Blessed John of Ghent

These events took place at the beginning of the 15th century. France was then given over to the most deplorable dissensions. The war begun in 1337 between Edward III, King of England, and Philip of Valois, King of France, had continued under their successors, amidst an uninterrupted series of crimes and misfortunes. France had reaped some glory from it, but many reverses, and the battles of Crécy (1346), Poitiers (1356), and Agincourt (1415), won by the English, had overexcited their pride and their pretensions. The madness of King Charles VI, the implacable hatreds of the Burgundians and the Armagnacs, were added to the disasters of foreign invasion, to precipitate France into the abyss and deliver it to its enemies.

But it seems that God only tested this kingdom to raise it up in an unexpected way. "Something miraculous in misfortune as in prosperity," says Chateaubriand, "mingles with the history of these times." The pious Hermit of Saint-Claude, lamenting in his retreat the calamities that weighed upon France, and the even greater evils that seemed to threaten it, felt moved by a divine inspiration to work for the restoration of peace. Every day, prostrate before the Lord, he prayed fervently for the reconciliation of the kings of France and England. One day, while he was in contemplation, he was warned by a revelation from above that God commanded him to leave his desert and go to find the two enemy kings to conjure them, in the name of heaven, to finally make peace.

Charles VII Charles VII King of France reconciled with the Duke of Burgundy. , although still Dauphin, was then the true leader of the kingdom. He had just taken the title of regent and had gathered at Poitiers the faithful remnants of the state's bodies to compose a sort of parliament. It was around this time (1419) that John of Ghent left his hermitage of Saint-Claude to go and speak to the young prince. The latter received him with kindness, and as the pious hermit exhorted him, in the name of Heaven, to procure peace for his people, Charles replied that he was more afflicted than anyone else by the evils caused by the war, and that he desired peace with all his heart. "God will bless your good will," John of Ghent told him, "and I predict to you in His name that, in a few years, He will give you a son according to your desires." This son was indeed born four years later and became King of Franc Louis XI King of France who enriched the reliquary of the Innocents in Paris. e under the name Louis XI. The blessed hermit also announced to the prince that God would grant him victory against those who were troubling the kingdom. When he had accomplished his mission of peace with the Dauphin, he headed toward Normand y, wher Henri V Holy Roman Emperor, opponent in the Investiture Controversy. e the King of England, Henry V, was pursuing the course of his conquests, so fatal to France, and was seizing the city of Rouen. Success had made him presumptuous, and when the holy man spoke to him of peace, Henry pushed him away with contempt and even had him treated indignantly. The servant of God then spoke to him with that truly apostolic freedom that is not frightened by threats, and predicted that in a short time God would call him to His tribunal and would make the English feel the arm of His vengeance by driving them from French soil. It is known ho w another me Jeanne d'Arc French heroine and saint, liberator of Orléans. ssenger from Heaven, Joan of Arc, soon fulfilled the pious hermit's prediction by driving the English from Orléans.

John of Ghent, having accomplished his mission, immediately took the road back to Burgundy to return to his hermitage of Saint-Claude. Several times already he had gone to find Charles VII to assist him with his counsel and assure him of his devotion. He always took advantage of his travels to spread the good seed of the divine word in the places where he passed. His life was that of a penitent, for he mortified himself through the habitual practice of fasting, wore a rough hair shirt and an iron belt, and often spent the night in prayer. His humility equaled his gentleness, and he knew how to command the movements of his heart and endure insults with patience. Thus, even during his lifetime, he was called the holy Hermit of Saint-Claude, because everything in his words and actions breathed holiness.

Upon his return, he arrive d in Troyes in Cham Troyes en Champagne Episcopal see of Manasses. pagne, where he had already appeared several times, and lodged, according to his custom, at the Three Moors inn. He never failed, when passing through this city, to go and visit t Dominicains Religious order to which Magdeleine belonged. he Dominicans, in order to attend their religious exercises. A few days after his arrival in Troyes, he fell ill at the inn, and soon saw that his end was approaching. He then had a holy priest called, named Gauthier Garnot, parish priest of Torvilliers, in the suburbs of Troyes, and begged him to provide him with the succor of religion. The pious hermit received the last sacraments with the most edifying fervor, and expressed the desire to be buried at the Dominican convent. Death did not frighten him, because he had lived well. He rendered his soul to God, on September 29, 1419, lying on a bed of straw, and regretting nothing of this world, because his treasure was in heaven. As long as his body remained in the inn where he had breathed his last, a pillar of fire was seen to appear above his dwelling, a marvelous symbol of his charity before men and of his glory before God.

## CULT AND RELICS.

Blessed John of Ghent was buried in the Dominican church of Troyes: a small white tomb of hard stone was placed over his burial site, measuring two feet and four fingers in width, upon which he was depicted with a long beard, long hair, and joined hands holding a rosary. The memory of the pious hermit remained in veneration, not only in the city of Troyes, but especially at the court of France, where he had appeared in such unhappy times to bring counsel of peace and words of hope. Sixty-two years after his death (1482), Louis XI, whose birth he had predicted, wished to honor his memory and proceed w ith his Louis XI King of France who enriched the reliquary of the Innocents in Paris. canonization. He first wrote to the Dominicans of Troyes to obtain all documents relating to the life and death of the pious hermit; he then decided that the body of John of Ghent should be exhumed to be placed in a more decent location. This ceremony took place on Wednesday, November 13, 1482, in the presence of the bishop and a great gathering of people. The coffin was carried to the choir of the church and opened before the eyes of the bishop, who proceeded to the recognition of the relics and had them placed in a sarcophagus, which was set into an opening made in the wall of the church nave, and in front of which iron bars were placed. It was there that the people henceforth came to honor his tomb and invoke him as a Saint.

The cult of the blessed hermit was not yet solemnly authorized by the Church. But the people of Troyes and the surrounding areas honored him publicly, and the numerous miracles performed at his tomb only increased the veneration held for him. These miracles were verified by formal reports intended to serve in the canonization process of the Blessed that Louis XI had requested from Pope Sixtus IV. These documents, released to the public, produced the best impression: the venerated relics of John of Ghent were vi sited by a cr pape Sixte IV Pope who authorized the reform of the Couëts. owd of pilgrims who came from all parts of Champagne. Torches, altar cloths, and other objects of devotion were offered in his honor. The objects that had belonged to him—his hair shirt, his iron belt, and his oak mistletoe rosary—were carefully collected at the Dominican convent and sent to King Louis XI to satisfy his devotion to the pious hermit.

We do not know what was done in Rome for the canonization of John of Ghent; while this ma sa haire, sa ceinture de fer et son chapelet de gui de chêne Personal objects and remains of the blessed preserved in Troyes and subsequently sent to the king. tter was being pursued, Louis XI died (August 30, 1483); Pope Sixtus IV soon followed him to the grave (1484), and the project for the canonization of John of Ghent remained indefinitely suspended: it has not been resumed since that time; nevertheless, the holiness of his life and the miracles performed at his tomb have caused the title of Blessed to remain attached to his name ever since.

This biography is an abridgment of those provided by the professors of the Saint-François-Xavier college of Besançon, in the Saints of Franche-Comté; and by M. l'abbé Defer, in the Saints of Troyes.