Saint Grimonie

When she was of marriageable age, her father wished to unite her with one of the most noble and wealthiest gentlemen of the land, and he was already making preparations for the ceremony when it was announced to him that the young girl was no longer in her apartment and that she had undoubtedly fled. After much searching, she was found kneeling in a solitary place and was brought back to her father's house. "Why did you flee?" her irritated father asked her. "It is because I have chosen another spouse, Jesus Christ my Savior and my God; I love Him with all my heart and I wish to remain faithful to Him until death." At these words, the father flew into a rage and ordered that she be locked in a dark prison, to atone for the insult she had caused to him, to her suitor, and to his gods.

This prison was for the young virgin like a temple where she spent her days in prayer, fully prepared to suffer all kinds of torments to bear witness to her God of her fidelity. It was in vain that her mother came to beg her to obey the will of her father. The Lord was not to forsake this faithful spouse; he sent one of his angels to deliver her: "Rise, Grimonie," the angel said to her, "the doors of your dungeon are open, leave as quickly as possible and head toward the sea." The virgin indeed fled, under the guidance and protection of God; she found a ship ready to set sail, she boarded it, and the vessel departed. During the crossing, a furious storm arose, and shipwreck was thought inevitable, when Grimonie threw herself to her knees; then, raising her eyes and arms toward heaven, she beseeched the Lord to have pity on the entire crew. Her prayer was answered, the waves calmed, and the vessel was able to land the young virgin in Belgic Gaul, where the Emperor Valentinian protected the Catholics. All of Grimonie's desire was to spend the rest of her days in solitude, and to renounce all commerce with men. With this intention, she went deep into the forests of the Thiérache (Therascia) to a place named Dorumum (this is today the town of La Capelle). There, all her days and a part of her nights were shared between prayer, piou s meditati La Capelle Site of the martyrdom and initial center of the cult. ons, and the exercises of penance. Roots and wild fruits were her only food. The clear water of a stream sufficed to quench her thirst. God took pleasure in filling her with all kinds of spiritual consolations. The contemplation of the works of creation caused her frequent raptures and made her appreciate all the more the happiness of being removed from the dangers of her father's house.

However, Grimonie's parents had not remained at rest after her flight. They had sent soldiers in search of her, with orders to bring her back alive or dead. Their searches were long without result. They finally learned that a wandering young girl had taken advantage of a ship's departure to reach the continent; they embarked immediately, and through much traveling and inquiry, they learned that a young foreigner who had recently arrived was already in great reputation for virtue, and that she was living alone in the middle of the nearby forest.

The soldiers scoured the forest and suddenly found themselves before the one they were seeking. The sight of them did not frighten Grimonie, but she suspected their design. They made every effort to persuade her to accompany them and return to their country where splendid nuptials awaited her. Grimonie did not let herself be dazzled by their promises; she spoke to them of the happiness she enjoyed in this solitude, while serving Our Lord Jesus Christ, the divine Spouse of her heart; finally, she protested with firmness that nothing in the world could tear her from these places. The barbarians, seeing that their efforts were useless and that Grimonie would never consent to renounce Jesus Christ to worship their gods, threw themselves upon her and cut off her head. After hiding the Saint's body under a mound of earth, they took the road back to Hibernia. It is thought that this martyrdom coincides with the early years of the 4th century.

## CULT AND RELICS. The precise location where the body of Saint Grimonie rested remained unknown for a long time. Here is how the constant tradition of the region reports the discovery of this precious treasure. A mysterious light appeared from time to time in a certain place in the forest. One day, when it appeared even brighter than usual, the inhabitants gathered and dug the earth at the very spot from which the light emanated, and they found a perfectly preserved body; they did not doubt that it was that of the martyred virgin of whom their fathers had spoken to them. Miracles occurred, and the sick recovered their health by praying before these precious relics. The gratitude of the people led them to build a small chapel over her tomb. Soon, people flocked there from all sides to implore the assistance of Saint Grimonie. Houses rose up around this sanctuary; and, as the number of pilgrims continued to increase, the village of La Capelle was formed, which was later erected into a town by King Francis I. A beautiful chur ch soon repl François Ier King of France mentioned during the vision of Pavia. aced the primitive oratory, and the relics of the Saint were deposited there with honor.

During one of the wars of which the Thiérache was the theater, La Capelle was delivered to the flames. Some inhabitants were more eager to save the relics of their patroness than to protect their own houses; they ran immediately to the church, quickly removed the reliquary of Saint Grimonie, and transported it to a village located four leagues away, called Lesquielles, where relics of Saint Preuve were already kept. Lesquielles wa s then an imp sainte Preuve Saint whose relics are often associated with those of Grimonie. ortant post and had a fortified castle. Its church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, was served by twelve priests. (The anniversary of this translation is still celebrated today in Lesquielles with the greatest solemnity and amidst a large gathering of pious pilgrims.)

Incessant wars between the lords of these regions forced the inhabitants to hide their precious treasure in the earth. It remained there for a long time, until it pleased the divine Goodness to awaken the faith and confidence of the faithful through numerous miracles performed by the invocation of Saint Grimonie and Saint Preuve. Anselme de Magny, who occupied the episcopal see of Anselme de Magny Bishop of Lyon who carried out the elevation of the relics in 1231. Lyon from 1215 to 1238, wished to verify for himself what was happening in Lesquielles; he traveled there on September 7, 1231, raised the bodies of the two Saints from the earth, verified them in the presence of witnesses, and exposed them to the veneration of the faithful. The original of Anselme's report is still possessed, and among the signatures is that of a man named Jean Lequeux, one of the local aldermen.

A new recognition and exposition of the relics took place on Whit Tuesday of the year 1389 by Philippe de Grumelly, dean of the Christendom of Guise and parish priest of Lesquielles. In 1535, the relics of Saint Grimonie and Saint Preuve were, with the authorization of the Bishop of Laon, Louis Bourbon de Vendôme, placed in new reliquaries by Pierre Albain, abbot of the monastery of Bohéries.

During the war of Francis I with the imperial forces, the priory of Lesquielles was delivered to the flames by the Count of Nassau and Adrien de Croï, Count of Rieux and governor of Flanders and Artois.

The latter seized the relics of Saint Grimonie and Saint Preuve, had them verified by Baudouin de Mol, abbot of Bohéries, and presented them, in 1540, to the regular canons of Saint Augustine of the abbey of Notre-Dame de Hénin-Liétard, in the diocese of Arras. The Hénin-Liétard Place where the relics were transferred in 1540. y remained there wrapped separately and sealed in pieces of silk until 1638, the time when Robert de Mallobranche, abbot of the monastery, had them recognized and found all the old reports that attested to their authenticity. In 1639, he deposited the sacred bones in four reliquaries. In 1748, the abbot of Hénin-Liétard, named Desjardins, opened the reliquaries, with the authorization of Mgr Baglion de la Salle, Bishop of Arras, and removed a bone of Saint Grimonie and another bone of Saint Preuve, placing them in two sealed and stamped boxes to be presented to the Bishop of Laon, who had them returned to the church of Lesquielles. Their recognition was made by episcopal authority in 1749. At the beginning of the French Revolution, pious and intelligent people, foreseeing the profanation to Révolution française Period during which the saint's relics were hidden and lost. which these holy relics could be subjected, secretly removed the reports and the sacred bones from the reliquary, after having substituted common bones. When, in 1795, the free exercise of all cults had been proclaimed by the republican government, the inhabitants of Lesquielles had two reliquaries built, and on April 30 of the same year, the true relics of Saint Grimonie and Saint Preuve were deposited therein. On April 24, 1803, Mgr Leblanc de Beaulieu verified them and recognized their authenticity. It is reported that several healings have recently been obtained through the invocation of these holy virgin martyrs. Three solemn feasts are celebrated each year in Lesquielles: April 20, the anniversary of the martyrdom; Whit Tuesday, the day of the translation of her relics from La Capelle to Lesquielles; the third, September 7, in memory of the elevation of her body by Bishop Anselme. The portion of the relics of the two Saints that had remained in 1748 in the possession of the abbey of Hénin-Liétard was also saved from profanation at the time of the French Revolution; since the restoration of the cult, they have rested in two beautiful reliquaries placed under the high altar of the parish church of Hénin-Liétard (Pas-de-Calais).

In the distribution of the bones of Saint Grimonie and Saint Preuve, which was carried out in 1748 by the Rev. Fr. Desjardins, abbot of the monastery of Hénin-Liétard, he offered a portion to the Bishop of Arras, who was at the same time commendatory abbot of the Abbey of Saint-Vincent of Laon. At the insistence of the religious, the prelate consented to present them with a tibia of Saint Preuve and a fibula of Saint Grimonie. In 1755, the monks in their turn consented to part with a portion of this fibula in favor of La Capelle. The portion of the fibula of Saint Grimonie that the monks of Saint-Vincent had kept belongs today to Saint-Martin of Laon. This relic is wrapped in a double parchment which is none other than the authentic document given by Mgr de Rochechouart, Bishop of Laon from 1741 to 1777. The document is dated 1750. The other portion of the fibula, given in 1755 to La Capelle, was saved from revolutionary profanation in 1793, then recognized and verified in 1804 by Mr. Roger, parish priest and dean of La Capelle, and subsequently by Mgr Leblanc de Beaulieu. The pilgrimage of La Capelle was quite frequented. Saint Grimonie is invoked for eyesight. The Saint's fountain still exists, and the chapel that partially covers it was built in 1854.

We owe this notice to the kindness of Mr. Henri Congnet, of the chapter of Soissons, who drew it from the *Bollandists*, the *Breviary of Laon* (1748), the *History of the Diocese of Laon* (1768), the *History of Guise* by Abbot Pécheux, the *History of the Saint* by Abbot Lescot, and *Authentic minutes made at various periods*.

LIVES OF THE SAINTS. — VOLUME X. 55