Saint Valerius of Saragossa

They therefore went from Saragossa to Valencia, loaded with chains; as soon as they arrived, they appeared before Dacian. The latter, addressing Valerius first because of his great age and the high esteem in which he was held among the Christians, said to him: "What then, Valerius, do you think it is just, under the pretext of religion, to break and void the decrees of the princes?" Then Valerius, whose body was weakened by old age, but whose spirit had lost none of its vigor, replied: "We, O Dacian, who profess the Christian faith, and who follow in the footsteps of our ancestors, have always had as a maxim and principle, in our holy religion, to obey God, who created everything by His will, rather than men." Having heard these words, Dacian, who promised himself no triumph from the death of Valerius, because he was burdened with extreme old age, which the president considered to be more of a burden to him than any torment, decreed that he would only be sent into exile.

Valerius chose the small town of Anet, in Aragon, as th e pl Anet Place of refuge for the relics of Saint Latuin. ace of his exile. There, he made it a rule to live far from the world, so that, delivered from all burdens and affairs, he could dedicate his old age to God. The most glorious death that Vincent had suffered in Valencia, by the order of the impious Dacian, often came to his mind, and he esteemed it very happy: he himself wished only to depart from this life; he desired to see again in heaven the one who had been his companion on earth and who had shared his labors. To better mark his feelings toward Vincent, he had a church built for him in that place at the expense of the Christians. It is the first that was erected in honor of Saint Vincent. Finally, vigils, fasts, and prayers having occupied his life until the last moment, he rendered his blessed soul to God in the year 315. The Christians buried his body not far from there, in a castle named Strada. A distinguished monument, containing his relics and recalling his name, is now seen at the monastery of Saint-Vincent, in Rota. In Spain, people and sovereigns have always honored Saint Valerius with the greatest devotion. Thus, very often, God has rewarded their trust and their piety with the most striking miracles, and especially with miraculous healings.

The cult of Saint Valerius, so famous in the cities of Spain, was introduced into Franche-Comté at a very ancient time, which we cannot determine. A parish in the Jura, that of Châtillon-s ur-Courtine, pays a pa Châtillon-sur-Courtine Parish in the Jura possessing relics of the saint. rticular cult to this illustrious confessor. For several centuries, it has possessed quite considerable relics, which tradition has always regarded as those of Saint Valerius, Bishop of Saragossa. The precise time when they were transported to Châtillon is unknown; but it is certain that this translation is very ancient, for, in a remote era, Saint Valerius already had a church in this place consecrated in his honor. It was situated in the middle of the current cemetery of this parish, in the place called today the cemetery and chapel of Saint Valerius. In 1835, its ruins covered with brushwood could still be seen, when the inhabitants worked to level the cemetery and clear the small oratory that is found there. Furthermore, a charter of franchise, granted in 1341 by Jacques de Châlon, Lord of Arlay and Lord of Châtillon, makes mention of a town called Curtine, built in the vicinity of the cemetery of Saint-Valerius. The relics that the parish of Châtillon possesses today were therefore very probably deposited at that time in this church, and were taken from it to be transported to the chapel of the Eagle, when Jean de Châlon had this chapel built for the inhabitants of the village of L'Arrénier, which he was establishing near his castle.

It can be seen from this that the cult rendered at Châtillon to the holy bishop of Saragossa dates back more than five hundred years. His relics are held in great veneration there, not only by this parish, but also by the neighboring parishes, which, at different times, came there in procession to obtain favorable weather for the fruits of the earth, especially in times of drought. More than once, this confidence of the people has been answered in an extraordinary manner. These sacred remains were enclosed, until 1822, in a very ancient reliquary, which also contained other relics, which are honored as those of Saint Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church.

Despite the mixing of these relics belonging to two saints, the custom prevailed of designating them under the name of the reliquary of Saint Valerius. He is the principal and oldest patron of the parish. His feast, which was celebrated solemnly on January 28 in Châtillon, as in the rest of the Church, was transferred to October 23, by virtue of a permission granted by Mgr Claude Lecoc on September 23, 1807. One can still see, among the old statues of the parish church, a wooden bust of Saint Valerius, absolutely similar in form to the one described by the Bollandists, and which was given by Peter of Luna to the church of Saragossa in 1207. When the old reliquary of the Saint was carried in procession, the lid covering it was sometimes removed to replace it with this statue of the holy bishop, who thus seemed to emerge alive from his tomb. From time immemorial, the faithful of Châtillon have called this bust the head of Saint Valerius. When the chapel of the Eagle, demolished in 1805, had been replaced by the current church, the relics of the patron saint were transferred to the new building in 1807. Some fragments were taken from them in 1811 and placed in the portable reliquary of the parish. On October 23, 1822, M. Bourgeon, parish priest of Châtillon, removed all the relics from their old reliquary, which was falling into disrepair, and placed them in a new wooden reliquary, where they remain today.

The faithful of the parish have always shown the greatest respect for the precious remains of their patron saints. It is to these powerful protectors that they have recourse to implore, through their intercession, divine mercy during public calamities. The reliquary is then carried in procession, amidst marks of veneration combined with confidence. Neighboring parishes, in particular those of Mireboi, Munoz-la-Ville, Crançot, Vevy, etc., have traveled processionally at different times to the church of Châtillon to invoke the protection of the two holy pontiffs Gregory and Valerius. These facts show the traditional respect that these populations have maintained for the elect of God. Thus, despite the furies of the French Revolution, the reliquary of Saint Valerius remained in the parish church of Châtillon as in the most peaceful times, and the profaners did not dare to touch these relics, defended by the veneration of the faithful.

Saint Valerius is also particularly honored in Castelnovo, the place where the Saint stopped while leaving Valencia to ask for food; but the inhabitants, who were pagans, mocked him. Saint Valerius then predicted that no one would be able to inhabit this place unless they were Christian, which came to pass; — in Anet, or rather in the diocese of Rota, for it is near this city that the small village of Anet is found today, composed of barely twenty houses, and it is to Rota that his relics were transferred after the ruin of the fortress of Strada in 1065. The church of Rota still commemorates this translation on October 23rd of each year; — in Zaragoza, where his head was transported in 1170 by Alfonso II, Kin g of Aragon Alphonse II King of Aragon who transferred the saint's head to Zaragoza. .

The authors of the Vie des Saints de Franche-Comté drew these details from a handwritten note on the relics of Saint Valerius, written by Mr. Thurol, parish priest of Châtillon, and addressed to Mgr de Chaman, Bishop of Saint-Claude.