Saint Gervase of Le Mans

The rest of Saint Gervais's life was worthy of such a marvelous beginning; his virtues made him admired by the entire community of the faithful, and there was but one voice in applause when he was called by the Bishop of Le Mans to the ministry of the altar and ordained a deacon.

Soon Gervais was seen distributing to the poor all the riches he had inherited from his parents, and departing with a great number of pilgrims from Le Mans to visit the tombs of the holy Apostles in Rome . Hi Rome Birthplace of Maximian. s desire was to remain in that city, far from his country and his kin, occupied solely with the service of God; but as a faithful observer of the rules of discipline, he could not obey this pious thought, because he was attached by his ordination to the Church of Le Mans, and he had not been able to obtain from the bishop who governed it at that time the authorization to separate himself from it entirely.

After having satisfied his devotion near the tombs of the holy Apostles, he returned with his traveling companions to the Gauls. But while he was crossing the land of the ancient Aedui, of whom the Burgundians had already made themselves masters, after having crossed the Saône, in a forest situated on the banks of this river and named Corinna or Coriana, at some distanc e from Châlons Site of the saint's martyrdom. Châlons, having strayed for a moment from his route, he fell alone into the hands of a band of brigands. They took him for a spy, and believing their safety compromised, they threw themselves upon him with fury, pierced him with several blows, and left him expiring. After having committed this crime, they took flight, but one of them, suddenly touched by repentance, remained near the body of Gervais to guard it, and prostrated himself before his victim, imploring his pardon. The faithful of the region, warned of this event, hastened to honor the body of the holy Martyr, and to give him burial with all the respect that was possible for them. Soon the devotion of the people was excited by the miracles that were performed at this tomb; the account of the last moments of the holy deacon is preserved with care and with love. He had sought to make his assassins hear words of salvation, he had prayed to heaven for them until his death. These circumstances were transmitted by the one among the brigands who had converted, and it was even noted that all the others perished miserably.

The martyr's remains were first placed on a cart drawn by two horses to which no direction was given, in the hope that God would mark the place where He wished His servant to be buried. This is indeed what happened. A small wooden oratory was built over the tomb of Gervais, and the faithful people hastened to come there to bring the tribute of their homage. This promotion took place, not by Saint Innocent, but by one of his successors.

[APPENDIX: CULT AND RELICS.] At the beginning of the 7th centu ry, Saint saint Loup Bishop of Chalon-sur-Saône in the 7th century. Lupus, Bishop of Chalon-sur-Saône, was warned by the holy deacon, who appeared to him in a dream, to have a church built in his honor. The holy prelate hastened to obey, had a basilica built on the site where the martyr rested, endowed it with considerable property, and united it to the monastery of Saint-Pierre, the most important in his episcopal city. This place, and the village that was built around the basilica, still bear the name of Saint -Gervais-en-Vallière toda Saint-Gervais-en-Vallière Site of the basilica and the preservation of relics. y. The relics of the holy martyr escaped the religious troubles of the 16th and 18th centuries; they are preserved and venerated in the church whose origin we have just recounted, and their authenticity was recognized by canonical act on June 19, 1808. The diocese of Chalon-sur-Saône, until its union with that of Autun by the Concordat of 1801, celebrated the feast of Saint Gervais, of the semi-double rite, on July 6.

We have borrowed this biography from the History of the Church of Le Mans, by the R. P. Dom Pi Dom Piolin Author of the History of the Church of Le Mans. olin. — Cf. Legendary of Autun, by Abbé Fequignot.