Saint Aignan of Orléans

He remained in this retreat until, being informed of the eminent virtues of Saint Euverte, Bishop of Orléan s, and Orléans The first diocese of which Roger was bishop. of the grace he had received from above for the guidance of souls, he renounced all his acquaintances and left his country to come and place himself under the direction of this holy personage.

Saint Euverte soon recognized the merit of this new disciple; therefore, after ordaining him priest, he made him abbot of Saint-Laurent-des-Orgerils, outside the city walls. Aignan discharged this office so worthily that the holy prelate saw well that Heaven destined him to be his successor; thus, to avoid the disputes that might arise on this subject after his death, he wished to provide for it during his lifetime by a canonical election. He therefore assembled the most noble of his diocese and asked them whom among all his ecclesiastics they judged most worthy to take his place; the opinions having been divided, he had the names of all those who had been nominated written down, along with that of Saint Aignan, and had their slips placed in a box. Then, after a fast of three days, according to custom, he sent a small child, who did not yet know how to speak, to draw the slip that would first come to his hand; and, by a particular guidance of Divine Providence, the child drew that of Saint Aignan.

One might have thought it was a coincidence; but, to show that it was truly a stroke from Heaven, the child, who knew neither how to read nor speak, cried out upon opening the slip: "Aignan, Aignan, Aignan is chosen by God as bishop of this city."

Saint Euverte, to provide new proofs of this heavenly election, had the Psalter, the Epistles of Saint Paul, and the book of the Gospels opened in succession. In the Psalter, they first found this sentence: "Blessed is he whom you have chosen and whom you have raised up; he shall dwell in your palace." In Saint Paul, they found this one: "No one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid." And in the Gospel, this other: "I will build my church upon this rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Thus, everyone being convinced that Saint Aignan was the one whom Divine Goodness wished to give as a shepherd to His people, Saint Euverte consecrated him and had him seated upon his throne.

When it was time for his solemn entry into Orléans, he requested the release of all the criminals who were in the prisons. Agrippinus, who commanded in the city, refused him, deeming it unjust and unreasonable; but, a stone having fallen on his head in the church, and the wound having been healed only by the prayers of the new pontiff, he acknowledged his fault and granted him everything he asked for.

Meanwhile, the glorious Saint Euverte went to receive in heaven the reward for his labors and the care he had taken of his people. Aignan buried him with magnificent pomp in the field of a noble senator named Letrade, where, since then, the basilica has been built which, by his name, is called Saint-Euverte. He then had the vault of the Sainte-Croix church raised, and in this edifice he miraculously healed Mellius, his principal architect, who, by falling from the roof, had broken his whole body.

Around this time, A ttila, Attila Leader of the Huns responsible for the destruction of Besançon. king of the Huns, that terrible scourge of God, after having sacked all of Austrasia, was preparing to push his conquests into the center of Gaul. Paris was so frightened by this that, without the wise counsel of Saint Genevieve, all the inhabitants would have fled and abandoned everything. Saint Aignan, foreseeing that he would leave Paris and come to besiege Orleans, went with diligence to Arle s, to Aëtius Roman general who relieved Orléans from the Huns. Aetius, lieutenant-general of the emperor in the Gauls, to beg him to come immediately to fight this common enemy. He was received by him with a respect and deference that he did not usually show to bishops, and he obtained from him everything he asked. It is said that this general, proud as he was, threw himself at his feet, and that Aignan, having indicated to him the day that Orleans would be taken if he did not relieve it, compelled him to make haste to prevent a loss of such importance.

It was also during this journey that our Saint, while passing through Vienne, mira culously hea saint Mamert Archbishop of Vienne healed by Saint Aignan. led Saint Mamert, later archbishop of that see and founder of the Rogations, whom he found sick unto death, and that in the abbey of Arnay he restored sight to an abbot who had been blind for thirty years.

As soon as he returned to Orléans, Attila arrived with his army and laid siege to it. The assaults he ordered were terrible, and it did not seem that any human force could ever resist them; but the Saint obtained, through prayer, what he could not hope for from the valor of the besieged. He had processions held in the city, had the relics of the Saints carried to the ramparts, and, through extraordinary groans and penances, he implored God's mercy upon his people. Heaven seemed to come to his aid. A storm forced the enemies to suspend the siege works for three days and gave some rest to these unfortunate besieged people. But on June 14, the sun reappeared, and the combat began again with unparalleled rage. Aignan sent a soldier with this message for Aetius: "If you do not arrive this very day, tomorrow it will be too late."

The soldier did not return. Soon, the walls were heard collapsing with a horrible crash, and the broken gates rolling on their hinges. The Huns rushed into the city, massacring, chaining, and pl undering Les Huns Invading people led by Attila. . Everything seemed hopeless. Aignan redoubled the urgency of his prayer. Suddenly, a cry rang out from the top of the tower: "The Romans! The Romans!" This cry revived the vanquished and froze the victors. Indeed, Aetius, the Roman general, Theodoric, and Thorismond, his son, were seen at the head of a numerous cavalry; they were rushing at full gallop. A furious battle broke out within the city itself; it was flooded with blood. The inhabitants, from the tops of their houses, overwhelmed the Huns with tiles, stones, pieces of wood, and furniture. Some were drowned in the Loire; these were put to the sword, those fell into the hands of the victor, and Saint Aignan, whose charity extended even to his cruelest enemies, saved their lives and prevented them from being slaughtered in vengeance for the ravages they had committed in France.

Attila, nevertheless, whose army was almost without number, still saved several hundred thousand of his people; but, shortly after, he was defeated again and lost more than two hundred thousand men on the plain of Châlons, Merovech plaine de Châlons Territory where the Irish siblings settled. , king of the Franks, having then joined with Aetius.

Such signal victories, for which one was indebted to our Saint, acquired for him an immortal glory and justly caused him to be called the inexpugnable wall of the Gauls, the support of the fatherland, the protector and as it were the second founder of Orléans, and the true father of the people. What was even more admirable is that after the retreat of so many troops, when one hoped for neither harvest nor vintage, the countryside having been not only foraged by the soldiers, but also entirely ruined and devastated by the march of men and horses, one saw, by a surprising effect of divine Providence, that the earth was laden with wheat and the vines with grapes for two years, and that there was also a general abundance of all kinds of fruits; so that the inhabitants of Orléans, instead of the famine they feared, were filled with goods and in a state to provide them to their neighbors.

After such a brilliant and glorious service that Saint Aignan had rendered to the Church, to France, and to his diocese, there remained for him only to go and receive in heaven the reward for his good works. Thus, two years after the defeat of Attila and the deliverance of Orléans, he happily ended his life and rendered his spirit to God to be crowned with immortality. This was on November 17 of the year 453. It is said that he was then ninety-five years old, and that he had been a bishop for sixty-five years.

Saint Aignan is represented: 1st receiving the episcopal crosier from the hands of Saint Euverte; 2nd praying on the walls of his city while it is besieged by Attila.

## CULT AND RELICS.

His body was carried solemnly into the church of Saint-Laurent-des-Orgerils, of which he had been abbot, and where several miracles made him illustrious. Three sick children were healed, and one, who had died, was resurrected through the invocation of his merits . Robert, King of Fra Robert, roi de France King of France who ordered the reconstruction of the church of Saint-Aignan and the translation of the relics. nce, won a glorious victory at Beaune, in Burgundy, through his intercession, and, in gratitude, he had a beautiful church built in his name at Orleans, where his sacred remains were transported. Seven bishops performed the ceremony of this translation. The king himself attended, and Saint Odilo, Abbot of Cluny, also honored it with his presence. The bones of the Saint were placed in a silver reliquary enriched with gold and precious stones, which His Majesty had donated. This pious monarch then commended his children and his kingdom to him, and he usually called him the protector of kings, the defense of princes, the honor of prelates, the father of clerics and religious, the support of widows and orphans, and the help of all the needy.

Saint Lou is, who bor Saint Louis King of France who visited the relics of Saint Hildevert. e him no less devotion, had a new reliquary made for him and was also present with Louis and Philip, his children, when the sacred deposit of his body was transported there. This second ceremony was performed by the blessed Philip Berruyer, who, from Bishop of Orleans, had become Archbishop of Bourges, and by Robert, who was at that time Bishop of Orleans. But finally, in the year 1562, the Calvinist heretics, having mad e themselve Calvinistes Religious group that destroyed the saint's relics in 1567. s masters of this magnificent church of Saint-Aignan, burned these precious relics along with fifteen other holy bodies of the city of Orleans. Nevertheless, some bones of the holy bishop and a beautiful gilded wooden reliquary, placed above the high altar and decorated with his statue, are preserved in his church. The inhabitants of Orleans invoke Saint Aignan with great confidence in all public calamities.

In the diocese of Nevers, the parishes of Saint-Agnan de Cosne, of Luthenay, of Sichamps, of Nannay, now united with Charnay; of Saint-Agnan-en-Morvan, of Colmery, honor the holy bishop of Orleans as their patron. This last parish possesses a relic of this Saint. The parish of Saint-Agnan de Cosne formerly celebrated two feasts of its patron saint during the year; besides the solemnity of November 17, it honored him in a special way on June 14, the anniversary of the miraculous deliverance of Orleans.

Annales d'Orléans, by Charles de la Saussaye; Saint Gregory of Tours; Hagiologie Nivernoise, by Mgr Crosnier; Bocotès de l'Histoire de la Champagne, by Abbé Buttel; Dom Ceillier.