Saint Herbaud

They made some difficulty, but finally they yielded. Our Saint then withdrew into a deep solitude, in the diocese of Qu imper. The sick an diocèse de Quimper City where King Grallon resided and where the relics were transferred. d the infirm flocked from all parts to his cell, in order to find there the healing of their ailments. He obtained it through his prayers; and his charity was not limited to relieving their bodies, he took advantage of these occasions to lead sinners to penance; he preached with an ardor that showed how much he was consumed with zeal for the salvation of souls.

After having led a pure life entirely devoted to the service of God, Herbaud knew that the time of his death was approaching, and that he would soon receive the crown of justice that was prepared for him. When he believed he was in his final moments, he donned his hermit's habit and lay down on the bare earth, placing his arms in the form of a cross. Jealous of his holiness, and wishing to take advantage of the state of languor in which the servant of God found himself, the demon attacked him with various temptations; but Herbaud, faithful in imploring the help of heaven through prayer, triumphed over all the efforts of the enemy of salvation.

This storm having been calmed, the pious solitary was visited by a religious, who brought him the holy Viaticum. He received it with tears and great humility, praying to Jesus Christ to be favorable to a poor sinner. It was with the same sentiments that he fortified himself with the last Sacraments of the Church. Finally, after having pronounced these words: "Lord God, receive my spirit," he rendered his soul to his Creator.

The author of his Life reports that at the moment of his blessed passing, the sky shone with such brightness that it seemed as if a new sun were shining. The priests and clerics of the neighborhood came to take the body of the servant of God, and buried him in the church that has since borne his name. "In the choir of this church," says M. de Frémieville (Antiquités du Finistère), "is the tomb of the pious anchorite Saint He rbaud. It con saint Herbaud Hermit of British origin who settled in Brittany in the 8th century. sists of a sarcophagus of rather coarse granite; on the top is sculpted in relief the recumbent statue of the Saint, placed under a Gothic arch. He is represented in a hermit's robe with a hood pulled down; he has long hair and a beard; his Breviary is suspended at his right side. With his left arm he supports his staff; his feet, which are bare, rest on a recumbent lion, which is quite remarkable in the tomb statue of a religious. The tomb of Saint Herbaud bears neither inscription nor date, but it appears to be from the same time as the church that contains it."

As wars often drew the English into Brittany during the 13th and 14th centuries, soldiers of that nation, then Catholic, entered the church of Saint-Herbaud and removed his head, which was ado rned wit son chef Relic of the saint's head adorned with gold and silver. h gold and silver. They also took the Legend that contained the history of his life and carried everything off to their country. The rest of the body was respected and served for the solemn oaths taken by people who had lawsuits.

Taken fr om D. Lobin D. Lobineau Hagiographer and historian of Brittany. eau : The Lives of the Saints of Br Les Vies des Saints de Bretagne Hagiographic collection serving as a source for the text. ittany.