Saint Marcellinus, the first Archbishop of Embrun, built the church where he was buried before his relics were transferred to Chanteuge in the 10th century to escape the Saracens. Although his cult declined after the French Revolution and the destruction of his effigies, he remains a central figure in the dioceses of the Alps and Auvergne.
Guided reading
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RELICS OF SAINT MARCELLINUS.
Burial and expansion of the cult
After his death, the tomb of Saint Marcellinus in Embrun became a place of miracles, leading to the dedication of numerous churches in his name throughout the Alps and the Southeast.
His mortal remains had been deposited in the church built by his own care, and the wonders that occurred at his tomb multiplied so much that this same church, the site of which is still indicated by a fountain, became known only by the name of the Church of Saint-Marcel linus. Since th Saint-Marcellin First bishop of Embrun in the 4th century. en, several others were built under the same title, whether in the diocese of Embrun : at Châteauroux diocèse d'Embrun Episcopal city and birthplace of the saint. , at Crévoux, at Bréziers, at Vars, at Bistolas, at Névache; or in the dioceses of Turin, Grenoble, Valence, Gap, Maurienne, Sisteron, and Bigon, where, as in Embrun, the office of Saint Marcellinus has continued to be celebrated on April 20, the day of his burial.
Translation of the relics to Auvergne
Between 916 and 936, the saint's body was transferred to Chanteuge to protect it from the Saracen incursions that were then ravaging the dioceses of Embrun and Gap.
The body of the holy Archbishop was transporte d to Chan Chanteuge Place of refuge for relics in Auvergne. teuge in Auvergne, on the banks of the Beuge, and not far from Langeac, in the diocese of Le Puy. This relocation took place between the year 916 and the year 936. These dates, which appear insignificant, nevertheless shed new light on one of the saddest eras that the churches of Embrun and Gap have ever traversed. They coincide, alas! with the e piscopate of saint Libéral Archbishop of Embrun, contemporary of the Saracen invasions. Saint Liberal and Saint Benedict, archbishops of Embrun; they remind us of the overwhelming day when Saint Liberal, broken by old age, left that city to return to Brives in Auvergne, begging for his bread; they remind us of Saint Odilard, bishop of Maurienne, and Saint Benedict, pitilessly massacred with a multitude of priests and faithful, during a new Saracen incursion.
Fate of the relics at Chanteuge
The statue and relics kept at Chanteuge were destroyed by fire in 1792 during the French Revolution, leading to the decline of his local devotion.
On March 10, 1852, Mr. Manzen, parish priest of Chanteuge, wrote to Mgr Auguste de Morlhon, Bishop of Le Puy: "The elders of the parish of Chanteuge remember that the statue of Saint Marcellin was displayed three or four times a year with the relics which were held in great veneration there. They were enclosed in a fairly large reliquary made of gilded oak. This reliquary still exists; but the statue was burned during the French Revolution in front of the church door; the relics were probably also the prey of the flames; there is no trace of them left."
Mgr Auguste de Morlhon, Bishop of Le Puy, in sending these pious details to Mgr Irénée Depéry, Bishop of Gap, his friend, had the extreme kindness to add in a letter written in his own hand and dated March 12, 1852, the following:
"It is undoubted, whether according to the documents you have found or according to those I have collected here and of which I am sending you an extract in the attached notes, that the monastery of the Benedictine monks of Chanteuge formerly p monastère des religieux bénédictins de Chanteuge Place of refuge for relics in Auvergne. ossessed distinguished relics of Saint Marcellin, Bishop of Embrun; unfortunately these relics have disappeared and no vestige of them exists.
"The monastery has also been destroyed; only the church remains, a beautiful monument from the end of the 14th century, which is today the parish church.
"According to tradition, this church was dedicated to Saint Marcellin; people still full of life remember having seen the colossal and very rich statue of the holy bishop there. This statue, which was held in great veneration in the region, was burned in 1792 in front of the church door with several other objects of worship. It is then, in all probability, that the precious relics perished; there are still eyewitnesses to this odious sacrilege in the town of Chanteuge.
"Around 1789, the inhabitants of Chanteuge, whose parish church, dedicated to Saint Saturnin, Bishop of Toulouse, was too small and in poor condition, obtained from the monks, who were then very few in number, that the parish worship be transferred to the monastery church; but they did not want to abandon their patron. Saint Saturnin has always been honored and invoked as the protector of the parish, and from then on, the devotion to Saint Marcellin was neglected; today, it is almost entirely forgotten."
Pillage and new relics in Embrun
After the city was pillaged by Lesdiguières in 1585, Embrun reconstituted its treasury by obtaining fragments of the saint's head from Digne in 1764.
The church of Embrun, even less fortunate than that of Chanteuge, did not keep until the French Revolution the considerable portions it had saved from the great invasions, and which it had hidden with such care that it was very difficult to discover them later. Some say that this discovery took place while digging the foundations of a small house on the edges of the rock where the city of Embrun is built. They were then exposed to public veneration in a rich silver statue that the Duke of Lesdiguières had removed in 1585, when, at the head of the Huguenots, he besieged and pillaged the city. Dispossessed of its precious treasure, the metropolis of Embrun felt this loss keenly; and as the church of Digne, in 1340, already possessed the head of the holy Archbishop, as seen in an inventory dr saint Archevêque First bishop of Embrun in the 4th century. awn up by the religious of that church, Embrun requested and obtained, in 1764, a portion of this distinguished relic along with a portion of the relics of Saints Domnin and Vincent. The chapter of the metropolis had these various fragments enclosed in three rich silver boxes adapted to as many gilded bronze boxes of great value.
Other locations and sources
The text mentions secondary relics at Lérins and Crévoux, based on the works of Father Giry and Bishop Depéry.
It also appears that the abbey of Lérins had been enriched with another relic of Saint Marcellin, since it is mentioned in the monastery's catalogue. A remnant of his clothing was also given by the chapter of Embrun to the parish of Crévoux in 1534; it has preserved it to this day.
We have supplemented Father Giry with the help of the Hagiography of Gap, by Bishop Depéry.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Construction of a church under his direction
- Translation of his body to Chanteuge between 916 and 936
- Destruction of his colossal statue in 1792
- Looting of his silver statue by Lesdiguières in 1585
- Donation of a portion of his relics to Embrun by Digne in 1764
Miracles
- Numerous miracles occurring at his tomb