ON ST. AGABIUS, BISHOP AND CONFESSOR,
AT NOVARA IN ITALY.
In the fifth century, before the middle of it.
HISTORICAL SYLLOGE.
The cultus of the Saint: a Life written of old, but some centuries after the Saint's death: his deeds gathered from various writers.
Agabius, bishop and conf., at Novara in Italy (St.)
BY J. S.
The episcopal city of Novara in Italy venerates today as its patron, at least as a secondary patron, St. Agabius its bishop, The memory of the Saint in the more recent Martyrologies, and his cultus: unknown indeed to the older martyrologists, but mentioned by most of the more recent. The first, I think, to announce this Saint was Greven in his enlarged Usuard at the X of September, but with the name somewhat corrupted, in this manner: In the city of Novara, of St. Gabius, bishop and confessor. There followed Ferrari in the Catalogue of the Saints of Italy, Galesinius, Canisius, Ghini, and Baronius in the Roman Martyrology, where he has it thus: At Novara, of St.
Agapius, bishop. He adds in the Annotations: He succeeded St. Gaudentius, and sat twenty years, as the tables of the bishops of the church of Novara teach, which nevertheless need correction in some points. Concerning the years of his episcopate Ghini agrees, in these words: At Novara, of St. Agapius, bishop. He succeeded St. Gaudentius and sat twenty years. He flourished about the year of the Lord 600. But neither are the years of the episcopate certain, as we shall see below, nor did the Saint flourish so late as Ghini would have it, or Castellanus either, who in the margin of his universal Martyrology noted the sixth century. Of the Saint's cultus there is no doubt, since his Office, to be recited with a double rite, is found in the proper Offices of Novara at this day.
[2] Carlo, bishop of Novara, a man distinguished for learning, piety and prudence, A Life written long after his death: other writers who treat of the Saint. gathered in his Novaria the chief deeds of St. Agabius. He mentions, p. 291, the history which is had of St. Agabius among the manuscript codices of the church; and he says that in it is read a translation of the body, which he places about the year 890, so that that Life was written four centuries at the least after the Saint's death. It could not therefore have been of great authority, nor is its loss greatly to be lamented, especially since the most illustrious Carlo gathered better and more certain things, both from that Life and from other monuments, and inserted them in his Novaria and in the lessons of the Office which he himself composed. I have likewise an Italian Life of St. Agabius, printed with the Lives of other Saints who are venerated at Novara; but I do not know the author of that little work. Ferrari too gave a fairly long elogium, and Ughelli another in the Italia Sacra, reprinted, tom. 4, pp. 691 and 692, where he calls him Agapitus. All these I shall compare with what is related by the most illustrious Carlo, and out of them I undertake to put together such a Life of St. Agabius as I can.
[3] [The Saint's country unknown: he was born as the 4th century was drawing to its close:] The country of St. Agabius is unknown, as Carlo testifies, who at p. 250 has it thus: What his country was is unknown; yet he seems to have been a stranger, from the fact that the writings which are had concerning him in the presses of the church relate that he was sent to Novara by divine appointment. He was born as the fourth century was growing old, and was afterwards a disciple of St. Gaudentius, the first bishop of Novara, as is easily gathered from what is to be said about the beginning of his episcopate. To this belongs the observation of the said Carlo, which he gives at p. 253 in these words: In the tablet inscribed the Diptychs of the bishops of Novara, which was published by order of Francesco Bossi the bishop, Agabius is said to have been a canon and deacon of the same greater church; but tablets of that kind, where they are not supported by other suitable arguments, are not readily to be trusted, since we have known many things rashly brought into it without the bishop's knowledge, and especially the surnames of the ancient bishops — which surnames can be proved neither by inscriptions nor by any writings, neither among the bishops of Novara nor among those of other cities. And indeed that very name CANON does not belong to that age. Thus far the Most Illustrious, whose words suffice to disprove the assertion of the Italian Life, in which Agabius is surnamed Solonius and is said to have been a Novarese by birth.
[4] He is made bishop after St. Gaudentius, who had commended him: St. Agabius was made bishop after the death of St. Gaudentius, which with us is fixed about the year 418, with Ughelli in the year 417, and with the said Carlo at p. 245 about 417. Ferrari asserts that the episcopate was foretold to Agabius by St. Gaudentius. But I do not find this clearly in the Life of St. Gaudentius, which was given by us at the XXII of January. Yet St. Gaudentius did labour that Agabius should be chosen as his successor, as the Life of Gaudentius relates in chap. 4, where the holy prelate, being near to death, is said to have taken counsel to commend someone for the episcopate, lest afterwards dissension should arise, and to have carried this into execution thus: And so, having gathered the clergy with the people, he first admonished them to keep in mind the words of God, which they had received in their ears as unlocked by himself: … adding this also, that the whole people of the church should know that their future pastor and his own religious successor was a prudent man, Agapius by name, predestined by God, and that all should persist in unanimous agreement in his election, lest the people should seem in ignorance to rebel against the divine presence. Thus far the Life, which does not add whether the election was made while Gaudentius was still alive, or immediately after his death. The most illustrious bishop of Novara likewise leaves the matter uncertain, touching on the Saint's election thus: St. Agabius, approved and elected both by his own virtue and by the testimony of his holy father, took up the episcopate.
[5] The first care of the new Bishop was to finish the church which St. Gaudentius had begun to build for his own burial he finishes the church begun by Gaudentius, and buries him in it. and had left unfinished; and meanwhile he is said to have laid the body of the deceased, unburied, in the church of the most holy Virgin Mary. These things are set out more fully in the Life of St. Gaudentius, num. 17 and 18, and then at num. 18 there follows this: In the midst of these things blessed Agapius, together with all the people, dedicated the aforesaid basilica, completed at great cost and with exceptional adornment. Then, six months after his death, with twelve days added, they committed the holy body, incorrupt as though but one day after the funeral, to the tomb with the highest honour. The bishop of Novara sets this out thus: When he had judged the basilica outside the walls, begun by blessed Gaudentius, suitable for the burial of his body, he saw to it that it was finished as soon as possible, and dedicated it; and in it he duly buried the venerable relics, with such assembly of clergy and people as was fitting, a becoming tomb having been prepared for that purpose.
[6] The episcopal duties, the virtues and the miracles of St. Agabius the said Carlo of Novara then relates at p. 251 thus: The Saint's virtues, gifts, miracles: And although he fulfilled all the priestly duties excellently, yet he cultivated above all the contemplation of divine things and the pursuit of prayer: so that by night he fed his mind with meditation on heavenly things, but by day busied himself with the care of teaching and helping the people. Not by labours only, but by fastings also and other afflictions he wore down his body, that he might perfectly subject it to the rule of the spirit. Excellent ornaments of the Christian virtues appeared in him: but a certain sincere nobility of soul, and a candid and pure mind, shone forth above all. His discourse when preaching is handed down to have been lofty and sublime while he was treating of heavenly glory and eternal rewards; vehement and weighty when he came down to setting out the everlasting punishments. He was affected with a certain wonderful sweetness toward the most holy Sacrament of the Lord's Body, so that, as though loosed from the bonds of the body, he seemed to be dwelling in the assembly of the heavenly spirits. Of which a marvellous token appeared, when, as he was at a certain time offering the most holy sacrifice of the Mass, the appearance of a shining angel was seen above his head. He was renowned for miracles while he lived, as also after his death. When a man with dropsy had come to the blessed Man, he earnestly begged that he would obtain health for him from the Lord; and he, perceiving him to be of a very firm faith, touched him with his hand and sent him away whole. To a leper likewise, who commended himself to him, he restored health in the same way by divine help. So much concerning the Saint's excellent virtues and miracles, which are also set out somewhat more at length in the Italian Life, and are touched on more briefly by Ferrari.
[7] The said author of the Italian Life ascribes twenty years to his episcopate, and Ughelli thirty years, more or less. the length of the episcopate uncertain: But the most illustrious bishop of Novara sufficiently shows how uncertain that length of episcopate is, when he writes this at p. 253: It is said in the same tablet (to which he had said above, at num. 3, that little credit is to be given) that he held the episcopate twenty years… But in the catalogue of the cathedral church, in which the names of the bishops are noted, after St. Gaudentius the years which each bishop sat are not appended, except in the later centuries. Uncertain, therefore, is the length of the episcopate; and it is likely that it was not so long, because the bishop of Novara shows at p. 258, from the Council of Milan, that already in the year 451 Simplicius presided over the church of Novara, between whom and St. Agabius two others sat. Wherefore concerning the year of his death I lay down nothing certain, except that it happened in the fifth century before the middle of it. In the Office he is said to have died on the IV Ides of September.
[8] his death, burial, translation of the body, His death and burial the said Carlo reports in these words at p. 252: At length, when he had been called to the eternal rewards of his episcopal labours, his body was laid outside the gate of the city, which is still called by his name, in the church which likewise took its name from him. Then, after some centuries, the venerable bishop Cadultus, other prelates also accompanying him, reverently translated it into the greater church. Of this translation he speaks thus, at p. 291, under Cadultus: Cadultus sat 8 years and 9 months. He is written to have translated the body of St. Agabius from his own church into the greater church, in the History which is had of St. Agabius among the manuscript codices of the church. That this was done about the year 890 the years assigned to the preceding bishops show; at which time Stephen V held the Roman Apostolic See. But for what cause the body was translated from that church I have not found. Ughelli, tom. 4, col. 696, under Cadultus, whom he calls Candulfus, agrees with these things, as does the Italian Life also.
[9] the marvels wrought at the translation: The marvels which happened at the translation, together with the rest that pertains to the relics and the cultus of the Saint, the said Carlo recounts at p. 252 in these words: Now while he was being translated, there was present a young man swollen in his whole body from a certain disease and almost bereft of strength. Being admonished to pass beneath the sacred bier, trusting in the intercession of the holy Bishop, he did so, and was healed. Besides, there appeared then that marvellous and divine testimony of Agabius' sanctity and glory: certain white little clouds in the figure of a dove, two of them coming down from heaven, and another flying up to heaven from his mouth. The church of Novara has from the earliest times celebrated the memory of the blessed Father with sacred offices on the tenth day of September, and the said translation on the thirtieth of August. There is preserved in the sacred caskets of the cathedral church an elbow of this holy Bishop joined to the hand, entire, so far as its dryness allows, from about the lower half.
[10] where the relics are now preserved. But the body is under the altar which, dedicated in his name, is placed at the head of the north aisle, under the bell tower, with a vault built over it. Not only has the church of Novara venerated him with the honour of the Saints, but we have also observed in many old charters that he is named patron together with St. Gaudentius, when it is said, to the honour of the holy patrons Gaudentius and Agabius. Thus far the most learned bishop, who had already advised at book 1, p. 10, that the body of St. Agabius is in the cathedral church, and that his memory is venerated as that of a Patron with an ancient veneration. His tomb, he says, is beneath the bell tower, a narrow chapel being there, and an altar built above the tomb, which is today so adorned that the tomb may appear older than the campanile. I have nothing more to add to these things: but I do not know why Orlendi
part 2, tom. 1, p. 252, preferred to name our Saint Agapitus with Ughelli, rather than Agabius or Agapius with the people of Novara themselves.