A Carmelite religious of English origin, Simon Stock died in Bordeaux in the 13th century. His tomb became a place of pilgrimage famous for its miracles, leading to a wide distribution of his relics in Europe. His cult, confirmed by the Holy See, remains particularly vibrant in Bordeaux and London.
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RELICS AND CULT OF SAINT SIMON STOCK.
Burial and miracles in Bordeaux
Simon of Stock was buried at the Carmelite convent in Bordeaux, where luminous phenomena and miracles drew attention to his tomb.
Simon of Stock Simon de Stock Carmelite of English origin, whose cult developed in Bordeaux. was buried, according to the express recommendation he had made, at the door of the church of the Carmelite convent of Borde Bordeaux City and diocese of which Amand was bishop. aux, located in the street and near the old moats of that name. But God, to reward the humility of his servant, immediately rendered his tomb glorious through various wonders, and in particular, by a miraculous light that was seen, for several days, to shine forth from this tomb.
Local canonization and recognition
Archbishop Pierre de Roncevaux transformed his room into a chapel and authorized his cult, which was later confirmed by the Holy See in 1276.
The room that our Saint had inhabited during his stay in Bordeaux was erected into a chapel the following year; by order of the Archbishop, Pierre de Roncevau Pierre de Roncevaux Archbishop of Bordeaux who authorized the local cult. x, his precious relics were transported there with solemnity, and, by virtue of this ceremony, according to the custom of the time, without further formality, the honors of canonization were conferred upon him; it was permitted, from then on, to honor him with a public cult in the city of Bordeaux and throughout the extent of the diocese.
Around the year 1276, the cult of Saint Simon Stock was confirmed by the authority of the Holy See. Since the death of Saint Simon Stock, there has been, at different times, an ample distribution of his relics to the various churches of the Order, whether in France, Spain, Germany, Flanders, etc.
Dispersion and loss of relics
The saint's relics were distributed throughout Europe, but several were lost during the religious troubles of the 16th century in Ghent, Cologne, and Bruges.
The Rev. Fr. Guillaume Costalic, prior of the Carmelites of Bordeaux, gave an arm of Saint Simon Stock to the Carmelites of Ghent in 1423; however, during the troubles stirred up by the heretics in 1578, this precious relic disappeared along with all the other treasures of the church. At the same time, other relics of the Saint, preserved until then in the churches of Cologne and Bruges, in Flanders, met the same fate.
Nevertheless, a finger from the right hand of Saint Simon was kept with veneration in the Carmelite church in Valenciennes; this precious relic, having escaped the fury of the heretics, was the instrument of several miracles from 1506 until 1578, and in this same place, bread was also blessed under the invocation of Saint Simon Stock, which often served as the occasion for several miraculous healings.
Pilgrimages and international veneration
The tomb in Bordeaux became a major pilgrimage center for France and Spain until the opening of the tomb in 1592 for further distributions.
Until 1592, pilgrimages to the tomb of Saint Simon Stock were frequently seen, especially from the various regions of France and Spain, either to honor his relics or to implore the aid of his powerful protection before God. Among these pilgrims, there were sometimes men of great merit, remarkable for their piety and doctrine; God also often granted their vows and rewarded their faith with miraculous healings. These pilgrimages ceased gradually when portions of these precious relics began to be distributed in different places in these two kingdoms.
The tomb of Simon Stock was opened in the year 1592, on the occasion of the visit of a famous doctor from Salamanca, a Carmelite religious from Spain, who had come to Bordeaux to visit the sai nt's relic Salamanque City where he taught and entered religious life. s. He asked the superiors and obtained a very precious relic: namely, a leg bone for the church of the Carmelite convent in Salamanca, and one of the ribs for the Carmelite church in Valencia; these two relics have always been held in great veneration in Spain. In France, the church of the Carmelite convent in Orléans was enriched, around the same time, with one of the ribs of Saint Simon Stock; it was kept in a precious reliquary, which was carried in procession every year through the city on the second day of Pentecost. In 1617, the Carmelite nuns of the monastery of Paris also obtained a portion of our Saint's relics, at the solicitation of M. Marc-Antoine de Gourgues, First President of the Parliament of Bordeaux.
After these distributions, all that remained of the body of Saint Simon Stock in B ordeaux was enclosed Parlement de Bordeaux Judicial institution whose president requested relics. in a cypress wood reliquary, to be placed on the altar in his chapel.
Revolutionary survival and restoration
Hidden during the Revolution, the relics were transferred to Saint-André Cathedral by Mgr d'Aviau, while Pius VII confirmed the importance of his feast day.
During the dire days of '93, trustworthy individuals hid the venerable relics, and when Mgr d'Aviau ordered that the Confraternity of the Holy Scapular be transferred to the Saint-André Metropolitan Cathedral of Bordeaux, the bones of the holy religious were brought there, the authenticity of which was carefully verified. Then, the same prelate obtained from Pius VII, in 1820, that the feast of Saint Si mon Stock, Nicolas III Pope who authorized the feast of the saint in the 13th century. already authorized by Nicholas III (1277-1288), would be elevated to a double rite and of obligation for the diocese of Bordeaux. We do not intend to recount here the re-establishment of the Carmelites in France; let us only say that five years after their appearance in the city of Bordeaux (1846), the Abbé Dudouble, archpriest of the Primatial Church, presented to the Rev. Fr. Louis de Gonzague of the Most Holy Sacrament, former Provincial of the Order, for the novitiate of the Carmelite convent, a relic extracted from the reliquary of Saint Simon Stock.
Symbolic return to England
In 1864, a major relic was transferred to London, honoring the saint's English origin under the presidency of the Cardinal of Westminster.
The Carmelite convent in London Londres City where Æthelberht had the church of Saint Paul built. today possesses the largest existing relic of Saint Simon Stock, a tibia bone, which is perfectly fitting, as this illustrious Carmelite was English. The translation of this relic took place on May 16, 1864, the feast day of the Saint, patron of the church and the convent. The Cardinal-Archbishop of Westminster presided over the ceremony in person.
Hagiographic sources
List of historical and bibliographic references documenting the life and posterity of Simon Stock.
See his Life, written shortly after his death. See Stevens, Monast. Anglic., vol. II, p. 159, 160; Leland, de Script. Brit., vol. II, p. 227; Papebroch, vol. III, May, p. 553; Newcourt, Repertor., vol. 1, p. 566; Weaver, p. 139; Fuller, bk. VI, p. 271; Dugdale, under the county of Warwick, p. 108, 1730 ed.; Father Coene de Villiers de Saint-Philippe, Bibl. Carm., vol. II, p. 740, and the recent Life of the Saint, by Alfred de Moubrun, in-12, Condom, 1870.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Burial at the door of the Carmelite church in Bordeaux
- Translation of relics to a chapel by Pierre de Roncevaux
- Confirmation of the cult by the Holy See around 1276
- Distribution of relics throughout Europe (Spain, Germany, Flanders)
- Rescue of relics during the French Revolution (1793)
- Elevation of the feast to double rite by Pius VII in 1820
- Translation of a major relic to London in 1864
Miracles
- Miraculous light shining from the tomb after his death
- Healings obtained by touching a finger of his right hand
- Healings linked to the blessing of bread under his invocation