A priest at the parish of Saint-Albin in Douai, Blessed Christian distinguished himself through his inexhaustible charity and miracles of the multiplication of bread. Although his life is poorly documented, his cult has remained alive in Douai through processions and the veneration of his relics. He is particularly invoked for the healing of fevers.
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BLESSED CHRISTIAN OF DOUAI.
A life of charity and mystery
Although his life is poorly documented, Blessed Christian is famous for his charity towards the poor and his ministry as a priest at the parish of Saint-Albin in Douai.
The name o f Blessed Christian, bienheureux Chrétien Priest in Douai, known for his charity and miracles related to bread. so dear to the inhabitants of the city of Douai, recalls a life precious before God, but almost entirely unknown to men. It would even be completely forgotten today, had the pious memories of a grateful people not preserved it.
Nothing is known of his birth, his family, or his early years. His inexhaustible charity towards the poor was the distinctive character of his life, and a touching tradition reports that, more than once, God deigned to multiply in his favor the provisions he intended for the needy. Perhaps we should link to this tradition the assertion of some ancient authors, who claimed that the parents of Blessed Christian were bakers, and that he himself had sometimes prepared with his own hands the bread he distributed to the poor. Whatever the truth of this first part of his existence, it is certain that Blessed Christian, having later been ordained a priest, was attached to the parish of Saint-Albin, and continued in this holy sta te the prêtre Priest in Douai, known for his charity and miracles related to bread. works of religion and charity that he had paroisse de Saint-Albin The saint's home parish in Douai, destroyed during the Revolution. practiced until that day. Some time after his death, his body was enclosed in a gilded wooden shrine, and his head in a small brass box. These two precious relics, along with all the others possessed by the city of Douai, were carried in the annual procession that took place around the ramparts on the Sunday before the feast of Saint John the Baptist.
Establishment of the local cult
A confraternity and solemn offices celebrated his memory in Douai, notably through processions of his relics around the ramparts.
Furthermore, there was in Douai a confraternity erected under the patronage and in honor of the Blessed Christian. Each year, on Easter Monday, his feast was celebrated with very solemn offices in the church of Saint-Albin.
The impact of the Revolution
The church of Saint-Albin and the monuments dedicated to the saint were destroyed during the Revolution of 1793, erasing a portion of the material traces of his cult.
Raissius Raissius Hagiographer cited for the location of relics. reports that, in his time, one could still see near this church a garden that bore the name of Saint-Chrétien. Under the main nave, in a vault made for this purpose, one would also go to visit his tomb. This church and all these monuments of piety were destroyed during the Revolution of 1793.
Sacred Topography and Popular Devotion
Devotion persists through a miraculous fountain and the transfer of his relics to the Church of Saint-Jacques, where he is invoked for health.
The house that the Blessed Christian had inhabited, or rather the one that had been built on the site, was still visible in the year 1800. It was at the corner of the Rue des Poitiers and the Rue Saint-Benoît (today the Rue des Bénédictins Anglais). Not far from there is the fountain of Saint-Christian. The sick very often send their laundry there to be washed while commending themselves to the protection of their patron and fellow citizen, and more than once they have felt the effects of his power before God. He is invoked especially for the healing of fevers and the deliverance of women in childbirth. This devotion of the inhabitants of Douai toward the Blessed Christian has been perpetuated to this day, and the trust of the good people is manifested especially at the time of his feast, on Whit Monday. On that day, many inhabitants make it a duty to go to receive the Gos pels in the Church of S église de Saint-Jacques Current location where certain relics of the saint are preserved. aint-Jacques, where some of his relics are still kept. On the same day, a procession is also held in the streets of the former parish of Saint-Albin, in which the bust of the Blessed Christian, containing these precious bones, is carried with respect and devotion.
Abbé Destombes.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Practice of charity towards the poor
- Miraculous multiplication of provisions for the needy
- Priestly ordination
- Service at the parish of Saint-Albin in Douai
Miracles
- Multiplication of provisions intended for the needy
- Healings obtained at the Saint-Chrétien fountain