to us about our Saint. Hence also all who write of his name (which indeed is written and declined variously by various persons, as may be seen from the foregoing) have scarcely anything certain, except that he was bishop of Senlis, and as such was present at the first council of Orléans in the year 511, as is made out from the subscriptions Sirmond, Concilia Antiqua Galliae, volume I, pp. 177–184. Paris edition, 1629..
[4] [St. Levangius was present at the first Council of Orléans, in the year 511, under the consulship of Felix.] And this is also the only certain note from which it can be gathered at what time St. Levangius shone with the pontifical dignity. It will not, then, be out of place to touch briefly here on the things which serve to fix the year of this council, the more so because in other acts to be illustrated for this present day it will be of use. Baronius would have it celebrated in the year 507, but wrongly, as Sirmond, Pagi and others rightly conclude from the consulship of Felix, which many ancient codices of the best note show in the subscriptions. The first subscription, namely, is framed in these words: "I, Cyprian, in the name of Christ bishop of the metropolitan church of Bordeaux, have subscribed the statutes of our canons, on the sixth day before the Ides of July, Felix, a most distinguished man, being consul" Sirmond, Concilia Antiqua Galliae, volume I, p. 183. Paris edition, 1629.. And the consulship of this man falls in the year DXI L'Art de vérifier les dates, p. 335..
[5] [Le Cointe contends that the mention of consulships in the councils of Gaul is supposititious.] Le Cointe indeed refers the council of Orléans to this same year, but altogether rejects the reasoning sought from the consular fasti. "It can be asked," he says, "whether the Franks were accustomed to make mention of the Roman consuls in public instruments. Although learned men in our age have spent much study on ordering the consulships which they found affixed to synods assembled within the borders of France, we have always judged such a character supposititious, because the kings of the Franks were not subject to the Roman empire, and among so many Frankish authors who wrote about the affairs of their nation, one only occurs, Marius of Avenches or Lausanne, bishop, who arranged his chronicle by consuls for this reason, that he appended it to the consular fasti of Prosper. The other writers abstained from this character. Gregory of Tours scarcely mentions one or two consulships under the Roman emperors before the monarchy of the Franks was founded in Gaul" (which indeed are merely negative arguments). "The councils almost alone display consulships in their subscriptions. The first synod of Orléans shows the consulship of Felix under King Chlodovech" (there follow three other synods having mention of the consuls; then Le Cointe proceeds). "From these consulships we shall not depart; for we shall place the first synod of Orléans in this year (511), Felix being consul... Yet we do not intend to prop up our chronology with consulships of this kind, but other reasons or conjectures will draw us to the same reckoning. The first synod of Orléans belongs to these last times of Clovis; for it was held at the summons of the most glorious king Chlotovech after the Gothic war, or after the five hundred and eighth year of Christ, for many bishops of the Aquitaines subscribed who had previously, under Alaric, king of the Visigoths, been present at the council of Agde; nay, that some years intervened between the synods of Agde and Orléans is plain even from this, that among the bishops who strengthened the synod of Orléans with their subscription there occur some whose predecessors had subscribed that of Agde." Thus far Le Cointe Annales Ecclesiastici Francorum at the year 511, volume I, p. 278 and following..
[6] But wrongly, as is plain from the analogy of the Visigoths and Burgundians, These conjectures of Le Cointe we indeed approve, and we confess that a probable epoch of the council is made out from them; but at the same time we too think with Pagi that the most learned man vainly deserted the royal road to follow a doubtful and uncertain one. For, as Pagi adds [In the Critica at Baronius's year 507, no. XI. Annals of Baronius, volume IX, p. 68, Lucca, 1741.]: "The Visigoths and Burgundians were not subject to the Roman empire, and yet the council of Agde assembled in the previous year" (understand not the immediately previous year, but the year 506) "in the kingdom of the Visigoths is marked by the consulship of Messala, held in that year; the council of Epaone, held in the Burgundian kingdom, is marked by the consulship of Agapitus, undertaken in the year DXVII, in which it was proclaimed." Le Cointe would perhaps reply to this that he had spoken neither of the kingdom of the Visigoths nor of the Burgundians, but of the Franks, and accordingly that he was not sufficiently, or even at all, bound by Pagi's argument: but we in turn could reply: Why should the Franks have acted in an altogether different manner from the other nations and peoples in the neighbourhood? The contrary will certainly have to be presumed until certain proof is brought forward. Next, does not Le Cointe himself even adduce many councils which, the kingdom of the Franks being already established, made mention of consulships in their subscriptions? He says indeed that the notes of the consuls were afterwards sewn on to the subscriptions. But by what argument does he prove it? "The kings of the Franks," he says, "were not subject to the Roman empire." But neither were the kings of the Visigoths and Burgundians subject. Of no greater weight is what Le Cointe adds, that almost all the ancient writers who survive, who treated of Frankish affairs, did not distinguish the series of years by consuls: for it does not necessarily follow from this that the councils held the same manner, and accordingly that the mention of the consuls which occurs in various subscriptions is supposititious, especially since councils are in question which come very near to the very beginnings of the Frankish monarchy, such as is the first of Orléans, celebrated towards the end of the life of Clovis. For it is a most well-known matter how difficultly a manner of reckoning time is changed which has prevailed through use over a long space of years.
[7] and from various inscriptions. The truth of Le Cointe's assertion wavers, moreover, from elsewhere. "King Chlodovech," says Pagi Ibid., place cited., "received the consulship or patriciate from the emperor Anastasius, as will be shown below; and Sigismund, king of Burgundy, was adorned with the patriciate by the emperor Anastasius, as we shall show in the same place." The Franks, therefore, are not to be reckoned so hostile to the Romans at that time that they would have wished even the very mention of the consuls to be altogether suppressed everywhere. Pagi proceeds: "To this, various stones discovered in various parts of the Gauls, on which are read the names of consuls who gave their name to the fasti after the first council of Orléans was celebrated. Baronius at the year CLIII, no. CCLIV, reports the Epitaph of St. Florentinus, abbot, which is still read at Arles, where Florentinus is said to have died 'in the twelfth year after the consulship of Basilius the younger, a most distinguished man, in the first Indiction,' namely in the year CLIII, at which time, however, Arles was obedient to the Franks." We add another inscription, which Spon himself testifies that he copied at Lyons, whence he was a native, and which is had in the Miscellanea eruditae antiquitatis, section IX, at the end [See in Poleni, Utriusque Thesauri Antiquitatum Romanarum Graecarumque nova supplementa, volume IV, columns 631–1399. Venice, 1737.].
At Lyons, at St. Irenaeus.
IN HOC LOCO REQUIESCIT
FAMOLVS DĪ STEPANVS PRIMIGIRIVS
SCOLÆ LECTORVM SERVIET IN SECL.
LVGDVNINSI VIXIT ANNOS
OBIIT VIIII XL DECEMBRIS
DVODECIES P. C. IVSTINI
INDICTIONE XV.
[In this place rests the servant of God Stepanus, primicerius of the school of readers of Lyons; he served in the world; he lived [ ] years; he died on the ninth day before the Kalends (XL) of December, in the twelfth year after the consulship of Justin, in the XVth indiction.]
Spon subjoins the following note Ibid., column 1275.: "This Stepanus or Stephen, Primicerius of the school of readers of Lyons, had died twelve years after the consulship of Justin, namely in the year of Christ 579" (but the city of Lyons had already been subject to the Franks before the year DXL). "Serviet in secl., that is, he served in the world, or among seculars. [ ] seems carved for LXIV." Thus Spon in the place cited. From all which it becomes sufficiently manifest that the assertion of Le Cointe is untenable, and accordingly that the year in which the first council of Orléans was held is more certainly determined from the consulship of Felix than from the conjectures of the praised writer.
[8] [Documents are lacking by which the years of the episcopate of St. Levangius might be fixed] It is to be regretted that other chronological notes are not available by the help of which the beginning and end of the episcopate of St. Levangius might be fixed. Le Cointe writes that he died in the year 513, without bringing forward any certain reason. Nor indeed could he have, since councils are lacking, which alone in this age would furnish suitable notes for reckoning time, as Le Cointe himself observes. See above, no. 1. This one thing, then, may safely be affirmed of our Saint, that he presided over the church of Senlis in the year 211.
[9] Relics. We saw above, at no. 3, that the Relics of St. Levangius were laid away in the sanctuary of St. Regulus. The same is had, and indeed a little more explicitly, from the Gallia Christiana Volume X, column 1381.: "The relics of the same saint are preserved in a gilded shrine between the pillars of the high altar of St. Regulus." And there they remained up to the end of the past century. But in the year 1793, while that storm was raging which brought ruin upon France, nay upon all Europe, those relics, as also many others preserved in various churches and monasteries of Senlis, were collected into one and, witnesses being present, deposited in the cemetery. The Reverend Don Groy, parish priest of pious memory, after the Bourbons had been restored to the throne, had thought of exhuming the sacred remains. But the Reverend Don Clausel, at that time vicar general of Beauvais, now bishop of Chartres, opposed it; yet the place in which they were laid away was enclosed with railings, and at the same time a cross was set up with an inscription. Since then nothing further has been undertaken. The letters too, witnesses of authenticity, have perished, unless perhaps, which is scarcely likely, they were laid together with the relics. These things we learned from a reply of the Reverend Don Parish Priest of Senlis given to us in the month of August of the present year 1848.