Saint Theodard

In Toulouse, where he had been placed to complete his studies, Theodard hastened to enroll in the clergy. All his inclinations drew him toward the service of the altars. Sigebode Sigebode Archbishop of Narbonne and mentor to Theodard. , Archbishop of Narbonne and Primate of Aquitaine, having come to Toulouse to settle important ecclesiastical matters, soon noticed the young Theodard. Touched by the piety and knowledge of the fervent levite, the zealous prelate resolved to attach him to his person and to his Church. Thus, Providence arranged everything to make the virtues of the worthy descendant of the lords of Montauriol shine upon a greater stage.

"The author of his life reports that the Jews having presented themselves to King Carloman, to beg him to protect them from certain insults that the Bishop of Toulouse, named Bernard, along with the clergy and the people of that city, inflicted upon them every year, this prince ordered Sigebode, Archbishop of Narbonne, to assemble a council in Toulouse on this subject to hear their complaints and render them justice. He adds that Theodard, having presented himself to the assembly, fully justified the Toulousains and confounded the Jews on all their alleged grievances."

The Council finished, Sigebode resumed the journey to his diocese; but he took great care to include in his retinue the levite who had so strongly fixed his attention. Theodard thus found himself transported to Narbonne and established in the archiepiscopal palace. In the meantime, the Archdeacon of Narbonne having died, the clergy and the faithful hastened to designate Theodard to fill the vacant position. Sigebode happily acquiesced to this desire, and as Theodard was still only a subdeacon, he hastened to lay hands upon him and confer the diaconate. Clothed in his new dignity, the holy young man fully justified the choice that had been made of him. He even surpassed what the people, the pontiff, and the clergy expected of his prudence, his zeal, and his devotion. He multiplied himself and knew how to become all things to all men, in the strict sense of the expression. Everyone blessed his goodness and found in him a support, a defender, a friend. "He was," says the legend of the breviary, "the eye of the blind, the foot of the lame, the father of the indigent, and the consoler of the afflicted." Applied to prayer, to orison, and to holy vigils, he spent the greater part of his nights without sleep, and, in imitation of the royal prophet, he never failed to praise the Lord seven times a day, by reciting separately each of the canonical hours of the divine office.

However, the hour chosen by Providence was about to strike. Sigebode, after having governed his Church for fifteen years with the greatest zeal and vigor, found himself at the end of his labors and at the day of his reward. Immediately after his death, the bishops of Carcassonne and Béziers went to Narbonne to cele brate hi Narbonne City of origin and martyrdom of Saint Prudentius. s funeral, to draw up an inventory of the books, ornaments, and sacred vessels of this metropolis, and above all to preside over the election of a new archbishop. They therefore hastened to summon the faithful and the clergy to the church of the holy martyrs, Justus and Pastor. The clerics, the abbots, the nobles, and the people had but one and the same voice to proclaim the name of Theodard. Thus, Theodard was elected archbishop of the beautiful and powerful city of Narbonne.

Like all those chosen by God, like all the great Saints, Theodard had the tenderest devotion to the august Virgin whom he called his mother, and to whom he turned at every moment. He therefore wished to give his people a striking proof of his zeal for the cult of Mary, and to show that he was placing his entire episcopate under the powerful protection of the Queen of Heaven. He chose, for the place of his consecration, a church dedicated to the Mother of God, and he wished for this ceremony to take place on the very day of the beautiful solemnity of the Assumption (August 15, 885).

Theodard, who constantly kept in mind these words of the Savior: "You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church," held the Apostolic Holy See in the depths of his being. It was toward this luminous point that his eyes were constantly fixed; it was from this source that he drew all his rules of conduct. For him, the Pope and the Church were one and the same thing. Thus, his first thought, as soon as he had been consecrated bishop, was to make the journey to Rome, to the holy city, the mother and mistress of all other Churches, and to go and lay at the feet of the Vicar of Jesus Christ the homage of his submission, his unalterable attachment, and his most complete devotion. The one who then occupied the chair of Saint Peter was Stephen V, one of the grea test pope Étienne V Immediate predecessor of Paschal I. s of the Middle Ages. Stephen V, who watched with such solicitude over the interests of the Catholic Church, was happy to listen to the account that Theodard gave him of the state of religion in his diocese, in his province, in Gaul, and in the Spains. He kept him with him as long as he could, and, before letting him take the road back to Narbonne, he conferred upon him the pallium, confirmed anew all his powers and rights as metropolitan, and gave him an ample apostolic blessing for himself, his clergy, his nobility, his people, and all the faithful of Septimania.

Nothing could weary the zeal of Theodard, and he knew how to extend it to everything. No detail of the temporal and spiritual administration escaped his vigilant solicitude. When he took the reins of the diocese of Narbonne in hand, he found his cathedral church in the saddest state. Since the disastrous era when, under the ferocious domination of the Saracens, it had been devastated inside and even outside, the resources necessary to repair it properly had not been able to be gathered. The length and difficulty of the enterprise were not capable of frightening the pious pontiff. From the first days of his episcopate, he set himself resolutely to the work. He directed all the labor himself, encouraged the workers, and paid them generously from his own funds. He happily deprived himself of a host of things very useful to his own house to restore and embellish that of the Lord. After more than four years of continuous care, multiplied efforts, and great sacrifices, he finally had the consolation of seeing his wishes fulfilled. The ancient church had risen from its ruins, every trace of profanation had disappeared from its enclosure, and it shone with a new youth.

The charity of Theodard toward the unfortunate was inexhaustible. He was truly their providence on earth. The Saracens, those declared enemies of the Christian name and of civilization, began to carry out frequent acts of piracy during the episcopate of Saint Theodard. Often they landed in force in the surroundings of Narbonne, and there they committed every imaginable atrocity. Everything he had in his possession was distributed each day to the unfortunate victims of the brigandage of the Infidels, and he applied himself above all to rescuing from their hands the captives reduced to servitude and exposed to the danger of losing their faith. He employed for this work of mercy all the money he could procure. As an added trial, a frightening famine of three consecutive years came to desolate the diocese, following the incursions of the Saracens. The moment arrived when the holy pontiff saw, with unspeakable anguish, that he had absolutely nothing left, and yet the scarcity still displayed a portion of its horrors. To what expedient could he resort?... He knew of only one more, very extreme and very painful. But it was a matter of the suffering members of Jesus Christ; he believed, therefore, that he must not hesitate to make the final sacrifice. He employed the revenues of his metropolitan church, and he even alienated the goods it possessed, to provide for the most pressing necessities of the moment. He did more; he sold the sacred vessels and other precious things from the treasury of his cathedral, in order to be able to continue his immense alms. He wished to reserve only what was indispensable for the celebration of the holy mysteries and the preservation of the divine Eucharist. Wishing to indemnify his church, he gave it a large and beautiful cross adorned with gold and silver, and containing a notable piece of the True Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ. He also presented it with two very well-sculpted reliquaries which contained distinguished relics.

So much care, fatigue, labor, voluntary mortifications, and hardships of every kind were bound to alter the most robust temperament and destroy the most flourishing health. Theodard, although not advanced in age, had aged before his time. His physical strength was noticeably diminishing, and soon sad symptoms alarmed all his diocesans, all his children. A continuous fever, which became more ardent day by day, had seized the pious pontiff, prevented him from enjoying sleep, and was devouring him before everyone's eyes. Nevertheless, he did not wish to change anything at first in his regimen, his penances, and his work. The reading and study of the Holy Scriptures had an irresistible attraction for him. He therefore continued to leaf through them and meditate on them day and night; and he affirmed that it was from this source that he had drawn all his knowledge and all his love of perfection. He also persevered in his fasts, his long prayers, his visits to the poor, and his apostolic journeys. In 891, he went again, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Sens, to a council that King Eudes had convened, and which was held in the small town of Mehun-sur-Loire.

Such is the last known act of Saint Theodard's episcopal ministry. From then on, his life was nothing but suffering, languor, and bitterness. As doctors and all those who approached him kept repeating that he should take care of himself and consent to take the medicines required by his condition, he replied with calm and firmness: "May the Lord's will be done. It is He who is the sovereign arbiter of health and sickness, of life and death; nothing happens except by His order or His permission... All the remedies that I wish to employ will be reduced to one: I am going to return to my homeland, to the Toulouse region, to the land of my fathers and my childhood, to those places that I left to come here, where the divine vocation called me... There, I will be able to breathe the sweetness of the native air at ease, nourish myself with the wholesome food of that fertile region, rejoice my eyes with the sight of its charming sites, and take delightful walks in its beautiful countryside."

Having put his domestic affairs in order and provided for the administration of his diocese, the pious pontiff came to Toulouse, where he had completed his studies and where he counted many devoted friends. But he soon understood, whether by the worsening of his illness or by a warning from heaven, that his end was approaching, that he was reaching the end of his mortal career. His resolution was taken on the spot; he declared to those around him that he wished to be taken without delay to Montauriol, to the place where he was born, to that monastery which his ancestors dedicated to Saint Martin of Tours, and where he learned the first elements of sacred and profane sciences. His most vivid desire was to draw his last breath in the very place where the water of holy baptism made him a child of God and the Church. The good monks of Montauriol welcomed the venerable bishop as a benefactor, as a father, and as a Saint. Happy to possess such a guest, they surrounded him with the most assiduous, intelligent, and affectionate care. But all human aid had become powerless, and the august patient knew it better than anyone. Thus, his whole occupation consisted of preparing for death through prayers, pious readings, and frequent aspirations toward heaven. When he felt that the day of his deliverance was about to appear, he called the abbot and all the religious priests of the monastery into his apartment. Then, he made, while heaving deep sighs and shedding many tears, a public accusation of all the sins of his life, sins that he regarded as very considerable, and which, in reality, were only very slight failings. They brought him the divine Eucharist, the holy Viaticum. It would be impossible to recount with what fervor, what faith, what hope, and what tender love he adored and received the God made man, the body and blood of the spotless Lamb, of Jesus Christ, the Shepherd of shepherds. As soon as he had received communion, he addressed this beautiful and touching prayer to his divine master, which was religiously followed by all those present: "Lord, almighty God, You whose goodness and mercy are infinite, You who, by a single word and a single act of Your will, drew the universe from nothingness and established the wonderful order that reigns there; You who were pleased to form man in Your image, by giving him an active, immortal soul, and a body which, after falling into dissolution and dust, will one day take on a whole new youth, have compassion on Your poor and unworthy servant; do not turn Your gaze away from him, and, since he has no confidence but in You, deign, O merciful Father, to admit him to the celestial kiss of peace! I know that before You no one can boast of being just, and that You find stains even in Your Saints: I am therefore lost without resource if You consider my faults, my numerous iniquities. But what reassures me is that it is written that You are full of sweetness and goodness, and that You show mercy to all those who sincerely turn to You. I beseech You, therefore, remove from me the prince of darkness and the odious troop of his satellites; deign to forgive me all my infractions of Your holy law, all my miseries, all my imperfections, and confound the enemies of my soul and my salvation. Receive my soul at its departure from this world and place it in the ranks of the just, in the assembly of the holy pontiffs, so that at the general judgment I may find myself at Your right hand, that I may hear the sentence of blessing, and that I may accompany You in the splendors of the eternal kingdom." Upon finishing these last words, the blessed prelate raised his eyes and hands toward heaven, and his face became radiant with hope and love. Soon after, he appeared to enter into a sweet sleep..., and his soul, breaking its mortal bonds, flew away into the company of the angels.

Jean d'Anriole, who occupied the episcopal see of Montauban from April 13, 1492, until October 21, 1519, was a prelate very zealous for divine worship and for the embellishment of his cathedral. He donated two bells of extraordinary size, enclosed all the chapels with wrought copper or iron grilles, and had the choir splendidly adorned. But one of his most remarkable gifts was the magnificent reliquary in which he placed the precious relics of Saint Theodard. It was made of gilded silver, weighing thirty marks, and above it was the statue of the patron saint holding the pastoral staff in his hand. This superb reliquary was exposed to the veneration of the faithful on the feast day of Saint Theodard; and it was carefully kept in the treasury of the cathedral sacristy, according to the donor's recommendation. It remained there as a holy and tutelary ark until the forever regrettable era of Protestant domination in Montauban.

The Calvinists, already powerful and form idable in sever Les calvinistes Religious group that destroyed the saint's relics in 1567. al cities of France, succeeded, half by ruse and half by force, in seizing the city of Montauban and commanding it as masters. Their yoke was hard and heavy. By employing threats, violence, prison, exile, and vexations of all kinds to lead the Catholics to apostasy; and, in order to destroy every vestige of the true cult, they stopped at no excess.

1. Histoire générale du Languedoc, vol. II, p. 31. — One notes in the testament of Raymond, first of the name, Count of Rouergue, etc., the following provisions, written in 961, in favor of the monastery of Saint-Theodard: « ... Illa quarta parte de illa ecclesia Sancti-Cirici, et ille alode quod ego acquisivi in Deumpentala, Sancti-Audardi remaneat. Ille alode de mongio Sancti-Audardi remaneat. Illa ecclesia illoario Elio Isarno remaneat ad alode ; post suum discesaum Sancti-Audardi remaneat cum alio alode. » (Hist. du Languedoc, vol. 21, Frenves, p. 109. In the archives of Montauban, one finds the titles of several donations made to the monastery of Saint-Theodard, under the dates of September 949, January 951, and February 955.

Let us listen to the estimable authors of the Histoire du Languedoc: « The disorders that the religionists committed in Montauban and Castres, at the end of the year 1561, were as extreme as those they exercised in Montpellier and Nîmes. The Huguenots of Montauban, after having seized, from the month of July, the churches of the Cordeliers and Saint-Louis, became entirely masters of this city, from which they drove out all the Catholics on October 21. They looted their houses and ravaged all the churches, except that of the Monstier or the cathedral, which was situated in the suburb, because it was extremely strong. They forced it, however, on December 20, looted it, and burned it.

« They mastered above all the nuns of Saint-Claire, after having taken, looted, and burned their convent. They abducted them, and, having exposed them half-naked to the mockery of the people, they proposed that they marry. Upon their refusal, they were made to carry the hod, like laborers, to serve the fortifications of the city; finally, they were driven out. The canons of the cathedral transferred to Villemur, and those of the collegiate church to Montech, in the following month of March ».

This church of Monstier, which was devastated and burned in 1561 by the Protestants, was a large and beautiful basilica, worthy of the piety and wealth of its founders, and above all of the holiness of the pontiff who had chosen his burial place within its enclosure. Le Bret represents it to us as one of the most magnificent cathedrals of the kingdom, and indeed the description he gives of it, and the plan that has been found in the archives of the city of Montauban, show us how remarkable this ancient edifice was for its fortunate situation, its imposing mass, its slender tower, the beauty of its portal, the majesty of its vast nave, the finish of its architecture, its numerous chapels, and its interior decorations.

It was the patient, religious, and artistic work of eight centuries; it was the cradle of the new city, its first title to glory, all that was great and beautiful in its history; there were grouped the most striking memories; there, the ancestors of the Montalbanais had been consecrated to God and instructed in their duties; there, they had prayed, and sung the canticles of the Lord; there, rested their venerated ashes; there, were the relics of a great Saint, of an apostle, of a benefactor of the entire province, of a prelate whose name was dear to the Church, and who had done everything for his homeland... This marvelous past was ignored, forgotten, counted for nothing!... The fury of the new iconoclasts rose to its height, and, like a devastating whirlwind, it carried everything away, annihilated everything!...

Only one church today prides itself on possessing the remains of Saint Théodard: that of Villebru mier, a cant Villebrumier Current location of the relics. onal seat located a short distance from Montauban.

The unanimous and unwavering belief of the faithful of this parish is based on a venerable tradition that dates back, without interruption, for more than two hundred years.

It results from information recently gathered by Mr. Guyard, Vicar General of Montauban in Narbonne, that the churches of Saint-Just and Saint-Paul no longer possess any relics of Saint Théodard. The cathedral of Montauban preserves one; but it serves Villebrumier. It was Bishop Debourg who had it taken from the shrine in 1633.

The town of Montech, which for many years was the residence of the bishop and the chapter expelled by the Huguenots, must certainly have once had some relics of Saint Théodard. Unfortunately, they have disappeared; only about thirty years ago, an old reliquary was found in the sacristy of the church of Montech, containing a fairly considerable portion of bone, but without an authentication. It is to be presumed that this fragment comes from the shrine of Saint Théodard. The reliquary, whose workmanship is remarkable, belongs today to the Marchioness of Pérignon, who has deposited it, with the relic, in the chapel of her castle of Finlan.

The inhabitants of Villebrumier have always been happy and proud to possess the remains of Saint Théodard. They rightly regard them as their most precious asset and as a safeguard for the country. In times of sorrow, suffering, inveterate illnesses, especially in pernicious fevers and public or private calamities, one turns one's eyes toward Saint Théodard, one claims his assistance, one hastens to pray before the shrine that contains his blessed bones, and one always feels the effects of his powerful protection. A multitude of facts prove the complete confidence of the faithful in their patron saint, and show the numerous graces obtained by those who invoke him with faith and perseverance.

In imitation of what was once practiced in the ancient cathedral of Montauban, the relics of the great Archbishop of Narbonne are exposed each year for public veneration on May 1st, the day the Church celebrates his feast. Moreover, they are carried in triumph in a general procession which takes place with much pomp during this same solemnity. All the parishioners make it an honor and a duty to attend this ceremony; none would dare to exempt themselves; even the most indifferent to religion then emerge from their apathy and hasten to join the multitude, which sings the praises of the illustrious and generous protector of the region.

In 1652, Bishop Pierre de Berthier, whose virtues shone with such bright luster on the episcopal see of Montauban, went to Villebrumier to visit the relics of Saint Théodard. Here is the copy of the verification act that he drew up himself with very special care:

*Inventory of the bones, believed to be those of Saint Théodard, found in the church of Villebrumier, and which I have placed in this chest, during the visit I made on December 30, 1652.*

« A package covered in white taffeta, closed and sealed with my coat of arms, on which is written: *Femur bone*, no. 1; « Another package, as above, where is written: *Femur bone* , no. 2; « Another pac Mgr Pierre de Berthier Bishop of Montauban who inventoried the relics in 1652. kage where is written: *The two leg bones, with five extremities or apophyses*, no. 3; « Another package, as above, where is written: *The fociles in several pieces*, no. 4; « Another package, as above, where is written: *Twelve vertebrae with their fragments*, no. 5; « Another package, where is written: *Large number of rib fragments*, no. 6; « Another, where is written: *The fragments of the shoulder blades and the sternum bone*, no. 7; « Another, where is written: *The astragali or joints of the feet and hands, in large number*, no. 8; « Another, as above, where is written: *A section of the ischium and another fragment of the sacrum bone*, no. 9; « Another, where is written: *Unknown bone pieces*, no. 10. « Done at Villebrumier, this December 30, 1652.

« PIERRE, « Bishop of Montauban ».

The relics of Saint Théodard remained, until 1833, in the chest where Bishop de Berthier placed them. Then, the old shrine falling into disrepair, the parish priest and the inhabitants of Villebrumier had another one made, and the remains of the Saint were solemnly deposited there.

The ten packages inventoried by Bishop de Berthier and sealed with the seal of his arms are still today in the state in which he described them: only one of the silk sachets is partially torn, but this is due to the opening that had to be made when Bishop Dubourg wanted to have a relic of Saint Théodard for his cathedral.

We have abridged the life of Saint Théodard, by Mr. J.-A. Guyard, Vicar General of Montauban, in-12, Paris and Montauban, 1856. The author drew himself from the *Gallia christiana* and from two Lives of the Saint that we possess: one provided by the Bollandists, the other which had been extracted from the archives of Saint-Étienne, in Toulouse, and which was preserved in the *Mémoires de l'Histoire du Languedoc*, by Catel.