ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MARCH
Saints celebrated on the 1st of March
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SAINT LEO, ARCHBISHOP OF ROUEN, MARTYR
Saint Leo (March 1), Archbishop of Rouen (Rotomagus) and martyr, is discussed by the Bollandists* under March 1 (I, 89-97), along with his two brothers - the holy martyr Gervasius and the holy confessor Philippus (referred to as Eleutherius by Butler*, III, 329) - and is identified as the Apostle of Bayonne (Baionensium). He was born in the year 856 to noble, pious parents in Carentan (Carentanum), in the Diocese of Coutances (Constantia) in Lower Normandy. His father’s name is unknown; his mother was named Alicia, and it is said that she gave birth to him without any pain. Like Saint Nicholas, he practiced fasting from his very childhood; his self-denial made him an admirable example, to such an extent that King Louis the German heard of him, summoned the twelve-year-old boy to his presence, and sent him to Paris for further education - where, at the age of twenty-three, he completed his studies with the most distinguished success. Before long, his reputation for learning and piety spread far and wide, leading a pope - erroneously identified as Gregory - to summon him to Rome. There, on account of his exceptional qualities, he was raised to the position of Archbishop of Rouen, while also being requested to travel to Spain to preach the faith. According to another source, he was moved by a holy zeal for souls to write to the pope, seeking permission to proclaim the Gospel in distant lands. On the day his letter arrived, news also came that he had been unanimously elected Archbishop of Rouen by the clergy and the people; yet, in his humility, he had declined this election. The Pope, however, confirmed the appointment, while simultaneously granting his request to embark on a journey as a missionary of the faith. Having appointed John Pahen and Gaufridus as his deputies, he set out on this apostolic mission on foot, accompanied by his brothers Philippus and Gervasius. They first reached the Landes region - situated between Bordeaux and Bayonne - where, at an estate called Bahoneyre, he converted a man named Argarus and baptized him along with his entire family.
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From there, they travelled by water to Bayonne, only to find the city gates locked due to the hostile activities of the Basques (Vasculi). Consequently, they took refuge on a small hill near the city, where they spent the night in prayer; although discovered there by Basque brigands, they were left completely unharmed. The following morning, the townspeople brought them into the city, where Saint Leo preached in an open square, converting pagans. The next day, however, while he was preaching, he was set upon by pirates and forced to offer sacrifice before an image of the god Mars in the temple dedicated to him. Saint Leo raised his eyes to heaven and breathed upon the bronze statue, which immediately fell to the ground and shattered. Moved by this miracle, his adversaries came to believe in Jesus Christ; not only did all the pagan priests - along with many others of both sexes, totaling 143 people - receive baptism, but they themselves also destroyed the temple and built a church in honour of the Most Blessed Virgin on the very same site. Having sufficiently instructed the people of Bayonne in the faith, the saint set out towards the pagan lands of Spain (around the year 900), where he converted many more, returning to Bayonne about two years later. On his return journey, while he was preaching by the river Nive (Nivus), he was attacked by the very pirates whose criminal trade he had previously brought to an end. They first killed his brother Gervasius before his eyes, while his other brother, Philip, managed to escape and eventually died as a confessor at Leodosia - a place unknown even to the Bollandists*. Then they rushed upon him and struck off his head, after he had first prayed for his enemies and for the city of Bayonne.
This took place on March 1, around the year 900. At the site of his execution, a spring immediately gushed forth, and it is said that his body remained standing upright for about an hour, as if he were still alive. Then, guided by an angel, he is said to have carried his own head to the place where he was subsequently laid to rest - a site where, through his intercession, many miracles occurred.
Later, a church was built for him there; after it was destroyed in 1557, his relics were moved to the Cathedral of Bayonne, where he is venerated as the patron saint of the diocese. On the night following his death, he appeared to his deputies in Rouen; upon learning of his passing, they travelled to Bayonne, gathered information, and brought the news back to their fellow citizens in Rouen, who expressed great sorrow over the death of their shepherd. According to the Bollandists*, he was canonized by Pope Gregory IX, and his feast day is also celebrated in Rouen. While Butler* suggests that he was not actually the Archbishop of Rouen - but rather a priest, or at most a missionary bishop (episcopus regionarius) - this contradicts the Bollandists*, who explicitly identify him as the Archbishop of Rouen and demonstrate that he occupied the archiepiscopal see between John I and Vito. Zedler* lists him as the 38th Bishop of Rouen. We have not found his name in the Roman Martyrology*. (I. 89-97).
Stadler's Complete Encyclopedia of Saints - Sources and Abbreviations
PRAYER:
Grant, we beseech you, almighty God, that the venerable feast of Saint Leonard 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.
Sources of these articles (in the original German): books.google.co.uk, de-academic.com, zeno.org, openlibrary.org
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