 |
| A page of one of Fortunatus Hueber's Saints' books, "Stammenbuch..." (1693) |
Leuogisilus (Leonegisilus), priest in the diocese of Mans (apud Cenomanos) in France, is referred to at Migne* under the name of St-Longis as Abbot of Boisselière in the Maine province. Bollandus* himself briefly cited him on January 13 (I. 630), under the name of S. Leogisilus, as Abbot of Vergy (Vergiacum) in Burgundy.
At the time of the French King Clothair II, Saint Leuogisilus was was born in Allemania of pagan parents of noble blood. Through God's grace he already recognised in his youth the only true God, whom he worshipped dearly despite the opposition of his parents.
After a long struggle and much prayer he finally decided to leave his fatherland and everything in order to be able to serve the Lord God undisturbed. So he came to Clermont (Clarus mons, civitas Arvernica), the capital of the province of Auvergne, where he also led a pious life. When some Clermontans noticed this, they asked him about his origin and the purpose of his journey, whereupon he sincerely told them the whole course of his life, as well as his desire for the salvation of his soul. Thereupon he was instructed in the Catholic faith and finally baptised, later, after having studied with zeal, even ordained a priest
After some time he moved on to the Diocese of Mans, where the holy bishop Hadolndus worked, probably attracted by the latter's excellent reputation. In this new environment he healed many sick people by laying his hands on them. He also undertook a trip to Rome, where he miraculously received a tooth of Saint Peter. He then returned to France and built a cell and a house of prayer in honour of Saint Peter, which later became a monastery.
It was also there that the saint met a virgin named Agnesietis (Agnafleta), who, in order not to marry, had fled to a forest, where she met Saint Leuogisilus, of whom she had already heard. She entreated him to give her the monastic veil, which he did. Some unpleasant rumours then started to spring up about the nature of their purely spiritual relationship, which spread like wildfire and reached even the king's ears, but Agnesietis refuted the evil slander by a public miracle - she handled red-hot coals without flinching and without burning herself.
Our saint then returned to his monastery. He died of old age, according to some at the age of 73, in the 7th century. January 13 is usually assumed to be the day of his passing, and some say the year of his death was 653. His body rests in the church, which he himself built with the help of the contributions of devout Christians near his cell. He is also venerated at Vergy (Vergiacum) in Burgundy, where probably some of his relics were kept.
We could not find an explanation in any of the sources as to why his festival is also kept on April 2. Perhaps a translation of his mortal remains took place that day. But if, as happens in the General Martyrology*, two different saints are assumed, one of which occurs on April 2 and the other on January 13, this is in any case incorrect, just as Butler*, too, only mentions one and the same saint for both dates.
(Information from Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints, Volume 3, Augsburg, 1869, pp. 732-33)
*A hagiography source used by the authors
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Leuogisilus may increase our devotion and promote our salvation. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment