Saint Andochius

The holy apostles A ndochiu Andoche Priest and missionary from the East, martyr at Saulieu. s an d Thyr Thyrse Deacon and missionary companion of Saint Andochius. sus therefore headed toward ancient Alise (Alesia) and announced Jesus Christ in various parts of the Aeduan territory, such as Saulieu (Sedelocus) and Dijon (Divio). While the Church founded by the holy missionaries grew in peace, adorned with all the virtues that embellished the first ages of the faith, suddenly the days of pious calm were succeeded by a struggle unto blood. Marcus Aurelius, a zealous pagan, a polytheistic philosopher, at once superstitious and rationalist, regarding it as a public duty to strengthen the old Roman religion in the conscience of the peoples, had just rekindled the dormant ardor of the persecutions, and this time the sword penetrated to the heart of Gaul. The two messengers of the Gospel continued to preach the divine word in the country with the zeal of an apostle and the courage of a hero. They had taken up lodging in a house belonging to Faustus of Autun, located at Beaulieu on the main road, and made it the center of their evangelical operations. God blessed the labors of His ministers and rewarded their efforts with the greatest successes. After such consolation, He could not give them a greater one, save for the eternal reward. Felix, a wealthy merchant originall y fro Félix Priest from Burgundy who became the apostle of East Anglia and Bishop of Dunwich. m the East, to whom Faustus had recommended them, admirably supported their preaching through his piety and above all through his inexhaustible charity; for he spent all the proceeds of his trade on daily alms. This excellent man even wished, as soon as the persecution became more threatening, to receive the two Apostles into his home. It was to associate himself with their dangers: God rewarded him by associating him with their triumph.

Emperor Marcus Aurelius, amidst the grave concerns of government and war, continued to pursue Christians everywhere, but especially the preachers of the Gospel. The presence of the holy apostles in Beaulieu, well known in the region, and the house they inhabited were brought to the attention of the provincial governor by public report. Immediately, to better secure this new prey he coveted, one of his men entered the home of Felix by his order and found Andochius with Thyrsus preaching the word of God. He returned in great haste and announced that the house contained precisely the Christians who were being sought. "Bring them here at once," said the governor. Felix refused to hand over his guests, and it was necessary to break down the door. When the satellites appeared: "I do not wish," the generous Christian cried out vividly, addressing Andochius, "for my fate to be separated from yours. Obtain from God that He may deign to let me share with you the crown of martyrdom. Ah! May it be granted to me to follow you unto death, unto heaven!"

The Saints, after having offered a fervent prayer, presented themselves intrepidly to the soldiers who immediately bound their hands and led them thus before the governor who said to them: "What is your country, what are your names, and what is the God you worship?" — "We come from the regions of the East," replied Andochius. "We w orship Andoche Priest and missionary from the East, martyr at Saulieu. Jesus Christ, creator of heaven and earth. My name is Andochius. My two brothers here are named Thyrsus and Felix." — "And is it to annihilate our power and that of our gods that you have made such a long journey?" — "We have come at the call of Jesus Christ, whose holy word we proclaim to the people." — "Have you not learned in your country or in this one that the edicts of the emperors condemn anyone who refuses to worship the gods to various tortures and to death?" — "Yes; but we also know that it is not permitted to renounce the worship of the only true God, creator of heaven and earth, to worship stones and wood, deaf and dumb idols." — "What! You dare to call the invincible Jupiter, Mercury, and Saturn deaf and dumb idols!" — "But they are only vain simulacra that can neither see, nor walk, nor feel." — "Sacrifice to our gods," resumed the tyrant, changing his tone, "and you will be filled with riches and honors. Why foolishly persist in dying for this Christ who was crucified by men?"

At this proposal, all three cried out together: "May your gifts perish with you, since you thought that one could sell his God for money, or for a little smoke!" — "As for us," continued Andochius, "we are ready to die rather than betray Jesus Christ and renounce the magnificent rewards that he reserves for us in his celestial kingdom, where the just, plunged into the ocean of eternal light and brighter than the sun, will enjoy in a life without end an unspeakable happiness. While those who worship your alleged divinities will be cast into those thick darknesses, into that inextinguishable fire created for the demons; a place of horror where there is only eternal weeping and gnashing of teeth; where the eye avid for light will seek in vain for a single ray. Ah! believe yourself in Jesus Christ, if you wish to escape this frightful misfortune." It is thus that the holy martyr preached the faith and fulfilled his ministry as an apostle in the very face of the tyrant, in the face of death. The latter then delivered them to the executioners, saying: "If this very day these Christians do not sacrifice to the gods, let them be made to endure all kinds of tortures." The order was executed on the spot. They were suspended by their hands from a tree and heavy stones were attached to their feet. During this torture, which lasted an entire day, the blessed martyrs did not cease to sing psalms, often repeating these words: "O God, come to our aid! Lord, make haste to help us!" Their prayers were answered. God granted them a double miracle, that of perseverance in the midst of such a long and horrible torture, and that of a sudden healing. Although they should have had their limbs broken and dislocated, yet, when they were untied, they did not bear the slightest trace of their sufferings. As healthy, but at the same time as intrepid as before, they were all ready for a new torture.

The next day, the cruel tyrant ordered them to be brought before him again and said to them: "Well! Has this torture, which your revolt against my will has earned you, not decided you to sacrifice to the gods?" — "Wretched man," they replied, "do you not see that your threats and your tortures are our joy? And besides, look: where are the marks of the torments you have inflicted upon us? Do you not recognize the protection of that same Jesus Christ whom you blaspheme?" The governor, seeing the uselessness of this first torture, had a pyre lit and said: "Sacrifice to the gods, or you will be thrown feet and hands bound into the midst of the flames." At these words, the three generous soldiers of Jesus Christ had but one voice to cry out as they advanced toward the pyre: "We are quite ready. Here are our bodies; they are for a moment in your power: do everything that the malice of the demon will suggest to you. You may strike them, kill them, roast them, and eat them if you wish; but our soul is beyond your reach; you will never prevent us from confessing Jesus Christ. Moreover, he too will have his day." The furious tyrant wanted to exhaust all kinds of tortures to tear from the hearts of his victims an apostasy that they refused with such heroic constancy. He therefore had them thrown, as he had said, feet and hands bound, into the burning pyre. But the fire respected them and consumed only their bonds. So that, more and more strengthened in faith and charity by this new miracle, they sang with the accent of gratitude these words of the Psalmist: "O God, you have tested us by fire like silver; you have made us pass through the flames, and we have found refreshment there." Suddenly, indeed, the clouds had been torn by lightning with a terrible crash, and an unexpected and so abundant rain had fallen upon the pyre that no one could have believed that there had been, a few moments before, an immense blaze. The martyrs, thus miraculously delivered, presented themselves before the governor with renewed courage and said to him: "Do you recognize us? Seeing us a second time emerge intact from the midst of tortures, appearing in your presence full of life and health, will you not finally confess the power of Jesus Christ? Ah! there is still time: believe in him, and you will not have to fear the day of his vengeance; for his justice is slow to punish, and his mercy is even prompter to forgive our faults than our malice is to commit them."

The governor persisted in his blindness: "What!" he replied, "our gods have just saved your life, and you say it is your Christ who came to your aid!" — "In truth," replied Andochius with the tone of profound pity, "you must have a heart of stone not to believe, at the sight of these wonders, in the almighty God whom we adore." Then the impious tyrant, listening only to his spite and cruelty, ordered that they be dealt with. They were beaten to death on September 24, around the year 178 or 179. All three received at the same time the blow that men call mortal, but which in reality allows the soul to take flight toward heaven; together also they entered the eternal city and went to receive the crown that never withers. In the eyes of men they appeared to succumb; and yet their persecutors, victorious in appearance for a moment, were to be defeated, and their cause to triumph.

They are represented: 1° Being beaten to death with clubs; 2° appearing side by side in a group, with an axe, as if they had simply suffered beheading.

[APPENDIX: CULT AND RELICS.] The bodies of the holy Martyrs were taken and buried through the care of the senator Faustus and his son Symphorian. God was pleased, through numerous miracles, to glorify their tomb and to honor on earth the memory of His worthy ministers. The people immediately began and never ceased to surround the relics of their fathers in the faith with veneration and filial confidence. Their precious bones were preserved in a crypt or underground chapel called Croétine, where the first Christians gathered clandestinely. As soon as circumstances permitted, there was haste to raise a basilica over the tomb that contained their sacred remains. This church was already famous by the end of the 4th century. This sanctuary was visited by Saint Amateur, Bishop of Autun, by Saint Clotilde, by King Guntram, and by Saint Columbanus. To the basilica of Saint-Andoche was joined a monastery which was enriched, from the 8th century, by Abbot Widrad or Waré, founder of that of Flavigny. In 843, Charles the Bald placed it under the dependence of the church of Saint-Nazaire of Autun. In the 9th century, the relics of our holy Martyrs were in great veneration, not only in the diocese of Autun, but throughout France, as seen by the letter of Saint Amulon, Bishop of Lyon, to Theobald, Bishop of Langres. In the 12th century (1119), Guy, Archbishop of Vienne, who had just been raised to the seat of Saint Peter under the name of Callixtus II, traveled on December 21 from Autun to Saulieu Callixte II Pope before whom Hugh and Norbert appear in Reims. . There, escorted by several cardinals and archbishops and the bishops of Autun, Langres, Auxerre, and Nevers, he presided over the ceremony of the solemn exaltation of the relics of the holy Martyrs Andoche, Thyrsus, and Felix, which were carried from the crypt, where they had rested for nine hundred years, into the upper church. Every year, in Saulieu, on the eve of Saint Thomas, the indulgences were announced, by the concession of which the sovereign Pontiff had concluded this translation. Shortly after, the religious of Saint-Mansuet, moved by a sentiment of piety toward the holy Apostles of Autun, wished to establish a confraternity between them and the abbey of Saint-Andoche of Saulieu. At the end of the 13th century, the abbatial mass was annexed to the bishopric and the abbey transformed into a collegiate church of secular canons. In the 15th century, Ferry de Grancey, Bishop of Autun, also wished to pay his tribute of veneration to Saint Andoche by building a chapel in this same church of Saulieu. In the 14th century (1349), the English, victors at Poitiers, spread like a torrent over France and sowed devastation and pillage everywhere. The town of Saulieu was sacked and partly burned; the collegiate church was no better respected and soon offered only smoking ruins. But a few years later, the holy edifice, raised from its ruins, could be returned to worship. Toward the beginning of the 15th century (1404), a confraternity under the name of Saint Andoche was established in Saulieu. In the 18th century, the cult of Saint Andoche received new splendor; but beforehand let us note that the head of the Martyr had been set apart in a silver bust enriched with precious stones and admirably well-crafted. This magnificent reliquary, placed at the back of the choir in a large arch that was opened on the principal feasts of the year to satisfy the devotion of the faithful, was supported by eight angels of the same metal and rested on a gilded copper pedestal, where one could see represented in bas-relief, on twenty-two silver plates, the history of the holy Apostles, that is to say their mission, their preaching, their martyrdom, and the exaltation of their relics. The rest of the precious bones were placed in an oak wood casket, closed exactly by three iron hoops and deposited in a kind of tomb supported by four copper pillars, behind the high altar. It was only opened in the middle of the 18th century by Mgr d'Attichy, Bishop of Autun, and a little later by Mgr de Roquette, who, he too, rendered signal honors to the relics of the apostles of his diocese and gave their cult a new impulse. He had a magnificent cedar wood shrine made at his own expense, intended to replace the old oak ossuary, and performed the solemn translation of the relics on September 24, 1675, with extraordinary pomp, in the midst of an immense gathering of priests and faithful. He placed the bodies of the three Martyrs separately in this shrine, which had three distinct compartments. The new shrine, supported by copper columns, remained exposed in the choir of the church for public veneration. The official report drawn up then was recognized and renewed in 1753 by Mgr de Montazet, Bishop of Autun. This prelate, not having found, it seems, all the desirable proofs of the authenticity of the relics enclosed in the bust, forbade their exposure. But in 1757, at the prayer of the canons and the inhabitants of Saulieu, he had some of the relics that were in the cedar chest placed there and permitted the exposure of the reliquary. The church of Saulieu still preserves a part of the precious treasure that it has possessed for seventeen centuries. A tibia had been given in 1638 to the Princess of Condé.

The basilica raised from the beginning over the tomb of Andochius and still bearing his name, despite the vicissitudes and transformations it has undergone through so many ages and diverse events, is a true witness that speaks to us even today of the apostle of Autun. Nothing remains of the monastery, except for a fragment of the cloister, which appears to be older than the current church and which must have led to it after the secularization of the monks. The church is well preserved; it is classified as a historical monument and offers great interest, especially in its capitals. There still exist crypts where the tombs of the three martyrs were located. That of Saint Andochius was found and restored by M. Lallemand, dean-pastor of Saulieu.

The revolution of '93 confiscated and destroyed the beautiful reliquaries of our holy Martyrs, and a portion of the relics, deposited in the cemetery of the church of Saint-Nicolas, disappeared in their turn. The other portion, that is to say the head of Saint Andochius and a tibia of Saint Symphorian, were handed over to the Abbé Gareau, pastor of Saulieu, who was still in his parish at that time. Besides these two distinguished relics, a small reliquary, containing a vertebra of Saint Andochius, two molar teeth with three bones, were saved by the sacristan of that time, along with the authentic documents. On September 27, 1868, these sacred remains were transferred into two reliquaries of very fine workmanship, and then exposed to the veneration of an immense crowd of pious faithful who had flocked to attend this ceremony, which was splendid and touching.

Saulieu is not the only city that possesses a monument decorated with the name of Andochius. From the end of the 6th century, Saint Syagrius founded in Autun, near an ancient temple of Minerva, a monastery-hospice which was placed under his patronage. This house later became a convent for women which subsisted until the Revolution. Towards the middle of the 9th century, Jonas, Bishop of Autun, transferred there a notable portion of the relics of the martyr who had held Symphorian at the first baptistery of Autun. From Saulieu, the cult of Saint Andochius spread into the Beaunois and the Dijonnais, where several churches were placed under the invocation of the apostle Martyrs who had brought the benefit of the Gospel to these regions. We shall cite those of Bosjan, Vignolies-sous-Beaune, Diancey, Molfey, Noidan, and Echevronne.

Saint Felix, who had given hospitality to Saint Andochius and Saint Thyrsus, was not forgotten either by the piety of the people. A chapel raised in a suburb of Saulieu recalled his name and his memory. The church of Saulieu still possesses one of his relics enclosed in a bust.

Excerpt from Saint Symphorien et son culte, by the Abbé Dinat; and from Notes provided by M. Lallemand, former dean-pastor of Saulieu, and by M. Thobot, pastor of Saulieu. — Cf. Saint Andoche, son culte et translation de ses reliques, excerpt from the Chronique religieuse de Dijon, by the Abbé F. Merin, pastor of Fontaine-lès-Dijon. Dijon, 1868.