Saint Maxellende

Already a multitude of lords, attracted by all that was said of her wisdom and her brilliant qualities, had solicited the honor of marrying her. The requests were even so pressing that her parents were almost annoyed by them. A young man of the region, named Harduin, especially m ade so Harduin Young lord of the region, spurned suitor and murderer of Maxellende. many entreaties to Humlinus that he tore from hi Humlinus Father of Saint Maxellende. s lips a promise of marriage; and so that no new obstacle might come to oppose this union which he desired ardently, he had the day determined and fixed when it would be celebrated.

When Maxellende learned of this engagement that her father had made without consulting her herself on such an important matter, she felt at first a profound sorrow; but then throwing herself in spirit at the feet of Jesus Christ, she renewed to him the promise she had made to him to live, for his love, in perpetual chastity, and conjured him to help her to be faithful to it until death.

However, the day was approaching when the young virgin was to be betrothed. The embarrassment was great in the family, and it increased at every moment by the difficulties that were to be feared from all sides. Humlinus therefore and his wife, then taking their daughter in private, asked her if she would not give her hand to the young lord to whom she was promised. They praised to her his qualities, his riches, the power he enjoyed in the region, and everything that could be capable of making an impression on her. The mother especially, joining her entreaties to those of her husband, addressed to Maxellende the most flattering and engaging words: "You will be able, my dear daughter," she said, "to serve God in the state of marriage, as you desire. How many women, since the beginning of the world, have pleased the Lord by a holy, irreproachable life full of good works." The humble and gentle Maxellende answered them with respect: "My dear parents, leave me, I pray you, for this night; tomorrow I will reveal to you the depths of my soul, and I will tell you what I have decided." The young girl, who perhaps felt her heart shaken by the speeches of her father and mother whom she loved tenderly, asked for a little time to consult the Lord, and to implore his support again.

All night long, she poured out her tears and her prayers before God, and God, in his turn, increased in her heart the spirit of strength and generous constancy. An angel even, if one is to believe her biographer, came to console her and strengthen her by his presence. The next day, Maxellende hastened to go to her parents. At the sight of her, they felt filled with joy: such a prompt appearance made them believe that she was disposed to yield to their desires. "Well, my daughter," said the father then, "here is the moment when you are going to declare your will to us, as you promised yesterday. Tell me then what you have thought about this night, what you have resolved to do." Maxellende then answered with a modest assurance: "I will not hide the truth from you, and I will tell you frankly what I think in my heart. If I consulted only my love for you, I would be happy to give you this proof of obedience; but above you, my dear parents, there is a master whom I must love more, to whose will I must yield in everything; this master is my sweet Jesus, and his desire, his will was revealed to me this very night. He wants to be my only spouse, and, I do not hide it from you, I have pledged my faith to him. I have sworn never to have any other spouse than this divine Master."

This tender speech made the Saint's parents shed tears, and had they listened only to their own feelings, there is no doubt that the chaste virgin's desires would have been granted. But their word was given, and Harduin came at that moment to cruelly remind them of it. He swore that, willingly or by force, Maxellende would be his wife.

During this time, Maxellende had retired to her room, and drawing supernatural strength from Jesus Christ, she resolved to flee her parents' house. She therefore left alone, on foot, with no other resource than her trust in Him to whom she had vowed her virginity. But not knowing where to direct her steps, she resolved to go and ask for shelter from a holy woman who lived nearby and who, having nursed her with her milk, loved her like a mother. However, Harduin, exasperated by this sudden flight, was soon on her trail, and at the head of several of his friends, he ran in pursuit of his victim. The latter, having taken refuge with her nurse, believed herself safe there, but her retreat was already known and soon she heard the footsteps of horses and the clamor of the horsemen resounding very close to her; then fear seized her: in her distress, and no longer knowing what means to take to ensure the safety of her innocence, she begged her nurse to indicate a place where she could hide and avoid the pursuit of these men. The latter presented her with a large chest, Maxellende placed herself inside, and immediately they covered her with clothes. Harduin had already forced his way into the house; he searched and visited it in every direction without wanting to listen to the nurse and the other women who surrounded him. Seeing the futility of his search, he was preparing to leave, when one of his companions, as if inspired by the demon, pointed out the chest which had not been examined, and in which, he said, one might well find the fugitive. They approached it, and indeed discovered, hidden under a pile of clothes, the timid virgin who cried out in fear at their sight, and begged them in the name of God to spare her. Without regard for her prayers, they seized her with violence, and dragged her to the place where a church was later built in honor of all the Saints, of Saint Vaast in particular, and of Saint Maxellende. Arrived there, she tore herself violently from their hands, and with an energy and courage that religion alone can inspire: "I am betrothed to Jesus Christ," she said, "I do not fear your threats; you can destroy my body, but you can do nothing against my soul."

Upon hearing these words, Harduin became furious, and seizing his s word, h Harduin Young lord of the region, spurned suitor and murderer of Maxellende. e struck the virgin who fell at his feet, bathed in her blood. The vengeance of heaven did not wait: hardly had the victim been struck down, when Harduin, by a terrible judgment of God, lost his sight. All his accomplices, struck with terror, took flight, and dispersed, without daring to speak to one another, so much had dread seized them.

The news of this death and the atrocious crime that had caused it did not take long to spread throughout the region, and soon one saw the arrival of priests, religious, pious laypeople, and a multitude of relatives and allies of the young martyr. All gave themselves over to grief and shed abundant tears upon seeing her bloodied body. Having lifted it from the ground with the deepest respect, they placed it on a stretcher and carried it, to the singing of hymns and canticles, into the church of the apostles Peter and Paul, in the hamlet of Pommeroul. It was there that the martyr was buried on the second day after her passing.

The sword, instrument of Saint Maxellende's martyrdom, is her most common characteristic.

[APPENDIX: CULT AND RELICS.]

God did not permit her memory to fall into oblivion. Indeed, numerous miracles did not take long to occur at her tomb, and they spread joy throughout the surrounding country. Saint Vindi cien, following Saint Vindicien Bishop of Cambrai and Arras who oversaw the translation of relics. a vision had by a pious widow named Amaltrude, who served the Lord faithfully in fasts and vigils and often came to pray in the church where the body of Saint Maxellende rested, proceeded to the elevation of the body of the holy Martyr. The ceremony was performed with the most religious respect, in the midst of an innumerable and silent multitude that gave the most touching testimonies of devotion. The precious relics were placed on a stretcher arranged for the purpose, then, to the singing of hymns and canticles, they were carried to the place that God himself had indicated.

Harduin, since he had committed his crime, had remained blind, despised by all, and torn by remorse. Learning what was happening, he immediately asked to be led before the procession that was heading to Caudry: some charitable people accede Caudry Principal site of the saint's cult and final burial place. d to his request and led him by the hand. Arriving near those who were carrying the body of the virgin martyr, he threw himself at their feet, uttering cries of pain and repentance, confessing his sins and asking Jesus Christ, in consideration of the innocent Maxellende, for the forgiveness of his crime. Scarcely had he finished his prayer when his eyes opened once again to the light: at the same moment, he rose, ran to Saint Vindicien, and, prostrating himself at his knees, he told him everything that had happened.

The pontiff, at the height of joy, thanked God with all the ardor of his soul for the miracle He had just performed before the eyes of His people, and addressing the faithful who surrounded him: "My brothers," he said, "you have seen the work that the Lord has done in your presence; let us give Him thanks and thank Him that He deigns to thus glorify the virgin Maxellende. There is no doubt that what we are doing here is His will. Let us therefore complete this holy ceremony with respect and devotion." Having spoken thus, he gave his blessing to the multitude, and the procession set off again to the singing of canticles. Finally, they arrived at the indicated place, and the holy bishop, having celebrated the divine Mysteries, deposited the precious relics there.

Shortly after this translation of the body of Saint Maxellende to Caudry, Saint Vindicien established in this place a foundation for clerics and religious, charged with celebrating the divine office and preserving this precious deposit. Humilinus, the young virgin's father, gave to this community, to provide for its needs, the property he possessed in the village, and Harduin himself made generous gifts to it to thank God for His benefits and mercies. Later, because of the wars and raids carried out by enemies, it was necessary to transport this holy body elsewhere: without being able to designate the precise date of this second translation, it seems highly probable that it took place in the 8th century: it was carried to the church of Saint-Martin outside the walls of Cambrai, where it rema Cambrai Principal episcopal see of Saint Aubert. ined until Bishop Bothard, in the 10th century: at that time, it was placed in the cathedral church where Saint Maxellende thereafter had a private chapel under her name; a double office, with six proper lessons, was celebrated there each year on November 13, the anniversary of her martyrdom.

In the three translations that we have just reported, the relics of Saint Maxellende were preserved in their integrity: it was Bishop Gérard of Florines, founder of the Abbey of Saint-André du Cate au, who first divided them, to abbaye de Saint-André du Cateau Monastery that received a portion of the relics in 1025. give a portion to this new monastery on September 22, 1025; the other, more considerable portion, was kept at Cambrai. Formerly, in the monastery of Saint-André, this translation was celebrated with a double office of the second class. There was in this church, as at the cathedral of Cambrai, a chapel dedicated to Saint Maxellende, and every year, on November 13, her feast was celebrated there, with an octave and in a very solemn manner. In the four proper lessons of the office of the day, the life, death, and various translations of the relics of the holy Martyr were recounted in summary.

The cult rendered to Saint Maxellende in the Abbey of Saint-André became even more famous through the establishment of a Confraternity that the Sovereign Pontiffs themselves deigned to enrich with ind ulgences. Clément X Pope who extended the cult of Saint Gonsalo to the entire Dominican Order. Clement X, in 1671, granted in perpetuity a plenary indulgence for all members of the confraternity on the day of their entry into the association, another on November 13 of each year, and at the hour of death; secondly, seven years and seven quarantines on January 6, the feast of the Epiphany; on May 9, the day of the translation of Saint Andrew; on June 29, the feast of the holy apostles Peter and Paul; and on September 22, the anniversary of the translation of the relics of Saint Maxellende to the said monastery; thirdly, sixty days to each member for every work of piety or charity they perform.

To these privileges of the Sovereign Pontiff, the Archbishops of Cambrai added several more indulgences of forty days. Ladislas Jonart, who governed this diocese during the time of Clement X, placed himself among the associates. The Reverend Dom Couvreur, abbot of the monastery of Saint-André, was also part of the Confraternity, as were all his religious. This pious abbot, to increase the devotion of the faithful toward the holy Martyr and to propagate the association established in her honor, decreed that on the first Sunday of each month, a Mass would be celebrated for all the members, and that each year, on the first free day after November 12, a solemn office would be sung for the deceased members. All these pious practices were maintained until the time of the Revolution of 1793.

Relics of Saint Maxellende are still possessed today in the village of Caudry. They are enclosed in a well-crafted reliquary and exposed in the church for the veneration of the faithful. Four young girls, distinguished by their virtue and good conduct, have the honor of carrying it in public processions. One also sees the old castle inhabited by Saint Maxellende, or rather the one that replaced it: from the avenue that leads to it, one can see a small niche containing the statue of the Saint; on the side of the castle there is still a very old chapel, built perhaps on the site where the old church dedicated to Saint Maxellende stood. Each year, the feast of the holy Martyr is celebrated with the greatest solemnity on the 13th of the month of November. On this day, or the following Sunday, all the inhabitants of the village make it an obligation to fulfill their religious duties and to honor their patron saint through acts of piety.

Vie des Saints de Cambrai et d'Artois, by M. Fabié Destombas.

SAINT DIDACUS OR DIEGO, OF SAINT-NICOLAS, CONFESSOR.