Saint Ternat

In the absence of a panegyrist, the wor ks of Saint saint Ternat Archbishop of Besançon in the 7th century, builder and participant in the Synod of Marly. Ternat will speak for him. The ci ty of Be Besançon Episcopal see restored by Saint Nicet. sançon was already rich in religious monuments; he enriched it further with a new church, which he had built on the grounds of Chamars, under the title of Saint Marcellinus, priest, and Saint Peter, exorcist. This church, erected as a parish, was placed under the dependency of the Cathedral of Saint John the Evangelist. Rebuilt in the 11th century by Archbishop Hugh II, consecrated then under the title of Saint Vincent, martyr, and united to a Benedictine monastery, it has become today, under the title of Notre-Dame, one of the parish churches of Besançon. The two holy martyrs Marcellinus and Peter, to whom Saint Ternat wished to dedicate it, had suffered for Jesus Christ during the persecution of Diocletian (304). Their bodies, thrown by the executioners into a cavern, were retrieved by a pious Christian woman named Lucilla, and buried honorably in the cemetery of Saint Tiburtius, one league from Rome. Pope Honori us resto Honorius Pope who received Kilian in Rome. red the tomb of these two holy martyrs; their cult became famous in Rome and soon spread throughout the Christian world.

It was during his episcopate that Saint Leodegar was imprisoned at the monastery of Luxeuil (673), and subsequently massacred by the orders of the perfidious Ebroin (678). King Theuderic III was then reigning over Burgundy. However, amidst the confusion that the detestable intrigues of Ebroin had cast upon public affairs, this weak and unfortunate king had not been able to establish his authority in a very solid manner. Several bishops had defected from his party. They were accused of infidelity, and the king had a synod convened to examine this matter, at his castle of Marly-le-Roi, near Paris (677). All the bishops of Burgundy and Neustria were summoned there, and S aint Ternat saint Ternat Archbishop of Besançon in the 7th century, builder and participant in the Synod of Marly. attended with four other metropolitans. The cause of several accused bishops was discussed there, and Cramlin, bishop of Embrun, who had obtained his see through cabal, was deposed. The acts of this assembly have reached us and bear the subscription of Saint Ternat, bishop of Besançon.

It is believed that this holy prelate died around 680. The manuscripts of the Abbey of Saint-Paul attest that he was buried in the church of that monastery. The oldest diptychs of the Church of Besançon give him the title of Saint.

Gervais had learned from domestic examples how to defend the truth with talent and to practice virtue with great austerity. He was the brother of Saint Ternat, who conferred holy orders upon him and associated him early on with the administration of the Church of Besançon. But Saint Gervais had more attraction for the exercises of piety than for the works of zeal. Leaving the government of his vast diocese to the archbishop, he undertook devotional travels and spent part of his time visiting the tombs of holy persons, the places that witnessed their miracles, or the churches raised in their honor. Despite the aversion he thus showed for public affairs, he could not escape the honors to which Providence had destined him. After the death of his brother, the clergy and the people of Besançon set their eyes on him to make him their chief pastor. However reassuring this testimony was, Gervais did not fail to offer long resistance to such unanimous wishes. He asked as a favor to be able to keep until the end the modest habits he had acquired, which seemed to him incompatible with the cares of the episcopate. His desires were not granted. Obliged to yield, he finally ascended the see of Besançon around the year 680 and occupied it for about five years. The purity of his morals, which was truly angelic, earned him universal esteem. The chronicles also praise his attachment to the faith and the precautions he took to protect his flock from errors and novelties. His death occurred around 685. He wished to rest near his brother in the Church of Saint-Paul, which had become singularly dear to the bishops of Besançon in memory of Saint Donat, its founder. We have not preserved any relics of Saint Gervais, but all the monuments of the history of Franche-Comté agree in giving him the quality of saint. This honor, which the admiration of men bestowed upon him because of the public virtues he had practiced, was but a pale image of the heavenly joys with which God filled him in reward for the works and virtues, a thousand times more meritorious still, that he had known in secret.

The death of Herve having left the see of Besancon vacan t, Ged Gédéon Archbishop of Besançon during the Carolingian period. eon was elected to replace him (790). He was, like his predecessors, of high birth, and the modesty of his manners, far from making one forget his nobility, only enhanced its merit. In the beginnings of his episcopate, he had a dispute with Saint Ribert, abbot of Saint-Claude, regarding the monastery of Lauconne, where the body of Saint Lupicin rested. Equally jealous to possess a place sanctified by the presence and miracles of a great servant of God, the two prelates each made their claims, and submitted the decision of this affair to Charlemagne Charlemagne Emperor of the Franks and uncle of Saint Folquin. . Saint Gedeon first obtained a favorable ruling, but the abbot of Saint-Claude renewed his claims, and the king, to judge the dispute with more maturity, sent to the site Dodon, his natural son, who was abbot of Luxeuil, and Count Adelard, one of the lords of his court. The commissioners ruled in favor of Saint Ribert, and Charlemagne issued a charter dated from Reims to end this dispute.

Saint Gedeon had to repair countless evils during the course of his episcopate. In 778, fire broke out at a convent of nuns established near the church of Saint-Madeleine, spread rapidly throughout the extent of the city, and extended its ravages as far as the cathedral of Saint-Jean. The wars undertaken by Charlemagne, in Germany and Italy, further contributed to depopulating the two Burgundies. To top it all off, a terrible famine caused the inhabitants of Besançon to fall into the greatest poverty; the revenues of the churches of Saint-Jean, Saint-Pierre, and Saint-Paul could no longer suffice for the maintenance of a few priests. Finally, the archbishop himself was reduced to alms. The effect of these great calamities was still being felt under the episcopate of Saint Gedeon. This prelate generously provided for the needs of his people, repaired the ruined buildings, increased the number of priests, and restored all its splendor to divine worship. The conquests of Charlemagne had served to restore peace; his benefactions contributed to making the misfortunes of war forgotten. No one was more favorable than this great emperor to the authority of the bishops. In addition to the Sequania, which he administered directly, Saint Gedeon also extended, in his capacity as metropolitan, his jurisdiction over Upper Alsace and part of Burgundy. But the legends teach us that he governed even more by the authority of his virtues than by that of his see. A great gentleness was the distinctive trait of his character. It was this virtue above all that, after having earned him the affection of his flock during his life, earned him after his death to be numbered among the saints. It is thought that he died around 797, after seven years of episcopate. Although the Church has not awarded him the honors of a public cult, he nonetheless appears under the title of saint in the ecclesiastical annals of the church of Besançon. Excerpt from the Life of the Saints of Franche-Comté.