Saint Apollinaris of Valence

Saint Mamert having died in 472 and Saint Isicius having succeeded him to the see of Vienne, Apollinaris, who was then approaching his twentieth year and preparing for the reception of Holy Orders, redoubled his zeal and fervor in the practice of all virtues. His father soon judged him worthy of being raised to the priesthood and of sharing with him the pastoral care. He therefore applied him to various functions of the ministry and had the happiness of seeing him discharge them with such faith, devotion, and fruit, that he recognized from then on that God destined him for the highest offices of the Church.

Around the year 486, the bishops of the province, after having sought in vain for a bishop capable of regenerating the Church of Valence, cast their eyes upon Apollinaris, aged thirty-three. The annals of the Church of Valence tell us almost nothing of the life of this incomparable pastor during the first years of his episcopate; we only know that, barely arrived in his diocese, he set to work with as much faith as devotion and wisdom; that he began first by reforming the clergy, among whom countless abuses had slipped; that he then applied himself to confounding heresy, to repressing bad morals, to awakening everywhere the zeal for good works, by reviving the spirit of charity that inspires them, and that finally, whether by his preaching, or by his examples and the holiness of his life, he succeeded in renewing in a short time the face of his entire diocese. It is thus that the episcopal see of Valence soon recovered its former splendor, and that the people of Valence thought only of blessing the name of Apollinaris.

The holy Prelate had thus well understood the importance and the full extent of the mission that had just been entrusted to him; he fulfilled it with boundless zeal; but soon his exhausted strength betrayed his courage, and his health declining little by little, he fell into a dangerous illness. The entire city felt extreme sorrow; the consternation was general; prayers were begun, and from all sides his recovery was solicited. The sick man recovered, and soon finding himself in a state to be able to endure the journey, he was carried to Vienne, into the bosom of his family, in order to hasten his full recovery in a more certain manner. Arrived in this city, Apollinaris no longer found his father, Saint Hesychius; this pious Pontiff had died full of days and merits, and already several miracles performed at his tomb attested to his holiness and the glory he enjoyed in heaven. On the seat that he had illustrated by his virtues had just been raised Saint Avitus, the second of his sons and brother of the holy bishop of Valence.

Some time later, our holy Prelate moved away from Vienne and went to Lyon, for what reason is not known. Scarcely had he arrived there when he fell ill again, and in a few days he found himself reduced to the last extremity. Saint Viventiolus, archbishop of Lyon, having learned of it, hastened to him promptly and lavished all kinds of care upon him; but Apollinaris had not yet accomplished his mission; God healed him miraculously and returned him to his Church, which claimed his presence in its midst with tears. The zealous Prelate resumed the course of his apostolic labors with new ardor, and did not move away from his diocese again until about the year 499, the time when he was invited to the famous conference of the Catholic bishops of Burgundy with the Arians, held in Lyon before King Gundobad.

He confounded the Arians before the king, who showed much respect for Catholicism, and whose son a nd succes Sigismond King of Burgundy to whom Pelade predicted his ruin. sor, Sigismund, converted to it. With Saint Avitus and many other bishops of Gaul, he took up the defense o pape Symmaque Pope defended by Apollinaris. f Pope Symmachus, who was unjustly accused. He took part in the letter that Avitus addressed to Pope Hormisdas, to adhere to the decree pronounced by this Pope against the heresy of Eutyches.

He distinguished himself among the Fathers of the Council of Epaone, presided over by Saint Avitus, archbishop of Vienne, and Saint Viventiolus, archbishop of Lyon. Epaone is probably Saint-Romain-d'Albon, six leagues south of Vienne. Forty canons were made there to reform the church of Burgundy.

Shortly thereafter, he distinguished himself even more by the energy and firmness he displayed for the maintenance of holy discipline in the first Council of Lyon, held the same year as that of Epaone or the following year. This is the occasion: Stephen, a favorite, prefect of the fisc or treasurer of the savings of Sigismund, King of Burgu Sigismond, roi de Bourgogne King of Burgundy to whom Pelade predicted his ruin. ndy, was living in a scandalous incest by the marriage he had contracted with Palladia, sister of his first wife. This marriage could not be regarded as a legitimate union by pastors instructed in the rules of the Church. Stephen, invited to separate from Palladia, replied with a refusal. The bishops of the provinces of Vienne and Lyon resolved to put an end to the scandal and assembled in the latter of these cities. Saint Apollinaris hastened there with Seculace, Bishop of Die, and Victor, Bishop of Grenoble. Gathered to the number of eleven, under the presidency of Saint Viventiole, the prelates, without regard for the influence of the culprit, cut him off from the communion of the faithful and reduced him to penance, according to the canons of the Church that they had just brought back into force at the Council of Epaone. Stephen, angered by this measure which his blindness had only too much rendered necessary, complained to Sigismund of the conduct of the prelates as an insult to his royal person. The prince, whether through weakness for his favorite or through ignorance of ecclesiastical rules, allowed himself to be swayed, and yielding to the insinuations of his minister, he took up his defense openly, threatened the bishops with his anger, and ordered them not to leave Lyon until they had restored the incestuous man to the communion of the Church. But the prelates knew how to show that, as worthy successors of the Apostles, they feared the Lord more than the powers of the earth; they met again, and after confirming the sentence of excommunication they had launched against Stephen and Palladia, they subscribed, before separating, to a remarkable convention, the tenor of which is as follows:

"After having all together taken the resolution never to recognize the incestuous marriage of Stephen, but to always oppose such illegitimate unions with unshakeable firmness, we all meet again to agree among ourselves that if the king or his ministers blame what we have just done, if they inflict the slightest punishment on any prelate of the assembly, immediately all the others will declare their desire to share his pains or his sufferings; that if the king continues to threaten them and separates himself from their communion, they will immediately withdraw into some monastery and will remain there until it pleases him to let himself be swayed."

Saint Apollinaris was the one who distinguished himself the most in this memorable struggle. Thus the storm fell upon him in a more sensitive way. Sigismund addressed bitter reproaches to him and threatened him with exile; but the prelates having taken up the defense of their venerable colleague, the king had the place where they were assembled surrounded, and having secured their p Sardinie Place of the saint's exile near Lyon. ersons, he ordered them all to be taken to Sardinie, a small town not far from Lyon. This insulting treatment did not break the courage of our confessors; on the contrary, they congratulated themselves on having been judged worthy to suffer persecution for justice, and they softened the rigors of their exile by giving themselves to prayer and by encouraging one another with pious conversations. The king, seeing them inflexible and having gradually returned from his odious prejudices, finally permitted them to return to their dioceses; but, still irritated against the Bishop of Valence, he ordered him to remain in the place of his captivity. Apollinaris submitted humbly; however desirous he was to see his Church again, where everyone was sighing for his return, he did not let any word of complaint or murmur be heard. The other prelates would have willingly consented not to move away from a colleague for whom they had as much esteem as veneration, but Apollinaris himself pointed out to them the needs of their flocks and urged them strongly to leave, asking them as his only consolation to pray to God for him before leaving him. All then fell to their knees, and melting into tears, they blessed the Lord for the heroic generosity of the holy Bishop, and conjured Him to shorten the time of his exile; then, throwing themselves on his neck, they embraced him while weeping and lavished all sorts of consolations upon him. These fraternal farewells touched the heart of Saint Apollinaris deeply; but what was his sorrow when he perceived the immense void that the departure of the prelates had made around him, and that, thinking of the needs of his Church, he saw no end to the rigors that kept him away from it.

The King of Burgundy, indeed, seemed to have resolved to take revenge on him alone for the inexorable firmness of all the bishops who had so justly humiliated his favorite. Apollinaris lacked everything in the place of his exile; he would not even have had water to drink had God not provided it for him through a striking miracle. Confined, no doubt, within a rather narrow enclosure, where there was neither well nor fountain, he began to pray, and calling one of his servants, he said to him: "Dig the earth in this place, a spring will gush forth from it, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." This was verified immediately. The spring did not run dry during the holy Pontiff's stay in that place. But immediately after his departure, it was seen to dry up promptly, as if to leave no doubt about the truth of the prodigy. A year had already passed since Saint Apollinaris had been languishing in prison, far from his desolate flock and having no hope of deliverance; for Sigismund did not even want to hear him mentioned. But God, who laughs at the anger of kings as well as their power, did not forget his servant and took charge of his justification himself. Sigismund, suddenly struck by a dangerous illness, saw himself reduced in a few days to the last extremity. Under the hand of the Most High who strikes him, the persecutor opens his eyes and remembers the Bishop of Valence. He calls the Queen, his wife, to his side, and opening his heart torn with remorse to her, he disavows the ill-treatment he had inflicted upon the holy bishop and implores her to send someone to him to solicit his healing.

The Queen, who knew Apollinaris and who was full of veneration for his virtues, heartily applauded the wish of the august invalid, and soon heading toward the town of Sardinie, she went to throw herself at the feet of the holy Bishop, asked his pardon for the King, her husband, and implored him to be willing to return with her to the court, where he was awaited with open arms. Astonished by this request, the blessed Pontiff collected himself before the Lord, then protested that upon leaving the place of his exile he would go to Valence, to the bosom of his flock, and not to the King's palace, where his presence was useless. This response did not discourage the Queen, who was animated by a lively faith and boundless confidence; still prostrate at the feet of Saint Apollinaris, whom she watered with her tears: "Lord," she said to him, "if you will not follow me to the King, my husband, deign at least to allow me to take your cloak; I will spread it over him, and I am assured of his healing." Overcome by so many tears and so much confidence, Apollinaris took off his cloak and placed it in the hands of the pious Queen, who, upon returning to the invalid, hastened to clothe him with it and had the happiness of procuring for him at that very instant a healing that was as sudden as it was complete and marvelous. A few hours later, the King of Burgundy went in his turn to prostrate himself at the feet of Apollinaris, confessing with sorrow the injustice of the exile to which he had condemned him, and pouring himself out in thanksgiving for the benefit he had just received. He gave orders at the same time to have the holy prelate conducted to his diocese, and the city of Valence saw him arrive within its walls before it had received the news of his miraculous deliverance.

Apollinaris was welcomed by the people of Valence as a father by his children, amidst the transports of the liveliest joy; Saint Hilary and Saint Athanasius, returning to their churches after great and glorious battles, had not been received with more enthusiasm and gladness. All the bishops of Burgundy, and notably those of the province of Vienne, wrote to him to congratulate him. Saint Avitus especially, naturally more sensitive than the others to the happiness of his brother, expressed to him in the most affectionate terms the joy he felt. Nothing is as touching as the letter he wrote to him on this occasion, which is still found among those that remain to us from this illustrious prelate.

Apollinaris was sixty-four years old when he returned from Sardinia, after the healing of the King of Burgundy; the rigors of exile had not altered his strength, nor weakened his zeal; he still retained that energy which was the foundation of his character, and until the end of his days he never ceased to work with ardor for the salvation of his flock. At sixty-seven, he wished to go on a pilgrimage to the tomb of Saint Genesius in Provence, and to visit, while passing through, the Archbishop of Arles, Sa saint Césaire Archbishop of Arles and mentor to Cyprian. int Caesarius, one of his most illustrious friends. He therefore embarked on the Rhône, accompanied by a priest named Salutaris, a deacon, and some servants. The journey was at first quite fortunate; but upon arriving near Avignon, the boat in which our Saint had fallen asleep was nearly submerged by the waves. They ran to him promptly. His servants woke him, and he said to them: "Fear nothing, it is the power of the demon that has shaken our boat, but the Lord is here, let us continue our journey in full confidence." At the same instant, he was informed that a young man of the crew, named Alysius, having suddenly fallen ill, was prey to violent pains. Apollinaris had Salutaris come and said to him: "Go and pray beside this sick man and you will heal him in the name of the Lord." Salutaris obeyed, and the young man was healed on the spot. At the sight of this prodigy, the whole crew, falling to their knees, began to pray, and, from Avignon to Arles, they did not cease to bless God for the power He granted to the holy Pontiff. Informed of his arrival, Saint Caesarius ran to meet him, followed by several magistrates and a large crowd; he led him as if in triumph to his residence, where, for a few days, Apollinaris was the object of the most touching attentions, and of the admiration and respect of all those who had the happiness of approaching him.

Among the people who showed the most eagerness to see him were two of his close relatives named Parthenius and Ferreolus: they occupied a very distinguished rank in the world, and were no less commendable for their piety than for the illustration of their birth; they gave our Saint magnificent gifts; but, immediately after their departure, he wished for them to be sold and for the price to be given to the poor. Shortly after, a lady, also a relative of Apollinaris, came to present herself to him and begged him to follow her to Marseille where her family resided. Her entreaties having obtained this favor for her, the Saint tenderly embraced the Archbishop of Arles and set out on his way after having entrusted to one of his servants a considerable sum for the poor he would encounter during the journey. The servant, having received this sum, locked it in a purse which he lost on the way; desolate at this setback, he went all in tears to inform the deacon of the holy bishop; the deacon said to him: "Have confidence, the Saint has destined this money for the poor, it cannot be lost, retrace your steps, you will find it." The servant, reassured by these words, began to search for the purse, and, a few hours later, he found it in the middle of the road where it seemed to have escaped the eye of all passersby until then.

We know almost nothing of the time our Saint spent in Marseille; the history of his life tells us only that he performed various wonders there, and that he healed, among others, a deaf and mute child who was said to be possessed by the devil. However, the fatigues of the journey, and no doubt also the eagerness of the people to turn to him in every place where he stopped, led Saint Apollinaire to resolve to return to Valence as soon as possible; he had barely returned when he had a secret premonition of his death, and from then on he occupied himself with nothing but eternity. His final illness was an uninterrupted succession of pious exercises and fervent prayers: he wished for all his priests to be admitted to his bedside of suffering; he gave them his final instructions, blessed them with love, and asked them to assist him until his last breath. Several miracles still performed through his intercession increased the high regard that everyone had conceived of his standing before God; thus it was that, while sick himself and nearing his agony, he healed several infirm people and even delivered two persons possessed by the devil. A few hours before his death, his archdeacon, named Leubarède, was witness to an even mor Leubarède Archdeacon of Valence and witness to the final vision. e astonishing marvel. It was during the night; Leubarède was on his way to the cathedral to attend Matins; on the way, he had the thought of going to see the holy bishop. Arriving at the episcopal palace, he inquired about his condition, and, learning that he was alone in his room, he wished to present himself to him; but what was his surprise when, having opened the door a crack, he saw the room flooded with light, and the holy Pontiff raising his hands to heaven with all his might, sighing with tears! Dazzled by this miraculous radiance, Leubarède did not dare to advance; he closed and opened the door gently several times, never tiring of admiring such a ravishing spectacle. Suddenly he perceived two sparkling columns forming little by little, one to the right and the other to the left of the august patient, and his head being crowned with a halo whose rays were as brilliant as those of the sun. The holy Pontiff then appeared to him to enter into a rapture; he made efforts to lift himself from his bed, stretched out his arms, and his eyes seemed to be fixed with love upon someone descending from the heights of heaven. At this sight, the amazed archdeacon closed the door one last time, and, throwing himself on his knees, he blessed the Lord for the glory He was reserving for Saint Apollinaire; the next day, he published the wonder everywhere and excited in the entire city sentiments of admiration that soon erupted into true transports. Saint Apollinaire had rendered his soul to God, in the year of Our Lord 520.

He is represented causing a spring of living water to gush from the earth. We have given the reason for this characteristic.

## CULT AND RELICS. His body was first buried in the church of Saint-Pierre in Bourg-lès-Valence, famous at that time for a monastery filled with very edifying religious. It was later transferred to the cathedral church which then bore the name of Saint-Étienne. This church, having been rebuilt in 1095 and solemnly consecrated by Pope Urban II, was dedicated to pape Urbain II Pope who preached the First Crusade. the holy martyrs Cornelius and Cyprian; but the miracles performed at the tomb of Saint Apollinaris, whose body was kept in the new basilica, and the gratitude of the faithful towards this powerful protector, gradually caused his name to be substituted for that of the holy martyrs, and, from the 12th century, he was recognized as the sole patron of the cathedral and of the entire diocese of Valence. These various translations, far from attracting the confidence of the people and their respect for the relics of the holy bishop, powerfully revived the cult of which they were the object. Wherever they were deposited, countless pilgrims flocked, and new wonders were performed. But in the 16th century, the Protestants set fire to the cathedral of Valence and threw its precious relics into the Rhône. This sacrilegious act, completed in a few hours, plunged the city into mourning. Since then, it no longer possesses a single particle of the relics of its illustrious patron; but it preciously preserves the memory of his benefits and virtues, still invokes him with confidence, and through the solemn cult with which it honors him, it places him in the first rank among the holy protectors who intercede for it in heaven. This cult, the origin of which is lost in the mists of time and probably dates back to the death of the holy pontiff, has long been authorized by the Church. The name of Saint Apollinaris is read in the Roman Martyrology with praise for his virtues and his miracles. His feast has always been celebrated in the diocese under the double rite of the first class, with an octave. *Taken from the Hagiological History of the Diocese of Valence, by Abbé Madal.*