Saint Maurice
Moriz
Abbot of the Cistercian monasteries of Langonet and Carnoët
Born in Loudéac around 1117, Maurice Duzult became a doctor in Paris before choosing monastic humility at the abbey of Langonet. Elected abbot, then founder of the abbey of Carnoët under the protection of Duke Conan IV, he led a life of great holiness. Although his official canonization remained suspended, his cult was confirmed by successive popes.
Guided reading
6 reading sections
SAINT MAURICE OR MORIZ,
ABBOT OF THE CISTERCIAN MONASTERIES OF LANGONET AND CARNOËT, IN BRITTANY (1191).
Origins and formation
Maurice Duzult was born around 1117 near Loudéac. Despite the modesty of his parents, he pursued brilliant studies in Paris up to his doctorate.
Loudéac is a small town in Brittany (diocese of Saint-Brieuc), to which an extensive territory is attached. It was on this territory, in a village located near the Oust river, that Saint Maurice w as born, unde saint Maurice Cistercian abbot of Langonet and later of Carnoët. r the reign of Louis the Fat, around the year 1117. His family name was Duz ult. H Duzult Cistercian abbot of Langonet and later of Carnoët. is parents, who were pious but not wealthy, nevertheless had him study, first in
Loudéac (following the tradition of the country, which still designates a house in the public square as the one in which he went to school), then in Paris . He Paris Place of birth, ministry, and death of the saint. applied himself to letters with such success that he earned the title of doctor. But the misfortune of so many others, who, too puffed up with their knowledge, had fallen into the precipice and were lost, made him prefer humility to elevation. He therefore renounced not only the advantages that science could procure for him, and all the temporal goods he already possessed, but his own will; and stealing away from the world and his friends, he went to take the habit of the Order of Cîteau x, in the abbey Ordre de Cîteaux Monastic order to which Bertrand and the Abbey of Grandselve belong. of Langon et (Langonium), fo abbaye de Langonet The first abbey where Maurice was a monk and later abbot. unded a few years earlier, on the borders of the diocese of Quimper, by Duke Conan III, surname d the Fat. Th duc Conan III Duke of Brittany, founder of Langonnet. ere, applying himself solely to pleasing God alone, he combined the simplicity of the dove with the prudence of the serpent, and a humble modesty with the discretion that reigned in all his conduct.
Cistercian Vocation
Out of humility, he renounced his scholarly career to enter the Cistercian abbey of Langonet, recently founded by Duke Conan III.
Maurice had not yet been practicing the laws of his institute for three years when his rare merit led the community of Langonet to choose him as abbot. Raised to this dignity, he showed even more humility and discretion than he had previously. Conan IV, nicknamed the Littl e, Duke Conan IV Duke of Brittany and protector of the saint. of Brittany and Count of Richmond, drawn by the reputation of the man of God, often went to see him, listened to his holy instructions, and followed his advice in many things. It was out of regard for him, and by his counsel, that the Duke founded, in the same diocese of Quimper, a new abbey of the Order of Cîteaux, in the forest of Carnoët, and the parish of Clohar, near the mouth of the Ellé river. This place was dreadful and offered no other aspect than that of a vast solitude. Saint Maurice, charged by Conan with establishing this house, led twelve monks from Langonet there, to whom new subjects soon joined, and became their abbot. The Duke died before he could put the finishing touches to his work; the patience and industry of Maurice completed the rest; and the Duchess Constance, daughter of Conan, continued to favor the new abbey with as much kindness as her father. He governed the abbey of Carnoët (Carnulum) for fifteen years; a continuous feve abbaye de Carnoët Abbey founded by Maurice in the forest of Carnoët. r with which he was attacked came to end his holy career and delivered him from this mortal body on October 5, in the year 1191.
Government and foundations
Elected abbot of Langonet, he advised Duke Conan IV and founded with him the abbey of Carnoët in an isolated forest, where he settled with twelve monks.
He died in the arms of his brothers, at the age of about seventy-four, after having received the sacraments of the Church, and was buried in his monastery, which has since borne his name (Saint-Maurice de Carnoët). A part of the church of this house still remains and possesses a considerable portion of the rel ics of the holy abbot, reliques du saint abbé Bodily remains preserved in Carnoët. which were exhumed two years after his death. They are in a painted wooden reliquary divided into two parts. In the lower part are the two tibiae placed on a red damask cushion; in the upper part one sees the skull, also on a cushion of the same fabric. The reliquary is placed on a white marble table. The Revolution respected these precious remains, and they are still seen as they were before the destruction of the abbey. The parish of Londéac possesses a beautiful chapel dedicated to Saint Maurice, located in the very village where he was born and which today bears his name. Some relics of the Saint are kept there in a silvered wooden arm and in a small reliquary made in the shape of a church. It appears that this chapel was once a place of devotion, for until not long ago, the copy of a brief of indulgences granted by Pope Sixtus IV was kept there.
Death and preservation of remains
Maurice died in 1191. His relics, notably his skull and tibiae, are preserved in Carnoët and survived the Revolution.
The cult of Saint Maurice is ancient in Brittany; but it does not appear to have been very widespread there. Shortly after the death of this servant of God, the chapter of Quimper requested his canonization from the Holy See, and could not obtain it. However , under Pope Hono pape Honorius III Pope who instructed the canonization cause. rius III, miracles having been performed through the intercession of the Saint, this pontiff appointed judges to investigate them; but their proceedings having been found irregular, he complained about it, and the cause remained suspended. It was never resumed; nevertheless, the cult granted in advance to Saint Maurice always persisted in Brittany. At the beginning of t pape Clément XI Pope who authorized the public cult of Salvador of Horta. he 18th century, Pope Clement XI permitted the Order of Cîteaux to celebrate his feast Benoît XIV Pope who beatified Jerome Emiliani. with the rite of a major double, and Benedict XIV, who had only given Maurice the title of venerable in his work on the Beatification of the Servants of God, had the name of the holy abbot inserted into the Cistercian martyrology for October 13, subsequent to the publication of that work.
History of the cult and canonization
Despite unsuccessful attempts at canonization under Honorius III, his cult was officially recognized by Popes Clement XI and Benedict XIV in the 18th century.
A rat and a wolf are the ordinary attributes of Saint Maurice of Carnoët. A pious legend, reported by the Bollandists, attributes to him the glory of having been able to deliver Lower Brittany from these troublesome animals.
Attributes and popular traditions
The saint is traditionally depicted with a rat and a wolf, symbolizing his protection of Lower Brittany against these pests.
Excerpt from the Suites de Bretagne, by Dom Lobi Dom Lobineau Hagiographer and historian of Brittany. neau.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Born around 1117 in Loudéac
- Studies in Loudéac then in Paris where he became a doctor
- Entered the Cistercian abbey of Langonet
- Elected abbot of Langonet after three years of profession
- Foundation of the Abbey of Carnoët at the request of Duke Conan IV
- Governance of Carnoët for fifteen years until his death
Miracles
- Deliverance of Lower Brittany from rats and wolves
- Miracles performed after his death that prompted an investigation under Honorius III