Dulcardus

ON ST. DULCARDUS, HERMIT AND CONFESSOR, IN THE TERRITORY OF BOURGES IN GAUL,

ABOUT THE YEAR DLXXXIV.

SYLLOGE.

Dulcardus, hermit and confessor, in the territory of Bourges in Gaul. (S.)

BY V. D. B.

Sole §. The name of the Saint in the sacred fasti. The Life of St. Laetus in part applied to him. His monastic life at Micy near Orléans, and his holy companions. His departure to the territory of Bourges. Cult.

To the summer west of Bourges, one or two miles from the city, between the streams Avera and Mulo , To St. Dulcardus, whose memory is celebrated in many sacred fasti, lies a village or parish, which, having borrowed its name from St. Dulcardus, is commonly called Saint-Douchard or Saint-Ouchard; which double form of the name has nothing singular. For since the title of saint coalesces with the name itself into one word in speaking, the people often do not know how the separation is to be made when the name begins with a vowel or dental letter. Thus St. Erasmus became Santermus and Santelmus, and is divided by the French into Saint Elme, by the Spanish into San Telmo; St. James became Santiago, and then was divided into San Tiago, San Diego; whence arose Diego, in Latin Didacus. St. Auditus, invented by Spanish fabulists, was turned into Sant Oid, which was changed into San Tuy: but it suffices to have indicated these things with a finger. Now when the blessed man came to the aforesaid village, the name of this place was Victoria. There at some time, they would have it Cathérinot, Sanctuaire du Berry, page 15; Gallia Christiana, vol. II, col. 121., was built a monastery, which was called Ambiliacum, or also the monastery of Ambiliacum, whose memory does not occur to me outside the martyrologies. There above all flourished the cult of St. Dulcardus; and for that reason in the old Martyrology of St. Laurence of Bourges, published by Labbe Bibliotheca mss., vol. II, page 704., the following are read under today's date: "In the city of Bourges, in the monastery of Ambiliacum, the deposition of St. Dulcardus, confessor": and the same announcement is repeated in several Additions to Usuard, published by Du Sollier, for instance in that of Brussels, where it is more correctly written: "At the city of Bourges"; in the editions of Molanus, where only Biturigae is read; and in those of Anchin and of Greven, where also "in the monastery of Ambiliacum" is omitted; which is also done in the Altemps codex, formerly in use in the cathedral church of Winchester, in which by an error of one day there occurs at the 24th of October: "In the district of Bourges, of St. Dulcardus, confessor." St. Dulcardus is also mentioned at the 25th day of October by Wion in the Lignum Vitae, Ferrarius in the general Catalogue of saints, Ménard in the Benedictine Menology, Du Saussay in the Gallican Martyrology, Labbe in the Diarium historicum, Chastelain in the universal Martyrology, Cardinal de Noailles in the Martyrology of Paris, bishop Pierre de Rochechouart in the Martyrology of Évreux, and others in other fasti, especially in Benedictine Menologies. His name was thus sufficiently celebrated; but it was especially made illustrious after those martyrologies which are commonly called classic had been composed:

for he was unknown to Ado, Rabanus, Notker and Usuard.

[2] The Life of St. Laetus was partly applied, as long ago Le Cointe His Life, with the title Historical Elogium of St. Dulcardus, monk and confessor, was published in part by Labbe Ibid., page 370 and 371., following the Breviary of Bourges, printed in the year 1587, and manuscript codices of the abbey of St. Sulpicius. The same was done more faithfully, adding less of his own, by Gonon, likewise using a certain Breviary of Bourges. Le Cointe [Annales ecclesiastici Francorum, at the year 533, num. 61, vol. I, page 413 and following.] brought out Labbe's writing in new type, and had the Life of St. Laetus printed at its margin, with the plan of showing that the one was taken from the other. That it was ever given to the light entire, however, such as it is found in the manuscript codices, is not established to me. Father Jean Dardes once copied it from the codex of St. Sulpicius of Bourges, and from Rouen sent a copy to our Bolland; which is now at my hand. But it does not seem worth the trouble to publish this Life at this place, since it is nothing other than a summary of the Life of St. Laetus, monk of Micy in the territory of Orléans, which Jean du Bois published from the codex of Fleury Floriacensis vetus bibliotheca, part II, page 254 and following. and which we too shall bring to light from several codices at the 5th day of November, on which this holy man is venerated. That summary, however, is not such that its author has retraced all the footsteps of the biographer of St. Laetus; but on the contrary he added a very few things, took away many, and changed others so that they would agree with the places inhabited by St. Dulcardus. To St. Viator, of whom our Du Sollier spoke briefly at the 5th day of August, the same Acts were adapted.

[3] and Mabillon have shown. Hear Mabillon speaking briefly on that matter Acta SS. Ordinis S. Benedicti, century I, page 614.: "The Lives of SS. Laetus, Dulcardus and Viator are no less (than that of St. Avitus, of whom he had just spoken) enveloped in darkness. For in the published Acts of St. Laetus in Jean du Bois in the Bibliotheca Floriacensis, of Dulcardus in Philippe Labbe in volume II of his Bibliotheca, of Viator in manuscript codices, to each of them are attributed a homeland in Berry, the care of sheep, monastic profession under Abbot Trecius, flight to the monastery of Micy, thence withdrawal into the desert with Avitus: so that you do not know what agrees with whom. The withdrawal into solitude with Avitus Siviardus, an ancient and grave author, attributes to Carilefus alone." In these words I plainly approve most of what Mabillon has related concerning the same things attributed to the three blessed men; and the same may be seen declared much more fully and accurately in Le Cointe. But it by no means follows from this that it is unknown what agrees with whom, since it is sufficiently manifest that all those things were first said of St. Laetus. Nor is there reason why no authority should be attributed to this Life of St. Laetus because Bl. Siviardus in the Life of St. Carilefus mentions this one companion of St. Avitus in solitude, since nothing compelled him to speak of more. But these things will have to be examined more widely at the 5th day of November.

[4] [Yet some things are known of St. Dulcardus from this Life, above all his monastic profession at Micy,] We must therefore use the Life of St. Dulcardus most cautiously, and draw from it almost only those things which are not found in the Life of St. Laetus. First of all it is related that he professed the religious life, not in the monastery of St. Trecius, but in the monastery of Micy, and there lived for some time, under the abbot St. Maximinus the elder; which matter seems not able to be denied. For his name is inserted among the saints of Micy in the verses which were once written to commend Micy to Charles the Bald (as it seems) and were published by Mabillon before the Life of St. Maximinus the elder Acta SS. Ord. S. Ben., century I, p. 581.. But if anyone should object that not all the names reviewed there have anything in common with St. Maximinus, let him hear Letaldus, monk of Micy and writer of the end of the 10th century, stating this in his introduction to the miracles of St. Maximinus the elder Ibid., p. 599.: "A father wondrous in all things, on whom it was conferred by divine gift to have such disciples (such as St. Carilefus) and such ministers (such as St. Avitus, cellarer of the monastery). For to his holy clientage not only these two, but also many other holy men adhered, formerly distinguished in the world, but now rightly imitable by all for their virtue. For from his discipline these men, raised to the summit of the virtues, very many of them sought the anachoretic life and in it philosophized constantly: so that not only the common seats of human habitation, but also deserted and pathless and waterless places they both cultivated and irrigated with the streams of their blessedness, supported by the help of Christ. To this the Perche testifies, irradiated by two great lights, the blessed men Avitus and Carilefus. To this the Sologne testifies, keeping the good Viator in Viatoria; and Dulcardus, neighbour to the people of Bourges; also the forest which is called Longinqua, which blessed Leonard by his spiritual exercises and the hospice of his body rendered both celebrated and near. For it is not to be doubted by anyone that Bl. Launomarus and St. Lifardus flourished from this discipline of his." With these agrees a passage of the Life of St. Dulcardus which does not occur in the Life of St. Laetus: "There lived with him (St. Dulcardus) many men outstanding in virtue: Maximinus the abbot, Avitus, steward of the monastery, Carilefius, Launomarus, Leobinus, afterwards bishop of Chartres, Liphardus, Leonard, Viator, Eusitius, Laetus, Frambaldus; by whose way of life and examples Dulcardus so advanced that he seemed by no means unequal to their merits." Similar things are read in a certain Life of St. Leonard of Vendœuvre Acta SS., vol. I of June, p. 299.; which composition, though less authority belongs to it Ibid., vol. VII of October, p. 49., is nevertheless some kind of argument for confirming that this company of saints existed.

[5] [And his abbot St. Maximinus the elder and companions SS. Avitus, Carilefus, Launomarus,] Further, the monastery of Micy, built by St. Euspicius about the year of Christ 500 near Orléans , brought forth in the sixth century two holy abbots of the same name, Maximinus the elder, who first presided over the same monastery; and Maximinus the younger, who after St. Avitus, successor of Maximinus the elder, and St. Theodemir his uncle, had the care of pastor Acta SS. Ord. S. Benedicti, century I, p. 580.. St. Maximinus the elder died about the year 520; for St. Avitus had already succeeded him when he foretold death to Chlodomer, as he was setting out against Sigismund, as is read in St. Gregory of Tours, book III, chapter 6; which happened in the year 523 Ibid., p. 589.. Of which things more will have to be discussed under the 15th day of December, on which St. Maximinus is inscribed in the stronger sacred fasti. The Acts of St. Avitus were already illustrated by Henschenius at the 17th day of June Acta SS., vol. III of June, p. 350 and following.; where one may learn that St. Avitus was first a monk with St. Carilefus in the monastery of Menat in Auvergne; that from there he migrated with the same to Micy; that neither stayed here long, but that they betook themselves to the most hidden parts of the Sologne; that, St. Maximinus having died, St. Avitus was called back with his companion to perform the office of abbot; but that shortly after the blessed man laid down this burden and fled by night with St. Carilefus to Piciacum in the Perche; whence St. Carilefus went away into the parts of Maine. That St. Launomarus, whose Acts Bolland published under the 19th day of January Ibid., vol. II of January, p. 229 and following., never lived at Micy was the opinion of Mabillon Acta SS. Ord. S. Bened., century I, p. 581.; but that he perhaps only took his institutes from there: and indeed in the two Lives which he himself published Ibid., p. 335. it is not related that St. Launomarus dwelt at Micy, but that, leaving Chartres, he made for the Perche; where he founded the monastery of Bellomer, and afterwards, in a more secret place on the stream Curbio *, six leagues from Chartres, another monastery, called from his name St. Lomer-le-Moutier. But no one will say that all the deeds of St. Launomarus are contained in these Lives, and that there is no authority in the verses which we have indicated above, in the writing of Letaldus on the miracles of St. Maximinus, and also in the Life of St. Dulcardus: in all of which it is related that St. Launomarus cultivated the monastic life for some time at Micy: which matter is the more credible as the most celebrated monks and abbots of that age seem for the most part to have been the more inconstant.

[6] Leobinus, Viator, Lifardus, Eusicius, Laetus, Frambaldus and Leonard. St. Leobinus, whose Acts our predecessors gave under the 14th day of March Acta SS., vol. II of March, p. 349 and following., first spent eight years in the monastery of Noailles, neighbour to Poitiers; then, having had words with St. Carilefus, he went to the Perche to St. Avitus; whether he went with him to Micy, when he was created abbot, is not plain. St. Leobinus then went on to the island of Lérins, and did many other things which do not pertain here. Of St. Viator, who is venerated at Tremulivicus in the Sologne, we have already spoken. It is not known where St. Lifardus put on the monastic habit, before he withdrew to Magdunum with his disciple Urbicius. Mabillon judges Acta SS. Ord. S. Ben., century I, p. 154, note c. that this was in fact done by him in the monastery of Micy: and certainly nothing stands against it; indeed he afterwards had some association with this monastery Ibid., p. 156.. The Life of Bl. Eusicius, abbot of Priscinium in the diocese of Bourges, we have in manuscript, and printed at Paris in the year 1649 after the proper Offices of the royal abbey of Blessed Mary of La Celle. In it again it is not related that the holy man at some time lived at Micy; but this is established in the lessons recited on his birthday. On the contrary St. Laetus, in his Life published by Jean du Bois, is splendidly said to have stayed at Micy and to have followed St. Avitus. In the Life of St. Frambaldus, the Summary of whose Life our predecessors published from Labbe's Bibliotheca at the 16th day of August, there is no talk of Micy Acta SS., vol. III of August, p. 301.; but Ménard found somewhere that this saint stayed at Micy. We have already indicated that St. Leonard of Vendœuvre is said in a certain Life of his to have cultivated asceticism at Micy; and since this Life is common to St. Leonard of Limoges, it is understood why in the verses already cited two Leonards are reported to have observed the monastic life at Micy. From which it follows that in most of the Acts of the saints who are praised in the Life of St. Dulcardus no mention is made of their residence among the monks of Micy; but yet this

is not plainly repugnant to the truth.

[7] [St. Dulcardus goes with St. Avitus and five others into the solitude of the Sologne; whence, when St. Avitus had been created abbot of Micy and the other companions had gone off into various parts, he goes to Victoria near Bourges.] Let us return to the Life of St. Dulcardus. "Likeness of love," says the biographer, "is a bond, and sincere love the parent of orders and monasteries. There lived with him most intimately Avitus, Viator and Eusicius. These, inflamed with desire of a stricter life, determined to avoid the company of the brethren and to hide themselves in more secret places. At dead of night, then, they burst away into the abrupt forests of the Sologne: and there, having built a little hut which would conveniently hold four (or rather six, on account of St. Carilefus and St. Laetus), they strenuously soldiered for God for not a few years in holy emulation, until blessed Maximinus closed his last day. For after he had given back his happy soul to heaven, Avitus was sought to be substituted in the place of the dead man. When after a sedulous search through all the byways they had found him among the briery recesses of this desert, they led him back unwilling and reluctant into the monastery. The other three (or rather four; for, St. Carilefus having accompanied St. Avitus, St. Laetus made for Logium, a place in the forest of Orléans, afterwards called St. Laetus's), taking flight again, entered more hidden lairs of the forests: in which, after they had long lamented among themselves over the loss of their companion, by a common consent of minds they separated from one another, judging that it would be more useful if, parted in bodies and habitation, they should cohere among themselves in spirit alone. And so these most holy soldiers of Christ, with kisses and embraces exchanged, breaking out in tears were torn apart and turned aside on different roads. Viator chose for himself Tremulum (this is a village in the Sologne); Eusicius built his little house on the bank of the Cher; Dulcardus finally went to a place named Victoria, two miles distant from the city of Bourges, and there among the thorns and broom, oak and thickets, he built a tiny hut of turves and woven branches against the mad onsets of the winds, the rigour of winter and the inclemency of the sky."

[8] [How great a spirit of independence and liberty flourished among them. St. Dulcardus was not properly an abbot.] Doubtless all those goings and departures will seem not a little strange to those who would judge of former monastic matters according to present customs. But hear what St. Carilefus taught St. Leobinus. "A certain," says the most accurate biographer of St. Leobinus Ibid., vol. II of March, p. 350., "a certain illustrious deacon, by name Carileffus, learning that he wished to go to St. Avitus, who at that time was staying as a hermit in the Perche, addressed him with sweet speech, saying: I perceive, brother, that you wish to climb from the least to greater things, but what may profit you in the purpose you have begun of the institute of knowledge, I shall take care to instruct you in three words. That is, oblige yourself to the services of none of the bishops, because among good men a good man will find many detractors. Another thing I warn, that you neither as a petitioner canvass to rule the basilica of any men whatever, nor, being sought, acquiesce; or, if you do not consent to blandishments, you will yet scarcely bear those who detract. The third thing I set before you is that you not associate yourself with a small cell, where, while each desires to set himself over the others, obedience is given to none." Since matters were so arranged, and were so understood by the disciples of St. Avitus, surely they could do nothing more opportune than that each should follow his own road. Of these, however, most had disciples; but nothing urges that the same be admitted of St. Dulcardus. In very truth he is called abbot by some, and his liturgical office is up to now taken from the common of abbots: but formerly that name extended far more widely than now and was easily given, as Du Cange long since remarked, under Abbas, to all hermits and monks, especially if they were conspicuous for old age and sanctity of life; so that it was rather an indication of veneration than of monastic office.

[9] [At Victoria St. Dulcardus is often visited by St. Sulpicius I, bishop of Bourges, and piously dies.] "While the blessed hermit was staying at Victoria, which was afterwards called the village of St. Dulcardus, he so settled in the mind of Lord Sulpicius, prelate of Bourges, that, great bishop as he was, he deigned to go to him very frequently, to hold discourses with him on heavenly glory." By which words St. Sulpicius I is understood, to be distinguished from Sulpicius Severus, presbyter and disciple of St. Martin. Since he, however, occupied the see of Bourges from the year 584 to the year 591 Gallia Christiana, vol. II, col. 14 and 15., St. Dulcardus, if indeed he lived under St. Maximinus of Micy, must have become an octogenarian: which age is by no means to be wondered at in hermits. In the Breviaries and Missals of Bourges reformed in the 18th century his death is assigned to the year 630, since their authors reckoned that St. Dulcardus met his day under St. Sulpicius II or the archbishop Pius. But nothing urges that this be admitted. But what is read in the Life, that St. Dulcardus a little before his death was visited by St. Avitus and that his funeral was seen to by the same, you may safely refer to fables. For that whole passage has been drawn from the Life of St. Laetus, except that for St. Troecius, who is read in the latter, St. Avitus has been substituted in the former. But this is the least blemish. For St. Avitus had died about the year 527, as Henschenius shows Acta SS., vol. III of June, p. 351.; who also made it plain that two SS. Avitus, abbots of Micy, are not to be admitted, as Mabillon had wished Acta SS. ord. S. Bened., century I, p. 613.. After the death of St. Dulcardus "the faithful Lord Jesus," I use the words of the biographer, "did not suffer his servant to lie long hidden in darkness, but at once made him illustrious with almost innumerable miracles. For as many as venerated the sacred body as suppliants obtained, as still happens, the effect of their prayer. When the holy prelate of Bourges had ascertained by experience and reason that these things were true, a chapel was built there, at his procuring; in which so many and so great miracles have been wrought that what was before an inaccessible place is now a not infrequented village of settlers." At the beginning of the 18th century, however, only 250 inhabitants were counted; but now a little more than six hundred. Those things seem to have been written before the 13th century, when the monastery of Ambiliacum did not yet exist, seeing that mention of this monastery is made in the Anchin codex of Usuard, written in that age or even before. I have already warned that all agree that that monastery in fact existed there; although no traces of the old name any longer appear. For that reason I will not deny that I was not a little doubtful and anxious. And so I gave letters to the V. V. Delarue, parish priest of St. Dulcardus, inquiring whether anything certain was known there. He replied most courteously that it was carried by popular tradition that the holy hermit lived in a place called the Valley, two hundred metres from the present church; that a spring gushes there, whose waters he used; that it had seemed to him that this could be painted in a new window of the church; that the church was built in the 11th century, and is not of singular beauty; that so many projecting stones stand out in it, so many changes have been made in the doors and windows, and above all so many foundations of old buildings are found round about, that it appears that there once existed there other structures than are to be expected in a rural parish; wherefore it is very likely that a monastery did in fact exist there. Finally the venerable parish priest adds that there are no longer any relics of St. Dulcardus in his church; nor does he know of any being kept elsewhere in the diocese of Bourges.

[10] The vicissitudes of his cult among the people of Bourges. In the Breviary of Bourges which came to light in the year 1625 by the authority of the archbishop Roland Hébert, it is decreed that in the mother church the feast of St. Dulcardus be kept with double rite; elsewhere, however, that of SS. Crispin and Crispinian. Afterwards the cult grew a little. For in the proper Masses of the saints for the use of the distinguished church and diocese of Bourges, which the archbishop Anne de Lévy de Ventadour ordered printed in the year 1651, it is commanded that within the city the feast of St. Dulcardus be celebrated with double rite, in the rest of the diocese with simple rite. This variety was removed in the Breviary of Bourges according to the Roman rite, printed in the year 1676 by the care of the archbishop Michel Poncet, in which through the whole diocese the feast of St. Dulcardus is ordered to be kept with minor double rite; there is a proper prayer and three lessons, in which is contained the Life repudiated by me above. Those lessons are different in style from those which Labbe communicated to the public from the Breviary of the year 1587. But when in the year 1734, the old customs being cast aside, a new Breviary came out, the lessons on St. Dulcardus were deleted and a simple commemoration ordered to be made. The cult of St. Dulcardus remained in these limits, until in the year 1852 His Eminence Cardinal Dupont thought it good to return to the Roman rites; but then in the new Proper of the saints, approved by the S. R. C., all memory of St. Dulcardus was entirely suppressed; so that now only in the parish of St. Dulcardus does he receive ecclesiastical honours with the title of patron and is he festively venerated through an entire octave, the old office being preserved, which is read in the Breviary of the archbishop Michel Poncet. And all those things pertain to the 25th day of October. But in the manuscript excerpts which our Papebroch collected from the Breviary of the year 1625, I find it noted that outside the calendar in that Breviary a certain feast of St. Dulcardus was proclaimed, to be kept on the 8th day of June. But for what cause this was instituted and in what church it was kept, I leave to the people of Bourges to inquire further. I find likewise in the Peristromata of Raisse Page 362 a passage quoted from the Breviary of the church of Bourges, with the marginal indication X November.

* Èvre

* Moulon

* Le Perche

* La Sologne

* Orléans

* Saint-Avy

* Corbion

* Tremblevif

* Mehun-sur-Loire