Saint Exuperius of Arreau

An inventory of the treasury of Saint-Saturnin, made in 1849, mentions the following objects: a coffin covered in silver and adorned with figures containing the body of Saint Exupère; the stone of his pastoral ring set into the base of a small silver reliquary; a large silver arm, containing the arm of Saint Exupère, surrounded by precious stones and wearing a gold ring on the finger; two mitres; a chalice containing fragments of the glass chalice of Saint Exupère.

Saint Exupère being, according to tradition , the son of a fa fils de laboureur Bishop of Toulouse, of humble origin, patron saint of farmers. rmer and having himself worked in agriculture, it is for the preservation of the fruits of the earth that his intercession is more especially implored. A great number of people, even in distant regions, place their harvests under his protection, and their confidence has never been shaken. From all the surrounding countries, masses are said in the church dedicated to hi m in A Arreau Presumed place of origin and important center of devotion. rreau for the preservation of the fruits of the earth and especially to preserve them from hail. The confidence of the people in this regard was even widespread in Aragon Aragon Region of Spain where devotion to the saint was widespread. , and, until 1793, the beautiful lamp that decorates his church was fueled with oil by the piety of the Spaniards. This custom has ceased since that time. The population of Arreau still venerates the memory of the Saint with the same fervor and maintains a very great confidence in his protection; they invoke him in times of peril, in public or private calamities, and especially against the scourges that destroy harvests.

Two feasts of Saint Exuperius are celebrated: one on September 28, the day of his death; the other on June 14, the day of his translation from Blagnac to Saint-Saturnin. Some hagiographers indicate one on April 8 without it being known what circumstance this day commemorates. In the diocese of Tarbes, which today includes Arreau, October 22 has been adopted. The office there is from the common of confessors and bishops, and the collect is that of the new missal of Comminges. The church of Auch honors his memory on October 3.

The oratory of Blagnac, erected on the site where his tomb was located, preserves a phalanx of his hand and a part of his occiput among its relics. A confraternity is established there under his invocation, and litanies special to him are sung there.

The p arish ch Toulouse Episcopal see of Erembert. urch of Saint-Exupère in Toulouse also possesses some of his relics and a procession in his honor. Toulouse formerly had a college under the invocation of Saint Exuperius; it was suppressed along with several others in 1554 and united with that of the Jesuits.

The body of our Saint is taken out o basilique de Saint-Saturnin Site housing the saint's relics in Toulouse. nce a year from the basilica of Saint-Saturnin along with all those possessed by this church, which is so rich in distinguished relics. This solemn procession takes place on the day of Pentecost. Formerly, each holy body was carried by the various trade guilds. O n October 28, 1644, on the occ saint Edmond, roi d'Angleterre King of the East Angles and 9th-century English martyr. asion of the elevation of the body of Saint Edmund, King of England, and five other Martyrs, a general procession of the Holy bodies took place; that of Saint Exuperius was carried by twelve pastry chefs, and the head by four Capuchins, two stonemasons, two furriers, and four potters carrying lit torches. Likewise, on November 19, 1653, in another procession that took place in thanksgiving for the cessation of a terrible plague that had, the previous year, devastated Toulouse and its surroundings, his head was carried by the Capuchins and his body by the doublet makers.

In Blagna Blagnac Site of the first burial and a miraculous fountain. c, there is still a fountain to which the people attribute the power to cure fever; it bears the name of the Fountain of Saint Exupère. This Saint had undoubtedly sanctified it by his presence and his use, just as Saint Bertrand did for the one at L'Isle-en-Jourdain, Saint Genevieve for the one at Juilly, and several others. Sometimes a simple niche containing his statue appears by the side of the road and recalls his memory to the passerby who wishes to preserve this testimony of the veneration of their forefathers. One can see them in several points of the Comminges region, in Arreau, in Cassagne, etc.

The church of Arreau, dedicated to Saint Exupère, possesses an art object containing a significant relic of the Saint: it is an arm-shaped monstrance that appears to date from the 16th century. The hand is raised and forms the gesture of episcopal blessing. Around the wrist, one can see the edge of the alb and, a little lower, the sleeve of the dalmatic. It rests on a pedestal. In the middle of the arm is a square opening through which the relic can be seen. The whole is made of silver, except for the border enclosing the square opening, the edge of the dalmatic sleeve, and a band above the pedestal, which are made of gold and feature a garland of flowers interspersed with precious stones. The relics contained within are fragments of the right forearm, fragments of the skull, and several other slender fragments. They were inspected on three occasions: September 28, 1647, by Mgr Gilbert de Choiseul du Plessis-Praslin, Bishop of Comminges; September 10, 1668, by Mgr Louis de Goron de Rechigne-Voisin; and finally, September 19, 1847, by Mgr Bertrand-Sévère Laurence, Bishop of Tarbes. The minutes of these three visits are enclosed within the reliquary. It is adorned with ribbons fringed at their ends, silver braids at the ends of which hang precious stones mounted on silver, crosses, and several pieces of jewelry. All these objects come from donations made to the relic by notable inhabitants of Arreau. Before the Revolution, it was also adorned with a beautiful gold cross that also contained relics of the same Saint. After the calamities of the Terror, with the churches finding themselves without sacred vessels, recourse was had to this cross, which was sold to facilitate the purchase of a chalice, and the relics were deposited in a small reliquary that has been carefully preserved. In 1793, pious individuals of the locality, Messrs. Salle, Estradère, and Soulé, fearing that the relic might become prey to the impiety of those times, hid it with care and restored it as soon as the danger had passed.

Next to the church and against the porch is a 16th-century house, as a few still remain in Arreau; it bears the name House of Sa int-Exupère, because it Maison de Saint-Exupère Presumed place of origin and important center of devotion. occupies, according to tradition, the site of the Saint's paternal home. It was rebuilt at the same time as the church, and, it is said, with the very materials of the primitive house. It has always remained communal property and has always been assigned to the public schools of the town. The door features, along with the monograms I. S. D. M. H. I. S. A. M., the date 1554. Everything—door, windows, walls, roof—is from the same period. Inside, one can see a large fireplace with marble uprights and mantel, bearing in the center a bust of a blessing bishop. The one corresponding to it on the upper floor features three empty shields and the date 1555.

The field behind this house, which extends to the apse of the church, bears the name Field of Saint-Exupère. It is the one that the Saint cultivated with his father when the deputies from Toulouse came to seek him.

To complete this biography, we have made use of the History of the Church of Toulouse, by M. the Abb é Salvan; and of M. l'abbé Salvan Author of the History of the Church of Toulouse. two Lives of the Saint, by M. E. P. and by M. Louis de Flancette, Baron d'Agus.