Saint Leocadia of Toledo

Leocadia went into this pit with as much joy as if she were being led into a magnificent palace to celebrate the feast of her wedding; and even, seeing Christians on her way lamenting the miserable state in which they saw her, she consoled them, telling them that they should much rather rejoice at the grace she was receiving to endure something for Jesus Christ, her Lord and her Spouse. Meanwhile, Dacian having posted lieutenants in the other cities as so many ministers of his fury, Calpurnian, whom he had left in Mérida (Extremadura), made Saint Eulalia suffer torments so hor rible that few sainte Eulalie Young virgin martyr of twelve to thirteen years of age, executed under Calpurnianus. martyrs have endured similar ones, as we shall see on the following day. Leocadia, being informed of this, conceived such sorrow for the cruelties that were being exercised against the servants of the true God that, life becoming unbearable to her in the midst of so many crimes and miseries, she prayed to her heavenly Spouse to take her to Himself. Her prayer was answered; and, in the greatest fervor of her orison, having VIES DES SAINTS. — TOME XIV. tenderly kissed a cross that she had engraved on a hard stone by the sole impression of her finger, she rendered her beautiful soul to Him whom she loved above all things. This was on December 9, 303. Saint Leocadia is represented: 1st, dying in her prison; 2nd, tenderly kissing a cross, as we have just said; 3rd, having near her whips, because she had been cruelly beaten before being thrown into prison to await new tortures there.

[APPENDIX: CULT AND RELICS.]

The pagans threw the body of Saint Leocadia over the walls of the city of Toledo, to be devoured by dogs and crows; but the Christians took it away and buried it with honor in a place quite close to the city. Since then, a church has been built over her tomb, and several archbishops of Toledo, among others Eugenius III, Alphonsus, and Julian, chose it as their burial place. Several Councils have also been celebrated there and several miracles performed. Besides this church, due to the liberality of King Sisebut, there are two others in Toledo under the name of Saint Leocadia: one at the site of her prison, the other on the location of her paternal home.

In the 9th century, during the invasion of Spain by the Moors or Saracens, the relics of Saint Leocadia were transported from Toledo to protect them from the profanation of the infidels. A portion was taken to Saint-Ghislain, a small stronghold a league from Mons, in Hainaut. Later, in the 16th century, during the conquest of the Low Countries by Philip II, King of Spain, this first portion of the relics was, by order of this prince, brought back to the city of Toledo.

The other portion of the body of Saint Leocadia was transferred to the monastery of Saint-Médard in Soissons, and these precious remains stayed there for several centuries. They were there in the t ime of Charles th Charles le Chauve Emperor who confirmed the rights of the priory in the 9th century. e Bald, King of France (840-877), as attested by Nithard, in Book III of his Chronicle: "As Charles advanced toward Soissons, the monks of Saint-Médard ran to meet him and begged him to transport the bodies of the saints Médard, Sebastian, Gregory, Tiburtius, Leocadia, etc., into the basilica where they now rest and which was then largely built. The prince consented, stopped at this place, and transported on his own shoulders, with great respect, the bodies of the Saints."

To understand the reason for the translation of the Saint to Vic-sur-Aisne, a town located four leagues from Soissons, one must know that the land of Vic had been given to the monastery of Saint-Médard by Princess Berthe, daughter of Louis the Pious; and furthermore that Eudes, Count of Paris, then King of France (887-898), under whose protection the abbey was, had built (889) a fortified castle at Vic-sur-Aisne "to safeguard the properties of the monastery entrusted to his advocacy." Later, the monks of Saint-Médard, seeing themselves constantly harassed by the turbulent lords of Coucy, obtained that the lords of Pierrefonds would maintain in the castle of Vic a body of troops commanded by a knight. This indeed took place at the end of the 11th century and throughout the 13th.

In 1196, the monks transferred the relics of Saint Leocadia to this fortified castle. The ceremony, set for Ascension Day, was performed with the greatest pomp, and they were deposited in the castle chapel. A young monk, Dom Gautier or Gautier de Coincy, was the first prior of the sma Gautier de Coincy Prior of Vic-sur-Aisne and hagiographic author. ll community henceforth charged with guarding the relics of the Saint and serving her chapel. In 1219, the very year of the capture of Damietta (Egypt), thieves broke into the chapel of Saint Leocadia during the night, removed the reliquary, stripped it of its rich ornaments, and threw the relics into the Aisne river. Gautier, in despair, lost his sleep over it. He spent several days and nights praying and lamenting. The Lord allowed Himself to be moved by such fervent supplications. After five days, on the eve of Pentecost, these precious bones were found in the Aisne. Gautier pulled them out himself, placed them provisionally on the bank of the river, near which he planted a cross. A crowd of miracles then occurred through the invocation of the Saint. Milon de Bazoches, fiftieth abbot of Saint-Médard, came to perform the recognition of the relics, enclosed them in a reliquary of silver enameled with gold; and, on July 22, they were carried back in a great ceremony to the chapel of the castle of Vic.

Since the incident just mentioned, the chapel of Saint Leocadia remained peacefully in possession of the reliquary of its patroness until the time of the League (1576). Comté, with his Huguenots, seized Vic-sur-Aisne one day. The Leaguers retook the place in 1590; but they could not resist the Sieur de Humières sent by Henry IV; and they were all put to the sword. In the looting, the reliquary of Saint Leocadia, which was covered with silver plates and other precious materials, was broken and the relics thrown to the ground. They were about to be delivered to the flames when Claude de L épine, parish pr Claude de Lépine Parish priest of Haramont who saved the relics during the Wars of Religion. iest of Haramont (Aisne, arrondissement of Soissons), witness to this profanation, gathered them furtively and sent them by a soldier to the abbey of Longpré (Longum pratum), of the Order of Fontevraul Ordre de Fontevrault Religious order of the Abbey of Longpré. t, where his sister had made her profession. New miracles having occurred there, the Pope granted indulgences to the faithful who would visit the church of Longpré on the day of the feast of Saint Leocadia.

In 1695, the relics of the Saint were very solemnly transported from the old reliquary into another "more decent and more suitable" one, says the report, "without breaking the old seals or stamps"; and the feast of this translation was fixed for February 12 "to henceforth continue from year to year". The monastery of Longpré having been destroyed during the Revolution of 1793, the precious reliquary was carried in 1805 to the church of Barsmont, where it can still be seen. Its ebony sides are adorned with very graceful arabesques and scrolls in gilded copper. It contains many bones as well as the head of the Saint, wi chef de la Sainte Relics of the saint, including her skull. th the exception of the lower jaw and a few teeth which, at the beginning of this century, having been returned to the church of Vic-sur-Aisne, are there an object of veneration for the pious faithful. On Whit Monday, a procession is held around the town in which the reliquary of Saint Leocadia is solemnly carried.

Devotion to Saint Leocadia has not cooled at all in Vic-sur-Aisne. Thus, at the request of the dean, Mgr de Simony, Bishop of Soissons, was able to establish there the Confraternity of Saint Leocadia, whose main goal is the spiritual advancement of those who commit themselves to it. "They will remember," says the Ordinance, "that they must edify one another, by a more exact assiduity to the offices, by a purer conduct, a more Christian life and a more frequent reception of the Sacraments."

A small portion of the Saint's relics is found in the chapel of the Amiens high school.

We have completed the account of Father Giry with Notes that M. the Abbé Henri Congnet, canon of Soissons, kindly provided us.