Saint Frigidian

Upon returning to his homeland, his parents, still infidels, endeavored to bring him back to the worship of idols and to engage him in the bonds of marriage. But, by the grace of God, it was he, on the contrary, who persuaded them to abandon the impious worship of idols and to convert to the faith. He strengthened them in this same faith by resurrecting his own sister before them.

Then, he went into solitude, built a monastery where he established canons living according to the rule he had brought back from Rome; he lived there for some time very holily with them. As the fame of his holiness spread everywhere in his country, he resolved, in order to escape the praises of men, to make the pilgrimage to Italy a second time.

He arrived in Lucca, a city where the fragrance of his holiness soon spread, so much so that all the inhabitants demanded him and obtained him for their bishop. In this high office, he developed divine worship considerably, and in the space of twenty-eight years that he was bishop, he built twenty-eight baptismal churches. The principal one among them all was that which he dedicated in honor of the Three Holy Levites, and which now bears the name of Saint Frigi Saint-Frigidien Bishop of Lucca of Irish origin, known for his hydraulic miracles. dian. The Saint transported without difficulty for the construction of this church an enormous stone that many men together could not even move from its place: it is still preserved in this same church in memory of this miracle.

Another miracle further demonstrates the credit that this holy man enjoyed before God. Sa int Gregory the Great r Saint Grégoire le Grand Pope contemporary to Saint Psalmodius. eports it in his Dialogues. The Arno river frequen rivière d'Arno River diverted by the saint to prevent flooding. tly flooded the countryside of Lucca and caused great damage to the inhabitants. The Saint prayed, and then had a plow dragged through the fields, and immediately the river, turning aside to another direction, cleared the countryside of the waters that were flooding it.

Finally, Saint Frigidian, after many labors accomplished, rested happily in the Lord, rich in merits and full of days. His body was buried in the aforementioned church of the Three Levites. During the reign of Charlemag ne, it happ Charlemagne Emperor of the Franks and uncle of Saint Folquin. ened that the dead body of a young girl was placed upon the bones of the Saint; immediately the young girl, waking from her sleep of death, cried out: "Take me away from here, for you have placed me upon the body of the blessed Frigidian"; and these words spoken, she fell asleep again. Thus the holy body, which had remained unknown for almost two hundred years, was discovered miraculously, and was held in great veneration. The memory of this invention is celebrated in Lucca on the 19th of November.

He is given as attributes the boat with which the boatmen once crossed the Arno, at his word, despite the overflowing waters, and a rock that he caused to move back: the latter is still shown today. Proper of Ireland.