Saint Drausin of Soissons

Such happy beginnings in the practice of virtue and the knowledge of letters determined his parents to place him under the guidance of Saint Anseric, Bishop of Soissons. This pr elate wa Soissons Birthplace and place of death of Geoffrey. s not long in noticing in young Drausin great dispositions for piety; this is why he applied himself with much affection to cultivating his heart as well as his mind, by imprinting in the former divine love and zeal for the glory of God; and in the latter, the lights of faith, and those of the Holy Scriptures and human sciences. Our Saint made such great progress under such a master that Bettolen, who succeeded this blessed bishop, fir st made Bettolen Successor of Anseric and predecessor of Drausin, who became abbot of Choisy. him his archdeacon; and, having subsequently renounced the episcopate to return to his cloister, after having declared, in the presence of the clergy and the people, that he had not been raised to this supreme dignity by a legitimate path, he ensured that Saint Drausin was elected in his place: this choice caused extreme joy, not only to the inhabitants of Soissons, but also to the king and his entire court (638).

As soon as he was consecrated, zeal, that spiritual fire which burns in the heart of a true minister of Jesus Christ, led him to undertake, with untiring ardor and care, the guidance of his diocese: he cut away the abuses that had crept into it; he upheld ecclesiastical discipline; in a word, he spared nothing to fulfill the obligations of his office. And, because a bishop must be the light and, as it were, the sun of his people, he believed that he must enlighten and warm all those whom God had entrusted to him. He therefore occupied himself ceaselessly with winning souls for Jesus Christ, whether through his preaching, which he performed with incredible fervor, or through his familiar exhortations, in which, with marvelous skill, he led even the most insensitive persons to the love of devotion. Indeed, it was difficult to resist the power of his word, since it was confirmed by the example of his virtues. He used the revenues of his church to assist the poor in their miseries, to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, and to receive pilgrims. His time was spent consoling the afflicted, visiting the sick, and exhorting prisoners; and, after being occupied during the day with these pious duties, he spent the nights praying and singing the praises of his God. His abstinence was so great that one could say his life was nothing but a continual fast. He possessed admirable patience, not only in the unfortunate accidents that befell him, but also in the very acute illnesses by which he was tormented almost his entire life; for, far from complaining at the height of his pains, one heard nothing come from his mouth but acts of thanksgiving to the majesty of God, and he rejoiced that he had the happiness of suffering something for His love; thus, not content with his infirmities, he further afflicted his flesh with various kinds of mortifications; so that one may apply to him these words of the Apostle: 'The more he was infirm, the more he showed courage.'

However, these frequent illnesses did not prevent this admirable servant of Jesus Christ from watching incessantly over his flock; and, to make holiness and evangelical perfection flourish more and more in his diocese, he resolved to have two monasteries built there, one for monks and the other for nuns, as places of asylum open against the storms of the century for those who wished to consecrate themselves to God, and so that the life of these angels of the earth would constantly attract the blessings of heaven and the grace of sanctification upon all his people. To this end, he bought from Bettolen , whom w Bettolen Successor of Anseric and predecessor of Drausin, who became abbot of Choisy. e have mentioned and who was abbot of Choisy, a place called Rethondes, situated along the Aisne river, where he had the monastery for monks built, to which he assigned very large revenues. This building was no sooner completed than it was filled with a great number of people who retired there to give themselves entirely to Jesus Christ.

For the monastery for nuns, he would have liked to have it built within the enclosure of his episcopal city; but, having been unable to execute this design, because Soissons, the ordinary residence of one of the Frankish kings, was too crowded, he was obliged to look for a place in the suburbs. Leutrude, wife of Ebroin, mayor of the pa Ebroïn Mayor of the palace responsible for the death of Saint Rambert. lace, helped him greatly, either by obtaining from her husband the necessary permission to build near the city, or by engaging him to provide for the expense of the buildings. This house was not long either without being populated by virtuous girls, who did not wish to have any other Spouse than the one of virgins, under the abbess Etheria, who had been brought from Jouarre to govern this new community.

The odor of their virtues attracted such a great number of nuns that the place, being too small to contain them all, and being moreover extremely inconvenient and exposed to the frequent flooding of the river, Saint Drausin thought of having another monastery built in the city: he successfully executed this design, thanks to the generosity and liberality of Ebroin, whom Leutrude engaged, throu Ebroïn Mayor of the palace responsible for the death of Saint Rambert. gh her prayers and tears, in this pious undertaking. Saint Ouen, Archbishop of Rouen, who was th Saint Ouen Author of the eulogy and life of Saint Aurea. en at court, contributed not a little, through his solicitations, to make him condescend to it. Indeed, this minister who, moreover, was very glad to give marks of a piety, at least apparent, granted what our Saint asked for, and even offered his palace to make it a religious house. A Soissons historian, who lived more than nine hundred years ago, says that this was only executed four years after the death of Saint Drausin; but it is certain that this writer was mistaken, as the author of the History of Notre-Dame de Soissons shows very well.

As soon as the new monastery was completed, the holy Bishop transferred there the greater part of the nuns who resided in the one in the suburb. In order to make this ceremony more august, he invited several prelates to be witnesses to this action, and to assist at the dedication of the church, which was performed very solemnly and under the invocation of Our Lady, in the year 664, the tent h of the rei Clotaire III King of the Franks who ordered the appointment of Erembert. gn of Clotaire III. He also had two other churches built, following the custom of those times of building three in large abbeys: one in honor of Saint Peter, for the religious who would direct the community; the other, in honor of Saint Genevieve and all the Saints, for the sick nuns, for the guests, and for the poor who were received into the monastery. This new colony of virgins was no sooner established in Soissons than several noble persons, attracted by their good examples, asked to be received into their company; so that one saw, in this place, princesses of the blood renounce the vain amusements of the world, to occupy themselves only with the business of their salvation. It seems that Saint Drausin remained in the world only to give the final perfection to this great work: for, after having completed the establishment of this religious house, both for the temporal and for the spiritual, he went to receive in heaven the reward of his labors, passing from this life to immortality, on March 5, around the year 674.

The news of his death cast consternation among the people: a universal groaning was heard throughout the city, everyone believing they had lost in him what they held most dear in the world. The widows and orphans wept for him as their protector; the poor, as their father; the ecclesiastics, as their leader; the religious, as their benefactor. In a word, there was no one who was not touched by the loss of such a holy man.

This great Saint is invoked when one is obliged to fight against the enemies of the Faith, the Church, or the State. Saint Thomas, Archbishop of Canterbur Saint Thomas, archevêque de Cantorbéry Archbishop of Canterbury and mentor to Saint Avertinus. y, had recourse to him before returning to England, where he foresaw, by a prophetic spirit, that he would have to endure martyrdom for the defense of ecclesiastical liberties; he hoped to obtain, through his intercession, the graces and strength necessary for such a combat. It is said that those who spent the night in prayer before his tomb became invincible to all their enemies. Thus, in former times, the Italians and the Burgundians, when they were at war in their own countries, often made this pilgrimage to triumph over their adversaries: Robert of Montfort spent the night there in prayer before doing battle with Henry, Earl of Essex.

## RELICS AND CULT OF SAINT DRAUSIN.

His sacred body was buried with pomp in the church of the old monastery, just as he had desired. But if he abandoned his daughters for some time, he showed later that it was only to give them more tangible signs of his protection: for the miracles that God performed at his tomb attracted so many sick people and pilgrims that the church could barely contain them. The nuns of the new monastery, who, moreover, were extremely distressed to see themselves separated from their holy founder, engaged Lentrude to procure the translation of his holy body to the new Lentrude Wife of Ebroin, she actively supported the foundations of Drausin. church, so that it might be honored there with more decency. To this end, Adalbert, a fourth bishop of Soissons (whom some wrongly confuse with Dattolen, predecessor of our Saint, and others with Aubert, who was never bishop of this city, but only abbot of Saint-Médard), Adalbert, I say, went to the tomb of Saint Drausin and performed the ceremony of this translation. His body was found fresh and whole, and without any appearance of corruption, although it had been buried for more than four years. This translation, which took place on the second day of June, around the year 680, was so august and accompanied by so many miracles that the church of Soissons has celebrated its memory ever since.

Among the wonders that occurred there, it is said that a woman, wishing out of devotion to have some relic of the Saint, pulled out one of his teeth, and that immediately blood came out from the same place: which so astonished those present that, not daring to expose themselves to taking anything on their own, they humbly begged that at least they be given either some of his hair or clippings of his nails, so great was the confidence they had in his intercession.

Miracles have continued at his tomb in the church of the new monastery. An infinity of sick people have received perfect health there. A blind man from Reims recovered his sight there, after having known, through revelation, that he was to receive this grace only at the sepulcher of the Saint. The burning lamp that was maintained there in his honor has sometimes been miraculously relit in the sight of the nuns. The oil has also been seen to multiply there very often. One has also several times perceived, over this holy place, a light so brilliant that it dazzled the eyes of those who looked at it. Finally, one has seen vapors emerge that spread a very sweet odor. All these prodigies, adds the historian of his life, are so many illustrious testimonies of the ardent charity with which the great Saint Drausin seemed still all ablaze, even after his death.

3° Of the three churches of the abbey: Saint-Pierre, at the parvis, Sainte-Geneviève, and the great church, only the collegiate church known as Saint-Pierre remains, at the parvis of Notre-Dame, which was served by a college of canons. Even then, it is not intact: the choir and the apse were demolished. The portal and its facade remain, as well as the nave. It is the oldest and most curious monument in Soissons, Romanesque in style as a whole, in its windows, frieze, etc. The portal belongs to the transition period, and the ogive begins to appear there. — This building is rented by the municipal administration to serve as a warehouse for goods; but its preservation is being watched over. — Of the church of Sainte-Geneviève, no trace remains.

As for the great church whose portal, facing the Grande-Rue or rue du Commerce, was surmounted by two beautiful towers, in the style of those of Notre-Dame de Paris, it was entirely demolished during the Revolution. On its site, once a week, the Saint-Pierre market is held. — There remain, however, two magnificent Romanesque arcades or windows, carved with care. They are preserved because they belong to a private individual. Archaeologists and tourists do not fail to visit them.

The buildings serving the use of the community had been rebuilt in the years immediately preceding the Revolution of 1789. It is today the city's large barracks.

4° "The tomb of Saint Drausin," says the author of the History of the Abbey of Notre-Dame, "is one of the rarest pieces of antiquity that remain in the country. It is made of a large, very hard stone, hollowed out as much as necessary to contain the body of a man, and covered on the outside with works crafted in the antique style, and bordered with vine foliage. In the middle is the name of Our Lord in Greek letters. On both sides are several stories from the Old and New Testaments. The length of the tomb is five and a half feet. It is supported by two pillars of black marble four feet high, and is covered by another piece in the shape of a canopy and also worked in the antique style. This tomb was placed in the chapel that bears the name of the Saint; but the body was enclosed in an artistically crafted reliquary, which was placed above the great choir screen."

The reliquary that contained the body of Saint Drausin was destroyed during the great Revolution.

His relics were dispersed during the same Revolution. Nothing remains of them.

But the Gallo-Roman tomb of which we have just spoken, after having been part of the Petits-Augustins museum in Paris, is today at the Louvre Museum, where everyone can visit it easily.

5° Perhaps it will be pleasant for you to know that five fragments of the great church of the Abbey of Notre-Dame are today at the cathedral of Soissons, namely:

The tabernacle, in white marble, surmounted by a dome supported by columns of very precious marble.

Two beautiful statues, in white marble, representing the Annunciation. The Virgin is on the Gospel side, the angel on the Epistle side, at the two corners of the high altar;

Two beautiful marble statues, one in white marble, the other black, representing two abbesses of Notre-Dame. They are two masterpieces of sculpture. They are placed inside the church, under the organs.

Soissons, November 30, 1862. Henri Congnet, titular canon.

The memory of Saint Drausin is very famous in the city of Soissons, and several martyrologies of France and Flanders make honorable mention of him on March 5. We have drawn what we have said about him from his life written by a native of Soissons who lived in the 10th century, and which the continuator of Bollandus reports in the first volume of March. One can see there the beautiful privilege that our Saint granted to the Abbey of Notre-Dame; it had been communicated only very imperfectly to abbaye de Notre-Dame Monastery of religious women where Sigrada was exiled and took the veil. this learned historian when the first volume of this month was being printed; but he reports it at length in the supplement he added at the end of the same volume. Dom Michel Germain, a Benedictine of the Congregation of Saint-Maur, gave it to us in its purity, in the history he composed of this holy house, by the order of Armandes-Insuriette de Lorraine-d'Harmont, worthy abbess; 10-4°, 1675. This author shows, with much erudition, that the Abbey of Notre-Dame de Soissons is one of the oldest that the Order of Saint Benedict has possessed until now in France. Nine hundred years ago, it Ordre de Saint-Benoît Religious order occupying the monastery of Honnecourt. was compared to the famous Abbey of Corbie, and Paschasius Radbertus, who flourished then, testifies that, in his time, no community could be found that was comparable to it in holiness and prerogatives. — Cf. Annales du diocèse de Soissons, 2, 10-5°, 1863.