Saint Walter of Pontoise

Having reached the height of fame and fearing that he might be carried away by the vertigo of vanity, he recalled the counsel of the Gospel which gives us the poor and crucified Jesus as a model; he then resolved to renounce the agitations of the world, to taste the calm and security of the cloistered life. Wishing to proceed by degrees, to better test his strength, it was only after having long endured the rigors of the hair shirt that he entered the Abbey of Reb abbaye de Rebais-en-Brie The first monastery where Gautier completed his novitiate. ais-en-Brie where, from the first years of his novitiate, he surpassed all the religious by the maturity of his virtues. We cannot, however, give complete approval to an exaggerated act of charity, which one of the two contemporary biographers of Gautier praises without restriction: a peasant was atoning for his misdeeds in the monastery prison and often suffered from hunger and thirst there; the Picard religious, moved by compassion, set aside a portion of his bread for him. One night, under the cover of darkness, he entered his dungeon, broke his bonds, carried him on his shoulders, and helped him to flee. However, he made him promise not to take vengeance for the just punishment he had suffered in the monastery. Gautier, as he expected, was severely punished by the Abbot for this violation of the rule.

Around this same time (1069), Amaury, brother of Gautier III, Count of Amiens and Pontoise in the Vexin, had just founded, near the castle of the latter city, a monastery whose few monks did not yet have an Abbot. Hearing the virtues of Gautier praised, they hastened to choose him as their superior. It was only after many refusals that Gautier finally decided to yield to the wish of the nascent community. After the holy religious had received the episcopal blessing, King Philip I, in his capacity a s advocate or pr roi Philippe Ier King of France whose funeral was attended by Humbaud. otector of the abbey, handed him the abbatial crosier as a mark of investiture, holding it by the knot; Gautier placed his hand, not below, but above that of the king, saying: It is from God, and not from your Majesty, that I receive the government of this church. Far from taking offense at this liberty, the king and his retinue could only admire this independence of sentiment and language.

The Abbot of Pontoise had his church dedicated under the name of Saint-Germain, which it later exchanged for that of Saint-Martin.

Of tall stature, with a countenance full of gentleness, Gautier did not seek to accentuate these advantages with a polished appearance. Just toward all, without prejudice for anyone, merciful toward others, severe toward himself, humble before the small, firm before the great, bearing joy and sorrow with an equal face, the holy Abbot was a continual subject of admiration for all those who approached him, all the more so because he combined the vivacity of intelligence and the wisdom of thought with the skill of eloquence.

The consideration that surrounded him made him fear the suggestions of vanity; thus, around the year 1072, after having built an oratory at Saint-Martin, whose abbey would soon take the name, he fled secretly from Pontoise to go and hide at Cluny, which was then, under the abbacy of Saint Hugh, the most flourishing school of monastic virtues. Although he had taken care to conceal his rank and his name, the monks of Pontoise eventually discovered his retreat. Armed with an order from John of Bayeux, Archbishop of Rouen, they went to find the Abbot of Cluny and brought the fugitive back to their monastery.

Around the year 1080, Walter, Bishop of Meaux, confirmed the donation that had been made to Saint Walter of the land of Maurissac to found a priory there.

In imitation of several other Benedictine saints, Walter often withdrew to a nearby cave to practice the austere life of the anchorites; but, disturbed by visits, he resolved to flee a second time.

It was on an island in the Loire, near Tours, where there was a chapel dedicated to Saints Cosmas and Damian, that Saint Walter believed he could, far from the gaze of men, give himself over to the full fervor of his mortifications; there again he was disappointed in his hope; fame soon published the virtues of the solitary: people came to seek his advice, to admire his examples; they brought him numerous gifts which he hastened to distribute to the poor, who were accustomed to taking the path to his hermitage. One day, he gave them his books to sell; another time, he stripped himself for them of the tunic and the cowl that the monks of Marmoutiers had given him.

A pilgrim named Garin, who, according to the custom of the time, was traveling to visit renowned sanctuaries, recognized Walter and immediately signaled his retreat to the monks of Pontoise. They rushed to Tours, threw themselves at the feet of their Abbot, and begged him to return to restore life to his abbey, which was withering away. Walter yielded to their prayers; but shortly after (1075), he left for Rome and, after having venerated the tombs of the Apostles, he implored Pope Gregory VII to relieve him of the bu rden that overwhe pape Grégoire VII Pope during whose pontificate Saint Gausbert died. lmed him and of the honor of which he proclaimed himself unworthy. The Sovereign Pontiff, by keeping him for a few days, was able to appreciate the exaggeration of his humility; he then reproached him for not putting to use the aptitudes he had received from Providence and enjoined him, under pain of anathema, to resume the direction of his abandoned flock. The holy Abbot renounced his preferences from then on and, returning to the fold, no longer thought of deserting the duties that the supreme decree of the Pontiff had imposed upon him.

More than once, the Abbot of Pontoise had occasion to put the firmness of his character at the service of justice. Thus, he did not fear to openly reproach Philip I for his simonia Philippe Ier King of France whose funeral was attended by Humbaud. cal i nvestitures: "It is not investitures simoniaques Buying or selling of spiritual goods, a major struggle of the saint. permitted to you," he told him, "to traffic in holy things: by selling benefices in this way, you authorize others to make a sacrilegious trade of them, and you make yourself guilty of all the simony that your examples encourage.

Gautier showed no less energy in ensuring that the Council of Paris (1092) respected the decision of the Holy See which forbade hearing the mass of a concubinary priest. The bishops accused him of being in this regard rebellious to the king's orders and had him put in prison; but the intervention of his friends soon restored to him the liberty he had been happy to sacrifice for the cause of justice.

It was certainly not out of a spirit of ostentation that he determined to thwart the authority of civil and religious powers; on the contrary, he loved silence and obscurity, when the voice of his conscience did not prescribe that he clearly affirm his convictions. His humility was so real that his left hand did not know what his right hand had given; it was through others that he usually distributed his liberality. One day, receiving a visit from a priest and a deacon of Pontoise, he charged them to give a large sum to the indigent, which he feigned to have received from a friend for that purpose, and asked them for secrecy regarding the origin of this gift. In other circumstances, he used the same dissimulation to disguise his charity. If he was approached by a beggar in front of witnesses, he would push him away with a sharpness that could lead to him being accused of harshness; but, soon after, he would rejoin the poor man, without being seen, and shower him with his benefits. When he washed the feet of pilgrims, it was never in public, but rather when his monks, occupied by community exercises, could not be witnesses to his humble charity. More than once, he emptied his purse into the hands of beggars, and when he had nothing left, he would give them even his knife and his shoes.

A mat covered with a hairshirt, without a pillow or bolster, served as his bed: it was there that he rested, fully clothed, and inflicted violent discipline upon himself. Linen sleeves hid the sight of his rough hairshirt. It was only when his coarse clothes fell into rags that he would take new ones.

Always ready to serve others, Gautier willingly fulfilled the duties of weekly reader in the refectory, and even those of cook and baker. One day, exhausted by fatigue, he fainted in front of the oven opening and was found in this state by the monks, who hastened to carry him to his cell.

When, by chance, Gautier shared the common meal in the refectory, he found a way, without anyone suspecting, to substitute water for his portion of wine. If fish was eaten, he would pretend to be very busy removing the bones, so that no one would notice that he was abstaining from this food. Bread and beans cooked in water were usually brought to his cell: all the bread was reserved for the poor. A pitcher of water given to him on Saturday served him for the entire week.

The Abbot rarely sat in the church: when his strength failed him, he leaned on his pastoral staff. While the others went to take some rest after the night office, he remained before the altar, plunged in meditation; but sleep sometimes claiming its rights, he was often found the next day asleep on the parvis, his forehead prostrate against the ground.

Gautier, having one day gathered the entire community, accused himself of his faults in the Chapter and asked each of his monks to beat him with rods. This act of humiliation on the part of their superior caused the monks great pain, and they opposed it as much as they could; but his constancy prevailed over their scruples, and the thirty monks of the abbey fulfilled the painful duties that obedience imposed upon them; to show them his gratitude, he dined with them that day in the refectory.

Around the year 1092, the blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him and said: "Arise, Gautier, go to Bertauco urt and bui Bertaucourt Site of the foundation of a monastery of virgins by Gautier. ld a monastery there. I have chosen this place so that a community of virgins may dedicate themselves to my service there." The apparition having vanished, Gautier feared he was the plaything of an illusion and delayed acting; but a second vision came to dispel all his doubts; this time, as testimony of an irrefutable reality, he kept for several days on his cheeks the imprint of the fingers of the Virgin, who had slapped him. Ignorant of the road to Bertaucourt, he committed himself to the care of God; guided by some information obtained on his way, he arrived at this locality, situated five leagues from Amiens.

Arriving in a wood, near the river Fieffe, Gautier built a small house and a chapel where people soon flocked from all sides to gather words of life from his lips. Telling the pious women the reason for his coming, he urged them to fulfill the wishes of the Holy Virgin. The chatelaine of the place looked with a dim view upon this immense gathering of pilgrims who, coming on horseback and in carts, could cause damage to her harvests; thus she found the means to drive away the man of God. The punishment was not long in coming. One day, as she was preparing to leave for church, she died suddenly while rising from her seat.

Some years later, in 1094, two noble and pious women, Godelinde and Helwige, dedicated their wealth to execu Godelinde Noblewoman who assisted in the foundation of Bertaucourt and became an abbess. ting Gautier's project; they enriched the monastery they had just founded, dedicated the church to Our Lady, added a cemetery to it, and called to them virgins who devoted themselves to the service of the altars. Three years after the death of the holy Abbot, Godelinde was to be consecrated abbess and succeed Helwige.

Walter, to prepare himself for death, added something to his austerities each day, thus conforming to the rule he had imposed upon himself to advance unceasingly on the path of perfection. The moment was approaching when he would find the reward for his virtues.

One of the final traits of his life shows us that he was gifted with the gift of prophecy. One day, while he was prea ching before Matthew I, Count of Beaumo Mathieu Ier, comte de Beaumont-sur-Oise Count before whom Gautier preached and prophesied. nt-sur-Oise, a lady scandalized the audience by the impropriety of her attire and especially by her long-trained dress, which swept the dust. The man of God could not help but reproach her for her immodest display. This flighty woman protested and announced that, on the following Sunday, she would return in even greater finery. — You will indeed return, the preacher told her, but in a state quite different from the one you are displaying today.

The next day, Walter could barely finish his Mass, so ardent was the fever that was undermining him. He summoned a monk tasked with copying a breviary for him and told him to refrain from a work from which he would henceforth be unable to benefit.

That very day, a messenger from the Countess of Beaumont came to inform him that his mistress had fallen ill and that she was requesting his visit. — "God grant," said the Abbot, "that she meets me in heaven; for she will see me no more on earth!"

As the illness worsened, Walter received the holy Viaticum, gave absolution to his brothers, and was absolved by them. After striving to calm their grief, he exhorted them to bear the yoke of the Lord with love, and passed away, as he had announced, on April 8, 1099, the day of Good Friday. The Countess of Beaumont died that very day.

When, according to monastic custom, the body of the deceased was washed, no trace of the mortifications to which he subjected himself was found; his flesh, white as snow, seemed to have undergone neither the influence of old age nor the ravages of maceration. The burial took place in the abbey church of Saint-Martin, where so many miracles were soon to be performed.

The following Sunday, the worldly woman who had insulted Gautier was transported by the demon to the Abbot's tomb. Soon after, she was delivered from this obsession by the earnest prayers of the faithful, and by the intercessions of the Saint whose prophecy had been fulfilled.

Saint Gautier has been depicted 1st receiving the abbatial crosier from the King of France and placing his hand above that of the monarch; 2nd holding in his left hand the book of the Benedictine rule and in his right a crosier; 3rd holding three ears of corn in one hand, while with the other he leans on a grapevine. This is undoubtedly a figure of the Eucharist under both species; the purely material interpretation of these symbols will have led to Saint Gautier being adopted as patron by the winegrowers of certain localities; 4th carrying his pittance to a prisoner whom he delivers, and himself expiating in irons the generous folly of his charity.

## RELICS OF SAINT GAUTIER.

The tomb of Saint Gautier soon became a place of pilgrimage where the blind, the lame, the deaf, the paralyzed, and the sick of every category found sudden healing. Believers have experienced, until a time not long ago, the power that this great servant of God had to relieve, from the height of heaven, every kind of ailment.

"My great-grandfather," wrote a venerable parish priest a few years ago, "my great-grandfather, whom I knew perfectly, and several of his comrades, exchanged, during a pilgrimage to Bertancourt, some bad jokes about the old statue of Saint Gautier. The next day they were all suffering from their eyes. It was only after six weeks that they were cured of this affliction, attributed to their irreverence toward Saint Gautier."

The body of this holy Abbot was removed from his reliquary during the Revolution and buried in the cemetery of Pontoise. It has not been found since. There is no longer anything in Pontoise but a small relic of the Saint, kept at the church of Notre-Dame. Another relic of Saint Gautier is venerated at the Carmel of Amiens, brought in 1816 by the Carmelites of Pontoise who, at that time, united with those of Amiens.

Hugues d'Amiens, Archbishop of Rou en, performed t Hugues d'Amiens Archbishop of Rouen who performed the elevation of the body of Gautier. he elevation of the body of Saint Gautier on May 3, 1153; this was equivalent to canonization: it is the last example we have of Saints not canonized by the Holy See. The anniversary feast of this elevation or canonization was set for May 4. Like many other religious solemnities, this one gave rise to a fair which is still referred to by the name of Saint Gautier.

Formerly, the feast of Saint Gautier, on April 8, and that of his elevation, on May 4, were non-working days throughout the archdiocese of Rouen. This Saint appears to have been particularly invoked for the deliverance of prisoners, as attested by the numerous chains suspended as ex-votos before his altar.

A tomb was erected for Saint Gautier in 1154, one year after his canonization. This monument was transported, about twenty years ago, to the church of Notre-Dame in Pontoise. It is a stone sarcophagus slightly narrowed towards the feet. The Saint is represented lying down: the head is of a very beautiful character; nobility and serenity are imprinted on all his features. He is dressed in his priestly vestments, and holds his crosier turned to the side to indicate that his abbatial jurisdiction does not extend beyond the monastery. With his left hand, he presses the book of the Holy Scriptures to his chest: his feet tread upon a couchant lion, symbol of the vices and worldly passions he triumphed over. On each side of his head and at his feet, Angels with spread wings are kneeling in the attitude of contemplation and seem to follow with their eyes the blessed soul that is flying to heaven.

An historiated crosier is kept in Pontoise which is said to have belonged to Saint Gautier. It would be this same pastoral staff that he took so proudly from the hands of the King of France and upon which he leaned one last time to give, before dying, the farewell blessing to his community. However, we must say that archaeology is not in absolute agreement with tradition.

Tradition also attributes to Saint Gautier the construction of the church of Bertancourt: it is a Romanesque church curious for its capitals and the decorations of its portal. Sold and mutilated during the Revolution, it was later returned to worship and became a parish church: it is one of the most precious remnants of Romanesque art.

Finally, a fountain is shown at Bertancourt that Saint Gautier is said to have caused to spring forth with his staff, and near which he established his retreat while the monastery intended for the virgins of the Lord was being built. A chapel erected near this fountain at an unknown date was rebuilt by Mr. Plomet, the penultimate parish priest of the parish. One goes to this pilgrimage on May 4 and during the octave, to draw water there which is believed to be salutary for the sick.

We have abridged and often reproduced the scholarly work that Mr. Corblet devotes to Saint Gautier, in the second volume of his *Hagiographie d'Amiens*.