Saint Gerald

The excess of work, fasting, and vigils caused Géraud to suffer from cephalic neuralgia. He felt continuous violent pains in his head, which every movement and the slightest serious occupation made intolerable. The description that his biographers give us of this illness demonstrates that his weakened brain allowed itself to be dominated by a thousand frightening imaginations. The pious cellarer, however, retained enough presence of mind to conceal the sharpness of his sufferings, which were known only to the religious who secretly provided him with special care. When the gravity of his condition was finally noticed, he was forced to resort to the consultations of physicians. One performed an incision on the frontal vein, a second resorted to various kinds of potions, and a third employed cauterization. As no remedy succeeded, the patient resigned himself to the will of God. To merit His graces, he redoubled his charity toward the poor; every day, he received three of them, washed their feet, and served them food; after the meal, he sometimes threw himself at their knees, and, seeing in them an image of the three divine persons, he would cry out while shedding tears: "O Holy Trinity, deliver me from the evils that I cannot endure. Remember this promise of Scripture: Whenever you call upon me, I will say: here I am. Ah! remember your mercy and do not delay its fulfillment."

Abbot Foulques, obliged to go to Rome in the interest o f his abbey, re L’abbé Foulques Abbot of Corbie and traveling companion of Géraud. solved to carry out his plan during the month of January of the year 1050. Having first proposed to Géraud that they make this journey together, he later dissuaded him from it, due to his deplorable state of health. But the cellarer insisted so much on accomplishing a pilgrimage that could lead to his healing that no further obstacle was placed in the way of his desire.

The journey, so difficult at that time, became for Géraud an occasion for a redoubling of suffering: for the exercise of riding a horse reopened the wounds on his head. The holy religious, not even having the strength to sustain conversation, stayed behind; it was in this way that he could, without being seen, give alms to beggars and attend more lengthily to prayer.

Arriving at the Saint-Denis hospital, which served as an asylum for pilgrims, his wounds were dressed, and it was then possible to see how much the ailment had worsened. Thus, Abbot Foulques felt he should advise his companion to remain in the hospice or to be taken back to Corbie. "If I have undertaken this journey," Géraud replied, "it is to reach the goal; I have only obeyed your orders: therefore I beg your paternity not to impose upon me the harsh obligation of leaving you." Foulques finally yielded to a desire so vividly expressed, and they soon arrived at the foot of two mountains that had to be crossed on foot, Mount Joux and Mount Bardon, which later were to take the names of the Great and Little Saint Bernard, in honor of Saint Bernard of Menthon, founder of two hospitals for travelers in these desolate places.

The humble pilgrim added even more voluntary mortifications to the fatigues of the road and the cruel sufferings he endured. It was barefoot and with his head covered only by a hood that he crossed Mount Gaudius.

Upon his arrival in Rome, Géraud went to the tomb of the Apo Rome Birthplace of Maximian. stles. What tears, what prayers to obtain the healing of his infirmity! While his companions slept, he returned to the Basilica of Saint Peter, whose guardians had been won over by his generosity. There, he begged the Prince of the Apostles, if not to restore his complete health, at least to preserve the reason that, in the paroxysm of his pains, he felt slipping away from him.

Eight days later, Fulk and Gerald followed Pope Sa int Leo IX, who wa pape saint Léon IX Pope who visited the saint's sepulchre in 1049. s traveling to Apulia to pacify the regions being ravaged by the Normans, cruel supporters of the antipope Benedict IX. Our pilgrims fell into their hands. Gerald, who was riding in the rear as was his custom, was thrown from his mount, roughly mistreated, and stripped of all the money his abbot had entrusted to him. He had to rejoin his companions on foot, who had arrived more quickly at the Abbey of Monte Cassino thanks to the horses returned to them by a compassionate soldier from the band of the Count of Aquino.

Richer, abbot of this monastery, seeing the cellarer of Corbie imploring the protection of Saint Benedict, came to increase his desolation even further by saying to him bluntly: "Alas! My brother, your illness is very dangerous: one of our monks, tortured by the same ailment, suffered so much that he eventually lost his reason."

The caravan having arrived at Monte Gargano, where Leo IX was, Gerald invoked Saint Michael, who made these places famous by his apparition to a bishop of Siponto. He sprinkled his head with the sacred drops that flow from the venerated rock; "but," exclaims one of his ancient biographers, "neither Saint Michael on his mountain, nor Saint Benedict in his monastery of Monte Cassino, nor Saint Peter in his city, performed the healing that Saint Adalard reserved for himself to accomplish at Corbie."

Ordained a priest at the same time as Fulk by th saint Léon Pope who visited the saint's sepulchre in 1049. e hands of Saint Leo (1050), Gerald soon faced the perils of the return journey and came back to Corbie, where he resumed his life of fervent regularity. He was seen frequently celebrating the Holy Mass; sometimes, however, his weakness was so great that he would not have been able to complete the holy mysteries had God not sustained him with His strength.

In 1051, Saint Géraud was invested with the office of sacristan and was soon able, despite the persistence of his infirmity, to give new proofs of a zeal that nothing could discourage.

The church of Saint-Pierre, which had been burned down during the abbacy of Richard, was rising only slowly from its ruins; herds entered it as if it were a public square; rainwater stayed there in such abundance that ducks and geese found pools for their frolicking; a thick layer of manure served as paving. Despite the community's scarcity, the enterprising sacristan had the work accelerated; soon a new nave was entirely built, the choir was decorated with columns and stalls, the crypt was cleared, several altars were erected in the cloisters, and the regular quarters became habitable. It was then (August 27, 1052) that the consecration of the new church took place.

It was by paying with his own person that Saint Géraud had been able to lead the faithful to raise the scattered stones of the sanctuary: thus his hands, having become calloused, bore the noble stigmata of his harsh labors. His usual infirmities showed no improvement. Animated by a heavenly inspiration, he resorted to the intercession of Saint Adalard, and vowed to him, if he g ranted his re saint Adélard Abbot of Corbie and spiritual master of Hildeman. quest, to glorify his cult and his name. Little by little, the ailment diminished. One day, having just sung the choir mass, the holy priest prostrated himself before the altar he had had dedicated to Saint Adalard, and cried out amidst his sobs: "Saint Adalard! Friend of Christ, have pity on me, miserable among all, who have recourse to you!" Full of confidence in his powerful protector, but feeling more ill than usual, he went to lie down in his cell. Soon he perceived, from the side of the altar he had just left, a globe of fire that flooded him with light; his nerves seemed to stretch and snap in his aching head, amidst an extraordinary rustling: "O Saint Adalard," he cried out in his anguish, "help me!" The sick man was healed.

Faithful to his vow, Géraud composed antiphons and responsories for the office of Saint Adalard, wrote an account of his life, based on the overly diffuse text of Saint Paschasius Radbertus, and also some other minor writings.

The contemporary biographer of Saint Géraud then reports the following two visions. The sacristan of Corbie, during his sleep, saw himself transported to the threshold of the chapel dedicated to Saint Michael, where Our Lord was preparing to say Mass. Archangels, Angels, and Saints were preparing everything for the divine liturgy. When they were all arranged on both sides of the choir, Jesus asked if all those who were to attend this Mass were indeed present: "We are all here," replied the celestial choir. — "No," replied Jesus Christ, "there is a brother who is standing at the door and who must be brought in." — Géraud responded to this call, took his place in the holy assembly, and listened to the Mass of All Saints which begins with these words: Gaudeamus omnes in Domino: Let us all rejoice in the Lord. When the religious had awakened, he reflected on this vision, understood by it how much he was in the good graces of the Lord, and resolved to devote himself even more entirely to His service.

Another time, he believed himself transported into the church of Saint-Pierre, facing the cross that dominated the triumphal arch between the choir and the nave. The faithful who filled the church had their eyes fixed on the holy image, when, suddenly, the Savior left the cross, descended toward Géraud whom He called by name, and caressed his face with His hand, saying: "My son, place your strength and your trust in the power of the Lord." After these words, Jesus went to resume His place on the cross of the triumphal arch, and this new vision confirmed our Saint in his sentiments of fervor and hope.

A caravan of pilgrims was preparing to leave Corbie for the Holy Land. Géraud wished very much to be part of it; but his abbot dissuaded him, not only because he appreciated the utility of his services, but also because he feared for him the perils of the road and the examples of other monks who had become hermits in the course of their peregrinations. However, Foulques, unable to resist either the will of God or the solicitations of several pious persons, finally allowed Géraud to undertake this journey, but on the express condition that he would return to Corbie.

During this pilgrimage, accomplished around the year 1073, Géraud visited a good number of renowned sanctuaries, and fulfilled his dearest desire by praying at the tomb of the Savior.

Raynier, brother of Saint Géraud, had been raised like him at the monastery of Corbie. The monks of Saint-Vincent of Laon had chosen him as abbot in 1059. Having had the sorrow Saint-Vincent de Laon Abbey where Géraud was briefly abbot. of losing him at the beginning of the year 1074, they wanted to replace him with Saint Géraud, who had very recently returned from his pilgrimage. The latter, after having long refused an honor whose burden he fully understood, finally yielded to the solicitations that pressed him. But he did not delay in regretting having acquiesced to the instances of the bishop of Laon: for it was in vain that he strove to re-establish regularity in a monastery where the religious were more attached to the goods of the world than to the hopes of heaven. Seeing how fruitless his attempts to combat the disastrous consequences of avarice remained, Géraud remembered the example of Saint Benedict abandoning the monks of Saint-Côme to their reprobate sense and, after five years of useless trials, he finally resolved to leave Saint-Vincent to go and live in solitude.

A recluse named Ebroïn, formerly engaged in a military career, lived not far from the abbey. Five knights came to find him one day, made their confession to him, and, after declaring that they wished to renounce the world, they implored his good counsel. Ebroïn arranged for them an interview in his cell with Géraud, whose confidences he often received, and spoke to them of their mutual desires. All resolved to devote themselves together to the eremitic life, and, without yet knowing toward which solitude they would turn their steps, they made an appointment at the Abbey of Saint-Denis to take the time to settle their respective affairs.

The five knights of whom we have just spoken, and who were to contribute so powerfully to Géraud's great work, all had a glorious past. They were Herloy, brother of Yves, castellan of Noyon, who had accompanied Philip I in the wars of Flanders and Brittany; Guy, a vassal of the Bishop of Laon; the castellan Tiezzon, of the house of Coucy, who had taken part in the Battle of Cassel; Gauthier of Laon, whose wisdom equaled his bravery; and Lithier, who aimed for perfection in all things.

After obtaining permission from the Bishop of Laon, from whom he held his abbatial powers, Géraud left Saint-Vincent with two of his monks, Martin and Aleran; the latter was his nephew.

The nine travelers, who do not appear to have had a very fixed idea for the choice of their solitude, undertook various pilgrimages after having venerated the relics of the first Pontiff of Paris. Thus, they visited in succession Sainte-Croix of Orléans and the tomb of Saint Martin in Tours. There, they met other pilgrims returning from Rome and refused the offers made by them of lands and goods for the establishment of a monastery.

Upon arriving in Poitiers, they attended the entry of William VIII, Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine, who questioned them about the purpose of their journey. Edified by the answers of Saint Géraud, the Duke hastened to offer him the lands he might choose in his province. Raoul, provost of the justice of Bordeaux, having pointed out a forest named Sylva Major, between the Garonne and the Dordogne, a place that seemed to him to suit the de Sylva major Monastery founded by Géraud in Aquitaine. signs of the pilgrims, William had them led into these uncultivated regions where one could only penetrate by clearing a path with the help of an axe.

On the ruins of the castle of Hauteville was an earthen oratory, dedicated to the Virgin, and long since abandoned. The existence of this sanctuary and the very horror of this solitude immediately fixed Géraud's choice, and he took possession of this retreat on October 28 of the year 1079, the day of the feast of the holy apostles Jude and Simon. More than one difficulty hindered this new Benedictine foundation, which was soon to become the seat of such an important congregation. Let us listen to Géraud tell us himself of his worries and his steps.

One night, as Saint Géraud was praying to God to let him know if his foundation was pleasing to Him, he fell asleep and saw on the side of the Orient a chariot drawn by two oxen. Suddenly, the two oxen transformed into a single horse; finally, the steed gave way to Our Lord attached to a great luminous cross whose foot touched the earth and whose summit reached the heavens. After having adored this vision, the Saint awoke and understood that God approved of the journey he had undertaken and the end he had set for it. It was at this spot that, later, he raised the monastery church.

The five Picard knights, who still wore the lay habit, had once made a vow to undertake the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. When, with the permission of the Abbot, they had fulfilled their promises, they returned to La Sauve and then took the habit of Saint Benedict.

On May 11, 1081, the monks, in the middle of the forest they had begun to la Sauve Monastery founded by Géraud in Aquitaine. clear, laid the first stone of the monastery and dedicated it to Our Lady and the apostles Saint Simon and Saint Jude. "Tradition reports that Saint Géraud felled a great number of oaks that occupied the place where he wished to build, simply by touching them with a piece of flat, blunt iron. This tradition is supported by the care with which this iron, fitted with an agate handle and encased in gilded silver, was preserved thereafter among the relics under the name of the knife of Saint Géraud."

The virtues of the holy Abbot, his angelic appearance, the purity of his morals, the fervor of his prayers, and the eloquence of his instructions deeply impressed the populations living in the surrounding areas. They were seen to become civilized little by little and to flock to confess to Géraud, who imposed upon them as penance to fast on Fridays and to abstain from meat on Saturdays, which proves that at that time abstinence on the latter day was not yet mandatory in the diocese of Bordeaux.

A council opened in Bordeaux on October 9, 1080, where the doctrines of Berengar were condemned duc d'Aquitaine Count of Poitou and Duke of Aquitaine, protector of Géraud's foundation. . The Duke of Aquitaine explained to the assembled bishops that he was freeing the Benedictines of La Sauve from all secular power; that they would have the right of county and justice; that any traveler in the company of a monk would be defended against any attack or injury; and finally, that the right of asylum would be granted, not only to the Church, but to the entire allod.

Géraud, seeing the future of his work secured and placed under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Holy See, then wished to resign from the abbacy. But Aimé, legate of the Sovereign Pontiff, who was attending the council, enjoined him to remain at his post.

The reputation of the holy Abbot soon attracted many disciples to him, among whom were distinguished the knight Arnaud, captal of the tower of Castillon in Médoc; Raymond Mangot of Madirac who, at a very advanced age, renounced the world; Raymond Guillaume of Génissac, who held one of the first ranks in the nobility of the country; Achelin, archdeacon of Bordeaux, etc. Many lords of the surrounding areas entrusted Géraud with the education of their children; but there were other figures who, far from granting him their sympathies, caused him serious trouble.

Several neighbors, who showed harassment, injustice, or cruelty toward the abbey, felt the hand of God weigh heavily upon them. Some experienced true repentance, made amends for their wrongs, and ended their lives purified within the abbey itself.

Saint Géraud added to the Rule of Saint Benedict particular constitutions which have not reached us, but whose spirit is found in the charters of La Sauve and the priories that depended on it. Furthermore, he wisely regulated the exercise of justice over the inhabitants who had come little by little to group themselves around the monastery. The first officer, who took the title of provost or lord of the town, was the monastery's hosteler, assisted by a lay provost. Among the privileges enjoyed by the subjects of the abbey, we see the exemption from taxes due to the king and the lords, as well as the exoneration from military service.

Among the most important works of Saint Géraud, we must point out an association of prayers with a good number of abbeys; the clearing of forests; the operation of quarries; the construction of roads and communal ovens; the establishment of a weekly market and an annual fair; the foundation of a convent for women, not far from La Sauve, and about twenty priories in France, Spain, and England.

The two ancient biographers of Saint Géraud tell us the following miracles, accomplished during his lifetime.

An inhabitant of the diocese of Limoges had a child whose feet were twisted and deformed. He invoked for him the pious Abbot whose holiness was known in those regions. "O Géraud," he cried, "if what is said of you is true, deliver my family from this affliction!" Suddenly the child was healed, and his father took him to La Grande-Sauve to testify there to all the ardor of his gratitude.

Guillaume Séguin of Escoussans went one day to the abbey to demand the communication of certain charters where he hoped to draw new pretexts to harass the religious. But, upon reading a document written by Saint Géraud, he felt his hatred melt away and from then on became one of the benefactors of the community.

In 1094, the plague was ravaging Aquitaine, and populations were flocking to Limoges to invoke Saint Martial. Géraud, who devoted himself to the care of the plague victims, attended the translation of the relics of the holy bishop in the capital of Limousin. He carried one to his priory of Sémoy, near Orléans. There, at the moment when the Bishop of Clermont was consecrating the altar that was to be enriched by this precious deposit, a knight, who had just insulted Saint Martial, was suddenly covered in leprosy and lost both his sight and his reason at the same time. Earnest supplications addressed to Géraud, with sincere repentance, delivered the blasphemer from this triple affliction.

From all sides, people went to La Sauve to implore the intercession of the holy Abbot who, through his prayers, healed fevers and other illnesses, finding there the opportunity to also undertake the cure of souls. Pilgrims would take dust from the tomb that Géraud had prepared for himself during his lifetime, sprinkle it into water that they drank, and find relief in their illnesses. Others obtained the same result by eating bread blessed by the holy Abbot.

Saint Géraud, feeling the approach of death, gathered his monks and addressed his final counsels to them; he recommended above all that they maintain the spirit of unity and charity, that they flee internal disputes, and that they not

allow the introduction of those abusive customs that silently undermine the spirit of the rule. After receiving the Viaticum, he gave his religious his blessing followed by the kiss of peace, and dismissed them so that they might make way for the Angels and Saints who were to lead his soul to heaven.

Saint Géraud died on April 5 of the year 1095, aged about seventy years. He was buried on the right side of the church of Notre-Dame, amidst an immense gathering of nobles, clerics, farmers, and women, who had come from the surrounding areas and even from Bordeaux.

[APPENDIX: CULT AND RELICS OF SAINT GÉRAUD.]

The relics of Saint Géraud, hidden during the Revolution and found only in 1830 by M. Peyrega, parish priest of Créon, have since undergone numerous peregrinations. After having been deposited in the chapel of Notre-Dame de Bon-Secours (1830), in the primatial church of Saint-André (1854), and in the Jesuit college of La Grande-Sauve (1847), they are today in the parish church of Saint-Pierre, at La Grande-Sauve.

A bone was left at the chapel of the Normal School established in the restored ruins of the abbey. Only two relics of Saint Géraud are known in the diocese of Amiens, one with the Carmelites of Amiens, the other (a bone) at the parish church of Corbie.

The arm (cubitus), richly encased, which was kept at the abbey of Saint-Vincent of Laon, was saved by pious hands from the profanations of 1793. This relic, along with several others, was given to the first parish priest of Saint-Martin of Laon. Their authenticity was canonically recognized at the request of the current parish priest, M. Baton, who restored his beautiful church with as much zeal as taste.

The cult of Saint Géraud appears to have been established, at least to a certain extent, immediately after his death. The miracles performed at his tomb led the Archbishop of Bordeaux and several other prelates to solicit his canonization. Pope C elestine III publ pape Célestin III Pope who confirmed the election of Albert and appointed him cardinal. ished a bull of canonization on April 27, 1197. The feast was solemnized on June 21, the date of the Saint's elevation. This day was much more generally adopted than April 5, the day of his death, because the latter date often coincides with the fortnight of Easter. Many martyrologies place Saint Géraud on October 31.

In the 13th century, fifty-five parishes, including twenty-four in the diocese of Bordeaux, paid a tax for the maintenance of the light that burned before the tomb of Saint Géraud. This custom, interrupted in the 13th century, was re-established by the statutes that Henri de Genève, Archbishop of Bordeaux, published in 1292.

The adoption of the Roman liturgy led to the suppression of this feast in the Amiens breviary, where it had only been introduced in the 18th century. The cult of Saint Géraud had fallen into disuse in the diocese of Bordeaux. His name, absent from the Propers of 1728 and 1828, reappeared in that of 1854.

Pope Celestine III canonized our Saint with the ordinary solemnities in the year 1197, and published the bull on April 27. This was one hundred and two years after his death. Shortly after this canonization, his name was inserted into the martyrologies on October 13.

The public cult currently rendered to the holy relics of Saint Géraud in the diocese of Bordeaux consists of a solemn procession, which takes place every year on the day of the Saint's feast.

The magnificent abbey had remained intact during the deplorable days of the Revolution. It was destroyed by the greed of the peasants who purchased the building. They wanted to make money from the lead, the iron, and the stones, and soon its cloisters, its refectory, and its splendid basilica were destroyed. Nothing remains of this magnificent abbey but ruins, a vault in an aisle, some sculptures of great beauty, and sections of walls in which one can still see windows bearing the stamp of the era in which they were built.

M. Godefroy, mayor of La Sauve, prevented the total destruction of this beautiful monument by purchasing it on behalf of the commune. Then Mgr Donnet, seeing these magnificent ruins, acquired them and established an educational house there, directed by ecclesiastics. This enterprise did not succeed, and the house was sold to the Jesuit Fathers, who had a college there until their establishment in Bordeaux. During the time they were at La Sauve, the Jesuit Fathers doubled and tripled the house, and adapted it so that it could contain more than two hundred students. At this moment, it is occupied by the department's Normal School.

In the cemetery of La Sauve, there is a tombstone that archaeologists believe covered the tomb of Saint Géraud.

*Hagiography of the diocese of Amiens, by Abbé Corbiet.*