Saint Leobard

When he reached the age of majority, his parents pressed him so strongly to consider marriage, even though they still had other children, that he could not defend himself against it. The contract was drawn up with the girl they presented to him; the earnest money of the conjugal faith, the ring, the shoe, and the other wedding gifts were given to the future bride, and the day of the betrothal was even celebrated with all the ordinary solemnities. But the sudden death of Leobard's father and mother delayed this matter in such a way that when the mourning had expired, he went to find his brother, who already had his own separate household, to place back into his hands all the tokens of the engagement he had contracted with his fiancée. Having found this brother buried in wine, he could draw no reason from him, and he was not even recognized by him. He was obliged to withdraw to a miserable inn and spend the night in a stable beside his horse. The sorrow he felt at the state in which he had found his brother having awakened him around the hour of midnight, he rose and began to pray, and spent the rest of the night thanking God for the graces he had received from His goodness from the time He had given him being until then. He accompanied his prayer with tears so abundant that it was easy to judge that his heart was entirely penetrated with gratitude for his Creator and his Redeemer.

It was during this interval, say s Saint Gregory of Tour saint Grégoire de Tours Bishop and historian who mentions the martyrdom of Antolian. s, that the Almighty resolved to break the bonds that still held Leobard in the world, so that at the break of day he mounted his horse to return home, and as he meditated on the way on the means he might take to withdraw, the thought came to him to go and consult God at the tomb of Saint Martin of Tours, the common o racle of France, and saint Martin de Tours Spiritual model for Aquilin. the most frequent theater of the miracles that divine virtue operated in those centuries. He immediately took the road to the city of Tours without stopp ing at his hom ville de Tours Place of retirement for Clotilde near the tomb of Saint Martin. e, entered the church of Saint-Martin, offered his prayers for several days, after which he crossed the Loire and went to shut himself up near the Abbey of Marmout ier, in a small cell abbaye de Marmoutier Abbey near Tours upon which the priory of Arcis depended. left vacant by the recent retirement of a recluse named Alaric. This hap pened Alaric King whose ministers ordered the martyrdom of Anthony. in the year of Jesus Christ 571, which was the tenth year of the reign of the three brothers Go ntran, Gontran King of Burgundy who welcomed Columbanus upon his arrival in Gaul. Ch ilperic, Chilpéric King of the Franks during whose reign Moderan was bishop. and Sigebert Sigebert King of East Anglia converted by Felix during his exile in France. .

He devoted almost his entire day to the recitation of the divine office. He also took pleasure in transcribing onto parchments, which he polished himself, the Psalms and other passages of Holy Scripture. He was gentle in his conversation and touching in his exhortations.

He ordered his life in such a way that in a short time he acquired all the virtues that make Saints.

His cave, which was too narrow, caused him great discomfort: he took this as an opportunity to dig into the rock, as much to make it more spacious as to mortify himself through very arduous labor.

God, who is never ungrateful to his servants, bestowed upon him such an abundance of the gift of miracles that his saliva sufficed to heal the most inveterate and severe wounds and skin diseases. And just as he had extinguished the fire of concupiscence in his own person, so too, with the mere sign of the cross, he extinguished the heat of the most devouring fevers.

A blind man sought his healing for three days at the door of his cell: in the end, he laid his hand upon him and restored his sight.

He had been struggling against himself for twenty-five years when, in the month of December of the year 592, he announced that before the equinox of the following year he would pass to a better life. On a Sunday, in fact, he told his companion in solitude to prepare him something to eat, and then to go and see if the faithful were leaving Mass. While his companion was carrying out the latter part of this order, Saint Leobard closed his eyes and committed his spirit into the hands of the angels.

His body was first buried in his cell, in the tomb he had prepared for himself. Later, it was transported to the c hurch of Saint-Paul in Clermont. église de Saint-Paul de Clermont Site of the translation of the saint's relics.

He has been depicted digging his cave on the side of the Marmoutier hill.

The feast of Saint Léobard of Auvergne is celebrated in Tours on Februa ry 12th and Saint-Flour Diocese mentioned for its proper liturgical texts. in Saint-Flour on February 13th.

A church was erected in Tours in honor of the pious hermit of Marmoutier. This church, built on the Quai du Vieux-Pont, at the corner of the Rue de la Bretonnerie, not far from the Saint-Symphorien suspension bridge and the Tour de Guise, was visited by those suffering from fevers who came to ask the Saint for their healing. The chapel of Saint-Libert fell under the authority of the King of France, because of his nearby Château de Tours. It had long been under the dependence of the cathedral chapter, which, every year on the Friday of Passion Week, made a station there, until the Revolution of '9 Révolution de 93 Historical period that led to the suppression of the saint's church title. 3 diverted it from its pious purpose. It was turned into a saltpeter factory. The walls of this small chapel are still standing. On the Loire side, this building is almost entirely hidden by a small brick wall, recently constructed. The main entrance is on the western side. The portal, sunken into the ground, still possesses a few capitals. Its arch is closed with unequal and irregular curves, and its execution is rather crude. Some fantastic modillions that can be seen here and there indicate the period in which it was built, in the first half of the 19th century. Today this church serves as a shed, a wood store, and one can read on the north wall: *murs à oeuvre*. How many similar ruins we would have to lament, which, despite the pious memories they recall, have no hope of being restored!