Saint Thierry II of Orléans

His reputation reached the court. Ki ng Robert, wh Le roi Robert King of France who ordered the reconstruction of the church of Saint-Aignan and the translation of the relics. o was pious and learned, and knew how to distinguish talent, summoned him and kept him close to benefit from his insights and counsel. This was the time when the prince undertook to repudiate Constance, his wife, Constance Queen of France, wife of Robert the Pious, benefactress of the cult. under the pretext that she was his relative.

One night, when this unfortunate queen was more overwhelmed with bitterness than usual, she saw in a dream a venerable prelate who had long hair and a beard as white as snow, and held his crosier in his hand. He looked at the queen and said to her: 'Constance, cast away all sadness, I have come to your aid. I am Savinian, one of the p relates Savinien Brother of Saint Sabina, martyr at Troyes. of this kingdom; I declare to you that, from this moment, by the grace of God, you are delivered from your distress.'

The queen awoke with a start and felt greatly consoled; she then went to ask the people who were present in her palace at that time if they knew a saint named Savinian. Thierry replied that he was the first archbishop of Sens, a martyr, whose sacred body rested at Saint-Pierre-le-Vif, in Sens, and that if she addressed herself to this saint, her prayers would undoubtedly be answered.

The queen received this advice with extraordinary joy and devotion, and immediately traveled, with her son, to the monastery of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif: there, prostrating herself before the holy relics, she implored the saint's assistance. A wonderful thing! This devout princess having continued her prayers, after three days a courier arrived from the king, bringing news in accordance with her desires. The king followed his message closely and showed more affection than ever to the queen his wife. Constance, to thank Saint Savinian, had his relics placed in beautiful silver reliquaries, and also showed herself very grateful to Saint Thierry, who was thus equally loved and esteemed by the king and the queen.

Foulque, Bishop of Orléans, having died, Thierry was elected by the soundest part of the clergy and the people to occupy this see: King Robert, who knew his learning and virtue, and who loved the city of Orléans, maintained this election with all his power (1016). But envy always follows virtue, as the shadow follows the body. Malicious men sought to exclude him and to appoint as bishop Odolri Odolric Ambitious cleric, violent rival and later repentant successor to Thierry. c, a young ecclesiastic full of ambition, who did not shrink from disorder and scandal. The intrigues turned into violent struggles where blood was shed.

A thousand calumnies were invented against Thierry, so that the Pope and the bishops, among others Fulbert o f Chartres, at firs Fulbert de Chartres Bishop of Chartres, a friend of Gilbert who was present at his deathbed. t made difficulty in recognizing him. But he justified himself in all forms. His innocence was recognized, and Lehery or Leothéric, Archbishop of Sens, assisted by Fulbert and some other bishops, consecrated him in the church of Orléans. During the ceremony, Odolric, his competitor, came with a troop of armed soldiers, entered the church and advanced toward the altar, dagger in hand, threatening to assassinate Thierry under the hand of the consecrating archbishop. But who can thwart the designs of God? Neither the consecrated bishop nor the consecrating archbishop trembled; the ceremony was not disturbed: they were content to drive out these madmen.

As soon as Thierry was placed on this episcopal seat, he shone there like a celestial torch; he took extreme care of the flock entrusted to him. To the teachings of the Holy Scripture, he added the example of his virtues. Relieving the poor, repressing the oppressors, and aiding the oppressed were his daily works. His hand never received a gift: he sought what was useful, not to himself, but to all. Odolric, always consumed by envy and ambition, did not cease to persecute him: he even attempted his life again. The Saint was one day attacked on the road by a band of assassins that this enemy had stationed to kill him: they knocked him from his horse, stretched him on the ground, struck him with spears and swords, and left him for dead, lying on the sand. But, oh wonder! He whom they believed lifeless had not received the slightest wound; only his clothes were torn. What was the terror of Odolric, who thought to feast his eyes on the blood of his victim, when he saw him rise safe and sound! Touched by this brilliant protection of the hand of God, he came to throw himself at the feet of the Saint and humbly asked his pardon for all the past. Thierry granted it to him on the spot, without any condition, and wished for him to hold the second rank among his clergy and even predicted that he would be his successor.

The rest of our Saint's life is hardly known. The Manichaean heresy having spread in his diocese around the year 1017, he employed all his care to stifle it. The sevent h council of Orléans conde septième concile d'Orléans Council that condemned the Manichaean heresy. mned these pernicious errors, and King Robert punished the obstinate heresiarchs.

King Robert, whom the history of Orléans calls the French David, for his valor and piety, seconded in war and in peace by celestial aid, loved this city and its holy bishop very much. As he was besieging the city and the castle of Avallon in Burgundy, a strong place that withstood the siege for three months, feeling the feast of Saint Aignan approaching, he came to Orléans to celebrate it at his ease, according to his ordinary devotion. While he was attending high mass, dressed in a magnificent cope and directing the choir, according to his custom, it happened that at the moment when the Agnus Dei was being sung, the walls of the besieged city collapsed. There reigned between this good king and this holy bishop a perfect understanding; never had the two powers, the pontifical and the royal, better agreed to procure the glory of God and the happiness of the people. The churches of Orléans felt by this means the effects of the liberality of these two great personages.

Saint Thierry, desirous of rendering honor to God, and of signaling his memory in the church of Sainte-Croix of Orléans, had a very beautiful chalice of pure gold made, to serve in the said church, at the sacrifice of the mass, to consecrate the blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, and King Robert, joining his devotion to that of the holy bishop, had the paten made, also of fine gold, to accompany the chalice, and to serve to consecrate the body of the Redeemer of the world, so that the sign of the holy cross might be a salutary aid to him, and that the passion of the Savior might be a perfect redemption for the soul and for the body, as says the monk Belgaud, in the life of King Robert. This prince rebuilt the church of Saint-Aignan and increased its income; he also showed himself liberal toward many other temples.

We have already mentioned that Thierry had frequent relations with Fulbert, Bishop of Chartres; this is evident from the latter's letters. In one of them, he thanks the Bishop of Orléans for the advice he gave him, and asks him to excuse the clergy of Chartres if they cannot, this year, go in procession according to their custom to the church of Orléans, because they are entirely occupied with rebuilding their own church, destroyed by fire. The church of Chartres rendered this duty of piety and gratitude to that of Orléans, in memory, no doubt, of the fact that the grace of the Gospel had come from Orléans to the people of Chartres through the preaching of the first Bishop of Orléans, Saint Altin.

God exercised Thierry's patience and purified his heart, at the end of his life, through various illnesses, the fruits of his austerities and apostolic labors. To rest both his soul and his body, the Saint retired to the monastery of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif, in Sens. In this sweet retreat, the desire came to him to make a journey to Rome to visit the sepulcher of the prince of the Apostles and the other sanctuaries of that holy city. Before his departure, one night, while in the church, he heard a voice from heaven that said to him: "Fear not, Thierry, your dwelling is prepared in heaven, where the martyr Saint Sebastian triumphs gloriously."

Now, it was the eve of the feast of Saint Sebastian. Thierry communicated this divine revelation to the monk Adalbert, a very religious man, and to some other servants of God, and told them that he believed the hour of his death was near and that if he died on his journey to Rome, before having crossed the Alps, he requested that his body be brought back to this monastery of Saint-Pierre-le-Vif, in order to be buried near his uncles Séguin, Archbishop of Sens, and Raynaud, abbot of the same monastery. After that, he set out on his way; but God converted this journey to Rome into a journey to the blessed eternity Tonnerre City of origin of a woman healed by the saint. . For, having arrived at Tonnerre, a small town in the diocese of Langres, he was struck by a severe illness that carried him from this world on January 27 of the year 1022. Preparations were made to bring his body back to Milon, seigneur de Tonnerre Lord of Tonnerre and relative of Thierry, founder of the monastery of Saint-Michel. Saint-Pierre-le-Vif, but Milon, lord of Tonnerre, who was his relative, opposed it and had him magnificently buried in the monastery of Saint-Michel, which he had just founded.

The miracles that God performed in this place, through his intercession, were so frequent that the city of Tonnerre chose him as its patron. The memory of this Saint remained very famous there. Before 1789, not only was his feast celebrated solemnly every year on January 27, but furthermore, every Tuesday of the year, outside of Advent and Lent, the canonical office was celebrated, and every day, at Lauds, at Mass, and at Vespers, a commemoration was made of him. His holy relics were kept at Tonnerre with great honor and care; the church of Orléans possesses some that were given to it in 1660.

We have mainly used, to compose the history of this life, omitted by Father Giry, the History of the Church of Orléans, by Symphorien Guyon.