Saint Livane (Levange) of Senlis

Inflamed with zeal for the progress of the true religion, he did everything to convert to the faith of Jesus Christ the Franks, to whom the Roman properties of his diocese had fallen as a share. Called to Reims after the king's conversion, he assisted saint Remi Bishop of Reims who baptized Clovis. Saint Remi in the instruction and regeneration of the Franks. Correcting the abuses that had crept in due to social disturbances, defending the rights of the Church, reforming the morals of the clergy, and ensuring the observance of the fasts and public prayers of the Rogations, following the prescriptions concile d'Orléans Assembly of bishops in which Livane participated. of the Council of Orleans, where he had gone with thirty other bishops, were what constantly occupied his activity. He also cooperated, with Saint Remi and other bishops gathered in synod, in the e xtinction arianisme Heresy opposed by Columbanus in Italy among the Lombards. of the scourge of Arianism, which had surreptitiously introduced itself into our regions. Charity for the poor was not the least of his virtues. The storms of war had passed: he obtained that all those of his people who presented to the king a letter sealed with his pastoral ring would immediately obtain reparation for the damages caused to them by the soldiers. He was like an angel of gentleness among the barbarians, of consolation among the afflicted, and of peace in the unleashed furies of war. He was indefatigable in the defense of religion.

He carefully watched over the preservation of the relics of Saint Rieul saint Rieul First bishop of Senlis, whose relics were venerated by Livane. , for whom he had great devotion. King Clovis, accompanied by prelates and high officials, having come on a pilgrimage to the tomb of the Saint because of the fame of his miracles, and having asked for some particles of his relics for himself, Livane heard this request with sorrow; but, not daring to oppose the king, he prayed to God to keep the body of the holy Pontiff intact. And, indeed, the sepulcher having been opened, as they tried to extract a tooth with the help of pincers, blood was suddenly seen to flow. This sign made the king understand that he must not do violence to the holy body, and he desisted from his undertaking. Upon leaving, he ordered that the basilica of Saint-Rieul be rebuilt with greater magnificence, and he donated considerable properties to this church for the sustenance of the clergy. Livane, finally, laden with merits and virtues, passed from this life to a better one on the 19th of October, at the beginning of the 6th century. He was honored with a particular cult, not only in Senlis but also in distant lands. The blo od that had flowed from the tooth of Saint Rie sang qui avait coulé de la dent de saint Rieul Miraculous relic preserved in Senlis until the 18th century. ul having been carefully collected by Saint Livane and enclosed in a reliquary, the inhabitants of Senlis had piously preserved it until the great subversion of the 18th century, and they celebrated the memory of this miracle on the 7th of February.

The holy bishops of Senlis. — The church of Senlis, between its principal bishops Rieul, Levange, and Andobart, also celebrated the feasts of several others, namely: on January 10, that of Saint Saintin, who attended the Council of Paris under the reign of Chilperic; on May 4, that of Saint Malufis, who was sent as a deputy to the same king and who, when that prince had been deposed, transported his body and buried it in Paris: he was honored with Candide, his successor; on November 7, that of Saint Agimure, who attended the Council of Reims in the midst of forty bishops, and who subscribed to the foundation of the monastery of Saint-Maur-des-Fossés; on October 20, that of the blessed Amand, who succeeded Andobart and who, by having the body of Saint Rieul brought to the ramparts, caused the barbarians who were besieging the city to retreat in terror. One m ust add Léthard Bishop of Senlis who preached in England before Saint Augustine. the blessed Lethard, predecessor of Saint Saintin, who accompanied Bertha, daughter of Charibert, married to King Ethelbert, to England, and who, before Saint Augustine, preached the faith in England, where his feast was celebrated on May 7. The remains of these blessed ones, after having been, during the unleashing of the revolutionary persecution of the 18th century, piled pell-mell in the cemetery of Senlis, were, sixty years later, brought back with honor to the ancient cathedral of this city (Poupre de Beauvais.)