A relative of Charlemagne, Folquin became Bishop of Thérouanne in 817. He distinguished himself by his charity during the Norman invasions and his firmness in defending ecclesiastical discipline. He died in 855 during a pastoral visit to Esquelbecq.
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SAINT FOLQUIN, BISHOP OF THÉROUANNE (855).
Origins and vocation
Born of high nobility and a relative of Charlemagne, Folquin renounced worldly honors to enter holy orders before becoming Bishop of Thérouanne in 817.
Folquin Folquin Bishop of Thérouanne in the 9th century and a relative of Charlemagne. 's mother was Erkensinde, from a noble family of the Goth nation, and his father was Jerome, uncle of the E mperor Charlemagne. Hi l'empereur Charlemagne Emperor of the Franks and uncle of Saint Folquin. s adolescence was cultivated by both letters and piety. Drawn by the grace of a high rank as well as by his natural inclination toward virtue, he disdained worldly honors and enlisted in the militia of Christ, firmly resolved to serve God alone. He led a sweet and tranquil life for several years, entirely devoted to the things of God, until the Bishop of Thérouanne (Pas-de-Cal ais), Erkembodon, havi l'évêque de Thérouanne Episcopal see of Saint Folquin. ng died, he was called to succeed him by the suffrages of the clergy and the people in the year 817. His humility was all the more striking as his birth and merit were more brilliant. He maintained discipline with a firmness as far removed from rigor as it was from laxity. He rarely frequented princes and the great of the world, even though his nobility seemed to make it a necessity for him.
Episcopacy and trials
Active during councils and a protector of his people against Norman invasions, he defended the independence of the Church against royal interference before dying in 855.
He attended the sixth and seventh Council of Paris, as well as the assembly of Soissons. In addition to statutes concerning the general discipline of morals to which he contributed greatly, he also created specific ones for his diocese. He relieved his people, who were overwhelmed by the calamities of war. He had, above all, the opportunity to exercise his charity when the Normans began to devastate Flanders and Morinia, and to rush with a kind of fury upon all parts of France. He translated the relics of Saint Omer, the most famous of his predecessors. His fear of the Norman incursions led him to hide the body of Saint Bertin under the altar of Saint-Martin in 846. Having reached an extreme old age, he was still fulfilling all the duties of his office. Under the pretext that he was too old to continue his functions (he had been a bishop for nearly forty years), the king sent him a successor, which was a grave violation of the holy canons; the old bishop then sought to avenge the freedom of the Church and called down the curse of heaven upon the head of a man who preferred to obey the king of the earth rather than the King of heaven: it is reported that the punishment was not long in coming. Saint Folquin died while visiti Saint Folquin Bishop of Thérouanne in the 9th century and a relative of Charlemagne. ng his diocese on December 14, 855, in the village of Exquelbecq (No rd, arrondissement bourg d'Exquelbecq Place of death of Saint Folquin. of Dunkerque, canton of Wormhoudt). His body was carried, as he had desired, to the monastery of Saint-Bertin and b uried near that of Saint monastère de Saint-Bertin Burial place of Saint Folquin. Omer. Seventy-three years later (928), Odwin, with the consent of the bishop of Th Odwin Nephew of Saint Folquin who oversaw the elevation of his relics. érouanne, raised the body of his uncle from the ground and erected an altar at the place of his burial: great miracles have been performed in favor of those who have invoked his name.
Cult and posterity
The cult of Saint Folquin developed in Morinia and the North, marked by the elevation of his relics in 928 and his patronage over several parishes.
The cult of Saint Folquin has always been celebrated in Morini a and t Morinie Historical region corresponding to the former diocese of Thérouanne. he neighboring regions. Several parishes invoke him as their patron, among others those of Pitgam, Esquelbecq, and Wolckerinckove, in the diocese of Cambrai. There is also in the current diocese of Arras, and not far from Bourbourg, a village that bears the name of the Saint.
Sources
The information is derived from the Proper of Arras, the Legendary of Morinie, and the works of Abbé Destombes.
Proper of Arras; Legendary of Morinie; Lives of the Saints of the dioceses of Cambrai and Arras, by Abbé Destombes.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Election to the see of Thérouanne in 817
- Participation in the Councils of Paris and the assembly of Soissons
- Translation of the relics of Saint Omer
- Concealment of the body of Saint Bertin in 846 due to the Normans
- Conflict with the king over the freedom of the Church at the end of his life
- Died during a visitation of his diocese in 855
Miracles
- Great miracles performed after the elevation of his body in 928