Saint Ausonius of Angoulême

What were the successes of Saint Ausonius in his apostolate after the departure of Saint Martial? How did he triumph over the resistance of minds to the point of making them adopt the grave teachings of the Gospel concerning a God who is creator, savior, and judge of men, and the eternity that awaits them at the end of this life? This is a double question that is guessed rather than read in the few facts of which the Acts of Saint Ausonius have preserved the memory. One of the most important is the c onversio Garrulus Governor of Angoulême converted by Saint Ausonius. n of Garrulus, count, prefect, or governor of Angoulême. Summoned to his tribunal to account for his preaching, Saint Ausonius, like Saint Paul before the proconsul Sergius Paulus in times past, first made the doctrine of Jesus Christ admired, and then he won over the one who wanted to persecute and proscribe it. The brilliance of this conversion undoubtedly brought about a great number of others, due to the ease with which the pious bishop was then able to preach the word of God publicly. It was also around this time and in these favorable circumstances that he built a first church, where he could, without obstacles, gather his little flock and dispense the holy mysteries to them. Moreover, Count Garrulus, since his baptism, devoted himself with fervor to all the practices of Christian piety, and he distinguished himself above all by great liberality toward the poor and the destitute. He also had the joy of seeing his sister, named Caligie, abjure the errors of paganism following his example, just as she shared his merciful charity. The Lord was soon to reward them for it. And indeed, it happened that during a walk that Caligie was taking with her companions along the Charente, she felt the first onset of a violent illness, which quickly brought on delirium and then a complete paralysis of the senses and all her limbs. At the sight of this state and of an imminent death, Garrulus had only one thought, that of resorting to the powerful intercession of the blessed Ausonius. He therefore went to him, and upon approaching him: "Man of God," he said, "my sister is gravely ill, but come and you will heal her through your prayers." He then recounted the accident in all its details, mixing abundant tears with his words. Thus the holy bishop, touched by the misfortune of Caligie and the lively faith of her brother, hastened to follow him. Arrived at the dwelling of Garrulus, he was introduced into the apartment where, on a bed of pain, the young Caligie was lying paralyzed and dying. Approaching this bed then, he prayed, and taking the hand of the sick woman, he said to her: "In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you, arise." Instantly she rose, and Saint Ausonius returned her entirely healed to the tenderness and joy of her brother.

In testimony of her gratitude, Caligie contributed largely to the construction of a second church that the zealous pontiff had built to the south of the city, and which he dedicated to the Virgin Mary, a manifest proof of the devotion he had been able to inspire in his dear neophytes toward the august Mother of God. It was in this church that Caligie loved to pray, and where she had to seek some consolation shortly after the passing of her brother. The latter, having fallen ill, knew as if by a divine premonition that his last day was approaching. He therefore had Saint Ausone asked to come see him, and he said to him: "Servant of God and pastor of the souls who believe in Jesus Christ, I know that the hour of my death is near: that is why, I implore you, assist me with your prayers, so that my enemy may not rejoice at my loss and that he may not say: I have conquered him." Saint Ausone promised him this, and Garrulus added: "I have disposed in your favor of all the gold, all the silver, as well as all the furniture that I possess: receive them to share them between your churches and the poor; by this use, these riches will be salutary to my soul." After having thus instituted Jesus Christ as his heir, the sick man lost the power of speech, and when he breathed his last, one heard, the Acts report, celestial voices that praised God and celebrated the happy death of his servant. His conversion dated back only three and a half years, but he was already ripe for heaven. Saint Ausone himself took care of his funeral, thus honoring a memory entirely embalmed with the perfumes of charity and mercy.

Moreover, the healing of Caligie was not the first miracle that Saint Ausone had performed, just as it was followed by a great number of others. For his Acts attest to us that by his prayers, the infirm and the sick were healed and the possessed delivered; that the blind recovered their sight, the lame the use of their legs, and the paralyzed the movement of their limbs. But these same Acts do not contain the detailed account of any of these wonders, except for the following. A blind man, known as such in the city of Angoulême, where he begged for alms, had himself led to Saint Ausone, and throwing himself at his feet, said to him: "Ausone, servant of God, I know that your prayers can open my eyes." — "May it be done to you according to your faith," the pious bishop replied to him, and at the same time he touched his eyes. Suddenly the blind man recovered his sight, and in his gratitude began to glorify God and to thank his benefactor. But because he was poor and almost naked, Saint Ausone had a complete garment given to him, thus adding the gift of charity to that of healing.

This miracle, as one understands, soon became of public notoriety, and the account of it reached the ears of a young and wealthy Gallo-Roman woman, named Calfagie. Left an orphan fro m her ad Calfagie Wealthy Gallo-Roman woman healed and baptized by Ausonius, who became a consecrated virgin. olescence, she found herself mistress of a great fortune, and lived not far from Angoulême in one of those sumptuous villas that the Romans had scattered along the banks of the Charente. It was there that in the midst of the luxury of opulence and surrounded by numerous slaves and servants, the young patrician, afflicted for twelve years with a flux or loss of blood, dragged out sad and painful days languidly. In vain had she had recourse to the science of physicians; her malady, having become incurable, projected nothing more upon her life than a dark and distressing future. It was then that she learned, perhaps like the Syrian Naaman of old, through a Christian slave, of the miracle that Saint Ausone had performed in favor of a blind man; she conceived at this account a lively desire to see the pious bishop, and ordered immediately that her chariot be prepared and that a large sum of gold and silver be placed in it, which she wished to donate to the holy pontiff if his prayers restored her health. Her servants hastened to execute her orders; but one of them, named Arcadius, and steward of her house, strove to stop her, saying to her: "You have lavished a large part of your fortune on physicians, and you have received no relief from it; it will be the same with the man you are going to consult; you will enrich him, and he will be of no help to you." Thus spoke Arcadius, and suddenly, by a visible punishment from heaven, he felt himself struck by the same infirmity that Calfagie was experiencing. The latter became only more ardent in hoping for her healing; she therefore wished to get ahead of her escort and set out immediately on the road. Arrived in the city of Angoulême, she had herself led toward the holy bishop, and throwing herself at his feet, said to him: "Ausone, servant of God, I ask you for baptism."

Touched by these words, and admiring in this young patrician the action of grace, Saint Ausone replied to her: "If you believe from the bottom of your heart, the Lord will grant your request." Then Calfagie replied: "I believe in the almighty God who created the world: I believe in Jesus Christ the son of the living God, whom the Jews crucified, and who rose again on the third day." A profession of faith so clear and so precise appeared sufficient to the holy bishop, who, having water brought to him, baptized the noble catechumen in the name of the holy and august Trinity. But the virtue of the sacrament did not only purify her soul; it also spread to her body, for Calfagie was instantly healed of her infirmity, and she said in a loud voice: "I glorify you, Lord, you who, through your servant Ausone, have restored my health, and who through holy baptism have illuminated my soul with the lights of faith." At this moment one saw Arcadius arrive with the other servants who supported him to help him descend from the chariot, for his malady was increasing in violence; and they led him to Saint Ausone. "Servant of God," said Calfagie then, "I ask you humbly, that by the merit of your prayers, you heal Arcadius, my steward, just as you have recently restored sight to a blind man." Such was the prayer that the silence of the crowd welcomed, and the expectation of a second miracle. This expectation was not to be disappointed, for the pious bishop, moved with compassion for this unfortunate man, said to him: "In the name of Our Lord Jesus Christ, Arcadius, be healed of your infirmity." At these words, the steward straightened up full of health, and at a sign from Calfagie, ran to take and deposit at the feet of Ausone the sums of gold and silver that he had brought. But the holy pontiff would only receive them to have them distributed to the poo Césaire Archdeacon to Saint Ausonius. r by the hands of Césaire, his archdeacon.

Following this account, the acts of Saint Ausone inform us that after a grave and serious trial, he gave Calfagie the sacred veil of virgins, and that Caligie, whose miraculous healing we have recounted, received it as well, along with several others who emulated their life of prayer and good works. It is known that the Church has always surrounded the ceremony of religious consecration with its solemn pomp and blessings, and although every detail is lacking here, we can certainly affirm that on this occasion the pious bishop forgot nothing that was appropriate to enhance its splendor and to better convey the merit of this sacrifice. Moreover, in these early times, and until the 4th century, Christian virgins remained in their paternal homes, leaving only to go to church, where they had a separate place, or to apply themselves, led by the elders, to external works of charity, such as visiting and relieving the sick and prisoners, feeding the poor, gathering and instructing orphans and children, serving strangers, and burying the dead. Such were, therefore, under the wise direction of Saint Ausone, the occupations of these pious virgins, and Calfagie, placed at their head, maintained them in fervor and directed them in the service of God and neighbor.

This is the last fact that the acts of the blessed bishop report to us regarding his apostolic ministry, and they pass immediately to the account of his martyrdom. The city of Angoulême had as governor, they say, a man whose name they omit, but who, violent and fierce, was also personally animated against Saint Ausone. What were the mo tives Ausone First bishop of Angoulême and martyr of the 1st or 2nd century. for this hatred? History has not made them known to us; and it only tells us that the pious bishop, to divert onto the head of the shepherd a storm that threatened the entire flock, resolved to offer himself as a victim. He therefore presented himself before the governor's tribunal, and then the following dialogue was established between them: — Ausone. — Here I am, I who have drawn your anger upon this innocent people: satisfy your fury with my death. — The governor. — It is you, then, who peddle the impious fables of the religion of Christ, you who resist my orders, and who have infatuated a plebeian class ignorant of its belief in your God. — Ausone. — I am a Christian and a bishop, I confess one sole and true God who made heaven and earth. It is He alone whom we serve, we who are Christians, and whom we pray to day and night for ourselves, for you, O prince, and for all men. — The governor. — Do you persevere in your impiety? — Ausone. — The good will that comes from God cannot change. — The governor. — Adore the immortal gods. — Ausone. — I will do no such thing. — The governor. — Then you shall die. — Ausone. — Do what you will.

Seeing then the invincible firmness of the holy bishop, the governor condemned him to have his head severed; and the sentence was executed on the evening of the same day, before one of the city gates and at the place where the church of Saint-Martial stands today. Under the cover of darkness, the faithful piously gathered the body of their father and shepherd, and deposited it religiously in a tomb that was not long in becoming famous for numerous miracles. But no account of them has been preserved for us; we only know that a church and then a monastery of virgins were built above this glorious sepulcher, and that the body of Saint Ausone rested under the high altar with those of Saint Aptone and Saint Césaire. These relics, venerated by all, were the object of several translations, the most solemn of which took place on March 30, 1118, during the episcopate of Gérard, legate of the Holy See for the ecclesiastical provinces of Tours, Bourges, Bordeaux, and Auch. Even today, the church of Angoulême celebrates the memory of this translation every year. But in the year 1562, the wars of religion brought about the destruction of the church and the monastery, as well as the profanation of the holy bodies they contained. They were barely able to save from the pyre a few bones that the nuns of Saint-Ausone deposited in the new monastery they built for themselves on the Place Beaulieu, and whose site the high school occupies today. These precious remains were themselves dispersed in 1793, and only a few weak fragments remain in the cathedral treasury. As for the church, it was only rebuilt on the foundations of the old one in the year 1864, and it was Mgr Charles-Antoine Cousseau, Bishop of Angoulême, who, on December 4, solemnly blessed its first stone. The Christian virgins who watched over the tomb of Saint Ausone have also resumed their guard of honor and sacred psalmody, not, it is true, in the person of the Benedictine nuns, who had continued the pious succession of the Caligie and the Cal fagie, but in that of th religieuses bénédictines Religious order that guarded the saint's tomb. e Daughters of the Cross who have a large boarding school in the Saint-Ausone suburb, and the Daughters of Carmel who came, a few years ago, to pitch their tent near these same places.

The church of Angoulême celebrates the feast of Saint Ausonius on May 22, and this is the day assigned to his martyrdom by the Benedictine breviary, printed in 1606, and reproduced from an ancient office whose manuscript dated back to the beginning of the 14th century. This is also the tradition that was adopted, and definitively fixed, in 1633, by Mgr Antoine de La Rochefoucauld, Bishop of Angoulême, in the proper of the Saints of the diocese.

The other Saints, who are particular to the church of Angoulême, are: Saint Césaire, archdeacon of Saint-Ausone (January 29). He had a proper office in the Benedictine Breviary. Saint Amand de Boixe (March 1). This Saint, a native of Bordeaux, was drawn to Angoulême by the great holiness of life of Saint Cybard, with whom he would have liked to settle. But the latter advised him to choose for his retreat a desert and wild place, then named Buxia, today Boize. Saint Amand, deferring to this advice, therefore retired into this solitude, where several people having begged him to receive them under his guidance, he built for them a monastery which the counts of Angoulême successively enriched with their liberalities, and which gave birth to the village that bears the name of the founding saint. After the death of Saint Amand, which occurred in 600, his monastery embraced the Rule of Saint Benedict, under which it subsisted until 1792. As for the church, begun by Arnault, count of Angoulême, in 958, it was not completed until 1170, and consecrated on November 15 of the same year by Bernard, archbishop of Bordeaux, assisted by the bishops of Périgueux, Poitiers, Saintes, and Angoulême. The abbey of Saint-Amand de Boize depended very briefly on the church of Saint-Pierre of Angoulême. Saint Sauve, bishop of Angoulême, and Saint Supère or Exupère, his companion, martyr (June 26). Father Longueval says that these two Saints, having gone to preach in Valenciennes, were put to death there by a lord named Winegard, around the year 801. Charlemagne, having learned of this murder, punished the author, and had the bodies of the two martyrs buried honorably. In recent years, a church has been built in their honor in the diocese of Cambrai. Saint Cybard (July 1). See his life on that date. Saint Aptone (October 26). See his life given on this day by the Bollandists. Saint Bénigne (November 3). It was long believed that this was Saint Bénigne of Dijon, but Mgr Cousseau believes that it would be Bénigne, successor of Dynamo to the see of Angoulême, around the year 453, and whose tomb was found, under brambles, in the countryside of Touraine, during the episcopate of Saint Gregory. Driven from Angoulême by the Arian Visigoths and pursued even into his retreat, he perished under their blows. His body, brought back to the cathedral of Angoulême, was deposited first in a crypt, under the sanctuary, and then in a magnificent reliquary until the year 1562, when it was burned by the Protestants. Calfagie, honored as a Saint by the Benedictines of Saint-Antoine (August 13), was also celebrated by the clergy of Angoulême; but Mgr Régnier, bishop of Angoulême, and today archbishop of Cambrai, struck her name from the catalogue of Saints, because he found no truly authentic monument of this cult. This interesting life of Saint Ausone was provided to us by the Abbé Duchasseing, canon at Angoulême.