Roman martyr whose body was discovered in 1654 in the cemetery of Saint-Cyriaque with the symbols of virginity and martyrdom. Her relics were transferred in 1658 to the Hôtel-Dieu of Bayeux under the episcopate of Mgr Servien. She should not be confused with a legendary namesake from the 9th century.
Guided reading
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RELICS OF SAINT BASILE.
Location of the martyrdom and burial
The text discusses the location of Saint Basile's martyrdom in Rome on the Via Salaria, while distinguishing the place of execution from that of the burial.
The Roman Martyrology and those of Usuard and Ado place this triumph in Rome, on the Via Salaria; but they do not say that this is the place wher e the Sai la Sainte Roman virgin and martyr whose relics were transferred to Bayeux. nt was buried. These two things, however, are very different, since we see many martyrs who were executed in one place and were then transferred to another to receive burial; like Saint Romanus, a soldier, who suffered d eath on the saint Romain Founder of the Abbey of Condat. same Via Salaria, and who was nevertheless buried in the cemetery of Saint Cyriacus, which is on the road to Tivoli.
Discovery of the body in the catacombs
In 1654, a marble tomb identified by the name of Basilie was discovered in the cemetery of Saint-Cyriacus, containing intact bones and a vial of blood.
This being so, there is therefore no objection to believing that the Saint Basilie whose life we have just recounted is the one who was found, in the year 1654, in the third level of a lower part of the cemetery of Saint-Cyriacus, and who, having been brought to France, was given to the Hospitalier nuns of the city of Bayeux, in Lower Normandy.
Here is the story of this discovery and this translation. As they were searching with great care in the cemetery of Cyriacus, which is the one where Saint Lawrence, Saint Romanus, Saint Hippolytus, and many other illustrious martyrs were laid to rest, they found, in the lowest level, a marble sepulcher upon which was engraved : *Basi Basilie Roman virgin and martyr whose relics were transferred to Bayeux. lie*, and at the side, there was in relief a dove and a branch, a mark of her virginity and her martyrdom; they also found attached to the sepulcher a precious vase which was full of blood. All these circumstances clearly showed that the Saint who was enclosed within had been very considerable in the world. The vice-gerent bishop, to whom it belongs to visit the catacombs and to open the tombs of the martyrs, performed the opening of this one and found therein all the bones of this Saint, beautiful, solid, and each in its natural place, down to the smallest joints, as if she had been buried only a few years prior. He had them raised from the earth and placed in a cypress chest lined with cotton, to expose them somewhere to the veneration of the faithful. Divine Providence willed that this place should be the monastery of the Hospitalier nuns of Bayeux.
Translation of the relics to Bayeux
Pope Alexander VII granted the body of the saint to the Bishop of Bayeux in 1658, which was subsequently deposited at the Hôtel-Dieu of the city.
Mr. Michel, Vicar-General of Bayeux, wrote to us on November 22, 1858: The Hospitalier nuns of the Hôtel-Dieu of Bayeux possess the body of Saint Basile. This body was granted in 1658 to Mgr Servien, Bishop of Bayeux, by Pope Alexander VII , at the request of M le pape Alexandre VII Pope reigning at the end of Olier's life. r. de Lyonne, Ambass ador of Fran M. de Lyonne French ambassador who requested relics from the Pope. ce and a relative of Mgr Servien. The entire body was brought to Bayeux. Mgr Servien kept a small portion for his cathedral and deposited the rest at the Hôtel-Dieu. This small portion disappeared during the Revolution of '93. On January 27, 1833, under the episcopate of Mgr Dancel, the reliquary, which contained the precious relics, was, with his permission, opened at the Hôtel-Dieu, and one of the shoulder blades was removed, which was sent to the superior of the hospital of Rennes, and one of the vertebrae, which was given to the nuns of Notre-Dame de la Charité of Bayeux. The rest of the body is preserved at the Hôtel-Dieu of this city. The head and the vial of blood are separate, not in a rich, but in a modest reliquary. The church of the Hospitaliers of the Hôtel-Dieu of Bayeux has never been placed under the invocation of Saint Basile.
Distinction from the local legend
The author specifies that this Roman saint should not be confused with a legendary homonymous figure from the 9th century specific to the diocese of Bayeux.
N. B. One must not confuse this Saint Basile with another Saint Basile who is said to have been martyred in the diocese of Bayeux in the 9th century, during the time of the Norman invasions. This belongs to the realm of legend.
LIVES OF THE SAINTS. — VOLUME VI.
Annexes & related entities
Structured data for exploration: events, miracles, quotes, places, attributes, patronages, and important entities cited in the text.
Key Events
- Martyred in Rome on the Via Salaria
- Burial at Saint-Cyriaque cemetery
- Discovery of the body in 1654 in a marble sepulcher
- Translation of relics to Bayeux in 1658 by Pope Alexander VII
Miracles
- Perfect preservation of the bones during the opening of the tomb in 1654
Quotes
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Basilie
Inscription engraved on the marble sepulcher