Saint Austregisilus

At the time when the good King G roi Gontran King of Burgundy who welcomed Columbanus upon his arrival in Gaul. untram held his co urt at Chalon-su Châlon-sur-Saône Site of the saint's martyrdom. r-Saône, there was at the palace a young man named Austregisilus, who came from one of the leading families of Bourges, but whose fortune unfortunately did not equal his nobility. Raised in the study of sacred letters, this child had been entrusted by his father Auginus to the Burgundian monarch, who had immediately taken a great liking to him and had attached him to his person with the title of mapparius, which conferred the honor of holding the towel when the king dined or washed his hands. This high favor had fallen to Austregisilus because, from the very first days, he had shown qualities and habits of piety that were highly appreciated by his master. Indeed, in his hours of freedom, instead of indulging with the youth of the palace in physical exercises and the coarse pleasures of the time, he sought the conversation of serious men or the leisure of study. While his companions ran at the ring, threw dice, or cast the discus or the javelin, he was found in prayer in a stall of the church or leafing through illuminated missals in the library.

It was in this way that Austregisilus grew up at the court of Chalon, increasingly dear to all who approached him, until the moment when, seeing him reached the age of manhood, his family spoke to him of marriage. Frightened by this prospect, which he had never considered, Austregisilus opposed his family's desires with his intention to leave the world and devote himself to the service of God and the practice of good works. He confessed the distress he felt at the mere thought of adding a second existence to his own, and thus doubling the worries and hazards of a life already sown with too many pitfalls.

— "By marrying," he said naively, "I run the risk of taking a wife who is either good or bad. If she is good, I fear losing her; if she is bad, I must keep her. Why throw myself into the doubt and troubles that accompany marriage? Being able to live free, why should I seek slavery?"

Afflicted by this response, his parents insisted and summoned him to follow their will. Then, so as not to sadden them further, he promised them to consult his two masters, God and the king, and to obey if such was their will.

Although very respectful of divine things, the good King Guntram did not neglect temporal affairs. Thus, he did not hesitate to advise his favorite to secure his future by taking a good wife who would bring him a large dowry, without worrying too much about the future embarrassments of marriage; for, he added with a smile, a wise man always knows how to get by.

Only moderately convinced and while thanking the king for his advice, Austregisilus felt more than ever the need to consult a less worldly advocate and to defer to God. Consequently, he wrote on three tablets the names of three men from the neighborhood who had daughters whose birth and fortune were roughly equal. Then he placed these tablets under the altar cover in the Basilica of Saint-Jean, near the city of Chalon, promising himself to remain, according to custom, three nights in prayer, and then to defer to the judgment of the Lord for the choice of one of the tablets.

The first night passed entirely in prayer; but, from the second, overcome by fatigue, Austregisilus fell asleep and saw in a dream two old men of venerable appearance who approached him and the altar. — Whose daughter should Austregisilus marry? said one. — Do you not know, replied the other, that he is already married? — To whom then? — To the daughter of the Just Judge? Upon waking, the young man wondered who she was, where this Judge and this Just One lived whose daughter he was to marry; and, as he could not guess, he resumed his way to the city, deep in thought. His reflections led him to a village, where fatigue advised him to enter an inn kept by a veteran and his wife. As soon as she saw him, she came to meet him and, before any offer of service, addressed these words to him: — My guest, if you will listen to me for a moment, I will tell you what I saw this morning in a dream regarding you. It seemed to me that I heard a great noise of voices like the singing of psalms, and I said to my husband: — Man, what do I hear? On the occasion of what feast are the priests holding a procession today? — Our guest Austregisilus is taking a wife, he replied. — Full of joy, I approached to observe the face and air of the young girl. When the clerks dressed in white, carrying crosses and singing psalms, had passed, you appeared last, followed by all the people. As, despite my attention, I did not discover in the procession any young girl, nor any other person of my sex, I said again to my husband: — Where then is the fiancée of Austregisilus? — Do you not see her in his hands, he replied? — But I looked in vain, and I perceived nothing between your hands but the book of the Gospel.

Compared with the vision of the Church, the words of the old soldier's wife increased the reveries of the page, who set off again and soon came to knock at the door of the palace, where a final warning awaited him.

When the porter had opened for him, Austregisilus, having advanced silently toward the royal chamber, heard Guntram who was praying aloud and repeating this verse: "Lord, you have placed on his head a crown of precious stones, he asked you for his path and you granted him long days in this age and in the age of ages." Doubt was no longer permitted. God was speaking and calling him to the priesthood through the mouth of the monarch. But the demon opposed great obstacles to the fulfillment of this will.

There was at court a certain Bet helen, a Bethelen Arrogant courtier and adversary of Austregisilus at court. powerful man, but harsh and proud, who had usurped the goods of the treasury. To the reproaches of Guntram, he opposed a forged diploma which he claimed to have received from Austregisilus. The latter denied the fact, and the angry king ordered a trial by combat, so that the judgment of God might reveal which of the two had lied. On the day of the combat, Austregisilus, having risen early in the morning, sent his lance and shield by his servants to the field where the encounter was to take place, then went to pray in the basilica of Saint-Marcel, in Chalon. On the way, he met a poor man, to whom he gave a triens or third of an as, the only one he had on him, and, after finishing his devotions, he headed full of confidence toward the place of combat, where the king, the court, and the people were assembled. The trumpets were already sounding, and they were only waiting for the second champion, when the squire of Bethelen appeared, pale and distraught, in the lists, announcing the death of his master. Summoned by Guntram to provide details, this man spoke as follows: 'Sire, your servant Bethelen having ordered us to be ready at daybreak, mounted his horse at the indicated hour; but, to his great surprise, his horse, usually gentle and docile, stood motionless and refused to move forward. Anxious not to miss the appointment, my master drove his spur into the flanks of the rebellious animal, which began to leap in a terrible way, to throw itself to the side, to lower its head, to raise its croup, so well that the lord Bethelen, violently unhorsed, was thrown to the ground like a tree uprooted by a whirlwind. That was not enough; the furious beast rushed at him, struck him relentlessly on the head with its two hooves, until he was nothing more than a miserable corpse bleeding from the nose and ears.' At this account, the king, turning toward Austregisilus, said to him: 'The Lord, whose support you invoked, has fought for you; and Bethelen has fallen under the blows of heavenly vengeance.'

Without rejoicing at the death of his enemy, the young man thanked Heaven for sparing him the shedding of blood, and felt his fervor and resolve increase. He then went to find a pious and powerful personage named Æthereus, re nowned a Æthereus Bishop of Lyon and protector of Austregisilus. mong the senators and enjoying particular credit at court. He explained his aspirations and doubts to him, recounted the trial he had attempted, the mysterious warnings he had received, and persuaded him to plead his cause before the king. Whatever his sorrow at losing his dear student, the good monarch could not resist the impulses of such an ardent vocation and granted the requested permission.

A few days later, Austrégisile had his hair cut and received the order of subdeacon f rom Aunach Aunachaire Bishop of Auxerre who ordained Austregisilus as a subdeacon. aire, Bishop of Auxerre; then he followed his protector Æthereus to Lyon, who had just been elected bishop of that city, and was appointed by him abbot of Saint-Nizier.

Despite his youth, Austrégisile did not take long to justify this high favor and to enjoy a great reputation for wisdom and virtue in the conduct of his abbey, where he knew and had as a reader Marculfe, who later became Marculfe Reader to Austregisilus and future abbot, possible author of the Formulae. abbot of the monastery of the Château in Bourges, and who, according to some, is none other than the author of the famous Formulae.

From this moment, his life shows him invested with supernatural power, the prerogative of the elect, and recounts his first two wonders in the following circumstances: One day when the country was in the midst of the grape harvest, Austrégisile went to the cellar to oversee the work and have the vessels prepared to receive the wine after the pressing operation. These were all filled, with the exception of an enormous vat capable of holding about twenty ordinary measures; but, as there was still a little wine left at the bottom of an amphora, the abbot ordered it to be poured into this vat, over which he made the sign of the cross before withdrawing. In the morning, what was the astonishment of the cellarer when, having entered to check the state of the harvest, he saw the large vat in full fermentation, like the other vessels, and the wine overflowing the edges and flooding the floor. Beside himself, the poor man ran to the church to announce this wonder; but Austrégisile gently imposed silence upon him, forbidding him to reveal what God had accomplished through the intercession of His servant.

Another time, Austrégisile, traveling with Bishop Æthereus and his retinue in the Genevan territory, encountered near the lake an old deserted castle and a half-ruined chapel, having neither clerks nor guardians, in which he had the thought of celebrating Mass. The doors of the chapel were open, but those of the sacristy were firmly bolted. As water was lacking, he sent his reader Marculfe to procure some. After having searched in vain on all sides, the latter returned to the chapel, where he was seized with an astonishment bordering on dread upon seeing the sacristy wide open and the holy man officiating with two cups full, one of wine and the other of water.

Around the year 612, Austregisilus was still directing the monastery of Saint-Nizier when he learned one fine morning that, with the king's consent, the people and the clergy were calling him to replace Saint Apollinaris, Bishop of Bourges, who had just died. Without being frightened or prideful of the heavy burden that fell upon him, imposing silence on the regret he felt at leaving his dear retreat, he set out with his de acons D Sulpice Deacon and successor of Austregisilus to the see of Bourges. esiderius and Sulpicius, the second of whom was to succeed him.

Arriving at Germigny, the first stop in Berry, he knew through a nocturnal vision that he would lead the church of Bourges for twelve years, and he woke his deacons to communicate this message from above. The next day, to the sound of bells and popular acclamations, he entered his native city triumphantly, where he was to finish conquering the radiant halo of the saints through a new series of good works and miracles.

But how can one follow the legend during the twelve years of this glorious pontificate, how can one record one by one the curious episodes that it took pleasure in noting day by day and which recall at every moment the Franco-Roman names of our fathers?

It is therefore not without regret that we renounce recounting in detail the marvelous healing of Amanda, the blind servant of the noble Paterne; those of the young Friovala, delivered from the evil spirit through communion; of the paralytic Méroald, brought before the august prelate by the servants of Berthoara; the adventure of Monulf, that imprudent miller who, having wanted to sharpen his millstone on Sunday, felt his fingers attach so strongly to the hammer that blood gushed from them, and who had to have recourse to the Saint to see his torment cease; that of the baker Léodemer, to whom the pious Austreberte, widow of the most illustrious Chramnoald, restored health with a piece of bread blessed by the bishop and intended for the Eulogies; finally these benefits, these gifts and these graces spread in profusion upon the afflicted in soul and body, which were often obtained by simple letters, when one could not ask for them in person.

Shortly after the arrival of Austrégisile in Bourges, the fame of his virtues attracted there a holy man called Amandus, himself destined to enjoy great notoriety in Berry and in Flanders saint Amand de Maëstricht Missionary bishop and friend of Saint Aubert. . It was Saint Amand of Maastricht.

Austrégisile also had the happiness of knowing and guiding on the road to heaven a noble matron of Bourges, Saint Berthaara, famous for her virtues and the foundation of an abbey for girls, dedicated to the Rule and the sweet Mysticism of Saint Columbanus, which the pious Bobolein also adopted for his four monasteries of Berry.

In the exercise of his high duties, the character and piety of Austregisilus took on a grave and severe tone, as reassuring to the good as it was formidable to the wicked. History cites several instances of the indomitable energy he always opposed to the reckless enterprises of the enemies of the Church or the city, of which he was one of the most ardent defenders, during and after his life. Also, when on the 13th of the Kalends of June, the news of the death of the great bishop spread through the city, everyone felt struck in their interests and their dearest affections. The entire population wanted to attend his funeral, which was marked by striking miracles. A young crippled man named Leonastus, who had himself carried in the wake of the procession, recovered the use of his limbs the following night. Saint Austregisilus was buried by Raurac, Bishop of Nevers, in the castle church, and the venerable priest Januarius, present at the ceremony, reported that at the moment the sepulcher was closed, he saw the image of the illustrious deceased appear to the right of Raurac, covered in long white garments and resplendent with light. There was no doubt, he added, that it was his guardian angel who, in this form, wished to accompany him to the tomb.

The memory of Saint Austrégisile is not found only in legends and liturgies. Upon receiving his body, the church of the Château also took his name, which it never left, and which is still recalled by a parish in the Lower Berry, Saint-Aou strille, in the Saint-Aoustrille Parish in Bas-Berry named after the saint. canton of Issoudun (Indre).

Later, one of the gates of Bourges, the one leading to the Bourbonnais, was placed under his protection and decorated with his statue in archiepiscopal vestments. The latter having been destroyed in the 16th century, during the Wars of Religion, a new one was commissioned in 1609 from Jean Lafrimpe, master architect and sculptor, for the sum of forty livres. This effigy, painted and placed on a pedestal, was first blessed by Archbishop André Fremiot in his chapel, then installed, in the month of May 1609, in the niche that the old one occupied at the Bourbonnoux gate, on the side of the drawbridge.

Excerpt from the Legends of Berry.