Saint Brachio

His life is drawn from that of Saint Aemilian, his director, and both from Sa int Gregory of Tours, b saint Grégoire de Tours Bishop and historian who mentions the martyrdom of Antolian. ook V, of the Li fe of the Fat Vie des Pères Hagiographical work by Gregory of Tours. hers, chap. 22.

Saint Brachio was born in the land of Touraine for the world, and for heaven, in Auvergne. He spent part of his youth in the service of Sigivald, Count of Clermont and a close relative of Theuderic, King of Austrasia and Auvergne. His usual exercise was hunting. He often went into the forests of Pont-Gibaut with his retinue. One day, having unleashed his dogs after a wild boar, they pursued it with cries and clamor to the hut of Saint Aemilianus, who had retired into that forest to live apart from the commerce of men. The boar, pursued furiously by the pack, fled promptly into the enclosure of the servant of God's hermitage, as into its fortress, with the same assurance as if it had retreated into its lair. Witnessing this extraordinary event, the young man approached the holy hermit and spoke with him. The entire conversation of Saint Aemilianus revolved around the nothingness of the world and the sweetness and advantage of the service of God. The young man went away deeply moved and pensive. His resolution was not yet taken to renounce the world that he loved as one loves it at that age; but the work of this great conversion had begun; a first impulse had just been given, it was not to stop until the complete change of this young heart. Brachio, worked upon by grace, would get out of his bed two or three times at night and prostrate himself on the ground, praying to God to come to his aid in these difficulties. It was thus that he strengthened himself in the will to give himself to God. Now, he did not yet know how to read; but having had a few letters traced for him on a piece of paper, he studied them very assiduously and learned them very quickly. Each time that ecclesiastics came to his master's palace, he would address the youngest and beg them to give him a lesson, so that in a short time, he learned to read well. And meanwhile, Sigivald having departed from this world, Brachio judged that it was time for himself to distance himself from it to go and make the sacrifice of his life to his Creator. For this, he threw himself into the hands of Saint Aemilianus, his first master, under whose guidance he did two years of novitiate, learned the entire psalter by heart, and fashioned himself so well to the solitary life that his master judged him capable of governing his hermitage after his death, even though he had other religious who had made a longer profession of solitude than he. Under his direction, the humble hermitage became a great monastery, for the development and maintenance of which Ramichildis, daughter of Sigivald, gave him several lands and important possessions. He departed from this world, commendable for his holiness and rich in merits, to go and gather the fruits thereof in heaven.

His life is drawn from that of Saint Aemilian, his director, and both from Saint Gregory of Tours, book V, of the Life of the Fathers, chap. 22.