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Saint Eligius

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"Saint Éloi" and "Saint Éloy" redirect here. For places named after the saint, seeSaint-Éloi (disambiguation)andSaint-Éloy (disambiguation).For the train ferry, seeMV Saint Eloi.

Saint

Eligius
The Legend of Saint Eligius andSaint GodebertabyPetrus Christus[a]
Confessor,Bishop
Born(588-06-11)11 June 588
Chaptelat,Francia
Died(660-12-01)1 December 660
Noyon,Neustria,Francia
Venerated in
CanonizedPre-Congregation
Feast1 December
AttributesAnvil;Bishopwith acrosierin his right hand, on the open palm of his left a miniature church of chased gold; bishop with ahammer,anvil, andhorseshoe;bishop with ahorse;courtier;goldsmith;hammer; holding a horse's leg, which he detached from the horse in order to shoe it more easily; horseshoe; man grasping adevil's nose withpincers;man holding achaliceand goldsmith's hammer; man shoeing a horse; man with hammer andcrownnear a smithy; man with hammer, anvil, andAnthony the Great;pincers; withGodeberta;giving aringto Godeberta; working as a goldsmith
PatronageCartwrights;clockmakers; coin collectors; craftsmen of all kinds;cutlers;exercise riders and grooms;gilders;goldsmiths; harness makers; horses;jewelers;jockeys;knife makers; laborers; locksmiths; metalworkers in general;miners;minters;Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers;Royal Australian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers;saddlers;toolmakers;veterinarians;watchmakers
Signature

Eligius[b](French:Éloi;11 June 588 – 1 December 660), venerated asSaint Eligius,was a Frankish goldsmith, courtier, and bishop who was chief counsellor toDagobert Iand laterBishop of Noyon–Tournai.His deeds were recorded inVita Sancti Eligii,written by his friendAudoin of Rouen.

Born into aGallo-Romanfamily, Eligius found success as a goldsmith at theMerovingianroyal court ofClotaire IIand served as chief counsellor toDagobert Iuntil Dagobert's death in 639. Under the subsequent regency ofNanthild,the queen consort, Eligius was ordained a priest and campaigned againstsimonyin the Church. AppointedBishop of Noyon–Tournaiin 642, he founded many monasteries and churches while working to convert thepaganpopulation ofFlandersto Christianity.

Despite his background as a goldsmith, Eligius became increasinglyasceticduring his time at the royal court and used his influence to ransom captive slaves and care for the poor. A legend emerged of him once healing a demon-possessed horse by amputating and miraculously re-attaching the horse's foreleg.

Eligius is best known for being thepatron saintof horses and those who work with them. He is also the patron saint of goldsmiths, metalworkers, coin collectors, veterinarians, and theRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers(REME), acorpsof theBritish Army.

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Eligius was born into aGallo-Romanfamily at the villa ofChaptelat,Aquitaine(modern-day France), six miles north ofLimoges.His father, recognising unusual talent in his son, sent him to the goldsmith Abbo, master of the mint at Limoges. Later Eligius went toNeustria,the palace of theFranks,where he worked under Babo, the royal treasurer, on whose recommendationClotaire II,king of the Franks, is said to have commissioned Eligius to make a throne of gold adorned with precious stones.[2]

And from that which he had taken for a single piece of work, he was able to make two. Incredibly, he could do it all from the same weight for he had accomplished the work commissioned from him without any fraud or mixture ofsiliquae,or any other fraudulence. Not claiming fragments bitten off by the file or using the devouring flame of the furnace for an excuse, but filling all faithfully with gems, he happily earned his happy reward.[3]

Among other goldsmithing work soon entrusted to Eligius were the bas-reliefs for the tomb ofGermain,Bishop of Paris.[4]Clotaire took Eligius into the royal household and appointed him master of the mint atMarseilles.[2]

Chief counsellor to Dagobert I: 629–639[edit]

Saint Eligius at the feet of the Virgin and ChildbyGerard Seghers

After the death of Clotaire in 629, his sonDagobert Iappointed Eligius his chief counsellor. Eligius' reputation spread rapidly, to the extent that ambassadors first sought him out for his counsel and to pay their respects to him before going to the king. He made some enemies. Eligius was able to induceJudicaelto make a pact with Dagobert at a meeting at the king's villa of Creil (636–37); this success increased his influence:[2]

Indeed King Dagobert, swift, handsome and famous with no rival among any of the earlier kings of the Franks, loved him so much that he would often take himself out of the crowds of princes, optimates, dukes or bishops around him and seek private counsel from Eligius.[3]

Eligius took advantage of this royal favour to obtainalmsfor the poor and to ransom captive Romans, Gauls, Bretons, Moors and especially Saxons, who were arriving daily at theslave marketin Marseilles. He founded several monasteries, and with the king's consent, sent his servants through towns and villages to take down the bodies of criminals who had been executed and give them decent burial.[3]

Eligius was a source of edification at the royal court, where he and his friendAudoin of Rouenlived according to the strict Irish monastic rule that had been introduced into Gaul byColumbanus.Eligius introduced this rule, either entirely or in part, into themonastery of Solignacnear Limoges, which he founded in 632 at a villa he had purchased, and also at the convent he founded at Paris, where three hundred virgins were under the guidance of theAbbess Aurea.[3]He also built the basilica of St. Paul and restored the basilica at Paris that was devoted toMartial,the patron bishop-saint of Limoges. Eligius also erected several fine tombs in honour of the relics ofMartin of Tours,the national saint of the Franks, andDenis,who was chosen patron saint by the king.[5]

Service under Nanthild: 639–642[edit]

On the death of Dagobert in 639, the queen consortNanthildtook the reins of government, the kingClovis IIbeing a child. During this regency, Eligius was ordained into the priesthood in 640.[6]He then launched a successful campaign againstsimonyin the Church which resulted in a royal order banning the sale of pontifical offices and mandating that such offices be earned through having good character and an ethical life.[3]

Bishop of Noyon–Tournai: 642–660[edit]

On the death ofAcarius,Bishop of Noyon–Tournai,on 14 March 642, Eligius was made his successor, with the unanimous approbation of clergy and people. "So the unwilling goldsmith was tonsured and constituted guardian of the towns or municipalities of Vermandois which include the metropolis,Tournai,which was once a royal city, and Noyon andGhentandKortrijkofFlanders."[3]

The inhabitants of his new diocese were pagans for the most part. He undertook the conversion of the Flemings, Frisians, Suevi, and the other Germanic tribes along the North Sea coast. He made frequent missionary excursions and also founded a great many monasteries and churches. In his own episcopal city ofNoyonhe built and endowed a nunnery for virgins. After the finding of the body ofQuentin of Amiens,Eligius erected in the saint's honour a church to which was joined a monastery under Irish rule. He also discovered the bodies ofPiatus of Tournaiand his martyred companions, and in 654 removed the remains ofFursey,the celebrated Irish missionary (died 650).[2]

Legend of the shoeing of the horse[edit]

There is a legend that Eligius resolved the problem of a horse reluctant to be shod. He thought it was possessed by demons, so he cut off the horse's foreleg and, while the horse stood on the remaining three legs and watched, he re-shod the hoof on the amputated leg, before miraculously re-attaching the leg to the horse.[7]

Death and legacy[edit]

Eligius died on 1 December 660 and was buried at Noyon.[2]

Audoin of Rouen recorded the life and deeds of Eligius in hishagiography,Vita Sancti Eligii.At one point, Audoin lovingly recalls Eligius' increasinglyasceticalappearance during their time serving at the royal court:

He was tall with a rosy face. He had a pretty head of hair with curly locks. His hands were honest and his fingers long. He had the face of an angel and a prudent look. At first, he was used to wear gold and gems on his clothes, having belts composed of gold and gems and elegantly jeweled purses, linens covered with red metal and golden sacs hemmed with gold and all of the most precious fabrics including all of silk. But all of this was but fleeting ostentation from the beginning and beneath he wore ahairshirtnext to his flesh and, as he proceeded to perfection, he gave the ornaments for the needs of the poor. Then you would see him, whom you had once seen gleaming with the weight of the gold and gems that covered him, go covered in the vilest clothing with a rope for a belt.[3]

Besides Eligius' self-mortification, Audoin recalls his propensity for weeping, "For he had the great grace of tears."[3]

Several writings of Eligius have survived: asermonin which he combats the pagan practices of his time, ahomilyon theLast Judgmentand a letter written in 645 in which he begs for the prayers of BishopDesiderius of Cahors.There are fourteen otherpseudepigraphicalhomilies that are no longer attributed to him.[2]An important study about his work as a goldsmith was contributed by the German scholarHayo Vierckto theJoachim WernerFestschriftin 1974.[8]

Veneration[edit]

Statue of Saint Eligius
Statue of Saint Eligius in the church of St. Marcel in St. Marcel (Aveyron), France. At the saint's right foot are the tools of his original trade.

Thefeast dayof Eligius is celebrated on 1 December.[6]Eligius is particularly honored inFlanders,in the province ofAntwerp,and atTournai,Kortrijk,Ghent,Bruges,andDouai.During theMiddle Ageshis relics were the object of special veneration and were repeatedly divided and transferred to other resting places, in 881, 1066, 1137, 1255, and 1306. A good deal of legend has gathered around the life of Eligius, who is still very popular with goldsmiths, farriers and car mechanics.[2]

Patronage[edit]

Eligius is the patron saint of horses and cattle and is also the patron saint of goldsmiths, blacksmiths,[c]metalworkers in general,[9]numismatists/coin collectors[10]and theBritish Armycorps ofRoyal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers(REME).[11]

A mass is celebrated around 9 December atNotre Dame de Parisfor members of theConfraternity of Saint Éloi.This follows the tradition of the May offering, usually a religious painting, made to the Cathedral between 1630 and 1707 by the goldsmiths of Paris.[12]The tradition of the Guild Chapel was revived in 1953 by the Paris goldsmiths who provided the altar, crucifix above it and a statue of Eligius.[13]

Iconography[edit]

Eligius is invariably depicted in bishop's garb, alongside his emblem, a goldsmith's hammer. The only exceptions are the illustrations toVita Sancti Eligiithat depict episodes before his investiture as bishop. He is generally represented as a bishop, a crosier in his right hand, holding a miniature church of chased gold in the open palm of his left hand.[2]

ThePetrus Christuspanel of 1449 illustrating this article, since the removal of its overpainted halo in 1993, is now recognised in the Lehman Collection at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as theVocational Portrait of a Goldsmith,and not as a depiction of Eligius.[1]

The legend of the shoeing of the horse is depicted in a pre-Reformationcarving in theWincantonParish Church,SlaptonChurch Northamptonshire, England,[14]atapestryin theHospices de Beaune(Hotel Dieu) inBeaune,[15]France, as afrescoon the wall ofAarhus Cathedral,Denmark, as well as in a 14th-century painting attributed toNiccolo di Pietro Geriniin thePetit Palaisin Avignon, France.[16]The painting was confiscated from an Austrian collector by the Germans duringWorld War IIand was restituted to the heirs of the original owners in March 2013 by theFrench Ministry of Culture.

Notes[edit]

  1. ^Although Eligius is said to have presented Godeberta with a gold ring, which is preserved inNoyon Cathedral,the halo, a later overpainting, has since been cleaned away; the painting has therefore been identified as possibly depicting the Bruges goldsmith Willem zan Vlueten.[1]
  2. ^Also anglicised from French asEloi,EloyorLoye.
  3. ^The exceptions being English goldsmiths and blacksmiths who adoptedDunstanas their patron saint.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^abvan der Velden, Hugo (1998). "Defrocking St Eloi: Petrus Christus' vocational portrait of a goldsmith".Simiolus: Netherlands Quarterly for the History of Art.26(4): 243–276.
  2. ^abcdefghVan der Essen, Léon. "St. Eligius."Archived10 April 2021 at theWayback MachineThe Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 5. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1909. 31 January 2015
  3. ^abcdefghAudoin of Rouen.The Life of Saint Eligius (Vita Sancti Eligii).Translated by Jo Ann McNamara. Archived fromthe originalon 20 August 2009.
  4. ^Chisholm, Hugh,ed. (1911)."Eloi, Saint".Encyclopædia Britannica.Vol. 09 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 298; line five.....which ornament the tomb of St Germain, bishop of Paris...
  5. ^Hinds, Allen Banks. "Saint Eloi".A Garner of Saints,1900. CatholicSaints.Info. 19 April 2017Archived12 December 2019 at theWayback MachinePublic DomainThis article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
  6. ^abDecember 1Archived28 February 2022 at theWayback Machine.Latin Saints of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Rome.
  7. ^Daniel, Roger M. (2016).The Quest for King Arthur.Lulu.com. p. 122.ISBN9781326677428.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2020.Retrieved30 December2017.
  8. ^Hayo Vierck, 'Werke des Eligius', in Georg Kossack and Günter Ulbert (Eds.):Studien zur vor- und frühgeschichtlichen Archäologie. Festschrift für Joachim Werner.Münchener Beiträge zur Vor- und Frühgeschichte, 1974, pp. 309–81.
  9. ^Olmert, Michael (1996).Milton's Teeth and Ovid's Umbrella: Curiouser & Curiouser Adventures in History,p.230. Simon & Schuster, New York.ISBN0-684-80164-7.
  10. ^"Patron Saint of hobby recalled".numismaticnews.net.Active Interest Media. 11 January 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 30 September 2022.Retrieved1 December2023.
  11. ^"REME History: St Eligius, REME's Patron Saint".REME Museum.December 2020.Archivedfrom the original on 10 February 2023.Retrieved10 February2023.
  12. ^"Les Grands" Mays "de Notre-Dame de Paris"(in French). Archived fromthe originalon 9 January 2010.Retrieved16 March2014.
  13. ^"Messe de la Saint Éloi"(in French).Archivedfrom the original on 16 March 2014.Retrieved16 March2014.
  14. ^"St. Eloi shoeing a possessed horse, Slapton, Northamptonshire".Archivedfrom the original on 13 April 2012.Retrieved12 April2012.
  15. ^"Tapestry of the Miracle of Saint Eligius (Eloy)".Lessingimages.com.Archivedfrom the original on 30 December 2017.Retrieved29 December2017.
  16. ^Breeze, Andrew (1991)."Chaucer, St. Loy, and the Celts"(PDF).Reading Medieval Studies.17:110.Archived(PDF)from the original on 30 December 2017.Retrieved29 December2017.

External links[edit]

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