Skip to main content

Full text of "Lives And Legends Of The English Bishops And Kings Mediaeval Monks And Others Later Saints"

See other formats 


I 


KANSAS    CITY    PUBLIC    LIBRARY 


0000104356332 


I 


Keep  Your  Card  in  This  Pocket 

Books  will  be  issued  only  on  presentation 
of  proper  library  cards. 

"Unless  labeled  otherwise,  books  may  be 
retained  for  four  weeks.  Borrowers  finding 
books  marked,  defaced  or  mutilated  are  ex- 
pected to  report  same  at  library  desk;  other- 
wise the  last  b6rrower  will  be  held  responsible 
for  all  imperfections  discovered. 

The  card  holder  is  responsible  for  all  books 
drawn,  on  his  card. 

Penalty  for  over-due  books  2c  a  day  plus 
cost  of  notices.  » 

Lost  cards  and  change  ,of  residence  must 
be  reported  promptly. 

PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

Kansas  City,  Mo. 
Keep  Your  Cant  in  this  Pocket 


BERKQWITZ  ENVELOPE  CO,,  K.  C.. 


TY,  MO.  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIlimUULIIIIII 


1    DH3St,33    2 


mj 


LIVES    AND    LEGENDS    0F    THE 

ENGLISH    BISHOPS   AND    KINGS, 

MEDIEVAL  MONKS,  AND  OTHER 

LATER   SAINTS 


MRS.  ARTHUR  BELL 

Author  of  'Lives  and  Legends  of  the 
Evangelists  and  Apostles ,'  'Lives  and 
Legends  of  the  Great  Hermits  and 
Fathers  of  the  Church,'  *  The  Elemen- 
tary History  of  Art  ^  etc. 


LONDON 

GEORGE   BELL   &   SONS 

1904 


PREFACE 

IT  would  be  impossible  to  over-estimate  the  interest  and  im- 
portance of  the  history  of  the  Church,  as  reflected  in  the  lives 
of  its  noblest  members,  between  the  seventh  and  eighteenth 
centuries,  during  which,  in  spite  of  all  the  political  and  social 
changes  continually  taking  place,  the  light  of  the  true  faith  was 
kept  burning  by  generation  after  generation  of  holy  men  and 
women,  who,  however  much  they  may  have  differed  in  race,  in 
character,  and  in  position,  were  alike  in  their  devotion  to  the 
Master  they  all  served,  and  their  readiness  to  lay  down  their 
lives  for  Him, 

A  very  noteworthy  feature  of  the  first  half  of  the  period 
treated  in  this,  the  third  and  last  volume  of  ( The  Saints  in 
Christian  Art,'  is  the  great  number  of  Anglo-Saxons  who  have 
been  admitted  to  the  hierarchy  of  the  saints.  To  this  fact  due 
prominence  has  been  given,  although,  unfortunately,  there  exist 
but  few  works  of  art  in  which  they  are  introduced,  the  result, 
of  course,  to  a  great  extent,  of  the  ruthless  destruction  after  the 
Reformation  of  all  that  could  recall  the  memory  of  the  men 
who  had  upheld  the  rights  of  the  Church,  but  still  more  to 
there  having  been  no  national  school  of  religious  art  in  England, 
such  as  was  so  long  the  glory  of  Italy,  and  in  a  minor  degree 
of  Germany  and  of  the  Netherlands. 

Beginning  with  the  first  Bishops  of  Canterbury,  the  narrative 
in  the  present  volume  passes  on  to  tell  of  the  great  work,  in  the 
North  of  England,  of  Saints  Paulinus  and  Aidan,  aided  by  their 
royal  converts  Saints  Edwin  and  Oswald,  and  of  their  successors, 

[v] 


VI 


PREFACE 


Saints  Wilfrid,  Chad,  and  Cuthbert ;  after  which  are  noticed 
the  Saints  of  British  origin  who  went  forth  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  the  fierce  heathen  of  Northern  Europe.  Special  chapters 
are  devoted  to  the  great  Anglo-Saxon  Abbesses,  who  had  so 
important  an  influence  over  contemporary  society,  and  to  the 
royal  Saints  of  the  tenth  and  eleventh  centuries,  who  set  such 
noble  examples  to  their  subjects,  more  than  one  falling  a  martyr 
to  his  zeal  for  the  Christian  religion.  To  the  great  Archbishops 
Saints  Dunstan,  Alphege,  Lanfranc,  and  Anselm,  in  view  of 
their  widespread  influence,  a  large  amount  of  space  is  assigned  9 
whilst  the  less  highly-placed  Bishops,  such  as  Saints  Oswald 
of  Worcester,  Ethel  wold  and  S  within  of -Winchester,  Hugh  of 
Lincoln,  and  many  others,  are  grouped  together  in  chronological 
sequence. 

In  the  second  half  of  the  book  the  interest  is  transferred  to 
Italy,  where,  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries,  were  in- 
augurated the  various  Reformed  Benedictine  Orders  that  paved 
the  way  for  the  great  religious  revival  of  the  twelfth  and  thir- 
teenth centuries,  in  which  Saints  Francis  and  Dominic  led 
the  way,  ably  seconded  by  their  enthusiastic  followers :  Saints- 
Antony  of  Padua  and  Bonaventura,  Saints  Peter  Martyr  and 
Thomas  Aquinas,  with  others  less  celebrated. 

The  examination  of  the  noble  works  of  art  inspired  by  the 
life-stories  of  these,  the  very  elite  amongst  the  Saints,  who  were 
fortunate  enough  to  be  the  contemporaries  of  Giotto,  Fra 
Angelico,  and  Fra  Bartolommeo,  is  succeeded  by  an  account  of 
the  remarkable  group  of  men  who  founded  the  Carmelite  and 
Servite  Orders.  These  In  their  turn  give  place  to  the  many 
noble  men  and  women  who,  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  cen- 
turies, kept  up  the  noble  traditions  of  the  thirteenth  century, 
combining  in  a  remarkable  degree  intellectual  culture  with  zeal 
for  a  holy  life ;  Saints  Catherine  and  Bernardino  of  Sienar 
especially,  having  brought  about  many  social  as  well  as  religious 
reforms  in  their  native  land. 


PREFACE  vii 

The  close  of  the  fifteenth  century  was  marked  by  a  great 
falling-off  in  the  number  of  men  and  women  who  have  been 
accounted  Saints,  and  it  was  not  until  long  after  their  deaths 
that  the  great  leaders  of  thought,  Saints  Ignatius  Loyola, 
Francis  Borgia,  Carlo  Borromeo,  and  their  less  well-known 
contemporaries,  such  as  Saints  Filippo  Neri,  Louis  Bertrand, 
John  of  God,  and  others,  were  canonized;  so  that,  although 
they  had  the  privilege  of  living  in  the  golden  age  of  painting 
and  sculpture,  they  have  not  been  made  the  subject  of  any 
great  masterpieces  of  painting  or  sculpture.  Before  the  end 
of  the  century  the  decadence  of  religious  art  had  set  in,  and 
Rubens  is  the  only  really  great  master  who  has  chosen  to 
represent  scenes  from  the  life  of  the  founder  of  the  Jesuits. 

The  general  plan  followed  in  the  third  is  the  same  as  that  in 
the  previous  volumes  of  the  f  Saints  in  Christian  Art J;  that  is  to 
say,  the  historical  facts  are  first  given,  then  the  legends  which 
have  gathered  round  the  nucleus  of  truth  are  related,  the  general 
characteristics  by  which  a  Saint  may  be  recognised  are 
enumerated  and  explained,  the  patronage  assigned  to  him  or 
her,  with  its  reason,  is  stated,  and  examples  are  given  of  typical 
works  of  art  in  which  the  Saint  under  notice  is  introduced, 
either  as  a  principal  or  an  accessory  figure. 

Amongst  the  groups  of  less  celebrated  Saints  will  be  found 
many  of  whom  very  little  is  really  known,  yet  whose  humble 
lives  teach  some  good  though  simple  lesson,  and  whose  name 
has  been  saved  from  complete  oblivion  by  some  quaint  effigy  or 
inscription.  The  rule  observed  throughout  has  been  to  include 
every  Saint  to  whom  a  special  emblem  has  been  given,  and  in 
the  case  of  those  of  English  birth,  or  whose  work  was  done  in 
England,  it  has  been  thought  useful  to  include  references  to 
the  churches  dedicated  to  them,  which  are  often  almost  their 
only  memorials. 

In  selecting  the  illustrations,  it  has  been  thought  well  to 
include  amongst  the  many  familiar  masterpieces  of  the  past 


viii  PREFACE 

examples  of  the  work  of  such  gifted  modern  interpreters  of 
religious  subjects  as  Ford  Madox  Brown,  Sir  Edward  Burne- 
Jones,  and  M.  Olivier  Merson.  The  '  St.  Edith  of  Polesworth,5 
one  of  a  series  of  designs  for  a  stained-glass  window  never  yet 
executed,  is  indeed  a  noble  presentment  of  a  noble  theme, 
whilst  the  '  St.  Isidore '  and  *  St.  Hedwig  '  of  the  great  French 
master  are  full  of  the  spiritual  insight  into  things  unseen,  which 
is,  alas  !  becoming  ever  rarer  and  rarer.  Of  very  great  interest 
also  are  the  quaint  '  Scenes  from  the  Life  of  St.  Neot,'  from 
a  sixteenth-century  window  in  Cornwall,  and  the  figure  of 
St.  Alphege,  from  one  in  the  church  named  after  him  at 
Greenwich,  which  may  be  usefully  compared  with  the  ( St. 
Frideswide  '  window,  by  Sir  Edward  Burne-Jones,  of  Christ 
Church,  Oxford.  It  may  perhaps  also  serve  to  suggest  to 
modern  designers  of  ecclesiastical  decoration,  who  are  weary  of 
the  constant  repetition  of  hackneyed  subjects,  how  fresh  and 
inexhaustible  a  storehouse  of  inspiration  is  at  their  command 
in  the  lives  of  their  saintly  fellow  countrymen  and  country- 
women of  the  past. 

NANCY  BELL. 

SOUTHBOURNE-ON-SEA, 
December,  1903, 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER 


PAGE 

I.   THE   FIRST   BISHOPS   OF  CANTERBURY          -  -I 

II.    SAINTS   PAULINUS,    EDWIN,    AIDAN,    AND   OSWALD  -  -  II 

III.  SAINTS   WILFRID,   CHAD,    AND   CUTHBERT   -  -  -21 

IV,  A     GROUP     OF      SEVENTH-CENTURY     SAINTS     OF     BRITISH 

ORIGIN  -------  37 

V.   SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  -  -  -  53 

VI.   SEVENTH-CENTURY  MONKS   AND   HERMITS  -  -  74 

VII.    ANGLO-SAXON   ABBESSES   OF   THE   SEVENTH    CENTURY  -  86 

VIII.   SAINTLY   WOMEN   OF-  THE   SEVENTH,   EIGHTH,    AND    NINTH 

CENTURIES  -  -  -  '  "  -  96 

IX.   ST.    BONIFACE   AND   OTHER    EIGHTH-CENTURY   SAINTS  -  HO 

X.    KING   EDMUND   AND   OTHER  .NINTH-CENTURY  SAINTS  -  130 

XI.    ROYAL   AND    IMPERIAL   TENTH-CENTURY   SAINTS      -  -  143 

XII,    ST.    DUNSTAN   AND    OTHER   TENTH-CENTURY   PRIESTS   AND 

MONKS--  -  -  -  "  "  "  *55 

XIII.  SAINTS   ROMUALDO,    GUALBERTO,    AND   BRUNO         -  -  * 74 

XIV,  ROYAL   SAINTS   OF  THE   ELEVENTH   CENTURY           -                 -  1 90 
XV.    GREAT   CLERGY   OF  THE   ELEVENTH   CENTURY         -                "  I99 

XVI.    ST.    THOMAS     OF    CANTERBURY,     ST.     HUGH    OF     LINCOLN, 

AND   OTHER  TWELFTH -CENTURY  CHURCHMEN  -  -  2OQ 

XVII.   ST.     NORBERT     OF    MAGDEBURG     AND     ST.     BERNARD     OF 

CLAIRVAULX        -  -  -  -  "  -  22O 

XVIII.   ROYAL   SAINTS   AND   LAYMEN   OF  THE   TWELFTH    CENTURY  233 
XIX.   HOLY  WOMEN    OF  THE   TWELFTH    AND    THIRTEENTH   CEN- 
TURIES -                -                -                ~                -                "                -244 
[ix] 


x  CONTENTS 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

XX.    SAINTS    FRANCIS    AND    CLARA    OF    ASSISI       -  -  -259 

XXI.    SAINTS    ANTONY    OF    PADUA    AND    BONA VENTURA     -  -       277 

XXII.    SAINTS    DOMINIC,    PETER    MARTYR,    AND    THOMAS    AQUINAS       295 

XXIII.    A    GROUP    OF    THIRTEENTH-CENTURY    SAINTS  -  -       307 

XXIV.    SAINT    CATHERINE     OF    SIENA    AND    OTHER     HOLY    WOMEN 

OF    THE    FOURTEENTH    CENTURY  -  -  322 

XXV.    SOME    GREAT    SAINTS    OF    THE    FOURTEENTH    CENTURY          -       331 
XXVI.    ST.    BERNARDINO    OF    SIENA    AND    OTHER    SAINTS    OF    THE 

FIFTEENTH    CENTURY      -----       339 
XXVII.    ST.    IGNATIUS     LOYOLA    AND    OTHER    SAINTS    OF    THE    SIX- 
TEENTH   CENTURY  -  -  -  -  "353 
XXVIII.    FAMOUS    MONKS    AND    NUNS    OF    THE    SEVENTEENTH     AND 

EIGHTEENTH    CENTURIES  -  -  -  "^7 


LIST   OF    ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  CORONATION  OF  THE  VIRGIN,  WITH 
SAINTS  FRANCIS,  DOMINIC,  ANTONY 
OF  PADUA,  BONAVENTURA,  PETER 
MARTYR,  AND  THOMAS  AQUINAS 

THE  BAPTISM  OF  ST.  EDWIN  BY  ST. 
PAULINUS  - 

THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  ST.  LIEVEN 

ST.  GILES  AND  ANTONY  THE  GREAT 

SAINTS  CUNIBERT  AND  SWIDBERT 

ST.  ISIDORE  READING 

THE  BLESSED  VIRGIN  GIVING  A.  COPE 
TO  ST.  ILDEFONSO  - 

THE  LEGEND  OF  ST.  GILES 

THE     CONVERSION    OF    ST. 
ST.  AMANDUS 


Fra  Angelico. 


PAGE 
Frontispiece 


Ford  Madox  Brown. 
Rubens. 

Luca  SignorelU. 

Bartolomaus  Bruyn. 

Murillo. 


Murillo. 

Flemish  School^  XVth  Century. 
BAVON    BY 

Rubens. 


THE  DEVIL  BLOWING  OUT  ST.  GUDULA'S 

CANDLE          -  -         Unknown  Master •,  Flemish  School. 

ST.  FRIDESWIDE  IN  THE  SWINEHERD'S  HUT       Sir  E.  Burne-Jones. 

From  a  window  in  Christ  Church^  Oxford. 

ST.  WlLLIEHAD  BAPTIZING  DUKE  WlTTE- 
KIND  IN  THE  PRESENCE  OF  CHARLE- 
MAGNE - 

ST.  SEBALD  HEALING  THE  BLIND  MAN  - 
THE  EXHUMATION  OF  ST.  HUBERT 
THE  CONVERSION   OF    ST.  WILLIAM    OF 

AQUITAINE    BY    ST.    BENEDICT    OF 

ANIAN  - 

ST.  LEO  III.  CROWNING  CHARLEMAGNE  - 

[xi] 


Alfred  Rethel 

Peter  Vischer. 

School  of  Van  Eyck. 


Guercino. 
Alfred  Rethel. 


12 

52 

5S 
70 

72 

74 
76 

80 

100 
108 


114 
118 


134 
138 


Xll 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


SCENES  FROM  THE  LIFE  OF  ST.  NEOT 

From  a  window  in  St.  Neofs  Parish  CJmrch^  Cornwall. 
ST.  EDITH  OF  POLESWORTH  REPROVING 

Two  OF  HER  NUNS  -  -  -     Ford  Madox  Brown. 

THE  DEATH  OF  ST.  HENRY        -  -          Hans  Thielmann. 

ST.   CUNEGUNDA   DISTRIBUTING   ALMS    TO 

THE  POOR     --..          Hans  Thielmann. 

ST.    DUNSTAN    AT   THE   FEET   OF   CHRIST 

From  a  MS.  in  the  Bodleian  Library^  Oxford. 
ST.  ALPHEGE 

From  a  window  in  the  Church  of  St.  AZphege>  Greenwich. 


ST.  ULRIC  OF  AUGSBURG 

VISIT  OF  THE  EMPEROR  OTTO  TO  ST.  NILUS 

SAINTS  MICHAEL,  GIOVANNI  GUALBERTO, 
JOHN  THE  BAPTIST,  AND  BERNARDO 
DEGLI  UBERTI 

THE  CORONATION  OF  THE  VIRGIN,  WITH 
ST.  ANSELM  AND  OTHER  SAINTS 

THE  VISION  OF  ST.  BERNARD     - 

THE  ASSUMPTION  OF  THE  VIRGIN,  WITH 
SAINTS  GIOVANNI  GUALBERTO,  BER- 
NARDO DEGLI  UBERTI,  AND  OTHERS  - 

THE  VISION  OF  ST.  ISIDORE  OF  MADRID 

ST.  ELIZABETH  OF  HUNGARY  KNEELING 
BEFORE  THE  CROSS  - 

CHRIST  CRUCIFIED  BLESSING  ST.  HEDWIG 

ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  - 

THE  RENUNCIATION  OF  ST.  FRANCIS 

ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  RECEIVING  THE 
STIGMATA  - 

ST,  FRANCIS  RESTORING  A  CHILD  TO 
LIFE-  - 

ST.  CLARA  OF  ASSISI 

THE  MIRACLE  OF  THE  MULE 

ST.    ANTONY    OF    PADUA    FINDING    THE 
MISER'S  HEART 


Albrecht  Dilrer. 
Domenichino. 


Giotto. 

Alvise  VwarinL 
Donatella. 


142 

146 
152 

154 
158 

162 
166 
170 


Andrea  del  Sarto.     176 

Frantia.     202 
Filippo  Lippi.     224 


Perugino*  230 

Olivier  Merson.  240 

James  Collinson.  248 

Olivier  Merson.  254 

Donatella.  260 

Giotto.  264 

El  Greco.  268 


270 
274 
278 


Donatdlo.     282 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


THE  VISION  OF  ST.  ANTONY  OF  PADUA 

THE  MADONNA  OF  S.  BONAVENTURA  AL 
Bosco,  WITH  ST.  Louis  OF  TOULOUSE 
AND  OTHER  SAINTS  - 

THE  CORONATION  OF  THE  VIRGIN,  WITH 
CHARLEMAGNE,  ST.  Louis  OF  FRANCE, 
ST.  DOMINIC,  AND  OTHER  SAINTS 

ST.  Louis  OF  TOULOUSE 

ST.   DOMINIC  - 

ST.  DOMINIC  AT  THE  FOOT  OF  THE  CROSS 

THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  ST.  PETER  MARTYR  - 

ST.  CATHERINE  OF  SIENA    - 

THE  COMMUNION  OF  ST.  CATHERINE  OF 
SIENA  -  - 

THE  MADONNA  IN  GLORY,  WITH  ST.  ROCH 
AND  OTHER  SAINTS  - 

ST.  BERNARDINO  OF  SIENA - 

THE  BURIAL  OF  ST.  BERNARDINO  OF  SIENA 

THE  GLORIFICATION  OF  ST.  BERNARDINO 
OF  SIENA  - 

THE  FRANCISCAN  ANNUNCIATION,  WITH 
SAINTS  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  AND  BER- 
NARDINO OF  SIENA  - 

ST.  VINCENT  DE  PAUL 


PAGE 

Mil  r Ufa  >      284 


Fra  Angelica.     288 


Fra  A?igelico.  292 

Sodoma.  294. 

Carlo  Crivetti.  296 

Fra  Angelica  300 

Lorenzo  Lotto.  302 

Francesco  J  ra  n  n  i.  324. 

Sodoma.  324 

Sodoma.  336 

JPacchiaro  tto*  338 

Pinturicchio  340 

Pinturicchio.  342 


Frana'a.      346 
A.  Falgttiere.     368 


THE  SAINTS   IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

CHAPTER  I 

THE  FIRST  BISHOPS  OF  CANTERBURY 

ALTHOUGH  few,  if  any,  of  the  great  masters  of  painting  or  of 
sculpture  have  chosen  to  represent  the  early  Churchmen  of 
Great  Britain,  or,  with  rare  exceptions,  to  give  scenes  from  their 
lives  and  legends,  no  account  of  the  Saints  in  connection  with 
art  could  be  considered  complete,  without  some  reference  to  the 
men  to  whom  the  cause  of  Christianity  in  the  West  owes  so 
deep  a  debt  of  gratitude,  and  whose  influence  has  left  so 
indelible  a  mark  on  every  branch  of  human  culture.  To  their 
enthusiasm  was  mainly  due,  not  only  the  rapid  growth  of  the 
spiritual  kingdom  of  Christ,  but  also  the  foundation  of  the  great 
cathedrals,  minsters,  and  abbeys  which  were  amongst  the 
outward  and  visible  signs  of  that  growth.  Poems  in  stone  they 
may  well  be  called,  by  many  craftsmen  of  varying  tempera- 
ments, but  all  imbued  with  one  desire ;  the  promotion  of  the 
glory  of  God,  and  all  alike  content  to  live  and  die  unknown  if 
only  their  work  might  endure. 

St.  Augustine,  who  saved  from  destruction  that  unique 
survival  of  Roman  times,  St.  Martin's  Church  at  Canterbury, 
the  modern  windows  of  which  commemorate  various  incidents 
of  his  career ;  St.  Paulinus,  the  first  Bishop  of  York,  and  the 
Apostle  of  East  Anglia  ;  his  successor,  St.  Wilfrid,  the  restorer 
of  York  Minster  and  builder  of  a  noble  church  at  Hexham,  of 
which  the  beautiful  crypt  still  remains  beneath  the  ruins  of  a 
later  building ;  St.  Benedict  Biscop,  founder  of  the  Abbey  of 
Wearmouth,  and  the  first  to  introduce  stained-glass  windows 
into  English  churches;  St.  Aidan,  the  evangelizer  of  North- 
umbria;  St.  Cuthbert  of  Lindisfarne,  the  shepherd-poet,  the 

VOL.   III.  I 


2  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

friend,  and  adviser  of  Saints  Edwin  and  Oswald,  whose  name  is 
still  revered  in  the  vast  diocese  he  ruled  so  well ;  St.  Chad,  the 
much-loved  Bishop  of  Lichfield,  whose  shrine  is  still  one  of  the 
treasures  of  its  cathedral ;  with  many  others  less  celebrated,  all 
influenced  the  ecclesiastical  architecture  of  their  time,  and  are 
many  of  them  commemorated  in  the  sculptures  and  windows  of 
churches  erected  long  after  they  had  passed  away. 

Amongst  these  pioneers  of  faith  and  worship  precedence 
must  be  given  to  St.  Augustine  of  Canterbury,  not  merely  on 
account  of  his  individual  character  or  of  the  work  he  did, 
but  also  because  of  his  association  with  the  city  which 
long  before  his  arrival  in  Thanet  had  been  the  cradle  of 
Christianity  in  Kent,  the  oldest  kingdom  of  the  Heptarchy, 
and  since  his  death  has  remained  the  spiritual  metropolis  of 
England,  the  headquarters  of  the  chief  Primate  of  the  English 
Church. 

Of  the  early  life  of  St.  Augustine  next  to  nothing  is  known, 
beyond  the  fact  that  he  had  been  for  some  years  Prior  of  the 
Benedictine  Monastery  of  St.  Andrew  at  Rome,  before  he  was 
chosen  by  St.  Gregory  the  Great  as  leader  of  the  mission  to 
England,  which  was  to  have  such  great  and  far-reaching 
results.  As  is  well  known,  St.  Gregory*  had  taken  a  special 
interest  in  the  land  of  the  Angles  ever  since,  when  he  was  still 
a  young  deacon,  he  had  noticed  the  fair-haired  slaves  in  the 
market-place,  apropos  of  whom  he  made  the  celebrated  series 
of  plays  upon  words  quoted  in  every  account  of  the  incident. 
*  Rightly/  he  had  said,  *  are  they  called  Angles,  for  they  have 
the  faces  of  angels,  and  are  meet  to  be  fellow-heirs  with  the 
angels  in  heaven  ;  well  it  is  that  their  land  is  named  Deira,  for 
from  the  ire  (de  ira)  of  God  shall  they  be  rescued  and  called  to 
the  mercy  of  Christ ;  and  fitly  is  their  King  named  JJlla,  for 
Alleluia  shall  be  sung  in  Vila's  land  P 

Straight  from  the  slave-market  St.  Gregory  went  to  the  Pope, 
and  entreated  him  to  send  a  mission  to  Britain,  offering  to  go 
himself  as  leader  if  he  were  counted  worthy,  and  when  consent 
was  given,  he  started  at  once  with  a  few  followers  who  shared 
his  own  enthusiasm.  He  had  not,  however,  gone  far,  when  he 
was  recalled  to  Rome,  for  he  had  already  so  won  upon  the 
affections  of  his  fellow-citizens  that  on  his  absence  becoming 

*  For  account  of  St-  Gregory  see  vol.  ii.,  pp.  290-300. 


FIRST  BISHOPS  OF  CANTERBURY  3 

known  a  great  tumult  had  arisen.  The  people  had  rushed  upon 
the  Pope  as  he  was  on  the  way  to  church,  crying  aloud  that 
St.  Peter  would  never  forgive  him  for  sending  their  dear 
Gregory  away,  and  messengers  were  immediately  despatched 
to  bring  the  wanderer  home.  Reluctantly  St.  Gregory  was 
compelled  to  abandon  all  hope  of  himself  going  to  preach  the 
Gospel  to  the  fair-haired  Angles  to  whom  he  had  taken  so 
great  a  fancy,  but  he  never  lost  his  strong  desire  to  bring 
them  into  the  fold,  and  when  he  became  Pope,  some  fifteen 
years  later,  he  at  once  set  to  work  to  pave  the  way  for  their 
evangelization.  He  began  by  sending  instructions  to  a 
trusted  priest  in  Gaul  to  buy  young  Angles  that  they  might 
be  instructed  in  the  faith  and  sent  back  to  teach  their  fellow- 
countrymen. 

Meanwhile,  a  far  more  potent  influence  than  could  be  that 
of  any  distant  Pope  had  been  at  work  in  England.  Some 
years  before  the  famous  interview  in  the  market-place  between 
the  Roman  deacon  and  the  English  slaves,  King  Ethelbert 
of  Kent  had  married  a  Christian  Princess,  Bertha,  daughter 
of  the  Prankish  King  Charibert,  who  had  made  the  bride- 
groom promise  never  to  interfere  with  his  wife's  religion. 
To  Queen  Bertha  and  to  her  chaplain,  whose  name  is  variously 
given  as  Leonard,  Lindhard,  and  Liupard,  is  really  due  the 
credit  of  sowing  the  seed  of  the  Gospel  in  Kent,  or,  to  be 
more  strictly  accurate,  of  reviving  the  faith  in  Christ,  which 
had  grown  cold  in  Southern  England,  for  there  is  no  doubt  that 
when  King  Ethelbert  brought  home  his  bride,  the  Church  of 
St.  Martin's  at  Canterbury  was  already  in  existence.  It  was, 
indeed,  the  royal  marriage  which  gave  to  St.  Gregory  the  Great 
the  opportunity  he  had  long  sought,  and  he  lost  no  time  in 
availing  himself  of  it.  He  determined  to  send-a  small  party  of 
missionaries  to  England,  and  he  chose  as-  their  leader  the  young 
Prior  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Aftdrewin  Rome,  who  had  already 
distinguished  himself  as  an  eloquent  preacher. 

It  seems  to  have  been  with  some  reluctance  that  St.  Augustine 
accepted  the  arduous  post  assigned  to  him,  for  diffidence  of  his 
own  powers  was  from  the  first  one  of  his  most  marked  character- 
istics. He  could  not,  however,  do  otherwise  than  obey,  and  the 
little  band  set  forth  on  their  long  journey  with  no  weapon  but 
the  cross,  with  which  to  conquer  all  the  obstacles  on  their  way. 
They  had  not  proceeded  far,  when  their  courage  seems  to  have 


4  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

failed  them,  and  St.  Augustine  went  back  to  Rome  to  beg 
St.  Gregory  to  release  them  from  their  task,  for  he  declared  it 
was  beyond  their  strength.  The  Pope,  though  he  received  the 
messenger  kindly,  would  not  hear  of  any  drawing  back,  and 
bade  him  return  to  his  companions  at  once.  He  gave  him, 
moreover,  most  careful  written  instructions,  and  St.  Augustine, 
his  faith  and  courage  strengthened  by  his  interview  with  the 
Head  of  the  Church,  set  forth  anew,  determined  to  lay  down  his 
life  rather  than  show  any  further  sign  of  wavering.  Henceforth 
the  finely  tempered  courage,  so  often  the  result  of  conquered 
fear,  never  again  failed  him.  He  so  cheered  and  encouraged 
his  monks  as  to  imbue  them  with  his  own  enthusiasm,  and  on 
his  arrival  in  Britain  was  rewarded  by  finding  that  the  dangers 
and  difficulties  supposed  to  await  him  had  been  very  greatly 
exaggerated.  Instead  of  savages  of  uncouth  manners  and  bar- 
barous speech,  he  found  a  courteous  ruler,  whose  noble  wife  had 
already  predisposed  him  to  listen  to  the  truth,  surrounded  by 
thanes  of  stately  bearing,  ready  to  welcome  the  strangers  kindly, 
simply  because  they  were  strangers,  and  to  extend  to  them  an 
ungrudging  hospitality. 

As  soon  as  King  Ethelbert  heard  of  the  arrival  of  the 
missionaries  in  the  Isle  of  Thanet  he  gave  orders  that  all 
necessaries  should  be  supplied  to  them,  and  a  few  days  later 
he  went  to  visit  them,  attended  by  his  Court.  The  important 
interview  which  ensued  took  place  in  the  open  air,  because, 
it  is  said,  the  King  feared  that  St.  Augustine  might  cast  some 
spell  on  him  if  he  received  him  under  a  roof,  although  the 
probability  is  that  there  was  no  building  in  the  neighbourhood 
capable  of  holding  all  who  had  a  right  to  be  present  In  any 
case  the  meeting  must  have  been  a  most  beautiful  and  imposing 
sight.  The  monks  in  their  long  black  robes,  led  by  St.  Augus- 
tine, advanced  in  solemn  procession,  chanting  a  litany,  a  silver 
cross  and  a  picture  of  the  Redeemer  painted  on  a  board  borne 
aloft  before  them,  to  take  up  their  position  on  the  greensward 
of  the  chalk  down,  where  the  English  were  awaiting  them. 
Then,  after  greetings  had  been  exchanged  between  the  monarch 
and  the  envoy  from  Rome,  permission  was  given  to  the  latter 
to  address  the  assembled  multitude.  Unfortunately,  the  sermon 
which  followed,  and  was  translated  by  an  interpreter  as  it  was 
delivered,  has  not  been  preserved.  All  that  is  known  is  that  it 
was  a  very  long  one,  and  that  it  was  listened  to  with  respectful 


FIRST  BISHOPS  OF  CANTERBURY  5 

attention  by  the  King  and  his  thanes.  When  it  was  ended  and 
St.  Augustine  craved  to  hear  from  Ethelbert's  own  lips  what  he 
thought  of  the  message  delivered  to  him,  the  astute  monarch 
replied :  *  Your  words  are  fair,  but  they  are  new  and  of  doubt- 
ful meaning.'  For  himself,  he  went  on  to  say,  he  would  not 
forsake  the  religion  of  his  fathers,  but,  with  enlightened  liber- 
ality, he  gave  the  missionaries  full  leave  to  win  as  many  as  they 
could  to  their  belief,  *  seeing  that  they  themselves  declared 
the  service  of  Christ  should  be  voluntary,  not  by  compulsion.3 
Moreover,  he  assigned  several  houses  in  Canterbury  to  the  new- 
comers, gave  orders  that  all  their  wants  should  be  supplied,  and 
promised  to  hear  their  leader  again  later. 

Charmed  with  this  unexpectedly  generous  reception,  St. 
Augustine  earnestly  thanked  the  King  for  his  goodness,  and 
joyfully  led  his  little  band  to  their  new  quarters,  followed,  no 
doubt,  by  a  crowd  of  English  spectators,  eager  to  learn  more 
of  the  strangers  who  had  come  so  far  to  dwell  amongst  them. 
As  they  wound  their  way  across  the  downs  and  marshes 
between  the  Isle  of  Thanet  and  their  new  home,  the  cross  ever 
before  them,  the  monks,  relieved  of  all  their  terrors,  sang 
together  the  pathetic  refrain,  'Turn  from  this  city,  O  Lord, 
Thine  anger  and  wrath,  and  turn  it  from  Thy  holy  house,  for 
we  have  sinned,'  bursting  out  every  now  and  then  into  a  glad 
shout  of  'Alleluia!'  thus  fulfilling  the  prophecy  made  so  long 
ago  by  the  chief  who  had  sent  them  forth. 

Arrived  in  Canterbury,  the  monks  at  once  began,  says  Bede, 
*  to  imitate  the  course  of  life  practised  in  the  primitive  Church, 
applying  themselves  to  frequent  prayer,  watching  and  fasting, 
preaching  the  word  of  life  to  as  many  as  they  could,  receiving 
only  their  necessary  food  from  those  they  taught,  living  them- 
selves in  all  respects  conformably  to  what  they  prescribed  to 
others,  always  disposed  to  suffer  any  adversity,  and  even  to  die, 
for  that  truth  which  they  preached/ 

In  spite  of  the  proverbial  stubbornness  of  the  men  of  Kent, 
the  steadfast  consistency  of  the  missionaries  gradually  won 
upon  the  most  obdurate,  and  on  Whitsun  Eve,  597,  some  six 
years  after  their  first  arrival,  King  Ethelbert  himself  was 
baptized  by  St.  Augustine,  probably  in  St.  Martin's  Church. 
The  conversion  of  the  monarch  was,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
succeeded  by  that  of  many  of  his  subjects.  The  little  sanctuary 
where  Queen  Bertha  and  her  few  Christian  attendants  used  to 


6  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

worship  could  no  longer  hold  the  ever-increasing  congregation, 
and,  with  the  consent  of  the  King,  St.  Augustine  converted  the 
temple  in  which  the  Court  had  long  done  honour  to  the  heathen 
gods,  into  a  Christian  church,  naming  it  St.  Pancras,  after  the 
boy  martyr  of  Rome,  whom  he  had  always  greatly  venerated.* 
Later  he  consecrated  anew,  in  the  name  of  our  Holy  Saviour, 
God  and  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  a  ruined  building  said  to  have  been 
used  for  worship  by  Roman  Christians,  which  in  course  of  time 
developed  into  the  fine  church  destroyed  by  fire  in  1067,  and 
replaced  by  the  beautiful  cathedral,  now  the  chief  glory  of 
Canterbury.  Out  of  the  ruins  of  the  Benedictine  priory 
originally  connected  with  the  earlier  church  grew  the  famous 
King's  School,  founded  by.  Henry  VIII.,  and  the  remains  of 
St.  Augustine's  own  abbey  were  converted  into  an  Anglican 
missionary  college  fifty  years  ago,  so  that  the  work  inaugurated 
by  the  great  pioneer  of  Christian  education  in  England,  may  be 
said  to  have  been  continued  almost  without  a  break  to  the 
present  day. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  conversion  and  baptism  of  King 
Ethelbert  that  St.  Augustine  was  consecrated  Bishop ;  but  as 
soon  as  that  important  event  had  taken  place,  he  received  in- 
structions from  Rome  to  go  to  Aries,  there  to  receive  the 
episcopal  dedication  from  the  hands  of  Virgilius,  then  the 
Apostolic  Legate  of  Gaul.  On  his  return  to  England  after  a 
brief  absence,  St.  Augustine,  now  armed  with  fresh  powers, 
continued  the  work  so  auspiciously  begun,  daily  adding  many 
new  converts  to  the  Church,  and  sending  forth  many  eager 
missionaries  to  outlying  districts.  Unfortunately,  in  spite  of 
his  having  so  convincingly  proved  his  ability  to  judge  for  him- 
self, he  was  still  continuously  hampered  with  instructions  from 
Rome,  and  never  ventured  to  take  any  important  step  without 
writing  to  St.  Gregory  for  instructions.  This,  of  course,  caused 
many  delays  and  misapprehensions,  with  the  result  that  scant 
justice  has  been  done  by  some  historians  to  the  memory  of  St. 
Augustine.  In  obedience  to  orders  from  Rome,  he  left  his 
beloved  Canterbury  to  seek  an  interview  with  the  repre- 
sentatives of  the  British  Christians  of  the  West,  with  a  view 
to  promoting  the  unity  of  the  Church,  or,  in  other  words,  to 
bring  the  infant  community  under  the  control  of  the  See  of 

*  See  voL  ii,  p.  64. 


FIRST  BISHOPS  OF  CANTERBURY  7 

Rome.  It  is  related  that  the  Western  Bishops  laid  a  kind  of 
plot  against  their  newly-consecrated  brother,  deciding  that  if  at 
the  meeting  he  rose  to  receive  them,  they  would  listen  to  what 
he  had  to  say,  but  that  if  he  remained  seated  they  would 
circumvent  his  wishes  by  every  means  in  their  power. 

Exactly  where  the  all-important  gathering  took  place  is  not 
known,  but  it  is  supposed  to  have  been  on  the  site  of  the  present 
Aust,  in  Gloucestershire,  or  on  that  of  Cricklade,  in  Wiltshire. 
In  any  case,  it  was  in  the  open  air  beneath  a  wide-spreading  oak 
that  the  prelates  gathered  together  to  hear  what  the  messenger 
from  Rome  had  to  say.  St.  Augustine,  who  arrived  first,  awaited 
the  coming  of  the  Welsh  Bishops  surrounded  by  his  attendants, 
and,  considering  himself  the  representative  of  St.  Gregory,  he 
did  not  rise  to  greet  the  later  comers.  After  this  unfortunate 
beginning,  it  is  little  wonder  that  the  succeeding  conference 
was  a  stormy  one.  There  were  three  points  on  which  the 
Archbishop  had  instructions  to  insist :  Easter  was  to  be  kept 
in  accordance  with  the  Roman  custom ;  baptism  was  to  be 
administered  as  in  the  Church  of  Rome ;  and  the  Celtic  Bishops 
were  to  co-operate  with  the  missionaries  from  Italy  in  the  con- 
version of  the  heathen.  St.  Augustine,  in  spite  of  all  his 
eloquent  pleading,  was  defeated  on  all  three  questions,  and  the 
conference  broke  up  without  any  results  having  been  achieved, 
except  the  unfortunate  one  of  the  conversion  of  the  two  bodies 
of  Christians  in  the  British  Isles  from  lukewarm  friends  into 
open  enemies. 

Considerably  cast  down  at  the  issue  of  his  journey,  St.  Augustine 
returned  to  Canterbury,  there  to  resume  the  work  of  organization 
of  the  Church  for  which  he  was  so  admirably  fitted.  Before  his 
death,  which  took  place  soon  afterwards,  he  had  completed 
the  conversion  of  Kent  and  inaugurated  that  of  East  Anglia. 
St.  Mellitus  was  consecrated  Bishop  of  London,  and  St.  Justus 
of  Rochester,  whilst  many  new  churches  were  founded  in  out- 
lying districts.  As  a  rule,  St.  Augustine  was  everywhere 
courteously  received,  but  the  story  goes  that  the  men  of 
Rochester,  or,  according  to  another  version,  those  of  Dorchester, 
would  not  at  first  listen  to  his  preaching,  but  pelted  him  with 
fishes'  tails.  For  this  insult  the  holy  man  is  said  to  have 
revenged  himself  in  a  very  unworthy  manner,  praying  God  that 
the  children  of  his  persecutors  should  henceforth  be  born  with 
fishes'  tails ;  and,  in  spite  of  the  wildly  improbable  nature  of 


8  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

the  legend,  a  heated  controversy  has  been  waged  as  to  when 
and  how  the  curse  was  removed.  Moreover,  the  news  of  the 
discomfiture  of  the  men  of  Rochester  spread  far  and  wide,  and 
in  course  of  time  it  became  customary  amongst  the  people  of 
Gaul  to  speak  of  all  Englishmen  as  caudati,  or  tailed.  Kentish 
longtails  became  a  term  of  reproach  freely  applied  by  the  French 
and  the  Scotch  to  the  English,  and  at  one  time  '  Longtails  and 
Liberty '  was  accepted  as  a  motto  by  the  descendants  of  the 
offenders  themselves. 

Of  the  closing  hours  of  St.  Augustine's  life  nothing  is  known 
except  that  he  breathed  his  last  peacefully  on  May  26,  604,  the 
year  of  the  death  of  St.  Gregory  the  Great.  Before  the  end  he 
named  his  fellow-worker  Laurentius  or  Lawrence  his  successor 
in  the  See  of  Canterbury,  so  that,  to  quote  his  own  words,  '  the 
infant  Church  might  not  be  destitute  of  a  pastor  even  for  a  short 
time.'  St.  Augustine  was  buried  at  first,  as  was  still  customary 
in  England  in  the  seventh  century,  by  the  side  of  the  road 
leading  into  Canterbury,  but  a  few  years  later  his  remains  were 
translated  to  the  newly  completed  Abbey  of  Saints  Peter  and 
Paul,  on  the  site  of  the  present  St.  Augustine's  College. 

Although  representations  of  St.  Augustine  are  rare,  he  appears 
occasionally  in  old  stained-glass  windows,  as  in  one  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Oxford,  in  which  he  holds  his  pastoral  staff  and 
is  preaching  to  his  monks.  He  is  also,  of  course,  included  in 
the  modern  representations  of  the  English  Bishops  which 
it  has  lately  become  the  fashion  to  introduce  in  churches.  In 
the  great  south  window  of  Lichfield  Cathedral,  for  instance,  he 
is  seen  between  Saints  Chad  and  Aidan,  and  in  the  north-west 
window  of  Bristol  Cathedral  he  is  placed  beneath  Christ  and 
the  Apostles,  with  a  fourteenth-century  Abbot  on  either  side  of 
him.  The  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Augustine  in  the  modern 
windows  of  St.  Martin's  Church,  referred  to  above,  include  his 
landing  at  Ebb's  Fleet,  the  procession  to  Canterbury  after  the 
first  interview  with  King  Ethelbert,  the  baptism  of  that  ruler, 
and  Queen  Bertha  worshipping  in  the  old  St.  Martin's  Church. 

To  make  up  for  the  paucity  of  actual  representations  of  the 
great  missionary  of  Kent,  many  traditional  sites  are  reverenced 
in  the  districts  evangelized  by  him.  A  beautiful  cross  erected 
by  Lord  Granville  in  1884  marks  the  spot  on  which  he  is 
supposed  to  have  stood  when  he  preached  his  first  sermon  to 
King  Ethelbert;  in  the  cornfields  adjoining  the  ruins  of  the 
Roman  Castle  of  Richborough,  near  to  which  there  used  to  be 


FIRST  BISHOPS  OF  CANTERBURY  9 

a  little  church  dedicated  to  the  first  Bishop  of  Canterbury,  are 
various  strange  markings  known  in  olden  times  as  St.  Augustine's 
Cross ;  and  at  Cerne  Abbas  in  Dorsetshire  is  a  spring  still  called 
St.  Augustine's,  which  is  said  to  have  sprung  up  at  the  feet  of 
the  holy  man,  when,  needing  water  to  baptize  a  number  of 
converts,  he  struck  the  ground  with  his  staff.  Of  the  many 
churches  dedicated  in  the  British  Isles  to  St.  Augustine,  the 
greater  number  probably  belong  to  the  Bishop  of  Hippo ;  but 
some  few,  notably  those  in  towns  such  as  Alston  in  Cumberland, 
where  the  fete-day  of  St.  Augustine  of  Canterbury  was  long 
celebrated  by  the  holding  of  a  fair,  were  no  doubt  originally 
named  after  him. 

St.  Lawrence  of  Canterbury,  the  successor  of  St.  Augustine, 
had  come  to  England  with  him,  and  had  been  one  of  his  chief 
helpers  in  the  arduous  work  of  the  evangelization  of  Kent.  He 
was  of  Italian  birth,  and  appears  to  have  been  a  man  of  con- 
siderable culture,  but  little  strength  of  character.  The  enthusiasm 
for  the  new  religion  began  to  wane  in  his  diocese  almost  imme- 
diately after  his  accession  to  the  episcopal  dignity,  and  on  the 
death  of  King  Ethelbert  in  616,  thousands  of  so-called  converts 
reverted  to  heathenism.  Eadbald,  the  feeble  son  of  the  first 
Christian  King,  openly  scoffed  at  his  father's  faith,  threatened 
the  missionaries  with  banishment,  and  revived  the  old  sacrifices 
to  the  gods  in  Canterbury.  Instead  of  boldly  standing  up  for 
the  right,  as  his  great  predecessor  would  have  done,  St.  Lawrence 
weakly  resolved  to  abandon  his  post,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
on  the  point  of  starting  for  Rome,  when  he  was  saved  from  that 
act  of  desertion  by  a  dream  in  which  St.  Peter  appeared  to  him, 
upbraided  him  for  his  cowardice,  and  scourged  him  so  severely 
that  when  he  awoke  he  found  his  shoulders  covered  with  weals. 
Thoroughly  ashamed  of  himself,  he  now  resolved  to  remain  in 
Canterbury,  and  having  obtained  an  interview  with  the  young 
King,  he  showed  him  his  wounds,  telling  him  by  whom  they 
were  inflicted.  This  so  terrified  Eadbald  that  he  entreated  the 
Bishop  to  baptize  him,  promising,  moreover,  to  do  all  in  his 
power  to  win  his  subjects  back  to  what  he  now  felt  must  be 
the  true  faith.  St.  Lawrence,  who  on  account  of  his  strange 
.vision  is  sometimes  associated  in  art  with  St.  Peter,  died 
soon  after  the  reconversion  of  the  men  of  Kent,  and  was 
succeeded  by  St.  Mellitus,  who  had  been  consecrated  Bishop 
by  St.  Augustine. 

The  new  Primate  is  chiefly  celebrated  on  account  of  the 


io  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

beautiful  legend  to  the  effect  that,  on  the  eve  of  the  consecration 
of  a  little  church  founded  by  his  convert,  King  Sebert,  in 
Thorney  Isle,  where  Westminster  Abbey  now  stands,  a  fisher- 
man named  Edric,  who  was  watching  his  nets  in  the  river,  saw 
St.  Peter  himself,  attended  by  angels,  go  through  the  whole 
ceremony  of  consecration.  When  St.  Mellitus  and  his  clergy 
came  the  next  day  to  the  spot,  Edric  told  them  what  he  had  seen, 
and  the  truth  of  the  story  was  proved  by  many  different  signs, 
such  as  crosses  on  the  walls,  and  wax  which  had  fallen  from  the 
candles  of  the  angels,  on  the  floors.  The  Bishop  accepted  the 
situation,  and  merely  changed  the  name  of  the  island  to  West- 
minster. In  memory  of  the  supernatural  incident,  a  tithe  of  the 
fish  taken  in  the  Thames  was  given  to  the  Abbey  until  late  in 
the  fourteenth  century,  and  the  messenger  who  brought  it  was 
allowed  to  eat  for  one  day  at  the  Abbot's  table. 

St.  Mellitus  is  also  famed  for  having  stopped  a  conflagration 
by  making  the  sign  of  the  cross,  for  which  reason  flames  are  his 
chief  attribute  in  art.  He  occupied  the  See  of  Canterbury  for 
four  years  only,  and  on  his  death  St.  Justus,  Bishop  of 
Rochester,  was  chosen  to  take  his  place.  He,  with  St.  Mellitus 
and  St.  Paulinus  of  York,  had  been  sent  to  England  by  St. 
Gregory  in  response  to  an  appeal  from  St.  Augustine  for  more 
labourers  to  aid  in  reaping  the  great  harvest  in  Kent,  and  on 
this  account  he  is  sometimes  represented  in  ecclesiastical  decora- 
tion, either  stepping  into  or  embarking  from  a  boat.  He,  too, 
lived  but  a  short  time  after  his  appointment  to  the  new  dignity, 
and  although,  during  the  next  three  centuries,  the  See  of 
Canterbury  was  occupied  by  many  able  men,  not  one  of  them, 
strange  to  say,  has  so  far  been  considered  worthy  of  canoniza- 
tion. The  next  saint  connected  with  Canterbury  was  St. 
Dunstan,  who  was  appointed  to  that  see  in  959,  but 
the  continuity  of  the  spiritual  hierarchy  of  the  Church 
was  maintained  unbroken  elsewhere.  It  was,  in  fact,  at 
Canterbury  that  the  noble  missionary,  St.  Paulinus  of  York, 
whose  story  is  now  to  be  related,  was  trained  for  the  arduous 
task  of  the  evangelization  of  the  North.  His  work  has  indeed 
rivalled  that  of  St.  Augustine  himself  in  its  far-reaching  effects, 
for  it  was  carried  on,  or,  to  be  strictly  accurate,  begun  afresh, 
after  his  death  by  Saints  Aidan  and  Wilfrid  with  a  zealous 
wisdom,  offering  a  marked  contrast  to  the  vacillating  policy 
of  the  successors  of  the  first  Bishop  of  the  South. 


SS.  PAULINUS,  EDWIN,  AIDAN,  AND  OSWALD      n 
CHAPTER  II 

SAINTS   PAULINUS,    EDWIN,   AIDAN,    AND    OSWALD 

THE  life-story  of  St.  Paulinus,  the  first  Bishop  of  York,  and 
that  of  St.  Edwin,  the  first  Christian  King  of  Northumbria,  are 
so  inextricably  interwoven  that  it  is  impossible  to  treat  them 
separately.  The  work  of  each  was  supplementary  to  that  of 
the  other,  and  it  has  even  been  suggested  that  long  before  their 
first  historic  meeting,  when  the  future  monarch  was  still  a 
fugitive  in  East  Anglia,  his  mind  had  been  prepared  for  the 
teaching  of  the  missionary  from  the  South,  by  a  vision  (related 
below),  the  full  significance  of  which  he  did  not  understand  until 
long  afterwards. 

The  son  of  the  King  Ella,  or  Alia,  whose  name  had  suggested 
the  famous  play  upon  words  of  St.  Gregory  the  Great,  when  he 
cried  in  the  market-place  of  Rome,  'Alleluia!  the  praises  of 
God  shall  be  sung  in  that  land,'  Edwin  was  supplanted  on  the 
death  of  his  father  by  his  brother-in-law,  Ethelfrid  the  Ravager, 
and  after  many  wanderings  had,  as  he  hoped,  found  a  safe 
refuge  at  the  Court  of  King  Redwald,  a  lukewarm  convert  to 
Christianity,  who  was  in  the  habit  of  worshipping  the  Redeemer 
and  the  heathen  gods  in  the  same  temple.  False  to  his  faith, 
Redwald  was  easily  tempted  to  be  false  also  to  his  guest,  and 
Edwin  was  presently  informed  that  a  plot  was  on  foot  for 
delivering  him  up  to  his  enemies.  He  received  the  news  with 
apparent  disdain,  declining  to  fly;  but  the  revelation  of  Red- 
wald's  treachery  was  a  cruel  blow  to  him,  and  he  knew  not  to 
whom  to  turn  in  his  distress.  One  night,  as  he  was  sitting 
rapt  in  sad  thoughts  near  the  gate  of  his  temporary  home,  a 
stranger  of  noble  presence  approached  him,  called  him  by  his 
name,  and  showed  a  remarkable  knowledge  of  his  secret  grief. 
A  long  and  interesting  conversation  then  took  place,  in  the 
course  of  which  the  young  Prince  became  ever  more  and  more 
convinced  of  the  supernatural  character  of  his  visitor.  He  was 
told  that  ere  long  he  would  be  called  to  fill  a  great  position,  for 
even  then  the  purpose  of  Redwald  towards  him  had  changed. 
Instead  of  meditating  treachery  against  the  ruler  of  East  Anglia, 
he  was  gathering  his  forces  for  an  attack  on  Ethelfrid,  and 
*  when  thou  comest  to  thine  own  again,'  said  the  mysterious 


12 


THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 


prophet,  'wilt  thou  still  be  guided  by  me?'  Full  of  reverent 
awe,  Edwin  promised  that  he  would,  and  the  stranger,  laying 
his  hand  solemnly  on  the  young  man's  head,  added :  When 
this  sign  shall  be  given  thee,  forget  not  what  I  have  said  to  thee, 
and  delay  not  the  fulfilment  of  thy  pledge.'  The  vision  then 
faded  away,  but  before  the  Prince  had  recovered  from  his  sur- 
prise a  messenger  came  to  summon  him  to  the  presence  of  King 
Redwald.  .  . - 

All  that  the  stranger  had  prophesied  came  true.  Redwald 
had,  indeed,  repented  him  of  his  intended  treachery,  and 
now  invited  Edwin  to  go  with  him  to  Northumbna.  In 
a  great  battle  which  took  place  shortly  afterwards  on  the 
banks  of  the  river  Idle,  Ethelfrid  was  killed,  and  the  young 
exile  was  proclaimed  King  in  his  stead.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  Edwin  had  ruled  wisely  and  well  for  ten  years,  that 
he  was  reminded  of  the  strange  vision  which  had  preceded 
his  change  of  fortune.  Left  a  widower  in  the  prime  of  life,  he 
sought  about  for  a  second  wife  who  would  be  a  true  helpmate 
to  him  in  his  onerous  duties  as  Bretwalda,  or  overlord  of  what 
had  now  become  a  very  important  kingdom.  His  choice  fell 
upon  the  Princess  Ethelburga,  daughter  of  King  Ethelbert,  and 
sister  of  his  successor,  King  Eadbald.  In  the  marriage  settle- 
ment it  was  stipulated  that  the  bride  should  be  allowed  to 
worship  her  own  God  in  her  own  way,  and  she  brought  with 
her  as  her  private  chaplain  St.  Paulinus,  the  future  Bishop  of 

The  son,  according  to  some  authorities  of  noble  Roman 
parents,  whilst  others  claim  that  he  was  of  British  birth, 
St.  Paulinus  had  been  educated  in  the  Monastery  of  St.  Andrew, 
Rome,  and  from  the  first  had  followed  with  eager  interest  the 
career  of  St.  Augustine.  When  the  request  for  more  labourers 
in  the  Kentish  vineyard  reached  St.  Gregory  the  Great,  the 
young  Paulinus  was  one  of  the  monks  chosen  for  the  new 
mission,  and  from  his  arrival  at  Canterbury  in  601  to  his 
appointment  as  chaplain  to  the  Princess,  twenty -five  jears 
later,  he  worked  zealously  for  the  cause  of  Christ  in  the  Diocese 
of  Canterbury.  Of  those  long  probation  years  little  is  actually 
known,  except  that  St.  Paulinus  was  at  first  the  trusted  adviser 
of  St.  Augustine,  and  later  of  Saints  Lawrence,  Mellitus,  and 
Justus.  When,  after  the  death  of  King  Ethelbert,  the  course 
of  Christianity  seemed  for  a  time  to  be  lost  in  the  South  of 


w 
ffl 

EH 


SS.  PAULINUS,  EDWIN,  AIDAN,  AND  OSWALD     13 

England,  he  remained  at  his  post,  showing  no  sign  of  wavering, 
and  it  was  probably  on  account  of  his  steadfastness  that  he  was 
chosen  for  the  difficult  position  of  adviser  to  a  Christian  Queen 
in  a  heathen  Court. 

It  has  been  suggested  that  this  journey  in  the  royal  retinue  was 
not  the  first  taken  to  the  North  by  St.  Paulinus,  and  an  attempt 
has  been  made  to  identify  him  with  the  mysterious  visitor 
to  King  Edwin  at  the  Court  of  King  Redwald.  Whether  this 
be  justified  or  not,  it  seems  certain  that  the  fame  of  the 
missionary  had  preceded  him,  for  he  was  received  with  the 
greatest  respect  by  his  royal  host,  who  from  the  first  allowed 
him  to  preach  to  his  subjects  without  let  or  hindrance.  With 
prophetic  foresight,  St.  Justus  of  Canterbury  had  consecrated 
St.  Paulinus  Bishop  of  York  before  the  journey  began,  so  that 
on  the  arrival  of  the  latter  in  the  new  field  of  action,  he  was 
already  accredited  with  full  powers  for  the  organization  of  the 
Northern  Church. 

St.  Paulinus  is  described  as  having  been  at  this  time  a  man 
of  commanding  presence,  with  dignified  and  courteous  manners, 
which  secured  for  him  at  once  the  confidence  of  all  with  whom 
he  was  brought  into  contact.  It  was  not,  however,  until  a 
year  after  the  royal  marriage,  that  a  seal  was  set  upon  his 
mission  by  the  conversion  of  the  King,  which  came  about  in  a 
very  romantic  and  dramatic  manner.  A  dastardly  attempt  had 
been  made  upon  Edwin's  life  by  an  assassin  in  the  pay  of  the 
King  of  Wessex,  only  frustrated  by  the  devotion  of  a  courtier 
named  Lela,  who  flung  himself  in  front  of  the  intended  victim, 
receiving  the  fatal  blow  in  his  own  breast.  In  the  evening  of 
the  same  day  a  daughter  was  born  to  Queen  Ethelburga,  and 
in  his  grateful  relief  at  his  own  safety  and  that  of  his  beloved 
wife,  the  King  allowed  St.  Paulinus  to  baptize  the  child.  He 
promised,  moreover,  that  if  the  God  of  the  Christians  would 
give  him  the  victory  over  his  enemy  of  Wessex,  he  would  him- 
self acknowledge  His  supremacy.  In  a  great  battle  which  took 
place  soon  afterwards,  King  Edwin  was  completely  victorious, 
and  on  his  return  home  he  is  said  to  have  been  met  by  St. 
Paulinus,  who,  laying  his  hand  upon  his  head,  asked  him  if  he 
remembered  the  compact  made  many  years  before.  The  King 
replied  that  he  did  indeed,  and  he  at  once  summoned  the 
Witan  to  announce  to  them  his  intention  of  becoming  a 
Christian.  It  is  related  that  when  the  wise  men  were  dis- 


14  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

cussing  the  new  doctrine  in  the  presence  of  their  chief  and  of 
St.  Paulinus,  one  of  them  suddenly  burst  forth  with  an  eloquent 
comparison  between  the  belief  of  the  heathen  and  that  of  the 
Christians.  "So  seems  the  life  of  men,  O  King!'  he  cried, 
*  as  a  sparrow's  flight  through  the  hall  when  you  are  sitting  at 
meat  in  winter-tide,  with  the  bright  fire  blazing  on  the  hearth, 
but  the  icy  rain-storm  without.  The  sparrow  flies  in  at  one 
door,  and  tarries  for  a  moment  .  .  .  then,  flying  forth  from  the 
other,  vanishes  into  the  wintry  darkness  from  whence  it  came. 
So  tarries  for  a  moment  the  life  of  man  in  our  sight,  but  what 
is  before  and  what  is  after  it  we  know  not.  If  this  new  teach- 
ing,' he  added,  striking  the  very  keynote  of  the  whole  matter 
at  issue,  'tells  us  aught  of  these  with  any  certainty,  let  us 
follow  it.' 

*  None  of  your  people,'  said  another  of  the  councillors,  '  have 
worshipped  the  gods  more  steadfastly  than  I,  yet  many  of  your 
subjects  are  more  fortunate.  Were  these  gods  of  ours  worth 
anything,  surely  they  would  help  those  who  worship  them.' 

To  these  and  other  comments,  some  full  of  worldly,  others 
of  unworldly,  wisdom,  St.  Paulinus  replied  in  an  eloquent 
speech,  which  so  wrought  upon  his  hearers  that  they  decided 
to  have  done  with  heathenism  then  and  there.  Led  by  a 
certain  priest  named  Coifi,  they  set  forth  at  once  to  destroy  the 
chief  heathen  temple  in  the  neighbourhood,  the  people  looking 
on  in  wondering  awe,  unable  to  understand  the  extraordinary 
proceedings  of  their  leaders.  When  the  act  of  just  retribution 
on  the  false  gods  who  had  shown  themselves  so  unable  to  help 
their  votaries  was  consummated,  a  little  wooden  church  was 
hastily  built  at  York,  in. which  on  Easter  Day,  627,  King  Edwin 
and  many  of  his  chief  councillors  were  baptized  by  St.  Paulinus. 
This  event  was  fraught  with  the  most  vital  consequences  to  the 
whole  of  Northumbria ;  it  was  the  first  chapter  in  the  chequered 
history  of  the  great  See  of  York,  and  it  is  still  held  in  reverent 
memory  by  all  interested  in  the  early  struggles  of  the  Church 
in  England.  It  is  a  favourite  subject  in  modern  ecclesiastical 
decoration,  and  has  been  very  beautifully  rendered  by  Ford 
Madox  Brown  in  the  fine  composition  known  as  the  *  Baptism 
of  the  King/  one  of  the  series  of  mural  paintings  in  the 
Town  Hall,  Manchester,  in  which  the  characters  of  Saints 
Edwin,  Ethelburga,  and  Paulinus  are  most  sympathetically 
interpreted. 


SS.  PAULINUS,  EDWIN,  AIDAN,  AND  OSWALD      15 

The  six  years  which  succeeded  the  conversion  of  King  Edwin 
were  full  of  success  of  the  highest  kind  for  him  and  for  St. 
Paulinus,  who  worked  eagerly  together  in  spreading  the  truth. 
One  of  their  first  joint  undertakings  was  to  begin  the  building 
of  a  stone  church,  enclosing  within  it  the  wooden  one  in  which 
the  baptism  had  taken  place,  and  elsewhere  many  new  places 
of  worship  were  founded,  including  one  described  by  Bede  as 
of  beautiful  workmanship  at  Lincoln,  and  another  at  Southwell, 
the  precursor  of  the  minster  recently  converted  into  a  cathedral. 

As  time  went  on,  so  many  flocked  to  be  baptized  that  no 
church  could  hold  them,  and  thousands  received  the  sacred 
rite  in  the  rivers  of  the  North,  a  fact  commemorated  in  various 
modern  stained-glass  windows,  notably  in  one  at  Catterick  in 
Yorkshire.  Part  of  the  course  of  the  Derwent  is  still  called 
the  Jordan  in  memory  of  the  scenes  which  took  place  on  its 
banks,  and  Bede  speaks  of  an  old  man  who  loved  to  talk  of  his 
own  immersion  in  the  Trent,  in  the  presence  of  King  Edwin 
and  a  great  concourse  of  people,  by  St.  Paulinus,  whom  he 
describes  as  *  tall  of  stature,  a  little  stooping,  his  hair  black,  his 
face  emaciated,  his  nose  slender  and  aquiline,  his  aspect  both 
venerable  and  majestic.5 

Great  indeed  were  the  rejoicings  in  Rome  over  the  success  of 
St.  Paulinus  in  Northumbria.  The  Pope  hastened  to  send  him 
the  Primate's  pallium,  which  he  at  the  same  time  conferred 
upon  Honorius  of  Canterbury,  so  that  on  the  death  of  either  of 
the  two  prelates  the  survivor  might  have  the  power  of  appoint- 
ing a  successor.  A  letter  of  congratulation  was  also  written 
to  King  Edwin,  in  which  the  Roman  Pontiff  prayed  that 
'the  God  who  had  brought  him  to  the  knowledge  of  His 
name  might  likewise  prepare  for  him  mansions  in  the 
heavenly  country ' ;  but,  alas !  before  the  missive  reached  its 
destination  the  Christian  ruler  had  already  passed  away. 
The  heathen  of  the  North,  who  had  apparently  acquiesced  in 
the  change  of  religion,  had  long  been  secretly  meditating  re- 
venge for  the  destruction  of  their  temples,  and  whilst  King 
Edwin  and  the  Bishop  were  happily  engaged  In  founding 
churches,  their  enemies  were  laying  plots  for  their  destruction. 
In  636  King  Penda  of  Mercia,  and  his  old  enemy,  Cadwallon 
of  Wales,  in  view  of  their  common  danger,  formed  a  league 
against  the  Northumbrian  ruler,  and  entered  his  dominions  at 
the  head  of  an  overwhelming  force.  The  subjects  of  King 


16  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Edwin  rallied  gallantly  around  him,  but  in  a  fierce  battle  which 
took  place  at  Hatfield  on  October  12  he  was  killed,  and  his 
whole  army  put  to  rout.  On  the  eve  of  the  struggle  the 
doomed  monarch  had  confided  his  wife  and  children  to  the 
care  of  St.  Paulinus,  who,  thinking  it  his  first  duty  to  save 
them,  fled  with  them  to  Canterbury,  where  they  were  kindly 
received  by  King  Eadbald  and  Bishop  Honorius. 

For  his  desertion  of  Northumbria  in  the  hour  of  need  the 
Bishop  has  not  unnaturally  been  greatly  blamed,  and  it  is  no 
doubt  difficult  to  understand  why  he  did  not  return  to  his  post 
when  he  had  placed  his  charges  in  safety.  The  idea  of  any 
such  course  of  action  does  not  appear  even  to  have  occurred  to 
him,  for  without  the  slightest  hesitation  he  accepted  the  See  of 
Rochester,  which  happened  to  be  vacant,  and  settled  down  to 
his  work  in  his  new  diocese  as  if  he  had  never  been  specially 
interested  in  any  other.  He  lived  another  eleven  years,  and  on 
his  death,  he  was  buried  in  what  was  then  the  chief  church  of 
Rochester,  from  which  his  body  was  later  removed  to  the 
present  cathedral. 

The  immediate  result  of  the  death  of  King  Edwin  and  the 
flight  of  St.  Paulinus  was  the  complete  disorganization  of  the 
Church  of  Northumbria.  Many  converts  relapsed  into  heathen- 
ism, but  some  few  of  the  lesser  clergy  clung  with  pathetic 
devotion  to  their  posts.  Amongst  them  must  be  specially 
mentioned  a  young  deacon  named  James,  who  continued  at  the 
risk  of  his  life  to  hold  services  in  the  unfinished  church  at  York, 
and  won  some  few  renegades  back  to  the  fold.  Fortunately 
for  him,  he  lived  to  see  the  restoration  of  the  true  faith  under 
the  nephew  of  the  unfortunate  Edwin,  the  noble  young  King 
Oswald,  who  had  been  converted  to  Christianity  as  a  boy  by  the 
monks  of  lona,  and  in  635  led  an  expedition  against  the 
usurpers  Penda  and  Cadwallon,  defeating  them  in  a  terrible 
battle  outside  York. 

The  story  of  King  Oswald  exceeds  in  romantic  interest  even 
that  of  his  uncle.  The  son  of  Edwin's  cruel  enemy,  Ethelfrid 
the  Ravager,  his  character  was  totally  unlike  that  of  his  father, 
and  in  a  residence  of  eighteen  years  at  lona  he  had  become 
thoroughly  imbued  with  the  spirit  of  Christianity.  On  the  eve 
of  the  ^  struggle  ^which  won  him  his  kingdom,  he  set  up  a  cross  in 
the  midst  of  his  camp,  hence  called  Heavenfield,  and  made  his 
soldiers  kneel  around  it,  to  commit  their  cause  to  the  Triune  God, 


SS.  PAULINUS,  EDWIN,  AIDAN,  AND  OSWALD      17 

whilst  almost  his  first  act  after  his  coronation  was  to  send^  to 
his  old  monastery  for  a  missionary  to  aid  him  in  the  conversion 
of  his  subjects.  The  first  monk  who  arrived  was  found  to  be 
thoroughly  incompetent,  but  he  was  fortunately  soon  succeeded 
by  the  eloquent  and  earnest  teacher,  St.  Aidan,  who,  with 
scant  justice  to  Saints  Augustine  and  Paulinus,  has  by  some 
been  called  the  true  Apostle  of  England. 

Of  the  early  life  of  St.  Aidan  very  little  is  known  beyond 
the  fact  that  he  had  been  for  many  years  a  monk,  and  had  been 
specially  successful  in  the  education  of  the  young,  before  the 
message  of  King  Oswald  was  received  at  lona.  It  is  related 
that,  at  a  meeting  of  the  brethren  at  which  the  unsuccessful 
missionary  to  Northumbria  had  given  a  very  garbled  account  of 
his  experiences,  declaring  that  the  people  were  so  stupid  and 
obstinate  it  was  impossible  to  teach  them,  St.  Aidan  put  him 
to  shame  by  asking:  'Was  it  your  severity  or  their  stubborn- 
ness which  was  at  fault  ?  Did  you  not  perhaps  forget  to  begin 
as  God  Himself  directed,  by  feeding  your  hearers  with  milk  till 
they  could  digest  more  solid  food  ?' 

This  wise  remark  at  once  arrested  the  attention  of  all  present, 
and  when  the  question  arose  as  to  who  should  now  be  sent  to 
Northumbria,  St.  Aidan  was  chosen  unanimously.  In  spite 
of  his  own  reluctance  to  leave  his  work  at  lona,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  obey  the  orders  of  his  superiors,  and  having  been 
consecrated  Bishop,  he  started  at  once  for  his  fresh  sphere  of 
influence.  The  new  missionary  was  very  cordially  welcomed 
by  King  Oswald,  and  soon  became  his  most  trusted  adviser. 
Instead  of  remaining  at  Court,  however,  the  holy  man  took  up 
his  residence  on  the  rocky  islet  of  Lindisfarne,  now  known  as 
Holy  Island,  off  the  coast  of  Northumberland,  which  is  acces- 
sible to  the  mainland  only  at  low-tide.  He  thus  secured  the 
seclusion  he  considered  necessary  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
great  task  he  had  undertaken,  and  although,  as  years  went  on, 
quite  a  large  community  of  monks  and  pupils  gathered  about 
him,  and  he  was  often  the  guest  of  King  Oswald  at  Bamborough, 
he  remained  poor  to  the  end  of  his  life,  distributing  all  the  gifts 
he  received  to  the  poor.  Even  when  the  King  and  his  courtiers 
came  to  Lindisfarne  no  difference  was  made  for  them ;  they 
shared  the  simple  food  of  the  monks,  and  slept  on  the  ground  m 
the  bare  cells.  .  .  , 

Many  touching  stories  are  told  of  the  friendship  between  tne 

VOL.  III.  2 


i8  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Bishop  and  the  young  monarch.  It  is  said,  for  instance,  that 
St.  Aidan  never  really  mastered  the  English  tongue,  and  that 
King  Oswald  often  went  with  him  on  his  missionary  journeys, 
standing  beside  him  when  he  was  preaching,  and  eagerly 
interpreting  all  that  he  said. 

No  Court  banquet  was  considered  complete  without  the 
presence  of  St.  Aidan,  although  he  rarely  partook  of  any  of  the 
good  fare  provided.  It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  when  a 
great  feast  had  heen  prepared,  and  the  Bishop  occupied,  as 
usual,  the  seat  of  honour  on  the  right  hand  of  the  King,  a 
messenger  came  in  to  say  that  a  starving  multitude  of  people 
was  clamouring  for  food  outside  the  gates  of  the  palace. 
Without  a  moment's  hesitation,  and  regardless  of  the  ill- 
concealed  disappointment  of  his  invited  guests,  St.  Oswald  at 
once  ordered  all  the  meat  on  the  table  to  be^  distributed  amongst 
the  new  arrivals,  and  the  silver  dishes  containing  it  to  be  broken 
up  and  divided  amongst  them.  This  was  an  action  after 
St.  Aidan's  own  heart,  and,  laying  his  hand  on  that  of  the  King, 
he  cried,  '  May  this  right  hand  never  perish  !'  a  prophecy 
supposed,  as  related  below,  to  have  been  fulfilled.  ^ 

Not  long  after  this  touching  incident,  so  significant  of  the 
spirit  of  the  times,  a  terrible  pestilence  broke  out  in  Northumbria, 
and  again  King  Oswald  showed  himself  ready  to  sacrifice  him- 
self for  his  people.  It  is  said  that  he  prayed  earnestly  that 
God  would  allow  him  to  die  in  their  stead,  and  that  the  strange 
prayer  seemed  likely  to  be  granted,  for  he  was  immediately 
taken  ill  with  the  plague.  Just  as  he  imagined  himself  to  be 
dying,  however,  and  messengers  were  about  to  start  to  fetch 
St.  Aidan  from  Lindisfarne,  the  fever  suddenly  left  him, 
and  he  heard  a  voice  saying:  'Thy  prayers,  O  King, 
are  accepted.  .  .  .  God  giveth  thee  thy  own  and  thy 
subjects'  lives.  .  .  .  Thou  wert  ready  to  die  for  thy  people, 
but  thou  shalt  live  to  be  ere  Jong  a  martyr  for  thy  God/ 
After  this  remarkable  vision  the  King  rapidly  recovered,  no 
further  case  of  sickness  occurred,  and  the  people,  convinced  that 
their  beloved  ruler  had  indeed  saved  them,  became  more 
eager  than  ever  in  their  devotion  to  his  cause.  On  every 
side  Christianity  rapidly  spread,  but,  as  had  been  the  case 
under  King  Edwin,  the  heathen  were  not  really  overcome,  but 
were  all  the  time  preparing  to  deal  the  blow  which  was  to 
wreck  the  power  of  Oswald. 


SS.  PAULINUS,  EDWIN,  AIDAN,  AND  OSWALD      19 

The  fierce  Penda,  at  the  head  of  a  mighty  army,  suddenly 
appeared  beneath  the  walls  of  Bamborough,  and  having  failed 
to  reduce  it  by  force  of  arms,  he  was  preparing  to  set  fire  to 
it,  when  his  evil  design  is  said  to  have  been  frustrated  by 
the  prayers  of  St.  Aidan,  who  from  his  retreat  at  Lindisfarne, 
saw  the  smoke  ascending  from  the  outlying  cottages,  and 
prayed  to  God  to  avert  the  evil.  Immediately  the  wind 
changed,  and  the  flames,  driven  suddenly  backwards,  destroyed 
many  of  the  heathen  invaders.  The  evil  doom  was,  alas  1  how- 
ever, only  delayed.  On  August  3,  642,  a  great  battle  took  place, 
it  is  supposed  on  the  site  of  the  present  Oswestry  in  Shropshire, 
in  which  St.  Oswald  was  killed.  His  last  words  were  a  cry  to  God 
for  mercy  on  the  souls  of  his  soldiers,  but  his  noble  death  did 
not  save  his  remains  from  insult  The  victorious  Penda  ordered 
the  King's  body  to  be  cut  in  pieces,  and  the  head,  arms,  and 
hands  to  be  fastened  to  a  stake  set  up  on  the  fatal  field,  an 
incident  from  which  the  name  of  Oswestry,  originally  probably 
Oswald's  Tree,  is  said  to  be  derived.  For  a  whole  year  the 
gruesome  witness  to  the  tragedy  remained  undisturbed,  the 
right  hand  which  had  been  blessed  by  St.  Aidan,  according 
to  tradition,  retaining  its  flesh  undecayed.  The  sacred  relics 
were  then  discovered  by  Oswy,  King  Oswald's  brother,  who 
sent  the  head  to  Lindisfarne,  and  the  arms  and  hands  to 
Bamborough,  where  they  are  still  preserved  in  the  church 
originally  dedicated  to  St.  Peter,  but  now  named  after  St.  Aidan. 
The  mutilated  corpse  of  the  unfortunate  ruler  is  supposed,  after 
many  wanderings,  to  have  found  a  final  resting-place  in  the 
Convent  of  Bardney,  north  of  the  Humber. 

After  the  death  of  St.  Oswald,  his  two  brothers,  Oswin  and 
Oswy,  united  to  oppose  the  usurper  Penda,  and  were  successful 
in  defeating  him.  They  then  agreed  to  divide^  the  kingdom 
their  predecessor  had  done  so  much  to  consolidate;  a  fatal 
policy  which  was  quickly  followed  by  disastrous  results.  Oswy 
became  jealous  of  Oswin,  and  endeavoured  in  every  way  to 
undermine  his  power.  St.  Aidan,  who  from  the  first  had 
espoused  the  cause  of  Oswin,  whom  he  loved  as  if  he  had  been 
his  own  son,  did  all  he  could  to  inspire  him  with  the  courage 
which  had  distinguished  King  Oswald,  but  in  vain.  An 
earnest  Christian,  a  faithful  friend,  and  a  most  unselfish  ruler, 
Oswin,  who  is  accounted  a  Saint  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church, 
was  no  real  leader  of  men.  He  was  ready  to  give  up  everything 

2 — 2 


20  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

for  the  cause  of  Christ,  but  he  could  not  be  brought  to  see  that 
he  would  best  serve  his  Divine  Master  by  the  right  performance  of 
his  own  duties  as  King.  A  story  very  significant  of  his  mistaken 
humility  is  told  in  connection  with  his  gift  of  a  valuable  horse^to 
St.  Aidan  for  use  in  his  missionary  journeys.  The  Bishop,  with 
scant  gratitude,  gave  the  horse  to  a  beggar  who  had  asked  alms 
of  him,  and  when  King  Oswin  reproached  him,  he  replied : 
*  Dost  thou,  then,  care  more  for  the  son  of  a  mare  than  for  a  child 
of  God  ?'  Astonished  at  such  an  answer,  the  young  monarch 
was  about  to  make  an  angry  retort,  when  he  remembered  that 
St.  Aidan  was  his  spiritual  superior,  and,  falling  on  his  knees  at 
his  feet,  he  begged  for  forgiveness,  declaring  that  he  would 
never  again  interfere  with  him,  no  matter  what  he  did. 

Soon  after  this  the  armies  of  the  two  brothers  met  near 
Richmond  in  Yorkshire,  but  just  as  the  battle  was  about  to 
begin,  Oswin  decided  to  give  up  the  struggle,  and  disbanded  his 
men.  He  then  hid  himself  with  one  trusted  follower  in  the 
little  village  of  Gilling ;  but  his  retreat  was  quickly  discovered, 
and  he  was  murdered  by  order  of  his  brother,  who  could  not 
feel  secure  on  his  throne  whilst  the  fugitive  still  lived. 

St.  Aidan  did  not  long  survive  St.  Oswin.  He  was  summoned  to 
Bamborough  by  King  Oswy,  and  although  he  thought  it  his  duty 
to  obey,  he  refused  to  enter  the  palace,  taking  up  his  abode  in  a 
tent  near  the  church.  He  died  quite  suddenly  as  he  was  stand- 
ing near  his  temporary  home,  and  his  body  was  taken  back  to 
Lindisfarne  by  his  mourning  monks.  His  death  is  said  to  have 
been  revealed  to  St.  Cuthbert,  whose  story  is  related  below,  by 
the  appearance  of  a  column  of  fire  in  the  sky,  as  he  was  watch- 
ing his  flocks  by  night ;  an  incident  commemorated  in  a  quaint 
old  mural  painting  on  one  of  the  piers  of  the  central  tower  of 
Carlisle  Cathedral. 

The  special  attribute  of  St.  Aidan  in  art  is  a  torch,  probably 
in  allusion  to  the  attempt  to  burn  the  town  of  Bamborough, 
frustrated  by  him.  Three  scenes  from  his  life  are  given  in  the 
Icones  Sanctorum,  and  he  appears  sometimes,  his  torch  in  his 
hand,  in  ecclesiastical  decoration,  notably  in  a  mural  painting 
at  Woolborough  in  Devonshire,  in  the  sculptures  of  the  southern 
portal  of  Chartres  Cathedral,  and  in  the  windows  of  the  chapter- 
house of  the  same  building,  whilst  in  the  sgraffiti  by  Mr.  Hey- 
wood  Sumner  in  All  Saints',  Ennismore  Gardens,  London, 
he  is  represented  teaching  the  little  St.  Chad  to  read*  The 


SS.  WILFRID,  CHAD,  AND  CUTHBERT         21 

chief  emblems  associated  with  King  Oswald,  who  is  a  very 
favourite  Saint  in  the  North  of  England  and  also  in  Switzerland, 
are  a  sceptre,  on  account  of  his  royal  birth ;  a  cross,  in  token 
of  his  devotion  to  his  Divine  Master — both  of  which  appear 
on  the  coins  of  Berg,  of  which  city  the  royal  Saint  is  patron  ; 
a  hand,  in  memory  of  the  prophecy  of  St.  Aidan ;  a  silver  dish, 
which  he  is  breaking  in  pieces  for  the  poor ;  a  dove  above  his 
head,  in  allusion  to  the  special  favour  in  which  he  was  held  by 
God,  and  a  raven  holding  a  ring  or  a  letter  in  its  beak,  in 
memory  of  a  legend  to  the  effect  that  a  raven  was  the 
messenger  between  him  and  the  heathen  Princess  whom  he 
converted  to  Christianity,  and  who  eventually  became  his 
bride. 

In  the  ancient  church  of  Hornchurch,  Essex,  there  used  to 
be  a  quaint  mural  painting  supposed  to  represent  St.  Oswald 
preaching  to  his  people ;  on  a  rood-screen  in  Woodbridge 
Church,  Suffolk,  he  is  grouped  with  Saints  Cuthbert,  Blaise,  and 
others,  and  he  is  introduced  in  the  sculptures  of  Henry  VII/s 
Chapel  at  Westminster,  in  the  choir  stalls  of  Peterborough 
Cathedral,  and  the  stained-glass  windows  of  the  chapter- 
house in  Lichfield  Cathedral,  His  memory  is  also  preserved  in 
numerous  dedications  of  churches,  especially  in  Yorkshire,  where 
he  is  still  almost  as  much  revered  as  his  great  predecessor, 
St.  Edwin,  and  at  Grasmere  in  Westmorland  is  preserved 
a  carved  alms-box  engraved  with  the  name  of  King  Oswald,  and 
said  to  have  been  in  use  in  his  time. 


CHAPTER  III 

SAINTS  WILFRID,   CHAD,   AND   CUTHBERT 

AFTER  the  death  of  St.  Aidan,  who  had  been  beloved  and 
revered  by  all  the  Christians  of  Northumbria,  whatever  the 
differences  amongst  themselves,  it  seemed  at  first  likely  that  the 
results  of  his  long  life-work  would  quickly  be  destroyed.  King 
Oswy,  the  murderer  of  Oswin,  was  but  a  lukewarm  Chris- 
tian, and  amongst  the  followers  of  the  great  Bishop  of  Lindis- 
farne  there  was  not  one  of  sufficient  ability  to  take  his  place  at 
the  helm  of  the  Church.  Fortunately,  however,  the  wife  of  the 
King,  Eanfleda,  daughter  of  Saints  Edwin  and  Ethelburga, 


22  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

whose  baptism  by  St.  Paulinus  had  been  the  initial  step  in  the 
conversion  of  the  North,  was  a  woman  of  remarkable  strength 
of  character.  Brought  up  by  her  mother  to  look  upon  the 
service  of  Christ  as  her  first  duty,  and  to  believe  that  none  ever 
appealed  to  Him  for  forgiveness  in  vain,  she  resolved  to  turn 
her  husband's  remorse  for  his  crime  to  account  by  transforming 
that  remorse  into  true  repentance.  She  persuaded  the  King  to 
have  a  beautiful  monastery  erected  at  Gilling,  where  the  unfor- 
tunate Oswin  had  met  his  fate,  and  in  it  prayers  were  daily 
offered,  not  only  for  the  soul  of  the  victim,  but  also  for  that  of 
his  murderer.  Moreover,  it  was,  no  doubt,  due  to  the  Queen's 
excellent  management  that  the  young  Prince  Alchfrith,  a  most 
devoted  Christian,  was  admitted  to  a  share  in  his  father's 
authority,  so  that  the  place  of  the  unfortunate  Oswin  was  to  a 
certain  extent  filled,  and  the  light  of  the  true  faith  was  kept 
burning  at  Court  until  a  new  leader  of  the  Church  arose  in  the 
person  of  St.  Wilfrid,  whose  fame  has  eclipsed  even  that  of  his 
great  predecessors,.  Saints  Paulinus  and  Aidan. 

The  son  of  noble  parents,  Wilfrid,  the  future  Bishop  of  York, 
was  born  in  634,  a  few  months  after  the  defeat  and  death  of 
King  Edwin,  and  was  educated  at  the  Monastery  of  Lindisfarne, 
where  he  remained  until  he  was  nineteen  years  old.  Imbued 
from  his  earliest  childhood  with  the  principles  of  Christianity, 
and  endowed  with  many  valuable  qualities,  the  young  Wilfrid 
early  distinguished  himself  amongst  his  fellow-pupils  on  the 
Holy  Island  by  his  eager  interest  in  his  studies.  From  the  first 
he  espoused  the  cause  of  Rome  in  the  controversy  still  being 
waged  between  the  Celtic  and  the  Roman  Catholic  Christians,  a 
controversy  which  had  been  to  some  extent  in  abeyance  during 
the  life-time  of  St.  Aidan,  but  after  his  death  became  more 
acrimonious  than  ever.  The  great  apostle  from  lona  had  done 
his  best  during  his  long  and  chequered  career,  to  maintain  peace 
between  the  rival  parties,  ever  holding  up  before  his  flock  the 
ideal  of  unity,  entreating  them  not  to  confuse  the  non-essential 
with  the  essential,  but  in  all  things  to  emulate  the  example  of 
the  Master,  whose  singleness  of  purpose  was  one  of  the  most 
marked  characteristics  of  His  life  upon  earth. 

On  the  completion  of  his  student  years  at  Lindisfarne  the 
young  Wilfrid  resolved  to  visit  Canterbury  and  Rome,  that  he 
might  study  at  the  fountain-head  the  questions  at  issue,  see 
with  his  own  eyes  the  glories  of  the  Eternal  City,  and  kneel  at 


SS.  WILFRID,  CHAD,  AND  CUTHBERT         23 

the  feet  of  the  successor  of  St.  Peter.  At  Canterbury  he  re- 
mained a  whole  year,  going  thence  to  Lyons,  where  the  Arch- 
bishop received  him  with  the  greatest  kindness,  and  tried  to 
persuade  him  to  remain  and  work  with  him  in  his  diocese. 
This  Wilfrid  refused  to  do,  but  he  promised  to  visit  Lyons 
again  on  his  way  back  from  Rome,  and  after  a  very  brief  stay 
in  the  Holy  City,  which  more  than  fulfilled  his  expectations,  he 
returned  to  the  French  town, 

St.  Wilfrid  remained  no  less  than  three  years  in  France, 
and  he  might  possibly  have  been  induced  to  spend  the  rest  of 
his  life  with  the  Archbishop  of  Lyons  had  not  the  latter  got 
into  trouble  with  the  authorities,  who  after  due  trial  condemned 
him  to  death,  an  incidental  proof  that  in  France,  at  least,  the 
Church  was  still  subject  to  the  civil  power.  St.  Wilfrid  seemed 
at  one  time  likely  to  share  the  fate  of  his  friend,  so  eagerly  did 
he  espouse  his  cause,  but  he  was  saved  at  the  last  moment  and 
allowed  to  return  to  his  native  land.  There  he  was  eagerly 
welcomed  by  Prince  Alchfrith,  who  recognised  in  him  a  kindred 
spirit,  and  the  two  were  soon  engaged  together  in  many  noble 
schemes,  founding  monasteries  and  churches  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  Northumbria.  The  Prince  supplied  the 
lands  and  most  of  the  money ;  the  priest,  St.  Wilfrid,  having 
now  taken  Orders,  superintended  every  detail  of  the  building 
in  person,  and  the  great  religious  houses  of  Ripon,  Oundle,  and 
Hexham  were  all  due  to  the  initiative  of  these  devoted  fellow- 
workers,  who  inspired  everyone  who  came  under  their  influence 
with  their  own  enthusiasm. 

When,  not  long  after  St.  Wilfrid's  return  home,  the  great 
Council  of  Whitby  met  to  consider  the  controversy  on  the 
observance  of  Easter,  he  was  chosen  to  speak  as  the  repre- 
sentative of  the  Roman  party,  and  so  great  was  his  eloquence 
that  he  won  over  many  of  his  hearers  to  his  own  opinion, 
including  King  Oswy,  who  had  previously  been  inclined 
to  espouse  the  opposite  view.  This  was  a  turning-point 
in  the  career  of  the  young  priest,  for  the  successor  of  St. 
Aidan  in  the  See  of  Lindisfarne  having  died  at  a  peculiarly 
opportune  moment,  St.  Wilfrid  was  chosen  to  take  his  place, 
and  there  being  no  one  in  Northumbria  competent  to  consecrate 
him  Bishop,  he  went  to  France  for  the  ceremony,  which  was 
duly  performed  there.  Unfortunately,  on  his  way  back  he  was 
shipwrecked  off  the  coast  of  Sussex,  and  the  natives  of  that  still 


24  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

unconverted  district,  who  looked  upon  the  spoil  of  the  sea  as 
their  legitimate  prey,  took  him  and  his  companions  prisoners. 
Treated  as  slaves  and  threatened  with  death  if  they  attempted 
to  escape,  it  was  only  after  a  long  delay  that  they  managed  to 
get  away. 

When  the  newly  consecrated  Bishop  at  last  reached  his  see, 
he  found  it  occupied  by  another  prelate,  for  King  Oswy,  con- 
vinced that  St.  Wilfrid  would  never  return,  had  appointed  in 
his  stead  the  saintly  Bishop  Chad,  who,  as  related  below,  had 
already  done  good  work  elsewhere,  St.  Wilfrid,  with  the  tact  for 
which  he  was  remarkable,  made  no  protest,  but  quietly  with- 
drew to  Ripon,  and  devoted  himself  to  looking  after  the  many 
monasteries  in  which  he  was  interested.  It  was  not  until  four 
years  later  that  justice  was  done  to  him,  when  Theodore  of 
Tarsus,  having  been  elected  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  de- 
clared that  St.  Wilfrid  was  the  true  Bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  and 
ordered  Chad  to  retire.  By  this  time  York  had  become  the 
principal  seat  of  the  Northern  diocese,  and  to  York  Wilfrid  joy- 
fully repaired,  there  to  begin  the  consolidation  of  the  Church  in 
Northumbria  and  the  restoration  of  the  great  minster  so  insepar- 
ably connected  with  his  name.  At  first  all  went  well.  On  the 
death  of  the  new  Bishop's  old  friend,  King  Oswy,  that  ruler  was 
succeeded  by  King  Egfrid,  who  soon  conceived  a  great  affection 
for  St.  Wilfrid,  so  that  it  seemed  likely  the  monarch  and  the 
prelate  might  work  as  cordially  together  as  had  King  Edwin 
and  St.  Paulinus,  King  Oswald  and  St.  Aidan.  Unfortunately, 
however,  St.  Wilfrid,  who  was  thoroughly  imbued  with  the 
spirit  of  Roman  Catholicism,  believing  it  to  be  impossible  to 
serve  God  as  well  in  the  world  as  in  a  cloister,  lost  his  influence 
with  King  Egfrid,  and  with  it  much  of  his  power  for  good  in  his 
own  diocese,  by  encouraging  Queen  Ethelreda  to  leave  her 
husband  and  withdraw  to  a  convent  at  Coldingham.  There 
the  Bishop  of  York  himself  received  her  vows  and  bestowed  on 
her  the  veil  to  which,  as  a  married  woman,  she  had  no  right, 
thus  setting  a  final  seal  upon  what  was  certainly  a  great  error 
of  judgment  if  nothing  more.  True,  Ethelreda,  whose  retire- 
ment from  the  world,  selfish  though  it  undoubtedly  was,  has 
won  for  her  the  honour  of  canonization,  had  been  forced  into 
a  marriage  with  the  King  against  her  own  wishes;  but  the 
marriage  once  solemnized,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was 
her  duty  to  accept  the  consequences. 


SS.  WILFRID,  CHAD,  AND  CUTHBERT         25 

St.  Wilfrid's  action  with  regard  to  the  Queen  was  fraught 
with  fatal  consequences  to  himself  and  to  the  whole  kingdom  of 
Northumbria.  Egfrid  never  forgave  him,  and  soon  afterwards 
married  again,  this  time  a  woman  of  a  very  different  stamp  to 
St.  Ethelreda,  the  Princess  Ermenburga,  who  from  the  first 
conceived  a  violent  prejudice  against  the  Bishop,  doing  all  she 
could  to  discredit  him  at  her  husband's  Court.  Archbishop 
Theodore  was  also  greatly  annoyed  at  what  had  been  done,  and 
although  he  had  previously  been  entirely  at  one  with  the  policy 
of  St.  Wilfrid,  he  now  regretted  having  insisted  on  the  retire- 
ment of  Bishop  Chad.  Unwilling,  or  perhaps  unable,  to  rescind 
entirely  his  own  appointment,  he  now  resolved  to  neutralize  its 
effects  by  breaking  up  the  Northern  see  into  four  parts,  and,  in 
spite  of  the  eager  protestations  of  St.  Wilfrid,  three  coadjutors 
were  appointed  to  work  with  him.  In  vain  the  angry  Bishop 
appealed  to  the  King,  who  declared  that  the  Archbishop 
was  right:  Northumbria  was  too  large  a  diocese  to  be  ruled 
over  by  one  man.  St.  Wilfrid  appealed  to  the  Pope,  and  in  so 
doing  widened  the  unfortunate  breach  between  the  two  parties 
in  the  English  Church.  Great  as  was  the  risk  involved  in 
leaving  his  post  at  this  critical  juncture,  he  did  not  hesitate  for 
a  moment  to  start  on  a  journey  which  must  necessarily  occupy 
many  months  and  give  his  enemies  plenty  of  time  to  plot 
against  him. 

Arrived  in  Rome,  the  Bishop  was  well  received,  and  at  a 
council  summoned  to  consider  the  questions  at  issue  between 
him  and  Archbishop  Theodore,  the  verdict  was  entirely  in 
favour  of  the  former.  Armed  with  a  decree  reinstating  him 
as  sole  administrator  of  the  See  of  York,  signed  by  the 
Pope  and  all  the  lesser  dignitaries  of  the  Papal  Court,  the 
Bishop  hastened  home,  but,  to  his  dismay  and  disappoint- 
ment, he  was  treated  as  an  impostor.  Doubts  were  thrown 
on  his  ever  having  made  the  journey  to  Rome ;  the  precious 
document,  bristling  though  it  was  with  official  seals,  was 
declared  to  be  an  impudent  forgery,  and  it  is  even  said  that, 
at  a  meeting  held  at  Whitby  to  consider  the  matter,  the 
Papal  edict  was  flung  into  the  sea ;  a  story  to  which  credence 
has  quite  recently  been  given  by  the  discovery  on  the 
cliffs  below  the  ruined  Abbey  of  St.  Hilda  of  a  leaden  seal  on 
which  can  still  be  deciphered  the  name  of  Boniface,  an  arch- 
deacon, who  was  certainly  one  of  the  signatories  at  the  Roman 


26  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Council.  Instead  of  being  restored  to  his  former  high  position, 
St.  Wilfrid  was  sent  to  prison,  where  he  remained  for  nearly 
a  year,  and  was  only  released  through  the  intercession  of 
St.  Ebba,  the  sister  of  the  late  King  Oswy,  who  succeeded  in 
arousing  the  superstitious  fears  of  King  Egfrid  and  his  wife,  by 
telling  them  that  they 'had  forfeited  the  favour  of  Heaven  by 
their  injustice. 

A  free  man  once  more,  but  deprived  of  all  his  dignities, 
St.  Wilfrid  now  determined  to  leave  Northumbria,  and  took 
refuge  in  the  still  heathen  district  of  Sussex,  whose  King 
had,  however,  been  recently  converted  to  Christianity  by 
his  wife,  so  that  the  way  was  to  some  extent  paved  for  the 
evangelization  of  the  people.  Joining  a  little  community  of 
Celtic  monks  at  Bosham,  who  had  so  far  made  no  converts,  St. 
Wilfrid,  with  rare  courage,  set  to  work  to  begin  life  over  again. 
Finding  the  natives  in  great  straits  for  want  of  food — a  three 
years'  famine  having  devastated  the  country — his  first  care  was 
to  supply  their  temporal  necessities.  It  is  related  by  Bede  that 
he  taught  them  to  fish,  and,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  so  great  a 
harvest  was  reaped  from  the  sea  that  all  want  was  soon  at  an 
end.  Having  thus  won  the  affections  of  the  ignorant  heathen, 
the  Bishop  proceeded  to  prove  himself  an  equally  skilful  fisher 
of  men,  and  ere  long  he  had  converted  the  whole  nation  to  the 
true  faith,  thus  nobly  fulfilling  the  Gospel  precept  of  returning 
good  for  evil,  for  it  had  been  in  this  very  Sussex  that  he  had 
nearly  met  his  death  on  his  return  from  his  first  journey  to 
Rome. 

After  he  had  been  working  in  Sussex  for  several  years, 
St.  Wilfrid,  to  his  delighted  surprise,  was  summoned  to  London 
by  Archbishop  Theodore,  who,  feeling  his  end  approaching,  was 
filled  with  remorse  for  his  injustice  in  the  matter  of  the  See  of 
York.  In  a  touching  interview  the  old  man  owned  that  he  had 
been  hasty,  entreated  St.  Wilfrid  to  forgive  him,  and  offered 
to  make  any  amends  in  his  power.  Deeply  moved,  St.  Wilfrid 
replied  that  he  fully  forgave  everything,  acknowledged  that  he, 
too,  had  been  in  fault,  and  begged  the  Archbishop  to  think  no 
more  of  the  past.  Theodore  then  offered  to  nominate  him  his 
own  successor  in  the  See  of  Canterbury ;  but  St.  Wilfrid  begged 
to  be  allowed  to  return  to  his  old  diocese  of  York,  and  almost 
the  last  act  of  the  Archbishop  was  to  write  to  the  King  of 
Northumbria  pleading  for  the  reinstatement  of  the  man  whom 


SS.  WILFRID,  CHAD,  AND  CUTHBERT         27 

he  had  done  so  much  to  injure.  The  appeal  was  successful, 
and  St.  Wilfrid  returned  to  his  former  post  a  wiser  and 
humbler  man.  His  enemies,  however,  were  still  active, 
and  on  every  side  he  met  with  opposition.  Berthwald,  the 
successor  of  Theodore  at  Canterbury,  turned  against  him,  and 
once  more  the  persecuted  Bishop  had  to  appeal  to  Rome. 
Again  he  was  successful  in  convincing  the  Pope  of  the  justice 
of  his  cause ;  again  his  long  absence  was  fatal  to  any  really 
satisfactory  result  of  the  verdict,  and  on  his  way  home  he  was 
taken  seriously  ill  at  Meaux.  He  lived  to  reach  York,  but  he 
was  never  the  same  man  again,  and  in  the  end  he  voluntarily 
resigned  his  see,  though  he  continued  to  visit  constantly  the 
many  religious  houses  in  which  he  was  interested.  He  died  at 
Oundle  in  711,  having  perhaps,  in  spite  of  all  his  vicissitudes, 
done  more  than  any  other  man  to  educate  as  well  as  evangelize 
the  people  of  Northumbria.  He  was  buried  in  the  church  of 
the  monastery  founded  by  him  at  Ripon,  but  his  remains  were 
translated  to  Canterbury  in  the  tenth  century. 

St.  Wilfrid,  whose  memory  is  preserved  in  the  dedication  of 
no  less  than  forty  churches  in  the  North  of  England  alone,  and 
whose  fete-day,  August  i,  is  still  celebrated  at  Ripon,  is  occa- 
sionally represented  walking  on  the  beach,  with  a  stranded 
vessel  in  the  distance,  in  manifest  allusion  to  his  shipwreck  on 
the  coast  of  Sussex.  In  certain  old  engravings  a  ruined  tower 
is  introduced  behind  him,  the  reason  for  which  is  obscure, 
though  it  is  supposed  by  some  to  have  reference  to  the  sub- 
division of  his  diocese,.  He  appears,  wearing  his  Bishop's 
robes,  in  various  mural  decorations  in  the  churches  of  the 
districts  in  which  he  worked,  notably,  in  one  in  St,  Andrew's 
at  Hexhani,  where  he  is  associated  with  St.  John  of  Beverley. 
On  the  choir  stalls  of  Chichester  Cathedral  he  is  depicted 
receiving  the  gift  of  the  Monastery  of  Selsey  from  Ceadwalla, 
and  in  an  old  English  rnissal  preserved  at  Jumi&ges  he  is  repre- 
sented restoring  a  dead  child  to  life,  in  order  to  baptize  it. 

St.  Chad,  or  Ceadda,  who  is  sometimes^  represented,  for 
a  reason  explained  below,  kneeling,  with  his  head  raised  as 
if  listening  in  rapt  attention,  was  a  man  of  very  different 
character  to  the  fiery  and  impetuous  St.  Wilfrid.  Of  a  humble, 
retiring  disposition,  he  was  one  of  four  brothers  who  early 
dedicated  their  lives  to  God.  Educated  at  Lindisfarne,  St.  Chad 
owed  much  of  his  success  as  a  teacher  to  the  influence  of 


28  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

St.  Aidan,  who  took  a  very  special  interest  in  him,  and  on 
leaving  Holy  Island  he  retired  to  the  Monastery  of  Lastingham, 
founded  by  his  brother,  St.  Cedd.  There  St.  Chad  would  gladly 
have  remained  for  an  indefinite  time  as  an  unknown  monk, 
but  on  the  election  of  St.  Cedd  to  the  bishopric  of  London, 
he  was  made  Abbot  of  Lastingham,  and  compelled  to  give 
up  the  life  of  pure  meditation  which  was  his  own  ideal.  This 
was  but  the  first  step  in  a  career  of  public  usefulness,  for 
soon  afterwards  King  Oswy  appointed  him  to  rule  the  see  of 
York  during  the  absence  of  St.  Wilfrid,  and  until  the  return  of 
that  prelate  three  years  later,  St.  Chad  worked  hard  in  his  new 
field,  travelling  about,  says  Bede,  '  not  on  horseback,  but  after 
the  manner  of  the  Apostles,  on  foot,  to  preach  the  Gospel  in 
towns,  the  open  country,  cottages,  villages,  and  castles.' 

On  the  reinstatement  of  St.  Wilfrid  at  York,  St.  Chad  gladly 
retired  once  more  to  his  convent,  but  he  was  quickly  recalled 
to  active  work  by  Archbishop  Theodore,  who  made  him  Bishop 
of  the  great  diocese  of  Mercia,  extending  from  the  Severn  to  the 
German  Ocean,  and  comprising  no  less  than  seventeen  of  the 
present  counties  of  England.  Making  Lichfield  his  head- 
quarters, St.  Chad  threw  himself  heart  and  soul  into  the  new 
work,  continuing,  however,  to  live  the  same  simple  individual 
life  as  before,  and  spending  every  spare  moment  at  prayer  in 
a  little  oratory  near  the  church.  It  was  only  with  the  greatest 
reluctance  that  he  consented  to  give  up  his  habit  of  going 
everywhere  on  foot,  and  it  is  related  that  on  one  occasion 
Archbishop  Theodore  himself  lifted  the  Bishop  on  to  a  horse, 
telling  him  it  was  his  duty  to  spare  himself  fatigue  for  the  good 
of  his  people. 

St.  Chad  only  lived  for  two  years  and  a  half  after  his  pro- 
motion to  the  See  of  Mercia,  but  in  that  short  time  he  had 
endeared  himself  to  the  hearts  of  thousands,  as  proved  by  the 
loving  veneration  in  which  his  name  is  still  held.  He  is  said 
to  have  had  a  great  fear  of  death,  counting  himself  an  unworthy 
servant,  who  had  lamentably  failed  to  cope  with  the  difficulties 
of  his  great  position.  Not  long  before  the  end,  however,  when 
he  was  praying  in  his  oratory,  he  was  reassured  by  a  visit  from 
a  choir  of  angels,  of  whom  one  is  supposed  to  have  been  his 
brother  St.  Cedd,  who  had  died  not  long  before.  Their  sweet 
voices  were  heard  singing  by  a  monk  at  work  in  the  garden 
outside,  who  told  his  brethren  that  when  the  heavenly  music  had 


SS.  WILFRID,  CHAD,  AND  CUTHBERT         29 

died  away,  the  Bishop  came  to  the  window  to  look  out,  his  face 
shining  with  an  unearthly  light.  Seven  days  later  St.  Chad 
passed  peacefully  away  surrounded  by  his  clergy,  whom  he  ex- 
horted with  his  last  breath  to  prepare  for  their  own  end  by 
watching,  prayer,  and  good  works.  He  was  buried  near  the 
present  Stowe  Church,  but  his  remains  were  later  transferred  to 
the  beautiful  cathedral  named  after  him,  where  they  rested  until 
after  the  Reformation,  when  they  were  taken  to  Birmingham,  and 
are  now  enshrined  in  a  Roman  Catholic  Church  near  that  town. 

The  memory  of  St.  Chad  is  preserved  in  the  dedications  of 
many  churches,  not  only  in  his  own  diocese,  but  as  far  north  as 
Scotland;  and  in  London  a  whole  district,  that  of  Shadwell, 
a  corruption  of  Chad's  Well,  is  named  after  a  now-dried-up 
medicinal  spring,  to  which  in  olden  days  hundreds  of  pilgrims 
used  to  flock,  to  be  cured  of  their  diseases  through  the  inter- 
cession of  the  holy  Bishop. 

Amongst  the  lately  restored  sculptures  of  the  exterior  of 
Lichfield  Cathedral  is  a  fine  group  representing  the  baptism 
by  St.  Chad  of  the  two  sons  of  Wulphere,  King  of  Mercia,  who 
are  said  to  have  been  led  to  the  oratory  of  the  Saint,  when  they 
were  out  hunting,  by  a  hart  with  a  rope  round  its  neck.  They 
were  received  by  the  Bishop  with  such  awe-inspiring  dignity 
that  they  fell  at  his  feet  in  wondering  reverence.  He  converted 
them  to  Christianity,  warning  them  that  they  would  be  called 
upon  to  suffer  for  their  new  Master,  and  after  their  assassination 
he  turned  the  remorse  of  their  murderer  to  true  repentance, 
granting  him  absolution  on  condition  of  his  founding  several 
churches  and  monasteries.  In  the  long  row  of  statues  of  the 
rulers  of  England  on  the  west  front  of  the  same  cathedral, 
St.  Chad  occupies  a  place  of  honour  in  the  centre,  with  the 
Saxon  Kings  on  one  side  and  the  Norman  on  the  other,  whilst 
the  modern  medallions  of  the  interior  include  various  incidents 
from  his  life,  such  as  his  consecration  as  Bishop  of  York  and 
Archbishop  Theodore  lifting  him  on  to  a  horse. 

Worthy  in  every  respect  to  rank  with  Saints  Wilfrid  and 
Chad  was  the  shepherd-poet  and  hermit  Bishop,  St.  Cuthbert, 
whose  touching  story  appeals  with  irresistible  force  to  all 
who  are  able  to  appreciate  the  simple  beauty  of  a  life  lived 
from  first  to  last  in  true  touch  with  the  divine.  Who  St. 
Cuthbert  was  and  whence  he  came  are  alike  unknown,  but 
although  some,  including  Montalembert,  claim  that  he  was  of 


30  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

noble  birth,  he  is  generally  supposed  to  have  been  of  lowly 
origin.  However  that  may  be,  it  seems  certain  that  he  was 
received  into  the  house  of  a  poor  widow  in  the  village  of 
Wrangleford,  near  Lammermoor,  when  he  was  eight  years  old, 
and  began  at  once  to  earn  his  own  living  as  a  shepherd.  He 
soon  became  a  leader  and  hero  amongst  his  playfellows,  for  in 
running,  jumping,  and  wrestling  he  excelled  them  all.  Presently, 
however,  a  sad  trouble  overtook  him,  for  he  hurt  his  knee  so 
badly  that  he  could  no  longer  lead  his  flock  to  the  pastures 
or  join  in  the  sports  of  his  comrades.  He  used  to  lie  outside 
the  door  of  his  home  and  gaze  wistfully  towards  the  hills, 
striving  earnestly  for  resignation,  but  longing  to  be  free  to 
wander  forth  again. 

All  the  simple  remedies  known  to  the  villagers  were  tried  in 
vain,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  poor  boy  would  be  a  cripple  for 
life,  when  help  came  from  a  very  unexpected  quarter.  One 
day  a  noble-looking  stranger  on  horseback  suddenly  appeared 
before  him,  and,  dismounting,  inquired  what  ailed  him.  The 
child  told  of  his  injured  knee,  and  the  man  examined  it,  making 
many  inquiries  as  to  how  the  accident  had  happened.  He  then 
told  St.  Cuthbert  not  to  lose  heart,  for  the  mischief  could  be  easily 
remedied :  all  that  was  needed  was  the  application  of  a  poultice 
of  flour  and  milk.  This  simple  advice  given,  the  stranger 
remounted  and  rode  away,  leaving  St.  Cuthbert  fully  convinced 
that  his  visitor  had  been  an  angel  sent  from  heaven  to  his  aid. 
The  poultice,  or  the  faith  with  which  it  was  applied,  worked 
wonders.  In  a  few  days  the  little  shepherd  was  completely 
restored  to  health,  but  the  incident  had  made  a  deep  im- 
pression upon  his  mind,  and  was  the  turning-point  in  his 
life.  He  no  longer  cared,  as  he  had  done  before,  to  take 
the  lead  amongst  the  village  boys,  but  delighted  in  the  long 
hours  spent  on  the  bleak  hillside  with  his  flock,  communing 
with  God  and  with  his  own  soul,  and  learning  secrets  such 
as  Nature  reveals  to  none  but  the  pure  and  single-hearted. 
To  him  every  homely  scene  was  full  of  deep  spiritual  meaning ; 
the  commonest  wild-flowers  were  revelations  of  God;  the 
wild  animals  that  haunted  the  woods  and  hills,  the  moors 
and  cliffs,  of  his  native  land  were  entitled  to  his  respect  and 
love,  and  he  was  endowed  with  the  rare  gift  of  inspiring  them 
with  confidence  in  his  willingness  to  help  them. 

Several  years  seem  to  have  passed  by  before  St.  Cuthbert 


SS.  WILFRID,  CHAD,  AND  CUTHBERT         31 

craved  for  anything  more  than  this  simple  life  of  prayer  and 
meditation,  but  one  night  a  vision  was  vouchsafed  to  him  which 
aroused  his  ambition  to  take  a  more  active  share  in  the  service 
of  God.  He  saw  heaven  opened,  and  a  group  of  white-robed 
angels,  bearing  in  their  midst  the  soul  of  some  departed  Saint, 
and  when  he  heard  the  next  morning  that  St.  Aidan  had  passed 
away,  he  felt  convinced  that  he  had  been  privileged  to  see  the 
spirit  of  the  great  apostle  enter  into  the  presence  of  his  Lord. 

Some  have  seen  in  this  vision  nothing  more  than  the 
effect  upon  the  imagination  of  a  dreamy  boy,  of  a  shower  of 
meteors  suddenly  illuminating  the  darkness  of  the  night ;  but 
whatever  it  may  have  been  that  St.  Cuthbert  saw,  it  so  im- 
pressed him,  that  it  led  him  to  give  up  his  humble  work  of 
keeping  sheep  and  withdraw  to  the  Monastery  of  Melrose, 
founded  by  St.  Aidan.  It  is  related  that,  when  the  shepherd 
arrived,  the  Prior  at  once  recognised  in  him  a  man  of  unusual 
gifts,  and  greeted  him  with  the  words :  '  Behold  an  Israelite 
indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile/  Instead  of  being  forced,  as 
was  customary  at  the  time,  to  serve  a  long  apprenticeship  of 
drudgery,  the  novice  was  admitted  without  delay  to  the 
privilege  of  preaching,  and  was  sent  to  teach  the  people  of 
the  neighbourhood,  quickly  winning  all  hearts  by  his  simple 
eloquence  and  ready  help  in  trouble. 

St.  Cuthbert  had  not  long  been  a  member  of  the  community 
at  Melrose,  when  the  Prior  was  taken  ill,  and  summoned  the 
youthful  preacher  to  his  bedside  to  tell  him  that  he  was  to  be 
his  successor,  adding  the  further  prophecy  that  he  would  later 
become  a  Bishop.  In  spite  of  his  shrinking  from  earthly 
honours,  St.  Cuthbert  knew  that  it  was  his  duty  to  submit  to 
the  will  of  God,  and  when,  after  the  death  of  the  old  Prior, 
he  was  called  upon  to  take  his  place,  he  accepted  the  position 
without  demur,  religiously  fulfilling  all  its  obligations,  though 
he  continued  to  live  nearly  as  simple  a  life  as  when  he  was 
a  mere  monk.  It  was  a  deep  grief  to  him  when,  after  only 
a  few  months'  happy  work  at  Melrose,  he  was  transferred  to 
Lindisfarne,  with  instructions  to  persuade  the  monks  there 
to  accept  the  decision  of  the  great  Council  at  Whitby  in 
the  controversy  between  the  Celtic  and  Roman  parties  in  the 
Church.  This  was  a  thoroughly  uncongenial  task  to  St.  Cuth- 
bert, who  cared  little  for  outward  forms,  and  in  his  own  pure 
and  undefiled  life  had  already  realized  the  ideal  of  true  religion. 


32  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

For  twelve  years,  however,  he  laboured  zealously  at  the 
work  given  him  to  do,  and  in  the  end  succeeded  in  achieving 
the  desired  result.  The  monks  of  Lindisfarne  adopted  the 
Roman  ritual  prescribed  by  the  Council,  and,  which  was  even 
better,  they  became  imbued  with  their  Prior's  own  enthusiasm 
for  a  noble,  unselfish  life.  At  the  end  of  the  twelve  years 
St.  Cuthbert  asked  for  and  obtained  permission  to  withdraw 
to  the  rocky  islet  of  Fame,  there  in  silence  and  solitude  to 
refresh  his  soul  after  the  long  conflict.  For  eight  years  he  dwelt 
practically  alone  in  a  cell  built  by  his  own  hands,  and  encircled 
with  a  mound  of  earth  so  lofty  that  he  could  see  nothing  but 
the  sky.  To  accommodate  those  who  came  to  ask  his  advice, 
however,  he  had  a  large  rest-house  erected  near  the  beach,  in 
which  his  visitors  were  hospitably  entertained  by  certain  monks 
set  apart  for  the  service. 

It  seemed  at  one  time  likely  that  the  holy  hermit  would 
be  allowed  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  in  his  wild  retreat, 
and  that  the  prophecy  of  the  Abbot  of  Melrose  would  not  be 
fulfilled ;  but  on  the  See  of  Lindisfarne  becoming  vacant,  St. 
Cuthbert  was  unanimously  nominated  Bishop.  A  deputation 
was  sent  to  Fame  to  summon  him  to  York  to  be  consecrated, 
and  although  he  at  first  refused  to  accept  the  new  dignity, 
he  finally  yielded.  Until  two  months  before  his  death  he 
religiously  looked  after  the  interests  of  his  diocese,  which, 
though  named  after  a  small  island,  extended  over  a  consider- 
able portion  of  the  mainland.  Sometimes  on  foot,  sometimes 
on  horseback,  he  journeyed  to  and  fro,  baptizing  and  confirming 
the  thousands  who  were  won  over  to  the  faith  by  his  simple 
eloquence.  Such  crowds  sometimes  gathered  to  hear  him 
preach  and  receive  his  ministrations  that  no  building  could 
hold  them,  and  temporary  shelters  were  constructed  of  branches 
of  trees,  recalling  the  old  days  when  Israel  dwelt  in  tabernacles. 

Two  months  before  St.  Cuthbert's  death  it  was  revealed  to 
him  that  his  end  was  near,  and,  to  the  great  grief  of  all  in  his 
diocese,  he  resolved  to  withdraw  once  more  to  his  beloved  islet 
of  Fame,  there  to  prepare  to  meet  his  Judge.  His  resignation 
was  reluctantly  accepted,  and,  attended  only  by  two  monks,  he 
went  back  to  his  cell,  where  he  peacefully  breathed  his  last  on 
March  20,  687.  The  tidings  were  flashed  to  the  mainland 
by  a  signal  agreed  upon,  and  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  what  had  so  long  been  his  diocese,  the  dirge  for 


SS.  WILFRJD,  CHAD,  AND  CUTHBERT         33 

the  beloved  Bishop  was  sung.  In  accordance  with  his  own 
request,  St.  Cuthbert  was  buried  at  Lindisfarne,  but  his 
remains  were  not  allowed  to  rest  there.  In  875,  when  a 
descent  was  made  upon  Holy  Island  by  the  Danes,  the 
monks  fled,  taking  St.  Cuthbert's  body  with  them,  and  it 
was  not  until  995,  after  changing  hands  many  times,  that  the 
sacred  relics  finally  reached  Dunholm,  on  the  site  of  the 
present  Durham,  where  a  little  church  of  f  wands  and  branches ' 
was  constructed  to  receive  them,  till  a  more  suitable  building 
could  be  erected.  Later  the  so-called  White  Church  was 
built  in  honour  of  St.  Cuthbert  by  Bishop  Aldhelm,  to  be  in 
its  turn  replaced  by  the  Cathedral  of  Durham,  which  still 
enshrines  the  tomb  of  the  much-loved  Bishop. 

The  few  well-authenticated  facts  of  the  life  of  St.  Cuthbert 
have  been  supplemented  by  many  quaintly  picturesque  legends ; 
reflecting  in  a  marked  degree  the  character  of  the  man  who, 
in  spite  of  his  high  position  in  the  Church,  with  all  the 
anxieties  it  involved,  retained  to  the  last  the  simple  faith  of  the 
shepherd  lad  who  had  seen  heaven  lying  open  before  him.  It 
is  related  that,  even  when  St.  Cuthbert  was  a  mere  boy,  the 
winds  and  waves  obeyed  him,  for  one  day,  when  some  boats 
laden  with  timber  were  trying  in  vain  to  enter  the  harbour  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Tyne,  he  cried  aloud  to  God  for  help,  and 
the  wind  immediately  changed.  Later,  when  one  of  the  beams 
of  his  cell  on  Fame  islet  was  washed  away  in  a  storm,  he 
bid  the  waves  restore  it,  and  they  cast  it  at  his  feet  upon  the 
beach.  Equally  great  was  his  power  over  disease  and  human 
distress  of  every  kind.  When  the  wife  of  a  mighty  thane  was 
seized  with  madness,  the  prayers  of  the  Saint  restored  her  to 
sanity  even  before  he  saw  her ;  when  his  monks  were  hungry, 
he  called  upon  an  eagle  to  feed  them,  and  the  great  bird  at  once 
dropped  a  fish  he  was  bearing  off  to  his  eyrie.  Angels  visited  the 
saint  in  his  monastery,  and  on  one  occasion  a  heavenly  stranger 
left  three  loaves  of  bread  upon  the  table,  which  filled  the  refec- 
tory with  a  delicious  scent.  On  the  eve  of  the  defeat  of  King 
Egfrid  St.  Cuthbert  prophesied  that  the  royal  cause  would  be 
lost,  and  saved  the  life  of  the  Queen,  who  was  waiting  the  result 
of  the  battle  at  Bamborough,  by  warning  her  in  time  for  her  to  flee. 

When  St.  Cuthbert  was  apparently  alone  on  the  islet  of  Fame, 
he  was,  it  is  said,  constantly  surrounded  by  numbers  of  lowly 
friends,  the  birds  of  the  air  supplying  him  with  all  he  needed, 

VOL.  ni.  3 


34  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

and  the  fish  of  the  sea  obeying  his  voice.  The  monks  from 
the  house  of  rest  on  the  beach  used  to  tell  their  visitors  that  they 
often  heard  St.  Cuthbert  and  the  birds  talking  together,  evidently 
understanding  each  other's  speech;  and  one  of  the  brethren, 
perhaps  with  a  more  vivid  imagination  than  his  comrades, 
declared  that  on  a  certain  cold  morning  he  had  seen  two  otters 
warming  the  feet  of  the  Saint  by  rubbing  them  with  their  fur. 
Every  day  St.  Cuthbert  used  to  take  a  bath  in  the  sea,  and,  no 
matter  what  the  weather  might  be,  he  would  stand  for  hours 
with  only  his  head  above  water,  praising  God,  as  the  sea-birds 
circled  around  him. 

On  his  death-bed  St.  Cuthbert  is  said  to  have  laid  special 
injunctions  on  the  monks  of  Lindisfarne  to  protect  the  birds  of 
the  island,  and  he  bequeathed  a  small  sum  of  money  to  aid  them 
in  their  task,  declaring  that  anyone  who  should  break  the 
promise  would  meet  with  a  terrible  punishment.  To  this 
injunction  the  poetic  name  of  *  St.  Cuthbert's  Peace '  has  been 
given,  and  ever  since  the  death  of  the  Saint  it  has,  with  rare  ex- 
ceptions, been  religiously  kept,  no  one  being  allowed  to  molest  the 
birds  on  the  islet  of  Fame,  where  they  have,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
multiplied  exceedingly.  Even  the  big  birds  are  said  to  be  re- 
strained by  some  invisible  power  from  hurting  the  smaller  ones, 
and  dire  was  the  fate  which  befell  a  hawk  that  ate  a  lame 
sparrow  belonging  to  a  monk  named  Bartholomew.  The  hawk 
was  compelled  to  fly  ceaselessly  round  and  round  the  islet  till  he 
was  forgiven  in  the  name  of  St.  Cuthbert  by  the  owner  of  the 
victim,  and  it  is  claimed  that  since  then  no  bird  of  prey  has 
dared  to  indulge  its  evil  propensities.  After  the  death  of  the 
holy  Bishop  some  of  the  wonderful  power  he  had  exercised 
during  his  life  would  appear  to  have  remained  in  his  insensate 
remains.  When  his  coffin  was  opened  more  than  a  year  after 
his  soul  had  departed,  his  body  was  still  unchanged,  and,  in  the 
words  of  an  old  chronicler,  looked  as  if  it '  only  wanted  heate 
to  make  it  live.'  On  the  long  journey  from  Lindisfarne,  when 
the  monks  were  often  sorely  weary  of  dragging  their  heavy 
burden  along,  St.  Cuthbert  himself  often  came  to  their  aid, 
ordering  the  sea  to  widen  to  give  passage  for  their  boat,  as 
th$y  steered  out  of  the  narrow  inlet ;  revealing  to  them  where 
they  could  find  a  horse  to  draw  the  coffin  along  for  them,  and 
finally  indicating  the  right  place  for  interment  by  making  the 
body  so  heavy  it  was  impossible  to  move  it. 


SS.  WILFRID,  CHAD,  AND  CUTHBERT          35 

In  Durham  Cathedral  there  used  to  be  a  quaint  bas-relief, 
now  replaced  by  a  panel,  commemorating  an  incident  of  the 
last  stage  of  the  wanderings  of  the  dead  Bishop,  which,  under 
the  care  of  different  custodians,  had  lasted  for  more  than  a 
hundred  years.  This  bas-relief  represented  two  women  with  a 
cow,  and  the  story  to  which  it  refers  is  thus  related  by  Sanderson 
in  his  *  Antiquities  of  Durham ' :  '  Coming  with  him  [St. 
Cuthbert]  to  a  place  called  Wardenlawe,  they  could  not  with 
all  their  force  remove  his  body  further,  for  it  seemed  fastened 
to  the  ground  .  .  .  whereupon  they  fasted  and  prayed  three 
days  with  great  devotion,  to  know  by  revelation  from  God 
what  to  do  with  the  holy  body,  which  was  soon  granted  to 
them,  it  being  revealed  to  Eadmer,  a  virtuous  man  .  .  .  that  he 
should  be  carried  to  Dunholme.  They  were  again  in  great  distress 
in  not  knowing  where  Dunholme  lay ;  but  as  they  proceeded 
a  woman  wanting  her  cow  called  aloud  to  her  companion 
to  know  if  she  had  seen  her,  who  answered  she  was  in  Dun- 
holme.  This  was  a  happy  and  heavenly  sound  to  the  distressed 
monks,  who  thereby  had  intelligence  that  their  journey  was  at 
end,  and  the  Saint's  body  near  its  resting-place.' 

The  tradition  of  the  actual  place  where  the  bones  of  St. 
Cuthbert  now  rest  is  kept  in  the  Benedictine  Order,  being 
known  to  one  abbot  and  two  monks  only.  The  secret  is  not, 
according  to  the  Roman  Catholics,  to  be  revealed  until  Mass 
shall  again  be  said  in  Durham  Cathedral. 

A  linen  cloth  that  St.  Cuthbert  had  used  in  celebrating 
Mass  was  long  kept  as  a  standard  by  the  Northumbrians,  and  is 
said  in  every  case  to  have  brought  victory  to  their  arms. 
Sir  Walter  Scott  refers  in  *  Marmion'  to  an  old  superstition,  that 
St.  Cuthbert  himself  is  sometimes  seen  sitting  on  a  rock  by 
Lindisfarne  *  toiling  to  thread  the  sea-born  beads  that  bear  his 
name  ' — that  is  to  say,  the  fossil  encrinites  found  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, which  used  to  be  made  into  rosaries.  The  sainted 
apparition  is  supposed  to  sit  on  one  rock,  and  use  another  as 
an  anvil,  and  the  '  beads '  thus  manufactured  were  long  looked 
upon  as  charms  by  the  islanders. 

The  special  attributes  in  art  of  St.  Cuthbert  are  a  pillar  of 
light  above  him,  ia  allusion  to  his  vision  of  the  soul  of  St. 
Aidan  entering  heaven;  a  table  with  three  loaves  upon  it,  in 
memory  of  the  angel's  visit  to  his  refectory,  and  a  swan 
beside  him,  possibly  merely  to  indicate  his  familiarity  with  all 

3—2 


36  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

birds,  but  explained  by  some  as  indicating  his  love  of  solitude, 
of  which  the  swan  is  an  emblem.  Occasionally,  as  in  an 
old  statue  in  Durham  Cathedral,  and  in  a  fourteenth-century 
stained-glass  window  in  Christ  Church  Cathedral,  Oxford,  St. 
Cuthbert  is  represented  holding  in  his  hand  the  head  of  St. 
Oswald,  probably  merely  because,  as  related  above,  it  was 
buried  at  Lindisfarne.  Some,  however,  claim  that  it  was 
actually  taken  to  Durham  in  the  coffin  of  the  Bishop,  though 
it  was  certainly  not  there  when  the  coffin  was  opened. 

The  memory  of  St.  Cuthbert,  who  is  the  patron  Saint  of  the 
shepherds  of  the  North  of  England  and  of  the  mariners  of  the 
North  Sea,  is  still  greatly  venerated  in  his  diocese,  where  many 
churches,  most  of  them  marking  the  resting-places  of  his  dead 
body  on  its  long  journey,  are  dedicated  to  him.  He  is  looked 
upon  as  the  true  founder  of  Durham  Cathedral,  although  its 
first  stone  was  not  laid  until  several  centuries  after  he  had 
passed  away.  *  After  many  wanderings  past,'  says  Sir  Walter 
Scott  in  *  Marmion,5 

'  He  chose  his  lordly  seat  at  last 
Where  his  cathedral,  huge  and  vast, 
Looks  down  upon  the  Wear.3 

Various  scenes  from  the  life  and  legend  of  St.  Cuthbert  were 
introduced  in  the  stained-glass  windows — now,  alas !  destroyed 
— of  the  chapel  containing  his  tomb,  known  as  that  of  the  Nine 
Altars,  one  of  which  is  dedicated  to  him  and  to  St.  Bede ;  and 
in  the  library  of  the  cathedral  are  preserved  the  robes  taken  off 
the  remains  of  St.  Cuthbert  when  his  coffin  was  opened  in  1827. 
The  backs  of  the  stalls  in  Carlisle  Cathedral  are  adorned  with 
three  series  of  interesting  fifteenth-century  mural  paintings, 
each  picture  with  a  rhymed  description  beneath  it.  Saints 
Antony  the  Great,  Augustine,  and  Cuthbert  are  there  com- 
memorated, and  the  incidents  from  the  legend  of  the  last 
named  include :  the  healing  of  the  injured  knee,  when  '  Her 
the  angel  did  hym  eale,  and  made  hys  grievous  sore  to  hele ;' 
the  prophecy  that  St.  Cuthbert  would  be  made  a  bishop,  when 
'  Her  Basel  told  hy  yt  must  de,  and  after  yt  bysshop  should 
be;5  the  finding  of  his  body  still  undecayed,  when  'xi  yere 
after  yt  beryd  was  he,  yai  fand  hym  hole  as  red  may  ye/ 
On  the  north-east  pier  of  the  central  tower  of  the  same 
cathedral  there  used  to  be  a  representation  of  St.  Cuthbert 


BRITISH  SEVENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS          37 

tending  his  flocks  and  gazing  upon  the  vision  of  St.  Aidan's 
soul  entering  heaven,  and  in  Pittingdon  Church,  Durham,  are 
traces  of  mural  paintings  of  his  consecration  as  bishop  and 
the  visit  of  the  angels. 


CHAPTER  IV 

A   GROUP   OF   SEVENTH-CENTURY   SAINTS   OF  BRITISH   ORIGIN 

ON  the  death  of  St.  Cuthbert,  a  monk  from  the  Abbey  of  Ripon, 
named  Ethelwald,  took  possession  of  the  lonely  cell  on  Fame 
Islet,  where  he  dwelt  for  twelve  years,  rigorously  maintaining 
in  his  dealings  with  the  wild  creatures  the  traditions  of  his  great 
predecessor,  and  winning  also  a  great  reputation  for  his  power 
over  the  winds  and  waves.  When  he  died,  he  was  buried  above 
the  tomb  of  St.  Cuthbert  at  Lindisfarne,  and  his  body  shared 
the  long  wanderings  of  that  of  the  celebrated  bishop,  finding 
with  it  a  final  resting-place  at  Durham,  where  it  still  remains. 
The  memory  of  St.  Ethelwald  is  preserved  in  a  church  dedi- 
cated to  him  at  Alsingham,  the  sole  relic  of  a  monastery 
founded  in  his  honour  in  the  twelfth  century. 

As  Bishop  of  Lindisfarne,  St.  Cuthbert  was  succeeded  by 
St.  Eata,  who  had  been  one  of  St.  Aidan's  first  pupils  at 
lona,  and  was  Abbot  of  the  Monastery  of  Melrose  when  the 
young  Cuthbert  came  to  seek  admission,  after  his  wondrous 
vision  on  the  hillside.  St.  Eata  held  the  See  of  Hexham  as 
well  as  that  of  Lindisfarne,  but  he  exercised  comparatively  little 
influence  over  his  time,  and  his  fame  has  been  completely  over- 
shadowed alike  by  that  of  his  master,  St.  Aidan,  and  of  his  pupil, 
St.  Cuthbert.  He  is  occasionally  introduced  in  ecclesiastical 
decoration,  wearing  his  bishop's  robes,  notably  on  a  screen 
in  the  Cathedral  of  Hexham,  where  he  is  grouped  with  Saints 
Wilfrid  of  York,  John  of  Beverley,  and  other  church  digni- 
taries. 

Another  bishop  of  Hexham,  whose  name  is  still  much 
honoured  in  the  North  of  England,  was  St.  Acca,  the  successor 
of  St.  Eata,  and  the  devoted  follower  of  St.  Wilfrid  of  York, 
whom  he  accompanied  on  his  last  journey  to  Rome.  During 
his  long  episcopate  of  thirty  years,  St.  Acca  did  much  to 


38  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

improve  the  cathedral  of  Hexham,  and  on  the  screen  mentioned 
above  his  figure  appears  beside  that  of  St.  John  of  Beverley. 

Not  only  in  the  North  but  in  the  South  of  England  was 
great  progress  made  in  the  organization  of  the  Church  in  the 
seventh  and  eighth  centuries.  Amongst  the  ecclesiastics  who 
rose  to  eminence  as  earnest  workers  in  the  cause  of  Christianity, 
none  was  more  worthy  of  his  fame  than  St.  Birinus,  the  first 
bishop  of  Dorchester  in  Oxfordshire.  Of  Roman  birth,  he 
was  sent  to  England  by  Pope  Honorius  to  sow  the  seed  of 
the  holy  faith  in  the  Midlands ;  but  finding,  when  he  landed 
in  Hampshire,  that  the  dwellers  on  the  coast  were  still 
unconverted,  he  resolved  to  remain  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  them  before  going  further. 

A  man  of  great  eloquence  and  most  winning  personality,  St. 
Birinus  quickly  made  many  converts,  the  simple  peasants  and 
fisher-folk  learning  to  look  up  to  him,  as  one  able  to  aid  them  in 
every  necessity.  At  first  he  lived  on  the  vessel  in  which  he  had 
come  to  England,  that  lay  at  anchor  in  the  roadstead,  going 
backwards  and  forwards  to  the  shore  in  a  small  boat.  On  one 
occasion,  when  this  boat  was  missing,  he  is  said  to  have  walked 
dry-shod  from  the  beach  to  his  ship,  carrying  with  him  some  con- 
secrated bread  he  had  accidentally  left  behind  him  after  an  open- 
air  service.'  For  this  reason  the  special  attributes  in  art  of  St. 
Birinus  are  a  ship  and  a  chalice,  and  he  has  been  represented 
by  Jacques  Callot  and  others,  walking  on  the  sea,  carrying  the 
Host  in  a  monstrance.  After  evangelizing  the  coast  districts,  the 
missionary  proceeded  northwards,  founding  several  churches, 
and  finally  fixing  his  See  at  Dercis,  the  present  Dorchester, 
which  he  made  his  headquarters  until  his  death  in  650.  He 
was  buried  in  a  church  in  that  city,  and  in  one  of  the  old 
stained -glass  windows  which  have  escaped  destruction,  his 
voyage  to  England  and  his  preaching  to  the  natives  of  Hamp- 
shire, are  very  graphically  rendered.  Later  the  body  of  the 
great  Bishop  was  translated  to  Winchester  cathedral,  where 
it  is  supposed  still  to  remain.  His  figure  is  introduced  on  the 
reredos  of  that  building,  and  he  also  appears  in  the  stained- 
glass  windows  of  the  Lady  Chapel. 

With  St.  Birinus  may  justly  be  ranked  King  Sigebert  of 
East  Anglia,  and  the  French  priest  St.  Felix,  who  during  the 
exile  of  the  King  in  France  succeeded  in  converting  him  to 
Christianity.  When  Sigebert  was  recalled  home  after  his  tern- 


BRITISH  SEVENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS          39 

porary  banishment,  he  brought  St.  Felix  with  him,  and  for  some 
years  the  two  worked  eagerly  together,  founding  many  churches 
and  schools.  The  young  Frank,  to  whom  the  proud  title  of 
the  Apostle  of  East  Anglia  has  been  given,  was  consecrated 
Bishop  by  Archbishop  Honorius  of  Canterbury,  and  made 
Dunwich,  then  an  important  seaport,  his  headquarters.  Later, 
King  Sigebert  decided  that  he  could  serve  God  better  in 
the  cloister  than  on  the  throne,  and  he  resigned  his  crown 
to  his  cousin  Egric,  himself  withdrawing  to  a  monastery. 
Four  years  later  the  royal  recluse  was  dragged  from  his 
retreat  by  his  people,  who  hoped  that  his  sanctity  would  help 
them  in  the  struggle  with  King  Penda.  The  monk  king  was 
placed  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle,  but  he  refused  to  take  any 
share  in  the  fighting,  and  he  and  Egric  were  both  killed.  The 
next  king  of  East  Anglia  was  a  Christian,  who  seconded  all 
St.  Felix's  efforts,  and  when  the  latter  died  in  646,  the  whole 
country  had  been  won  over  to  the  true  faith. 

The  memory  of  Saints  Sigebert  and  Felix  is  still  held  sacred 
in  Suffolk.  The  King,  when  represented  in  art,  holds  a  church 
in  his  hand,  and  the  Bishop  a  candle,  both  symbolic  of  their 
propagation  of  the  Christian  religion.  Though  Dunwich,  from 
which  went  forth  so  many  missions,  is  now  beneath  the  waves, 
the  town  of  Felixstowe  preserves  the  name  of  the  good  French- 
man, and  it  is  also  retained  in  that  of  Felixkirk,  in  the  North 
Riding  of  Yorkshire,  an  incidental  proof  of  the  distance  to 
which  his  influence  extended. 

Another  much-honoured  Saint  of  the  seventh  century  was  St. 
Botolph,  whose  name  has  been  preserved  in  that  alike  of  the 
English  and  American  Boston,  the  original  form  of  which  was 
Botolph's  Town.  Although  scarcely  anything  is  known  of  the 
antecedents  or  life  of  the  Saint,  he  is  commemorated  in  the 
dedications  of  more  than  sixty  churches  in  England,  including 
four  in  London,  one  near  each  of  the  old  gates  of  the  city. 
Moreover,  his  fame  has  spread  even  to  Denmark,  where  his 
f6te-day,  June  17,  is  noted  in  many  calendars,  and  his  symbol 
is  a  bird  of  prey,  in  allusion  to  a  legend  that  he  compelled  a 
hawk  to  restore  uninjured  a  hen  it  was  carrying  off. 

St.  Botolph  is  supposed  to  have  been  of  noble  English  birth, 
and  to  have  been  converted  to  Christianity  when  travelling  with 
his  brother  Adulph  in  Belgic  Gaul.  On  his  return  home  he 
begged  the  King  of  East  Anglia  to  give  him  a  site  for  a 


40  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

monastery,  and  received  a  grant  of  marshy  land  somewhere  in 
Suffolk.  There  he  soon  gathered  a  little  community  of  monks 
about  him,  to  whom  he  is  said  to  have  taught  the  Benedictine 
rule,  so  that  he  may  possibly  have  been  the  first  to  introduce 
the  Order  of  St.  Benedict  in  England,  although  it  did  not  rise 
into  importance  until  three  centuries  later.  In  any  case,  St. 
Botolph  seems  to  have  been  a  true  pioneer  of  the  severe  monastic 
discipline  of  the  black  monks,  and  his  work  bore  considerable 
fruit  in  several  directions.  On  his  death  in  655,  he  was  buried 
in  the  church  of  his  monastery  in  the  fens,  but  when  it  was 
destroyed  by  the  Danes  his  relics  were  divided,  part  being  taken 
to  the  Monastery  of  Ely  and  part  to  that  of  Thorney.  Repre- 
sentations of  St.  Botolph  are  rare  in  England,  but  in  the 
chapter-house  of  Westminster  Abbey  is  preserved  a  seal  bearing 
his  effigy,  seated  with  a  book  in  his  hand  between  two  bishops, 
and  in  Newcourt's  *  Repertorium '  he  is  introduced  holding  a 
church. 

More  celebrated  than  St.  Botolph  was  the  so-called  St. 
Benedict  or  Bennet  Biscop,  whose  real  name  was  Biscop 
Baducing.  Of  noble  English  birth,  the  young  Biscop  was  for 
many  years  the  trusted  friend  and  adviser  of  King  Oswy,  and 
it  was  not  until  he  was  twenty-five  years  old,  that  he  resolved  to 
leave  the  world  to  dedicate  his  life  to  God.  He  began  his  new 
career  by  going  to  Rome  to  worship  at  the  shrines  of  the 
Apostles,  and  on  his  return  home  took  the  monastic  vows, 
assuming  the  name  of  Benedict,  by  which  he  was  henceforth 
to  be  known.  During  a  second  visit  to  Rome  he  was 
appointed  secretary  to  Theodore,  the  newly-consecrated  Arch- 
bishop of  Canterbury,  with  whom  he  came  back  to  England, 
and  who  made  him  Abbot  of  St.  Peter's  Monastery  in  the 
episcopal  city.  There  he  remained  for  two  years,  after  which 
he  obtained  permission  to  return  to  Northurnbria.  Before 
going  North,  however,  he  once  more  went  to  Rome  to  collect 
manuscripts,  pictures,  and  relics,  with  which  to  enrich  the 
churches  of  his  native  land. 

Laden  with  many  priceless  treasures,  St.  Benedict  arrived  a 
few  months  later  at  the  Court  of  King  Egfrid,  who  had  now 
succeeded  King  Oswy,  and  asked  for  a  grant  of  land  on  which 
to  build  a  monastery.  With  princely  generosity,  the  King 
gave  him  two  large  estates,  one  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wear,  the 
other  at  that  of  the  Tyne,  and  ere  long  rose  up  two  noble 


BRITISH  SEVENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS          41 

groups  of  buildings,  one  forming  the  Monastery  of  Wearmouth, 
the  other  that  of  Jarrow,  of  both  of  which  extensive  ruins 
still  remain,  bearing  witness  to  the  great  advance  made  in 
architecture  and  ecclesiastical  decoration  under  their  energetic 
founder.  The  abbey  at  Wearmouth  was  dedicated  to  St.  Peter, 
that  at  Jarrow  to  St.  Paul,  and  both  were  constructed  of 
stone,  a  material  hitherto  rarely  used  in  England.  More- 
over, St.  Benedict  sent  to  France  for  glaziers  to  teach 
the  English  workmen  how  to  make  glass,  and  he  adorned 
the  interior  of  the  Abbey  church  at  Jarrow  with  a  series  of 
paintings  representing  scenes  from  the  Old  and  New  Testa- 
ments, which  were  probably  the  first  decorations  of  the  kind 
introduced  in  Northumbria.  When  the  work  was  nearly  com- 
pleted, the  Abbot  went  for  a  fourth  time  to  Rome,  to  secure 
the  services  of  a  teacher  of  singing,  and  brought  back  with 
him,  by  permission  of  the  Pope,  the  leading  chorister  of  St. 
Peter's. 

Unfortunately,  not  long  after  the  completion  of  the  two  great 
abbeys  St.  Benedict  was  taken  seriously  ill.  A  stroke  of  paralysis 
destroyed  the  use  of  his  lower  limbs,  and  although  he  was  able 
for  many  months  to  direct  the  affairs  of  the  monks,  he  never 
walked  again.  Before  he  started  on  his  last  journey  to  Rome, 
he  had  appointed  a  monk  named  Sigfrid  to  represent  him 
during  his  absence,  and  he  now  named  him  his  successor ;  but, 
after  all,  Sigfrid  was  the  first  to  die.  A  touching  scene  took  place 
before  the  end  came,  for  St.  Benedict,  having  expressed  a  wish 
to  see  Sigfrid  once  more,  the  dying  monk  was  carried  to  the  cell 
of  the  Abbot  and  laid  beside  him  on  the  bed.  Both  were  almost 
too  weak  to  speak,  too  weak,  even,  to  turn  and  give  each  other 
the  kiss  of  peace;  but  they  managed  to  hold  a  whispered 
conference,  in  which  they  wound  up  their  earthly  affairs,  and 
nominated  a  certain  monk  called  Ceolfrid  Abbot  of  both 
monasteries  when  they  should  have  passed  away.  Sigfrid 
died  a  few  days  later,  but  St.  Benedict  lingered  for  six  months 
longer,  when  he,  too,  was  released  from  his  sufferings,  and  was 
buried  in  the  Abbey  church  of  Wearmouth.  His  remains  are 
said  to  have  been  translated  to  Thorney  Abbey  in  the  tenth 
century.  His  memory  is  still  greatly  venerated  in  the  North 
of  England  and  the  Midlands,  though  only  a  few  churches, 
notably  one  at  Norwich  and  one  at  Wombourne  in  Stafford- 
shire, are  dedicated  to  him,  and  he  appears  sometimes  in 


42  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

ecclesiastical  decoration  and  old  engravings — notably  in  a  print 
by  Hollar — wearing  his  episcopal  robes,  and  with  a  monastery 
on  either  side  of  him. 

The  question  whether  Bede  has  or  has  not  been  admitted  to 
the  full  honours  of  canonization  has  been  much  discussed.  He 
is  styled  Saint  by  some  writers,  whilst  others  accord  to  him  the 
title  of  Venerable  only.  In  any  case,  a  few  words  of  recognition 
must  be  given  to  him,  not  only  on  account  of  the  great  services 
he  has  rendered  to  all  who  are  interested  in  the  history  of  the 
early  Church  in  Britain,  but  also  because  he  is  occasionally 
associated  in  art  with  the  men  whose  life-stories  he  has  told 
with  such  full  and  reverent  sympathy. 

Bede,  or  Bedan,  as  he  is  called  by  some  old  chroniclers,  was 
born  in  a  little  village  near  the  mouth  of  the  Tyne,  which  has 
since  then  been  swallowed  up  by  the  sea.  Nothing  is  known  of 
his  parentage,  but  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  of  gentle  birth, 
and  he  was  sent  at  the  age  of  seven  to  St.  Peter's  Monastery 
at  Wearmouth,  to  be  educated  under  St.  Benedict  Biscop.  A 
year  later  the  future  historian  was  taken  by  the  Abbot  to  the 
twin  monastery  at  Jarrow,  and  there,  but  for  a  few  brief 
absences,  he  remained  until  his  death  at  the  age  of  sixty-two, 
spending  the  greater  portion  of  his  time  in  writing.  Ordained 
deacon  when  only  nineteen,  he  took  priest's  orders  eleven  years 
later,  and  but  for  his  own  refusal  to  accept  any  higher  office,  he 
would  no  doubt  have  been  elected  Abbot  of  one  of  the  great 
monasteries  founded  in  his  time. 

In  addition  to  his  celebrated  *  Ecclesiastical  History,'  '  Lives 
of  the  Abbots/  and  numerous  translations,  Bede  left  behind 
him  his  own  autobiography,  a  simple  yet  most  touching 
record  of  a  quiet,  unostentatious  round  of  daily  duties,  of 
unwearying  study,  and  of  earnest  devotion  to  the  Master,  to  the 
promotion  of  whose  glory  all  the  powers  of  his  mind  and  body 
were  dedicated.  His  work  was  indeed  one  long  prayer,  one 
yearning  aspiration  after  perfection,  and  everything  from  his 
pen  reflects  in  a  remarkable  degree  the  spirit  which  animated 
him ;  the  ambition,  to  quote  his  own  words,  *  some  time  or 
other  to  come  to  the  fountain  of  all  wisdom.'  The  story  of 
the  last  days  of  the  great  historian  has  been  told  by  one  or  his 
scholars,  a  young  man  named  Cuthbert,  who  in  a  letter  to  a 
friend,  gives  a  touching  picture  of  the  courage  with  which 
*  Bede  whom  God  loved  '  met  his  sufferings.  Every  day  to  the 


BRITISH  SEVENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS          43 

end  he  gathered  his  scholars  about  him,  singing  anthems 
with  them  and  directing  their  studies.  Once,  when  the  words 
6  Leave  us  not  orphans  '  occurred  in  the  anthem  for  the  day, 
the  dying  priest  burst  into  tears;  not,  Cuthbert  explains,  on 
account  of  his  own  approaching  departure,  but  because  of 
his  grief  for  the  friends  who  would  sorrow  for  his  loss.  He 
dictated  the  closing  sentences  of  his  translation  of  St.  John's 
Gospel  on  the  very  day  of  his  death.  When  his  breath  was 
almost  gone,  the  scribe  who  was  writing  for  him  said  to  him  : 
*  Most  dear  master,  one  sentence  still  remains  unfinished  :  will 
it  trouble  thee  to  complete  it  ?'  To  which  Bede  replied  :  '  It 
is  no  trouble;  take  thy  pen  and  write  quickly.'  When  the 
work  was  done,  the  master  begged  to  be  lifted  up,  that  he 
might  face  the  holy  place  where  he  had  been  wont  to  pray, 
and,  surrounded  by  his  friends  and  pupils,  he  passed  peacefully 
away,  the  words  of  the  Gloria  Patri  trembling  on  his  lips. 
He  was  buried  in  the  chapel  of  his  monastery,  but  in  the 
eleventh  century  his  remains  were  stolen  by  a  monk  named 
Elfrid,  who  took  them  to  Durham,  where  they  still  are,  their 
resting-place  in  the  Galilee  Chapel  being  marked  with  a  slab 
bearing  the  inscription  : 

4HAC  SUNT  IN  FOSSA 

VENERABILIS  OSSA.'* 


The  special  attribute  in  art  of  the  saintly  historian  is  a 
pitcher  or  jar  of  water,  on  which  rays  of  light  are  streaming 
from  above,  possibly  in  allusion  to  his  having  turned  to  the 
only  true  source  of  inspiration.  His  memory  is  still  greatly 
venerated  in  England  ;  there  is  an  altar  dedicated  to  him 
and  St.  Cuthbert  in  Durham  Cathedral;  in  the  sixteenth- 
century  *  Goodly  Prymer  '  he  is  one  of  the  Saints  whose 

Erayers  are  invoked,  and  there  are  also  several  wells  bearing 
is  name  in  the  North  of  England. 

A  celebrated  contemporary  of  Bede  was  St.  Guthlac  of 
the  Fens,  whose  legend  —  which  has  been  graphically  told  by  a 
monk  of  Jarrow  named  Felix  —  resembles  in  many  respects 
that  of  St.  Cuthbert.  The  son  of  noble  parents,  the  birth  of 
the  future  saint  is  said  to  have  been  accompanied  by  a 
supernatural  portent,  for  as  he  uttered  his  first  cry  a  hand  of 

*  In  this  grave  are  the  bones  of  the  Venerable  Bede. 


44  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

ruddy  gold  was  stretched  forth  from  the  sky  to  touch  a  cross 
at  his  mother's  door.  When  the  newly-made  mother  was  told 
of  the  wondrous  sign,  she  trembled  greatly,  but  the  nurse 
attending  her  told  her  to  be  of  good  cheer,  'for  her  son  would 
be  a  man  of  glory.'  The  fulfilment  of  this  prophecy  was  long 
delayed.  Guthlac,  it  is  true,  grew  up  strong,  handsome,  and 
manly,  but  he  was  also  terribly  self-willed,  and  it  was  not  until 
he  had  committed  many  crimes  as  the  leader  of  a  robber  band, 
that  his  heart  was  touched,  and  his  conscience  aroused  to 
recognition  of  the  real  nature  of  the  life  he  was  leading.  He 
suddenly  resolved  to  retire  from  the  world,  and,  having  called 
his  men  together,  he  told  them  to  find  another  captain,  for 
henceforth  he  meant  to  dedicate  himself  to  the  service  of  God. 
Remonstrance,  entreaties,  even  ridicule,  were  all  alike  of  no 
avail.  Guthlac  bade  his  old  comrades  an  affectionate  farewell, 
and  withdrew  to  the  monastery  of  Repton,  where  he  remained 
for  two  years,  winning  the  love  and  esteem  of  all  his  fellow- 
monks.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  decided  to  become  a 
hermit,  and  with  two  chosen  companions  he  retired  to  the  little 
islet  of  Croyland  in  the  fens,  where  he  dwelt  until  his  death  at 
the  early  age  of  forty-seven. 

It  is  related  that  in  his  seclusion  St.  Guthlac  was  often 
visited  by  St.  Bartholomew,  to  whom  he  had  long  been 
devoted,  and  that  again  and  again,  when  the  lonely  hermit 
was  assaulted  by  demons,  the  Apostle  came  to  his  rescue. 
Moreover,  tfoops  of  holy  spirits  attended  him  in  his  vigils, 
and  the  monks  who  were  with  him  used  sometimes  to  hear 
them  singing  such  cheering  words  as,  'Holy  men  shall  go 
from  strength  to  strength.'  The  wild  animals  of  the  fens  used 
to  come  to  St.  Guthlac  to  be  fed ;  the  birds,  especially  the 
ravens  and  crows,  formed  a  kind  of  bodyguard  about  him  when* 
he  went  abroad,  and  his  cell  was  surrounded  by  their  nests. 
As  time  went  on  and  the  fame  of  St.  Guthlac's  sanctity  spread 
far  and  near,  many  came  to  consult  him  in  their  difficulties, 
including,  it  is  said,  St.  Wilfrid  of  York,  and  King  Ethelbald, 
the  exiled  King  of  Mercia,  then  in  hourly  danger  of  assassina- 
tion. The  feathered  friends  of  the  hermit  did  not,  it  is  said, 
extend  their  affection  to  his  guests,  whom  they  looked  upon 
as  intruders,  and  they  would  often  steal  their  property;  but 
St.  Guthlac  always  knew  where  it  was  hidden,  and  a  word  from 
him  was  enough  to  ensure  restitution. 


BRITISH  SEVENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS         45 

The  popularity  of  the  holy  man  was  not  only  a  trial  to 
himself,  but  a  sore  temptation  to  a  certain  Beccel,  one  of  the 
monks  who  had  come  with  him  from  Repton.  Consumed 
with  jealousy,  he  resolved  to  poison  St.  Guthlac,  and  to 
pretend  that  the  death  was  natural,  hoping  perhaps  to  succeed 
him  as  hermit  of  Croyland,  or  at  least  to  win  money  and  glory 
by  showing  the  scene  of  his  death.  The  Saint,  however,  read 
every  thought  of  the  plotter,  and  charged  him  with  his  evil  inten- 
tions. Filled  with  remorse,  Beccel  fell  on  his  knees  entreating 
forgiveness,  which  was  readily  granted,  and  henceforth  St. 
Guthlac  had  no  more  devoted  follower  than  the  penitent  monk, 
who  remained  with  him  until  the  end,  soothing  his  last  hours. 

Not  long  after  St.  Guthlac's  withdrawal  to  Croyland  his 
sister  Vega  had  taken  up  her  residence  near  to  him,  and 
although — like  St.  Benedict  with  regard  to  St.  Scholastica^ — 
he  had  felt  it  his  duty  to  see  her  but  rarely  in  life,  his  thoughts 
turned  to  her  on  his  death-bed.  His  biographer  relates  that, 
when  he  knew  his  hours  were  numbered,  he  said  to  Beccel: 
1  After  my  soul  departs  from  the  body,  go  thou  to  rny  sister, 
and  say  to  her  that  for  this  end  here  on  earth  I  avoided  her 
presence  and  would  not  see  her,  that  we  two  hereafter  might 
see  each  other  in  heaven  before  the  face  of  God/  As  soon  as 
all  was  over,  therefore,  Beccel  went  to  take  the  sad  news  to 
Vega,  and  she  returned  with  him  in  all  haste,  to  watch  beside 
her  brother's  bier,  and  superintend  his  funeral. 

The  place  of  burial  of  St.  Guthlac  was  marked  by  a  little 
oratory,  succeeded  later  by  the  beautiful  Abbey  of  Croyland, 
the  ruins  of  which  still  bear  witness  to  its  former  grandeur. 
The  memory  of  the  lonely  hermit  is  still  greatly  revered 
in  Lincolnshire  and  the  neighbouring  counties,  where  many 
'churches  are  dedicated  to  him.  Amongst  certain  trea- 
sures bequeathed  by  Vega  to  the  newly  founded  Abbey  of 
Croyland  was  the  sacred  whip  of  St.  Bartholomew,  said  to 
have  been  used  by  the  Apostle  to  drive  off  the  demons  who 
assailed  St.  Guthlac  in  his  solitude,  for  which  reason  a  whip 
is  the  chief  attribute  in  art  of  the  hermit  of  the  fens.  He  holds 
one,  for  instance,  in  the  fine  statue  still  on  the  east  front  of 
Croyland  Abbey,  which  represents  him  with  tonsured  head, 
wearing  the  robes  of  a  monk,  raising  the  left  hand  in  benedic- 
tion, and  with  a  serpent — the  symbol  of  his  victory  over  evil— 
*  See  vol.  ii.t  pp.  254  and  255, 


46  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

at  his  feet.  In  certain  old  iconographies  St.  Guthlac  is  intro- 
duced putting  a  number  of  devils  to  flight,  sometimes  alone, 
sometimes  with  the  aid  of  St.  Bartholomew  or  an  angel,  and 
in  Birch's  '  Memorials  of  St.  Guthlac '  are  reproduced  certain 
designs  from  the  so-called  'Roll  of  St.  Guthlac/  dating  probably 
from  the  twelfth  century :  a  series  of  drawings  for  the  stained- 
glass  windows  of  Croyland  Abbey,  in  which  the  Saint  appears 
on  his  famous  '  inland  voyage '  to  the  site  of  his  monastery. 

More  widely  celebrated  than  St.  Guthlac  was  St.  Gall  of 
Ireland,  the  pupil,  friend,  and  companion  of  St.  Columban, 
who  is  said  to  have  accompanied  the  great  missionary 
on  many  of  his  journeys,  and  was  the  founder  of  the  first 
Benedictine  monastery  in  Switzerland,  now  secularized,  but  still 
retaining  his  name.  Early  distinguished  for  his  piety,  St.  Gall  is 
said  to  have  worked  many  miracles  during  his  life,  and  after  his 
^eath,  which  took  place  in  646,  in  a  cave  not  far  from  the  Abbey 
of  St.  Gall,  the  government  of  which  he  had  entrusted  to  others, 
many  who  made  pilgrimages  to  his  grave  were  healed  of  their 
diseases.  St.  Gall,  who  as  a  rule  holds  a  pilgrim's  staff,  in 
memory  of  his  many  journeys,  is  sometimes  represented  distri- 
buting golden  vessels  to  a  group  of  poor  people,  because^he  gave 
away  in  charity  the  rich  reward  he  received  for  exorcising  an 
evil  spirit,  who  had  long  tormented  the  daughter  of  a  Prankish 
count.  The  holy  Abbot,  who  is  supposed  to  be  the  special 
protector  of  poultry,  probably  merely  on  account  of  the  resem- 
blance of  his  name  to  the  Latin  word  gallus  (a  cock),  is 
generally  associated  with  a  bear,  because  he  is  said  to  have 
have  had  one  constantly  with  him  in  the  last  few  years 
of  his  life.  Sometimes,  as  on  the  seal  of  the  old  Abbey  of 
St.  Gall,  the  bear  stands  on  his  hind-legs  beside  his  master, 
who  is  feeding  him  with  some  bread,  or  the  animal  trots  beside 
St.  Gall,  carrying  wood  for  his  master's  fire.  More  rarely  he  is  t 
guarding  the  sleeping  hermit,  devouring  the  food  left  outside 
the  cave,  or,  as  in  a  group  on  the  southern  side  of  the  Abbey 
(now  the  Cathedral  of  St.  Gall),  he  crouches  at  the  feet  of  the 
seated  Abbot. 

Very  noted  .contemporaries  of  Saints  Gall  and  Guthlac  were 
Saints  Comgail  of  Bangor,  Columban  of  Leinster,  and  Willibrod 
of  Northumbria.  The  first,  who  was  for  a  long  time  Abbot  of  the 
great  Monastery  of  Banger,  on  the  coast  of  Down,  is  chiefly 
noted  for  the  miraculous  aid  said  to  have  been  given  to  him  when 


BRITISH  SEVENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS         47 

unexpected  guests  arrived  and  he  was  short  of  food,  a  number  of 
angels  having  appeared  walking  upon  the  sea  near  by^and  driving 
a  shoal  of  fishes  inshore.  A  stone  is  the  chief  attribute  in  art 
of  the  holy  Abbot,  because  he  is  supposed  to  have  been  able 
to  hold  a  red-hot  one  in  his  hand  without  being  burnt.  He 
was  the  friend  and  counsellor  of  the  more  celebrated  St.  Colum- 
ban,  who  studied  under  him  for  some  years,  and  at  the  age  of 
forty  went  with  his  consent  first  to  the  North  of  England,  and 
then  to  the  Continent,  to  preach  the  Gospel.  The  eloquent 
sermons  of  St.  Columban,  who  must  not  be  confounded  with 
St.  Columba  the  Apostle  of  Scotland,*  won  hundreds  to  the 
true  faith,  and  he  founded  numerous  monasteries,  including 
those  of  Luxeuil,  arid  Fontaine  in  the  Vosges,  and  Bobbio  in 
Lombardy.  In  the  course  of  his  travels  he  performed 
many  wonders,  and  is  said  on  one  occasion  to  have  converted 
a  number  of  heathen,  who  were  about  to  offer  sacrifice  to  their 
god  Wotan,  and  had  provided  a  huge  tub  full  of  beer  for  him 
to  drink.  St.  Columban  blew  upon  the  liquor  with  such  jforce 
that  it  burst  its  bounds,  breaking  the  tub  into  a  thousand  pieces. 
His  obstinacy  as  to  the  right  time  for  keeping  Easter  involved 
him  in  difficulties  with  the  French  Bishops ;  the  courage  with 
which  he  reproved  King  Theodoric  for  his  immorality,  led  to  his 
expulsion  from  France,  and  he  died  at  Bobbio  in  615,  one  year 
before  the  French  monarch. 

St.  Columban  is  generally  represented  in  the  robes  of  a 
Benedictine  monk,  because  though  he  did  not  belong  to  the 
Order  he  followed  the  rule  of  its  founder  in  his  private 
devotions.  His  chief  emblem  is  a  sun,  either  embroidered 
on  his  tunic  or  placed  upon  his  head,  in  memory  of  his 
mother  having  dreamt  before  his  birth,  that  she  would  bring 
a  gleaming  sun  into  the  world.  Occasionally  he  holds  a  crucifix 
with  leaves  and  flowers  springing  from  the  upper  end,  a  symbol 
of  the  fruitful  results  of  his  eloquence ;  chains  are  also  given  to 
him,  because  he  intervened  on  behalf  of  the  captives  taken  in 
war;  a  scourge,  on  account  of  his  severe  self-discipline;  and^ a 
spring  of  water  is  now  and  then  introduced  beside  him,  in 
memory  of  his  having  obtained  a  miraculous  supply  for  one  of 
his  monasteries.  A  bear  is  also  associated  with  the  saintly 
Abbot,  because  he  is  said  to  have  ordered  one  to  vacate  a 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  3oS'3°7.! 


48  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

cave  he  wished  to  use  himself,  or,  according  to  another  version 
of  the  story,  because  he  made  a  bear  that  was  devouring  the 
carcass  of  a  deer  slain  by  wolves,  give  up  its  meal  by  telling 
it  that  he  needed  the  skin  to  make  shoes  for  his  monks. 

St.  Willibrod,  whose  chief  art  emblem  is  a  crescent  embroidered 
on  his  robes — in  memory  of  his  mother  having  seen  one  in  the 
sky  just  before  his  birth,  a  presage  of  his  future  fame  as  a 
missionary — travelled  much  in  Northern  Europe,  evangelizing 
certain  districts  of  Holland,  Flanders,  and  Brabant.  He  is 
a  very  favourite  Saint  in  the  countries  in  which  he  worked, 
and  representations  of  him  are  numerous  in  old  engravings, 
illuminated  manuscripts,  and  stained -glass  windows.  His 
baptism  of  the  infant  son  of  Charles  Martel,  the  future 
King  Pepin  the  Short  of  France,  is  a  very  constant  subject, 
and  he  is  also  sometimes  seen  with  a  number  of  barrels  at 
his  feet,  because  he  is  said  to  have  filled  twelve  for  an  equal 
number  of  beggars  from  his  travelling  flask  of  Eucharistic 
wine.  More  rarely  he  is  placing  a  long-hilted  cross  in  an 
empty  flask,  possibly  in  allusion  to  the  same  incident,  or  he 
is  carrying  a  child  upon  his  shoulders,  because  he  is  said  to 
have  taken  a  number  of  young  Danes  to  France  to  be  educated 
as  missionaries  to  their  fellow-countrymen.  St.  Willibrod  died 
in  738  at  Epternac,  in  Luxembourg,  and  was  buried  there 
in  a  monastery  founded  by  himself.  His  tomb  used  to  be 
visited  by  numerous  pilgrims,  who  came  to  it  laden  with  chains 
and  fetters,  which  they  left  upon  it  when  relieved  from  their 
sufferings,  mental  or  bodily,  through  the  intercession  of  the 
Saint.  For  this  reason  chains  are  one  of  the  attributes  in  art 
of  St.  Willibrod,  who  is  supposed  to  be  the  special  friend  of 
penitents  and  of  those  suffering  from  epilepsy.  St.  Willibrod 
is  the  patron  Saint  of  Utrecht  (the  see  of  which  he  founded), 
as  well  as  of  the  whole  of  Flanders.  His  barrel  has  been 
worked  into  the  arms  of  Flushing,  and  in  the  *  Batavia  Sacra ' 
is  an  engraving  of  the  Bishop  with  water  gushing  up  at  his  feet, 
beneath  which  is  inscribed, '  Fontes  et  vina  creavit/  in  allusion, 
probably,  to  the  living  water  of  the  Gospel  the  holy  man  did  so 
much  to  distribute. 

St.  Swidbert,  who  was  of  Scotch  origin,  was  sent  to  Friesland 
by  St.  Wilfrid  of  York,  and  although  he  never  became  as 
famous  as  St.  Willibrod,  he  did  much  good  work,  founding  the 
Monastery  of  Kaiserweirth,  and  performing,  it  is  said,  many 


BRITISH  SEVENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS          49 

miracles  of  healing.  He  is  appealed  to  by  those  suffering  from 
diseases  of  the  throat,  and  he  may  be  distinguished  amongst 
other  abbots  by  the  star  on  his  breast,  in  his  hands — as  in  a 
painting  by  Bartolomaus  Bruyn  in  the  Munich  Gallery — 
or  worked  into  the  handle  of  his  crosier,  because  not  long 
before  he  came  into  the  world  his  mother  had  a  vision  of  a  star, 
with  rays  extending  far  away  into  the  distance,  and  knew  that 
her  future  child  would  become  a  missionary  in  some  distant 
land. 

With  Saints  Willibrod  and  Swidbert  may  justly  be  ranked 
the  great  Abbot  St.  Fursy  and  the  comparatively  humble 
worker  for  God,  St.  Egbert,  a  zealous  priest  of  Ireland.  The 
former,  of  whose  origin  nothing  is  really  known,  though  he 
is  supposed  to  have  been  of  royal  birth,  and  is  sometimes 
represented  wearing  a  crown,  became  Abbot  of  a  monastery  in 
the  Irish  diocese  of  Tuam,  but  went  to  France  on  the  invitation 
of  King  Clovis  II.,  and  had  begun  building  the  Abbey  of  Peronne 
when  his  career  was  cut  short  by  death.  The  art  attributes 
of  St.  Fursy  are  a  spring  of  water,  because  he  caused  one 
to  gush  forth  in  a  time  of  drought ;  flames,  in  memory  of  a 
vision  in  which  he  saw  the  whole  world  being  burnt  up  on 
account  of  the  wickedness  of  mankind;  and  a  pair  of  oxen 
crouching  beside  him,  because  after  his  death  the  disputed 
question  of  where  he  should  be  buried  is  said  to  have  been 
decided  by  his  bier  being  drawn  to  Peronne  by  two  oxen 
without  human  guidance. 

Though  St.  Egbert  longed  to  go  forth  to  teach  the  heathen  in 
foreign  lands,  he  resigned  his  own  will  to  work  amongst  the 
monks  of  lona,  for  the  vessel  in  which  he  had  sailed  was 
driven  back  by  a  storm  to  the  port  from  which  it  had  started. 
The  holy  man  died  just  after  he  had  celebrated  Mass, 
"and  for  this  reason  his  special  art  emblem  is  a  chalice  sur- 
mounted by  a  paten,  but  he  is  also  sometimes  represented 
preaching  to  the  monks  of  lona,  over  whom  he  acquired  a 
great  influence. 

Other  noted  Saints  of  the  seventh  century  who  worked  in 
the  British  Isles  were  St.  Erkenwald,  sometime  Bishop  of 
London,  whose  head  is  twice  represented  in  the  old  stained 
glass  of  Wells  Cathedral,  and  whose  figure  is  grouped  with  that 
of  St.  Edmund  on  the  rood-screen  of  the  church  of  Guilden- 

VOL.  in.  4 


50  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Morden  in  Cambridgeshire ;  and  St.  Ives,*  poetically  called  the 
Star  of  the  East,  and  '  the  Messenger  of  the^ True  -Light/  who, 
though  of  Persian  origin,  worked  as  a  missionary  in  the  Mid- 
lands of  England,  and  died  near  the  site  of  the  town  named 
after  him  in  Huntingdonshire,  whose  special  attribute  is  a  spring 
of  water,  because  a  fountain  is  said  to  have  gushed  forth  near 
his  resting-place  when  his  remains  were  discovered  in  the 
eleventh  century.  More  celebrated  than  either  of  them,  how- 
ever, was  St.  Aldhelm,  the  beloved  poet  Bishop  of  Sherborne, 
and  first  Abbot  of  the  celebrated  Abbey  of  Malmesbury,  whose 
name  is  preserved  in  a  meadow  near  that  city,  and  in  the 
dedications  of  numerous  churches,  notably  of  one  at  Bishopstow 
in  Wiltshire ;  with  whom  may  be  ranked  St.  Egwin,  Bishop  of 
Worcester,  founder  of  the  Abbey  of  Evesham,  and  the  bold  re- 
prover of  King  Ethelbald  of  Mercia,  whose  special  attributes  are 
a  spring  of  water,  because  he  is  said  to  have  made  one  gush  forth 
for  his  people  during  a  time  of  drought,  and  a  fish  with  a  key  in 
its  mouth,  as  on  an  old  ampulla  found  in  the  Ribble,  the  latter 
emblem  having  reference  to  a  quaint  tradition,  that  to  expiate 
the  follies  of  his  youth,  the  Saint  used  to  wear  padlocked  fetters 
on  his  ankles,  the  key  of  which  he  flung  into  the  sea.  It  is  related 
that  on  St.  Egwin's  voyage  home  from  Rome  the  sailors  on  his 
vessel  caught  a  large  fish,  which  when  opened  was  found  to 
contain  this  key,  a  fact  taken  by  the  Bishop  to  signify  that  he 
was  forgiven  by  God  and  released  from  his  penance,  St.  Egwin 
died  in  his  monastery  at  Evesham  in  719,  and  his  memory  is 
still  greatly  revered  in  Worcestershire.  He  is  supposed  to 
protect  those  who  travel  by  water,  because,  when  his  aid  was 
invoked  in  1039  ^n  a  great  storm,  by  Bishop  Elfwand  of  London, 
the  sea  at  once  became  quite  calm. 

Although  they  never  received  any  earthly  reward,  the  brothers 
Ewald  are  justly  ranked  amongst  the  most  earnest  workers  for 
God  of  the  seventh  century.  They  were  twins  of  Saxon  birth, 
one  with  dark  complexion  and  hair,  surnamed  the  Black,  the 
other  with  white  skin  and  golden  locks,  known  as  the  Fair. 
Their  tragic  story  has  been  graphically  told  by  Bede,  who  says 
that  they  >vere  brought  up  in  Ireland,  and,  having  been  ordained 

*  This  St.  Ives  must  not  be  confounded  with  the  maiden  Saint  of  the 
fifth  century  who  gave  her  name  to  a  fishing  village  in  Cornwall,  but  has  no 
special  attributes  in  art,  or  with  the  twelfth-century  St.  Ives  of  Chartres  and 
the  fourteenth- century  St.  Ives  of  Tr£guier. 


BRITISH  SEVENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS          51 

priests,  started  together  on  a  missionary  journey,  full  of  eager 
enthusiasm  for  the  conversion  of  the  heathen.  They  crossed 
the  ocean  safely,  and  had  passed  through  Friesland  without 
accident,  making  many  converts  by  the  way ;  but  on  the  borders 
of  Westphalia  they  were  set  upon  by  the  barbarous  natives  of 
the  country  and  slain.  St.  Ewald  the  Black  was  killed  with  one 
stroke  of  a  sword,  but  his  less  fortunate  brother  was  beaten  to 
death  with  clubs,  and  lingered  for  a  long  time  in  agony.  The 
bodies  of  both  were  flung  into  the  Rhine,  but  a  heavenly  light 
is  said  to  have  hovered  above  the  water  where  they  sank,  so 
that  they  were  recovered  and  given  honourable  burial  by  order 
of  the  enlightened  Pepin  d'Heristal  in  the  church  at  Cologne, 
in  which  St.  Cunibert  had  recently  been  interred. 

The  emblems  of  St.  Ewald  the  Black  are  a  sword  and  the 
martyr's  palm,  in  allusion  to  the  mode  of  his  death ;  and  he 
occasionally  holds  an  open  book  on  which  a  lamb  is  seated, 
possibly  because  of  the  submission  with  which  he  met  his 
fate.  St.  Ewald  the  White  has  a  club  and  a  chalice,  or  a 
club  and  a  book,  and  when  the  brothers  are  represented 
together  their  joint  attribute  is  a  luminous  cloud  or  rays 
of  light  above  their  heads,  in  memory  of  a  supernatural  phe- 
nomenon supposed  to  have  appeared  after  their  death.  There 
are  several  quaint  old  pictures  in  the  Munich  Gallery  of  incidents 
from  the  lives  of  the  brothers,  including  the  healing  of  a  woman 
possessed  of  a  devil  by  St.  Ewald  the  Fair,  and  the  twins  are 
referred  to  by  the  poet  Draytpn  in  his  *  Polyolbion  '  amongst 
the  English  saints  who,  in  his  opinion,  '  did  most  worthily 
attain  their  martyrs'  glorious  types/ 

Of  St.  Fiaker,  or  St.  Fiacre,  a  hermit  of  Irish  birth  who  left 
his  native  land  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  France  some  time  in 
the  seventh  century,  many  wonderful  stories  are  told.  Having 
rendered  a  service  to  a  Prankish  king,  that  monarch  said 
he  would  give  him  as  much  land  as  he  could  mark  out 
with  a  furrow  with  his  spade  in  the  course  of  one  day.  The 
holy  man  set  to  work,  and  the  furrow  is  said  to  have  made  itself 
in  front  of  his  implement  with  extraordinary  rapidity,  so  that 
at  the  end  of  the  appointed  time  the  hermit  found  himself  the 
owner  of  a  vast  estate.  Not  altogether  unnaturally,  he  was 
accused  by  a  woman  who  witnessed  the  miracle  of  dealings 
with  the  evil  one,  and  he  was  summoned  before  St.  Faro,  then 
Bishop  of  Meaux,  to  answer  for  his  supposed  crime.  Whilst 

4—2 


52  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

waiting  for  an  audience  St.  Fiacre  sat  down  upon  a  stone  bench, 
which,  strange  to  say,  retained  the  impress  of  his  form.  When 
he  had  left  it,  several  sufferers  who  had  come  to  consult  the 
Bishop  sat  on  this  same  seat,  and  were  at  once  healed  of  their 
diseases,  a  triumphant  proof  of  the  special  sanctity  of  St.  Fiacre. 
He  was  acquitted  and  allowed  to  take  possession  of  his  estate, 
but  what  he  did  with  it  the  legend  does  not  say,  for  he  is  sup- 
posed to  have  lived  and  died  a  hermit.  The  patron  Saint  of  the 
ancient  parish  of  St.  Sulpicius  in  Paris  and  of  several  French 
towns,  St.  Fiacre  is  supposed  to  look  after  the  interests  of 
gardeners,  because  he  cultivated  his  own  land,  and  also  for 
reasons  unexplained,  of  workers  in  pewter,  milliners  and  tile- 
makers.  He  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  cure  haemorrhage, 
because  of  the  incident  of  the  stone  seat,  one  of  the  sufferers 
healed  having  been  afflicted  with  it,  and  expectant  mothers 
appeal  to  him  for  aid. 

The  special  attribute  of  St.  Fiacre  is  a  spade ;  he  is  represented 
in  an  engraving  by  Jacques  Callot  digging  in  a  garden,  and 
he  appears  in  certain  iconographies  telling  his  beads  in  his  cell, 
or  reading,  with  a  spade  beside  him ;  seated  on  a  stone  seat, 
sometimes  with  a  doe  at  his  feet,  in  token  of  his  retirement  to 
the  forest ;  and  more  rarely  standing  up,  with  a  spade  or  a  staff 
in  his  hand,  whilst  a  woman  is  fiercely  gesticulating  near  him. 
On  a  leaden  medal  found  in  the  Seine,  and  now  in  the  Chmy 
Museum,  St.  Fiacre  is  seen  on  one  side  of  the  Bishop  of  Meaux, 
leaning  dejectedly  on  his  spade,  whilst  his  accuser  is  holding 
forth  on  the  other ;  and  on  another  of  these  quaint  relics  of 
the  early  days  of  Christianity  in  France,  the  hermit  towers 
above  a  little  woman  holding  what  looks  like  a  spindle. 

Yet  another  Saint  of  Irish  birth  who  went  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  the  Netherlands  was  St.  Lievin,  who,  after  winning 
a  few  converts  to  the  faith,  was  martyred  by  the  heathen,  together 
with  a  Flemish  lady  who  had  given  him  hospitality,  and  her 
infant  son.  The  tongue  of  St.  Lievin  was  torn  out,  and  he  was 
beheaded,  but  his  remains  were  collected  by  some  of  his  followers, 
and  eventually  buried  in  St.  Bavon  at  Ghent.  A  famous  paint- 
ing by  Rubens  of  the  death  of  the  Saint  is  now  in  the  Brussels 
Gallery,  and  St.  Lievin  is  sometimes  introduced  in  old  en- 
gravings and  stained-glass  windows  holding  his  own  tongue,  or 
looking  down  at  some  dogs  who  are  eating  it. 

With  St.  Lieven  may  be  ranked  the  more  or  less  apocryphal 


Dietrich  photo} 


{Brussels  Gallery 


THE    MARTYRDOM    OF    ST.    LIEVEN 
By  Rubens 


To  face  p.  52 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  53 

St.  Ronan,  whose  name  has  been  rendered  familiar  by  the  well- 
known  romance  of  Sir  Walter  Scott,  and  who  is  occasionally 
represented,  as  on  the  sign  of  an  inn  at  Innerieithen,  in 
Bishop's  robes,  holding  the  devil  prisoner  by  the  leg  with  the 
hook  of  his  episcopal  staff.  According  to  some^St  Ronan  was 
of  Scotch,  but  according  to  others  of  Breton,  origin,  and  at  the 
village  bearing  his  name  in  Brittany  a  tomb  is  shown  purporting 
to  be  his,  on  which  is  a  bas-relief  representing  the  holy 
man  treading  under  foot  a  dragon  that  is  biting  the^  staff 
of  his  crosier.  Elsewhere  St.  Ronan  is  introduced  making  a 
wolf  give  up  a  lamb  it  has  carried  off,  supposed  to  typify  his 
rescue  of  the  souls  of  his  flock  from  the  power  of  evil. 


CHAPTER  V 

SEVENTH-CENTURY   CLERGY 

ALTHOUGH  few  seventh-century  Saints  of  foreign  birth  exercised 
anything  like  so  great  an  influence  over  the  history  of  their 
time  as  did  St.  Augustine  of  Canterbury,  Saints  Paulinus  and 
Wilfrid  of  York,  St.  Cuthbert  of  Lindisfarne,  and  St.  Aidan  of 
lona,  or  Kings  Oswald  and  Edwin ;  many  attained  to  considerable 
eminence,  and  are  represented  occasionally  in  ecclesiastical 
art.  Amongst  them  Pope  Leo  II.  takes  first  rank  as  an  eager 
enthusiast  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  a  generous  protector  of  the 
poor,  and  a  reformer  of  church  music.  A  native  of  Sicily,  he 
succeeded  Pope  Agatho  in  681,  and  in  a  brief  pontificate  of  two 
years,  he  won  the  affection  and  respect  of  all  with  whom  he  was 
brought  in  contact.  His  chief  attribute  is  a  roll  or  book  of 
music,  but  he  is  also  sometimes  represented  embracing  a 
beggar. 

In  Rouen  and  its  immediate  neighbourhood  the  memory  is 
greatly  revered  of  St.  Romanus  or  Rornain,  who  was  Archbishop 
of  that  town  in  the  seventh  century,  and  is  credited  with  haying 
wrought  many  wonderful  miracles.  Belonging  to  an  aristo- 
cratic French  family,  he  was  brought  up  at  the  Court  of  King 
Clotaire  II. ;  but  having  resolved  to  dedicate  his  life  to  the 
service  of  God,  he  was  ordained  priest  as  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough.  He  was  chosen  to  succeed  Archbishop  Hidulphus  in 


54  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

626,  and  during  his  term  of  office  he  is  said  to  have  rooted  out 
the  last  remnants  of  idolatry.  It  is  related  that  when  the 
Seine  overflowed  its  banks  St.  Romain  averted  a  catastrophe 
by  making  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  the  raging  water ;  and 
when  a  careless  priest  dropped  and  broke  a  flask  of  holy  oil 
during  the  celebration  of  Mass,  he  mended  the  flask  and 
made  the  oil  flow  back  into  it  with  a  word.  He  subdued  a 
female  dragon  named  Gargouille,  who  had  long  ravaged  his 
diocese,  by  merely  flinging  his  stole  over  her  neck,  having 
first  enticed  her  from  her  lair  by  dragging  a  condemned  criminal 
to  its  mouth ;  and  one  day  when  he  was  officiating  at  Mass  a 
hand  was  seen  stretched  out  in  benediction  above  his  head. 

The  story  of  the  victory  over  the  dragon,  probably  merely 
a  poetic  commemoration  of  the  holy  man's  victory  over  evil, 
gave  rise  to  a  curious  privilege  granted  by  King  Dagobert 
to  the  Chapter  of  the  Cathedral  of  Rouen,  who  were  per- 
mitted on  every  Ascension  Day  to  release  a  prisoner  con- 
demned to  death  on  condition  of  his  carrying  the  Shrine 
of  St.  Romain  on  his  shoulders,  from  the  chapel  dedicated  to 
the  saint  to  the  cathedral,  preceded  by  an  image  of  Gargouille 
decked  with  flowers  and  ribbons.  The  image  of  the  dragon  is 
now  lost,  but  the  shrine  used  is  still  preserved  in  the  treasury 
of  the  cathedral,  and  a  chapel  on  the  site  of  that  in  which 
the  reprieved  criminal  received  the  burden,  remains  in  the  Place 
de  la  Haute  Vielle  Tour.  The  Brotherhood  of  St.  Romain, 
founded  in  the  fourteenth  century,  took  for  many  years  a 
prominent  part  in  the  Lev£e  de  la  Fierte,  or  Carrying  of  the 
Bier,  as  the  ceremony  of  the  release  of  the  prisoner  was  called, 
taking  care  of  the  Gargouille  image  from  year  to  year,  escorting 
the  prisoner  from  the  chapel  to  the  cathedral,  and  providing 
him  before  he  went  back  to  the  world  with  supper,  a  bed, 
breakfast,  and  a  new  hat. 

St.  Romain  died  in  639,  and,  after  resting  temporarily  in 
the  Church  of  St.  Godard,  was  buried  in  the  cathedral. 
The  patron  saint  of  those  in  danger  of  drowning,  and  the 
special  protector  of  the  insane  and  of  those  possessed  by  evil 
spirits,  he  is  generally  represented  with  a  dragon  at  his  feet,  or 
dragging  one  along  with  his  stole,  and  a  cross  in  his  right  hand. 
The  dragon  incident  is  introduced  on  the  Portail  aux  Libraires 
of  the  cathedral,  and  in  the  seventeenth-century  windows  of  the 
south  transept  are  represented  the  parents  of  the  saint,  with  the 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  55 

incidents  of  the  arrested  flood,  the  miracle  of  the  holy  oil, 
and  that  of  the  conquered  dragon,  the  divine  hand  outstretched 
to  bless  the  Archbishop,  and  the  granting  of  the  La  Fierte 
privilege  by  King  Dagobert. 

St.  Romain  was  succeeded  in  the  See  of  Rouen  by  St.  Ouen, 
the  friend  and  biographer  of  St.  Eloy  or  Eligius,  whose  fame 
has  eclipsed  his  own,  and  with  them  may  be  justly  ranked  their 
fellow-countrymen  Saints  Paul  of  Verdun,  Eucherius  of  Orleans, 
Malo  of  Aleth,  Wulfran  and  Lupus  of  Sens,  Amatus  of  Sion, 
Sulpicius  of  Bourges,  Claude  of  Besan£on,  Didier  of  Nevers, 
Arnould  of  Metz,  Omer  of  Terouanne,  Bonitus  of  Clermont, 
Aubert  of  Cambrai,  Leger  of  Autun,  G6ry  of  Cambrai,  and 
Ansbert  of  Rouen* 

The  original  name  of  the  successor  of  St.  Romain  was 
Audoen  or  Dadon,  which  was  gradually  corrupted  into  Ouen, 
of  which  the  English  Owen  is  the  equivalent.  The  son  of 
a  French  nobleman  of  high  rank  named  Autaire,  St.  Ouen 
was  sent  as  a  young  man  to  the  Court  of  King  Dagobert,  whose 
trusted  adviser  he  soon  became,  rising  eventually  to  the  position 
of  Chancellor  and  Keeper  of  the  Great  Seal.  In  spite  of  his 
political  success,  however,  his  heart  was  not  in  his  work,  and, 
aided  by  St.  Eloy,  he  spent  much  of  his  spare  time  and  the 
greater  part  of  his  income  in  building  in  the  neighbouring  forest 
of  Brie  a  monastery,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Jerusalem, 
a  touching  expression  of  his  yearning  for  the  heavenly  city. 
Some  little  time  after  the  death  of  King  Dagobert,  St.  Ouen 
won  the  permission  of  King  Clovis  IL  to  become  a  priest,  and 
soon  after  his  ordination  he  was  elected  Archbishop  of  Rouen ; 
an  incidental  proof  of  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held  by  the 
ecclesiastical  authorities.  For  forty-three  years  he  laboured 
zealously  in  his  diocese,  leading  an  austere  and  self-denying  life, 
and  gathering  about  him  a  body  of  devoted  followers  whom  he 
fired  with  his  own  enthusiasm.  He  died  in  683  at  Clichy,  near 
Paris,  whither  he  had  gone  to  inform  King  Theodoric  III.  of  his 
success  in  a  mission  with  which  he  had  been  entrusted.  His 
body  was  taken  back  to  Rouen,  and,  after  resting  temporarily 
in  the  Church  of  St.  Godard,  was  removed  to  that  then  occupying 
the  site  of  the  present  St.  Ouen,  one  of  the  noblest  Gothic 
buildings  in  France,  after  which  several  churches  in  England 
are  named,  notably  one  at  Hereford,  and  one  at  Bromham  in 
Bedfordshire. 


56  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

The  chief  symbols  in  art  of  the  beloved  Archbishop,  who  for 
some  unexplained  reason  is  supposed  to  be  the  special  protector 
of  the  deaf,  are  a  dragon,  because  of  his  victory  over  evil,  and 
a  cross  above  his  head,  because  on  one  occasion,  when  he  was 
driving  about  in  his  diocese  his  horses  refused  to  move,  arrested 
by  a  gleaming  cross  in  the  sky.  St.  Ouen  took  the  phenomenon 
to  mean  that  a  church  was  to  be  built  on  the  spot,  which  he 
marked  by  tracing  a  cross  with  a  goad  borrowed  from  a  herds- 
man who  happened  to  be  near.  In  memory  of  his  having 
silenced  some  frogs  who  disturbed  him  when  preaching,  a  frog 
is  sometimes  introduced  at  the  feet  of  St.  Ouen,  and  yet  another 
attribute  is  a  bier,  because  of  a  legend  to  the  effect  that,  when 
his  body  was  placed  on  a  boat  to  be  taken  down  the  Seine,  it 
could  not  be  moved  until  one  of  his  arms  had  been  given  to  the 
parish  in  which  he  died. 

St.  Eloy  or  Eligius,  one  of  the  very  few  artists  to  win  the 
honour  of  canonization,  began  life  as  an  apprentice  to  a  gold- 
smith at  Limoges,  but  showed  so  much  original  talent  that  he 
was  summoned  to  the  court  of  Clotaire  II.  of  Paris,  where 
he  quickly  rose  to  high  honour  as  one  of  the  most  skilful 
workers  in  metal  of  the  day.  He  designed  and  wrought  with 
his  own  hands  two  very  beautiful  chairs  of  state  for  his  royal 
patron  out  of  the  materials  supplied  to  him  for  one,  with  which 
the  King  was  so  delighted  that  he  made  the  artist  Master  of  the 
Mint,  and  conferred  many  other  privileges  upon  him.  St.  Ouen 
describes  the  young  goldsmith  as  a  man  of  noble  presence, 
whose  fine  figure  was  set  off  by  rich  apparel,  but  adds  that 
he  practised  many  austerities  in  secret,  and  as  time  went  on 
became  less  and  less  able  to  enjoy  the  gaiety  about  him,  so 
terrible  did  the  contrast  between  it  and  the  suffering  life  of  the 
poor  appear  to  him.  By  degrees  St.  Eloy  withdrew  himself  more 
and  more  from  his  careless  companions,  giving  away  much  of  his 
wealth  to  the  poor,  and  taking  a  very  special  interest  in  slaves, 
hundreds  of  whom  he  ransomed.  His  workshop  gradually 
became  a  centre,  not  only  of  art  production,  but  of  evangeliza- 
tion, and  to  it  flocked  crowds  of  young  men  eager  for  instruc- 
tion, not  only  in  the  working  of  metals,  but  in  the  true  principles 
of  Christianity. 

St.  Eloy  used  to  have  some  book  of  the  Bible  always  open 
before  him  as  he  worked,  and  several  times  a  day  the  master 
and  his  apprentices  would  join  in  bright  services  of  prayer 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  57 

and  praise.  Soon  after  the  accession  of  King  Dagobert, 
the  goldsmith  and  his  friend  St.  Ouen  were  ordained  priests, 
and  when  the  bishopric  of  Noyon  became  vacant,  St.  Eloy  was 
at  once  appointed  Bishop.  Henceforth  he  devoted  his  life  to 
the  arduous  duties  connected  with  his  vast  diocese,  which 
included  a  great  portion  of  the  present  Flanders,  often  at  the 
risk  of  his  life,  for  in  some  of  the  outlying  districts  the  people 
were  still  bigoted  heathens,  eager  to  destroy  those  who  interfered 
with  their  idolatrous  practices.  In  spite  of  all  opposition, 
however,  the  saintly  missionary  worked  on,  building  several 
monasteries  and  churches,  and,  like  St.  Paul,  continuing  ^  in 
his  rare  intervals  of  leisure  to  work  at  his  craft,  producing 
many  beautiful  shrines,  some  of  which,  including  those  of 
St.  Germanus  and  St.  Quentin,  still  remain  to  bear  witness 
to  his  remarkable  skill.  He  died  at  Noyon  in  659,  and  his 
remains  now  rest  in  the  cathedral  of  that  city. 

The  memory  of  St.  Eloy  is  held  sacred,  not  only  in  Northern 
France  and  Belgium,  but  also  in  England,  where  his  name  is  still 
preserved  in  that  of  the  parish  of  Weedon  Lois  in  Northampton, 
the  Church  of  St.  Loys  in  Great  Smeaton,  Yorkshire,  and  the 
Well  of  St.  Loys  at  Tottenham,  where  there  used  to  be  a  chapel 
called  the  Offertory  of  St.  Loy.  In  England  and  in  France  to 
swear  by  St.  Loy  was  long  considered  a  mere  evasion,  because 
on  one  occasion  the  saintly  goldsmith  refused  to  take  an  oath 
at  the  bidding  of  King  Dagobert,  declaring  that  his  word  was 
sufficiently  binding ;  a  fact  explaining  the  much-discussed  line 
in  the  *  Canterbury  Tales  ' — '  her  greatest  oath  was  by  Seint 
Loy,'  now  supposed  to  mean  that  the  Prioress  was  never  guilty 
of  swearing  at  all. 

St.  Eloy  was  credited  during  his  life  with  special  skill  in 
detecting  crime,  aided,  it  is  supposed,  from  beyond  the  grave  by 
St.  Columban,  who  had  blessed  him  in  his  infancy.  St.  Eloy 
had  also  the  power  of  subduing  wild  horses,  and  on  one  occasion 
he  reduced  a  horse  to  submission  with  a  word,  or,  according  to 
another  version  of  the  story,  implying  that  he  was  a  blacksmith 
as  well  as  a  goldsmith,  he  cut  off  the  leg  of  a  restle3S  horse, 
brought  to  him  to  be  shod,  and,  having  put  on  the  shoe,  restored 
the  limb  to  its  place,  the  horse  trotting  off  after  the  operation 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  That  the  good  Bishop  was  also 
able  to  circumvent  the  wiles  of  Satan  is  a  matter  of  course. 
When  the  evil  one  interrupted  him  at  his  work,  he  seized  him 


58  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

by  the  nose  with  his  red-hot  tongs,  thus  anticipating  the  victory 
of  St.  Dunstan,  and  many  were  the  sufferers  he  rescued  from 
the  evil  spirits  possessing  them.  He  could,  moreover,  still  a 
tempest  at  a  word ;  he  put  out  by  his  prayers  a  fire  consuming 
the  church  of  St.  Martial  at  Paris  and  caused  a  spring  of 
water  to  gush  forth  during  a  drought ;  foretold  the  fate  of  each 
member  of  the  royal  family  of  France,  which  had  been  revealed 
to  him  in  a  dream,  and  restored  to  life  a  man  who  had  been 
hanged,  by  giving  him  his  blessing.  On  his  death  the  soul  of 
St.  Eloy  is  said  to  have  been  seen  ascending  to  heaven  in  the 
form  of  a  luminous  star,  whilst  a  gleaming  cross  appeared  above 
his  house,  and  long  after  he  had  passed  away  his  relics  still 
continued  to  work  miracles.  He  also  belonged  to  the  group  of 
saints  known  as  myroblites,  whose  bodies  emit  a  healing  balm, 
and  St.  Ouen  asserts  that  the  drapery  flung  over  the  tomb  of  St. 
Eloy  during  Lent,  to  hide  the  gleaming  jewels  upon  it,  became 
saturated  with  the  supernatural  deposit,  which  healed  of  their 
infirmities  all  who  received  but  one  drop  of  it. 

St.  Eloy  is  the  patron  Saint  of  Noyon,  Antwerp,  Bologna, 
Limoges,  and  Marseilles;  of  jewellers,  goldsmiths,  blacksmiths, 
wheelwrights,  watchmakers,  stonemasons,  and  all  other  crafts- 
men, who  use,  or  used  to  use,  the  hammer ;  of  saddlers,  grooms, 
coachmen,  farmers,  and  veterinary  surgeons.  Sometimes  he 
wears  the  robes  of  a  Bishop,  as  in  the  fine  statue  by  Nanni  di 
Banco  on  the  west  front  of  Or,  San  Michele  at  Florence; 
sometimes  the  short  tunic  of  an  artisan,  as  on  certain  gold 
coins,  preserved  in  French  museums,  that  were  issued  during  his 
term  of  office  as  Master  of  the  Mint,  and  on  some  leaden  medals 
found  in  the  Seine,  on  one  of  which  the  horse-taming  incident 
is  graphically  rendered. 

An  ornate  shrine,  an  anvil,  a  saddle,  a  hammer,  a  pair  of 
bellows,  and  other  implements  of  the  blacksmith's  craft,  are  the 
usual  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Eloy ;  but  occasionallv,  as  on  a 
rood-screen  at  Hempstead  in  Norfolk,  he  holds  a  horse's  leg  as 
well  as  a  hammer;  or  a  Bishop"^  crosier,  as  on  a  screen  at 
Potter  Heigham,  also  in  Norfolk.  Scenes  from  his  life,  including 
the  making  of  the  thrones  for  King  Dagobert,  or  some  shrine 
for  the  relics  of  a  Saint,  the  discomfiture  of  the  devil,  the  dream 
in  which  the  royal  family,  whose  fate  was  foretold  in  it,  are 
symbolized  by  the  moon  and  three  stars,  the  taming  of  the 
horse,  the  shoeing  of  the  amputated  limb,  etc.,  are  of  frequent 


Alinari  photo} 


\I3orgo  San  Sepolcro 


SS.    GILES    AND    ANTONY   THE    GREAT 
By  Lttca  S  ignore  Hi 


To  face  p.  58 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  59 

occurrence  in  old  prints  and  stained-glass  windows.  In  Belgium 
the  hammer  of  St.  Eloy  is  sometimes  surmounted  by  a 
crown,  in  memory  of  the  holiness  of  the  goldsmith  bishop,  and 
the  French  have  a  proverb,  *  Cold  as  the  hammer  of  St.  Eloy/ 
in  allusion  to  the  hammer  being  held  at  rest. 

St.  Eloy  is  sometimes  associated  with  St.  Aure  because 
he  made  the  shrine  containing  her  relics.  He  appears  amongst 
the  attendant  Saints  in  Francucci's  fine  '  Virgin  and  Child  * 
in  the  Berlin  Gallery;  there  is  a  good  representation  of 
him  as  the  patron  Saint  of  the  goldsmiths  by  Pellegro  Piola 
in  the  Strada  dei  Orefici  at  Genoa,  and  incidents  from  his 
life  are  given  in  the  beautiful  bas-reliefs  on  the  predella 
of  an  altar-piece  by  Botticelli  in  the  Florence  Academy. 
One  of  the  finest  interpretations  of  St.  Eloy  is,  however,  that 
on  the  reverse  of  the  celebrated  Standard  painted  by  Luca 
Signorelli  for  the  Brotherhood  of  S.  Antonio  Abbate,  now  in 
the  Municipio  of  Borgo  S.  Sepolcro,  in  which  the  goldsmith 
bishop  stands  beside  St.  Antony  the  Great,  holding  in  one 
hand  a  farrier's  hammer,  and  in  the  other  a  horse's  leg. 

Of  St.  Paul  of  Verdun,  to  whom  King  Dagobert  was  much 
attached,  very  little  is  known,  except  that  he  began  life  as  a 
monk  and  became  bishop  of  the  city  with  which  his  name 
is  associated.  His  symbols  in  art  are  a  torch  or  candle,  in  token 
of  his  having  spread  the  light  of  the  faith,  and  an  oven,  in 
memory  of  a  miracle  said  to  have  been  wrought  on  his  behalf, 
when  he  was  acting  as  baker  for  his  monastery,  and  had  been 
so  absorbed  in  prayer  as  to  have  entirely  forgotten  his  duties* 
The  refectory  bell  had  rung ;  the  monks  were  trooping  to  their 
meal,  but  there  was  no  bread.  The  Saint,  however,  went  to 
the  oven,  cleaned  it  out,  and  popped  in  the  loaves,  which  were 
ready  when  they  were  called  for,  although  no  fire  had  been 
lighted. 

St.  Eucherius  of  Orleans  is  chiefly  remembered  for  his  conflict 
with  Charles  Mattel,  who  treated  the  dignitaries  of  the  Church, 
even  when,  as  in  this  case,  they  were  appointed  by  himself,  as 
mere  pawns  in  his  political  game.  Brought  up  in  the  celebrated 
Abbey  of  Jumi&ges,  St.  Eucherius  was  made  Bishop  of  Orleans 
in  721,  but,  having  offended  Charles  Martel  by  his  protest  against 
the  confiscation  of  the  ecclesiastical  revenues,  he  was  removed 
from  his  see  in  737,  and  exiled  to  Belgium,  where  he  died  in 
the  Monastery  of  St.  Trond  in  743,  two  years  after  his  oppressor. 


60  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

There  is  a  statue  of  the  Bishop  presenting  a  model  of  a  church 
to  Christ  above  a  gateway  at  Trier,  and  he  is  sometimes  repre- 
sented, as  in  an  engraving  by  Jacques  Callot.  standing  by  an 
open  tomb,  from  which  a  reptile  is  issuing,  or  watching  a 
demon  perishing  in  the  midst  of  flames,  reptile  and  demon  both 
being  supposed  to  typify  the  final  discomfiture  of  Charles 
Martel. 

According  to  some  authorities  St.  Malo,  or  Maclou,  was 
of  Welsh  origin,  whilst  others  say  he  was  born  in  Brittany. 
In  any  case  he  was  sent  to  the  Monastery  of  Aleth,  in 
that  province,  at  a  very  early  age,  and  is  claimed  by  the 
French  as  their  fellow-countryman.  From  the  first  the  boy 
appeared  to  be  under  the  special  protection  of  Heaven.  One 
day  when  he  had  fallen  asleep  on  the  beach,  he  was  overtaken 
by  the  tide,  but  just  as  those  who  were  seeking  him  had  given 
up  hope  of  finding  him,  he  was  discovered  floating,  unharmed, 
on  a  mass  of  seaweed  in  the  harbour.  In  541  he  was  chosen 
Bishop  of  Aleth,  to  which  the  name  of  St.  Malo  was  subse- 
quently given,  and  for  fourteen  years  he  ruled  his  diocese  with 
indefatigable  zeal.  Little  as  is  really  known  of  St.  Malo,  he  is 
credited  with  having  performed  many  wonderful  works.  He  is 
said,  for  instance,  to  have  struck  blind  a  Prankish  count  who  had 
destroyed  a  church  founded  by  him,  and  then  to  have  restored 
the  sight  of  the  sufferer.  Wishing  to  celebrate  Mass  one  Easter 
Day  when  he  was  out  at  sea  with  some  of  his  fellow-missionaries, 
he  saw  what  he  took  for  an  island,  and  disembarked  upon  it. 
The  supposed  land  was  really  a  whale,  but  the  animal,  recog- 
nising the  importance  of  the  occasion,  remained  quiet  till  the 
worshippers  had  returned  on  board,  when,  to  everyone's 
astonishment,  it  plunged  into  the  sea. 

On  another  occasion  a  rock  presented  itself  to  St.  Malo  when 
he  was  seeking  a  boat,  and  on  it  he  made  a  successful  voyage  to 
the  Canary  Islands.  A  wolf  that  had  carried  off  a  ram  belonging 
to  the  monks  of  Aleth  was  compelled  by  the  Saint  to  act  hence- 
forth as  guardian  of  the  flock  and  carry  wood  for  the  convent. 
In  fact,  animate  and  inanimate  nature  were  alike  supposed  to 
be  subject  to  him,  and  his  memory  is  still  venerated  through- 
out Brittany  as  that  of  one  who  never  failed  to  accomplish 
what  he  had  once  resolved  to  do.  His  special  emblems 
in  art  are  a  boat,  a  whale,  and  a  wolf.  He  is  occasionally 
represented  as  a  boy  floating  on  seaweed,  or  as  a  man 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  61 

restoring  sight  to  the  penitent  nobleman,  or  giving  his  orders  to 
the  wolf.  In  a  quaint  old  engraving,  reproduced  by  Pere 
Cahier  in  his  '  Caract&istiques  des  Saints/  the  holy  man,  in 
bishop's  robes,  and  with  the  chalice  in  his  hands,  stands  upon 
the  back  of  a  very  vigorous-looking  whale  that  appears  to  \>e 
fully  conscious  of  its  strange  burden. 

St.  Malo  is  generally  grouped  in  ecclesiastical  decoration  with 
the  other  missionary  bishops  of  Brittany,  but  now  and  then  he 
appears  with  St.  Brandan,  whose  legend  somewhat  resembles 
his  own.*  ^  Some  few,  indeed,  claim  that  he  was  the  companion 
of  the  Celtic  missionary  on  his  visit  to  the  '  Paradise  of  Birds ' ; 
he  has  also  been  identified  with  the  St.  Mawes  or  Mauditus 
whose  memory  is  preserved  in  certain  Cornish  dedications  of 
churches,  and  ^it  seems  probable  that  St.  Malo's  Moor,  in  the 
parish  of  Mullion  in  the  same  county,  is  really  named  after  the 
Bishop  of  Aleth. 

Although  very  little  is  known  of  St.  Lupus  or  Leu,  who  was 
Archbishop  of  Sens  from  609  to  623,  his  memory  is  still  held 
sacred  in  northern  France,  and  many  legends  have  gathered 
about  his  name.  The  friend  and  comrade  of  King  Clotaire  II., 
he  obtained  a  great  influence  over  that  monarch,  and  it  is  re- 
lated that  on  one  occasion,  when  he  was  performing  Mass  in 
the  presence  of  the  Court,  a  stone,  or  according  to  another 
version  a  scroll,  bearing  the  pardon  of  the  King  for  a  crime 
known  only  to  himself  and  the  Archbishop  fell  into  the  chalice. 
A  similar  story  is  told  of  St.  Eleutherius  of  Tournayt  and  of 
the  Abbot  St.  Giles,  and  from  the  latter  has  evidently  been 
filched  the  emblem  of  the  stag  sometimes  given  to  St.  Leu, 
although  he  had  no  right  to  it,  probably  because  he  and  St. 
Giles  are  both  feted  on  September  i.  In  addition  to  the  stone, 
which  sometimes  becomes  a  gleaming  diamond,  the  scroll,  and 
the  chalice,  the  divine  hand  extended  in  blessing  above  his  head, 
is  also  occasionally  associated  with  St.  Leu,  on  account  of 
the  direct  inspiration  he  is  supposed  to  have  received  from  on 
high,  and  a  lion  or  a  wolf  is  often  introduced  crouching  at  his 
feet,  the  former  probably  in  allusion  to  his  influence  over  King 
Clotaire,  the  latter  because  his  name  signifies  wolf.  Now  and 
then  the  Archbishop  is  seen  restoring  sight  to  a  blind  man; 

*  For  account  of  St.  Brandan,  see  vol.  ii,  pp.  303-305. 
t  For  legend  of  St.  Eleutherius,  see  vol.  ii.,  pp;  309-311. 


62  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

extinguishing  a  conflagration  by  his  prayers;  blessing  a  waggon- 
load  of  provisions  received  in  time  of  famine  through  his  inter- 
cession ;  standing  at  an  altar  giving  the  miraculous  diamond  or 
scroll  to  King  Clotaire ;  or  digging  in  the  ground  in  search  of 
a  treasure,  the  existence  of  which  was  revealed  to  him  in  a  dream. 
St.  Leu  is  the  patron  saint  of  shepherds,  whom  he  is  supposed 
to  protect  from  wolves,  and  also  of  children  in  the  districts 
which  used  to  be  ravaged  by  those  animals. 

St.  Wulfran,  who  became  Archbishop  of  Sens  in  682, 
though  not  so  celebrated  as  St.  Leu,  occupied  for  a  short 
time  much  the  same  position  as  his  predecessor  had  done 
at  the  French  Court,  and  did  a  great  deal  to  keep 
the  king  in  the  right  path.  He  had  not  long  been 
Archbishop,  however,  before  he  resolved  to  resign  all 
his  dignities  and  go  forth  as  a  humble  missionary  to  Fries- 
land,  where  he  converted  many  heathen,  winning  them  over 
partly  by  his  great  eloquence,  and  partly  through  the  wonderful 
miracles  he  is  said  to  have  performed.  He  even  touched  the 
heart  of  the  notorious  King  Radbod,  by  restoring  to  life  one 
of  his  victims  who  had  been  hanged,  and  the  savage  warrior 
had  actually  consented  to  be  baptized,  when  a  fear  that 
the  rite  might  separate  him  in  the  other  world  from  his  own 
people,  led  him  to  draw  back.  He  asked  St.  Wulfran  where  he 
supposed  his  ancestors  were  now,  and  the  missionary,  with 
singular  want  of  tact,  replied  that  they  were  probably  in  hell. 
This  was  enough  for  King  Radbod;  he  would  have  no  more  to  do 
with  Christianity ;  but  his  son  and  heir  had  been  baptized,  and 
the  work  begun  by  St.  Wulfran  was  carried  on  after  his  death 
by  his  converts,  amongst  whom  was  the  man  he  had  resusci- 
tated. The  patron  of  the  whole  of  Friesland,  of  Abbeville,  and 
of  Sens,  St.  Wulfran  is  sometimes  introduced  in  stained-glass 
windows  and  elsewhere  baptizing  the  son  of  King  Radbod,  or 
with  the  young  man  standing  beside  him*  He  is  also  now 
and  then  represented  dropping  a  sounding-line  into  the  sea 
from  the  deck  of  a  vessel,  because  he  is  said  to  have  recovered 
with  a  rope,  a  paten  which  his  assistant  priest  had  dropped 
overboard  when  Mass  was  being  celebrated.  The  relics  of  the 
missionary,  after  being  lost  for  a  long  time,  are  said  to  have 
been  discovered  at  St.  Vaudrille,  on  the  Seine,  whence  they 
were  translated  to  Abbeville. 

St.  Amatus,  Bishop  of  Sion,  in  the  Valais,  from  669  to  675, 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  63 

either  resigned  or  was  deprived  of  his  dignities  after  five  years' 
hard  work,  and  ended  his  life  as  a  monk  in  a  monastery 
at  Breuil  in  Flanders,  where  he  was  greatly  honoured,  on 
account  of  his  saintly  life  and  the  miracles  he  is  supposed  to 
have  performed.  His  emblems  in  art  are  a  raven,  because  the 
devil  is  said  to  have  appeared  to  him  in  the  form  of  that  bird 
and  to  have  carried  off  his  bread ;  a  sunbeam,  because,  like  St. 
Bridget  *  and  other  favoured  saints,  he  hung  his  cloak  on  one. 
He  is  also  sometimes  represented  throwing  money  into  a  river, 
in  memory  of  his  contempt  for  riches,  or  causing  water  to  gush 
out  of  a  rock,  probably  because  of  his  zeal  in  distributing  the 
living  waters  of  the  Gospel. 

St.  Sulpicius,  surnamed  the  D^bonnaire  or  good-natured, 
who  was  Archbishop  of  Bourges  from  624  to  664,  is  chiefly 
celebrated  for  his  goodness  to  the  poor  and  eloquent  preaching. 
He  has  been  represented  by  Jacques  Callot  and  others  visiting 
the  sick ;  preaching  to  a  group  of  clergy  in  his  Bishop's  robes ; 
holding  a  scroll  on  which  is  written,  *  Habentes  alimenta  et 
quibus  tegamur,  his  contenti  simus  '  (Having  food  and  raiment, 
let  us  be  therewith  content) ;  distributing  gifts  to  soldiers, 
possibly  in  allusion  to  his  having  been  Chaplain  and  Treasurer 
to  King  Clotaire  II. ;  and  standing  beside  the  bed  of  that 
monarch,  whom  he  is  apparently  exhorting,  in  memory  of  his 
having  prophesied  his  recovery  when  the  doctors  had  given 
him  up. 

St.  Claude,  Bishop  of  Besan£on,  and  later  Abbot  of  an 
important  monastery  that  now  bears  his  name  in  the  Jura 
Mountains,  is  a  very  favourite  Saint  in  France  and  Switzerland ; 
not  so  much  for  what  he  did  in  his  life,  of  which  little  is 
known,  but  on  account  of  the  wonders  he  is  said  to  have 
performed  after  his  death.  He  is  supposed  to  have  saved 
many  from  drowning,  and  is  often  represented,  as  in  a  painting 
on  a  panel  at  Douai,  blessing  a  child,  who  is  seated  at  his  feet 
on  the  edge  of  a  well  or  of  a  tomb,  and  has  evidently  just  been 
rescued  from  some  great  peril.  St.  Claude  also  sometimes 
appears  surrounded  by  captives  whose  chains  are  falling  off, 
some  say  on  account  of  his  sympathy  with  prisoners,  others 
because  those  he  saved  from  physical  or  mental  suffering  by 
his  intercession  used  to  leave  chains  upon  his  tomb  in  memory 

*  For  legend  of  St  Bridget,  see  vol.  ii.,  pp.  247-250. 


64  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

of  their  relief.  To  him,  too,  on  account  of  his  having  resigned 
his  see  to  become  a  monk,  is  given  the  shell  of  the  pilgrim, 
as  on  the  reverse  side  of  several  medals  bearing  his  effigy,  found 
in  the  Seine,  notably  on  one  representing  him  as  patron  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  St.  James  of  Compostella,*  A  torch  or  candle, 
in  allusion  to  his  eloquent  preaching,  is  another  of  the  attributes 
of  St.  Claude,  and  he  also  sometimes  has  the  singular  emblem 
of  a  whistle,  because  the  making  of  whistles  and  other  children's 
toys  is  the  chief  industry  of  a  village  named  after  him  in  his  old 
diocese.  On  a  medal  reproduced  in  M.  J.  de  Fontenoy's  well- 
known  Manuel,  two  whistles  are  introduced  beneath  the  Arch- 
bishop's name,  and  on  the  reverse  side  of  one  of  those  found  in 
the  Seine,  the  pilgrim's  shell  is  combined  with  the  whistles. 
The  patron  Saint  of  Besan9on  and  of  the  department  of 
the  Jura,  St.  Claude  is  supposed  to  look  after  the  interests 
of  miners  and  toy-makers  throughout  France.  He  was  buried 
in  his  own  abbey  church,  and  for  many  years  his  shrine  was 
the  goal  of  hundreds  of  pilgrims,  who  were  allowed  to  kiss  the 
feet  of  the  dead  Abbot,  which  were  exposed  three  times  a  day. 
Even  now  many  toys  made  in  France  and  Switzerland  bear 
the  emblems  of  St.  Claude,  and  the  whistles  and  flutes  used 
by  the  shepherds  in  the  mountains  and  for  calling  cattle,  fre- 
quently have  a  dedication  to  him  cut  upon  them.  If  sheep  are 
lost  or  have  strayed  in  the  mountains,  St.  Claude  is  entreated 
to  find  them ;  crooks  bearing  his  name  are  in  constant  use,  and 
even  the  hurdles  of  the  sheepfold  are  blesssd  by  the  local 
Bishop  in  the  name  of  the  Holy  Trinity  and  placed  under 
the  special  protection  of  the  beloved  Saint. 

St.  Didier,  Die  or  Deodatus,  whose  name  signifies  '  the  gift 
of  God/  was  Bishop  of  Trier  from  655  to  664,  when  he 
resigned  his  dignity  and  withdrew  to  a  cell  in  the  Vosges 
Mountains,  that  eventually  became  the  nucleus  of  an  important 
monastery,  round  about  which  gathered  the  town  of  St.  Die, 
named  after  the  saintly  recluse.  The  devoted  friend  and  frequent 
companion  of  St.  Hidulphus,  whose  legend  is  related  below. 
St.  Didier  died  in  his  arms,  and  is  sometimes  grouped  with  him 
in  stained-glass  windows  and  elsewhere.  The  Bishop  of  Trier 
is  generally  represented  healing  a  woman  possessed  of  an  evil 
spirit,  or  arresting  the  bursting  of  a  thundercloud  with  his 

*  See  vol.  I,  p.  120. 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  65 

uplifted  arm,  the  result,  probably,  of  his  having  been  con- 
founded with  St.  Donatian,  of  Rheims,*  whose  name  resembles 
his  own.  The  pilgrim's  staff  is  also  given  to  St.  Didier,  in 
memory  of  his  journey  from  Trier  to  the  forest,  and,  as 
founder  of  a  monastery,  he  often  holds  a  church  in  his 
hand. 

Far  more  celebrated  than  St.  Didier  is  St.  Arnould  or 
Arnulphus  of  Metz,  a  Frenchman  of  high  rank  who  long  held 
an  important  post  at  the  Court  of  King  Clotaire  II.  He  was 
married  to  a  noble  lady,  and  the  father  of  two  sons,  before  he 
resolved  to  renounce  the  world  and  become  a  monk.  His  wife 
at  the  same  time  retired  to  a  convent,  and  the  boys,  from  one 
of  whom  descended  the  royal  Carlovingian  race,  were  educated 
away  from  their  parents.  In  spite  of  his  own  protests,  St. 
Arnould  was  made  Bishop  of  Mete  in  614,  but  in  622  he  resigned 
all  his  dignities,  and  spent  the  remaining  years  of  his  life  in  the 
Vosges  Mountains,  in  a  cell  in  which  he  died  in  640.  His 
remains  were  brought  to  Metz,  and  interred  with  great  pomp 
in  the  church  later  named  after  him. 

St.  Arnould  is  sometimes  grouped  with  his  mother,  St.  Oda, 
his  wife,  St.  Doda,  and  his  younger  son,  St.  Cloud,  who  was 
later  Bishop  of  Metz ;  or  a  man  in  royal  robes,  but  with  bare 
feet,  is  introduced  kneeling  before  him,  in  memory  of  the  legend 
that  when  he  was  Bishop  of  Metz  Pepin  de  Landen  confessed 
to  him  every  day.  As  a  general  rule,  however,  St.  Arnould  is 
represented  alone,  putting  out  a  fire  which  was  consuming  the 
palace  of  the  Prankish  King,  by  raising  his  right  hand  in  benedic- 
tion ;  or  holding  a  fish  from  which  he  is  taking  a  ring,  in  allusion 
to  a  legend  to  the  effect,  that  when  he  was  a  young  man  he 
threw  a  ring  into  the  Moselle,  declaring  that  until  it  was  restored 
to  him  he  would  never  believe  that  God  had  pardoned  his  sins. 
Many  years  afterwards  he  is  said  to  have  found  his  ring  in  a 
fish  served  to  him  at  table,  and  he  gratefully  accepted  the  token 
of  reconciliation.  Sometimes  a  bird  is  introduced  above  the 
head  of  the  saint  flying  away  with  a  fish ;  for  on  one  occasion 
an  attempt  to  poison  the  holy  man  is  said  to  have  been 
frustrated  by  the  timely  intervention  of  a  raven.  The  staff  and 
shell  of  a  pilgrim  are  also  given  to  St.  Arnould,  for  the  same 
reason  as  to  so  many  of  his  contemporaries ;  and  a  flaming  cross 

*  For  account  of  St.  Donatian,  see  vol.  ii.,  pp.  208,  209. 
VOL.  III.  5 


66  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

is  sometimes  associated  with  him,  because  one  is  said  to  have 
appeared  in  the  sky  at  the  moment  of  his  death.  He  is  one  of 
the  very  few  French  Bishops  to  whom  the  vestment  known 
as  the  *  superhumeral '  is  given,  a  privilege  which  has  been 
variously  explained;  and  another  peculiarity  is  that  he  now 
and  then  wears  armour  under  his  episcopal  robes,  in  allusion  to 
his  position  at  court  before  he  was  ordained. 

St.  Omer  was  of  noble  birth,  but  gave  up  all  his  wealth  and 
privileges  to  become  a  monk,  retiring  to  the  Abbey  of  Luxeuil, 
then  the  most  important  school  of  learning  in  France.  He  was 
elected,  much  against  his  will,  Bishop  of  Terouanne,  in  the 
diocese  of  Aries,  and  he  completed  the  evangelization  of  what 
was  then  Belgic  Gaul,  in  which  the  see  was  situated,  before  his 
death,  which  took  place  in  670. 

The  attributes  in  art  of  St.  Omer,  who  appears  sometimes 
amongst  other  French  bishops,  are  a  bush  of  thorns,  because  he 
constantly  rolled  himself  on  thorns  when  he  was  a  monk ;  a 
shrine,  because  he  is  said  to  have  received  his  sight,  which  he 
had  lost  for  a  time,  by  praying  at  the  shrine  of  St.  Vedast  ;  and 
a  spring  of  water,  in  memory  of  his  having  secured  a  miraculous 
supply  of  water  to  baptize  a  child  who  was  born  blind,  but  who 
received  his  sight  during  the  ceremony.  The  boy  is  said  to  have 
been  St.  Lambert,  who  became  later  Bishop  of  Li&ge,  and 
the  spring,  to  which  many  pilgrims  resort,  is  still  shown  at 
Lambres  les  Aire  in  Artois. 

St.  Bonitus,  or  Bonet,  for  ten  years  Bishop  of  Clermont  in 
Auvergne,  was  long  greatly  revered  in  France  on  account  of  a 
signal  favour  said  to  have  been  bestowed  on  him  by  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  who  one  night,  when  he  was  praying  in  his  church, 
appeared  to  him  and  presented  him  with  a  chasuble  of  marvellous 
texture,  in  which  she  commanded  him  to  perform  Mass.  He 
obeyed,  the  angels  attending  him  as  acolytes;  and  the  marvellous 
gift  is  supposed  to  have  been  preserved  uninjured  until  1793, 
when  it  was  burnt  with  many  other  sacred  relics  by  the 
Revolutionists.  At  the  great  age  of  eighty  St.  Bonitus  made  a 
pilgrimage  to  Rome,  performing  various  wonderful  works  by 
the  way,  such  as  supplying  food  to  a  monastery  and  calming  a 
tempest.  He  brought  back  with  him  many  captives  he  had  freed, 
and  died  at  Lyons  in  710.  His  special  attribute  in  art  is  a 
chasuble,  and  he  is  the  patron  saint  of  the  potters  of  France, 
possibly  because  an  earthenware  vessel  in  which  he  is  supposed 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  67 

to  have  washed  his  hands,  was  long  one  of  the  treasures  of  his 
church  at  Clermont. 

St.  Aubert  of  Crambrai  and  Arras,  who  ruled  his  important 
diocese  wisely  and  well  from  633  to  669,  and  is  still  greatly 
honoured  in  Belgium,  is  generally  represented  with  a  donkey 
bearing  two  panniers  full  of  loaves  of  bread,  or  with  a  group  of 
bakers  kneading  dough  beside  him,  because  he  is  said  to  have 
intervened  more  than  once  on  behalf  of  the  bakers  of  Flanders. 
He  is  the  chosen  patron  of  the  bakers  of  Belgium,  and  his 
special  attribute  is  a  shovel,  such  as  is  used  for  putting  loaves  of 
bread  into  an  oven.  A  dove  hovering  above  his  head  is  also 
sometimes  given  to  him,  in  allusion  to  the  supposed  interference 
of  Heaven  at  his  election,  and  he  is  occasionally  grouped  with 
St.  Landelin,  in  whose  conversion  he  had  a  considerable 
share. 

St.  Leger,  whose  name  is  preserved  in  that  of  an  English 
family,  who  in  their  turn  have  given  it  to  the  well-known 
St.  Leger  horse-race,  was  of  noble  birth,  and  was  educated  at 
the  Court  of  King  Clotaire  II.  He  early  resolved  to  dedicate  his 
life  to  God,  fired,  it  is  said,  by  the  example  of  Saints  Eloy  and 
Ouen,  and  was  ordained  priest  at  the  age  of  twenty.  He  was 
made,  first,  Archdeacon  of  Poitiers, and  later  Bishop  of  Verdun, 
and  he  became  the  trusted  adviser  of  Queen  Bathilde,  who  is  her- 
self accounted  a  Saint.  Unfortunately,  the  holy  Bishop  became 
embroiled  in  the  political  troubles  of  the  time,  and  incurred  the 
displeasure  of  King  Childeric,  the  successor  of  Clotaire  II., 
on  account  of  the  boldness  with  which  he  reproved  him  for  his 
marriage  within  the  prohibited  degrees.  St.  Leger  was  im- 
prisoned for  some  time  at  Luxeuil,  but  on  the  assassination 
of  Childeric  he  was  released,  and  returned  to  Autun,  where 
he  was  happily  at  work  setting  things  in  order  in  the  diocese 
after  his  long  absence,  when  the  city  was  besieged  by  an  army 
under  Ebroin,  Mayor  of  the  French  Court,  who  had  long  been 
the  declared  enemy  of  the  Bishop,  and  was  now  determined  to 
compass  his  death. 

Learning  that  he  alone  was  the  object  of  the  attack, 
St.  Leger  determined  to  give  himself  up,  and  having  ordered 
the  gates  to  be  opened,  he  went  forth  alone  to  meet  his  fate. 
He  was  at  once  dragged  into  the  presence  of  Ebroin,  who 
ordered  his  eyes  to  be  put  out.  After  the  cruel  command  had 
been  obeyed,  the  Bishop  was  led  into  a  forest  and  left  to  die 

5—2 


68  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

of  hunger,  but  he  was  cared  for  by  friends,  and  secretly  taken  to 
a  convent  in  Autun,  where  he  was  left  unmolested  for  two 
years.  At  the  end  of  that  time,  however,  he  was  summoned 
before  a  council  of  Bishops  at  Paris,  charged  with  all  manner 
of  impossible  crimes,  and  condemned  to  be  beheaded.  It  was 
with  difficulty  that  anyone  could  be  found  to  carry  out  the 
sentence;  but  the  Bishop  himself  entreated  the  officer  whose 
prisoner  he  was,  not  to  delay  the  execution,  and  in  the  presence 
of  weeping  crowds  the  blind  martyr  was  taken  once  more  into 
the  forest.  There,  after  those  charged  with  the  judicial  murder 
had  entreated  the  forgiveness  of  the  victim,  his  head  was  struck 
off. 

The  memory  of  the  martyred  Bishop  is  greatly  revered  in 
England  as  well  as  in  France.  The  parish  of  Ashby  St.  Legers 
in  Northamptonshire,  and  several  English  churches,  notably 
one  at  Hunston  in  Sussex,  and  one  at  Basford  in  Nottingham- 
shire, are  named  after  him,  and  his  figure  is  introduced  in  an 
old  fresco  in  Wilburton  Church,  Cambridgeshire,  and  on  a 
roodscreen  in  Woodbridge  Church,  Suffolk.  The  special 
attributes  in  art  of  St.  Leger  are  a  pair  of  scissors,  because 
he  is  said  to  have  had  his  tongue  cut  out  before  his  execution, 
a  nail,  or  an  auger.  Sometimes  he  holds  his  tongue  in  his  hand, 
more  rarely  a  kind  of  bodkin  or  stiletto,  and  on  certain  old 
coins  of  Lucerne  he  has  a  kind  of  two-pronged  implement,  Pere 
Cahier  reproduces  in  his  '  CaractSristiques  des  Saints '  a  very 
quaint  seal,  which  belonged  to  a  certain  cur6  of  Fretoy  in  the 
Diocese  of  Autun,  on  which  the  Bishop  is  represented  in  the 
grasp  of  a  soldier,  who  is  drilling  out  one  of  his  eyes  with  an 
auger.  The  patron  Saint  of  Autun,  Lucerne,  and  Murbach,  St. 
Leger  is  also  supposed  to  look  after  the  interests  of  millers, 
but  for  what  reason  does  not  appear. 

Of  St.  G6ry  of  Cambrai  very  little  is  known,  except  that  he 
is  supposed  to  have  evangelized  the  district,  of  which  Brussels, 
where  he  is  still  much  honoured,  is  now  the  most  important 
city.  He  appears  occasionally  in  ecclesiastical  decoration  with 
a  dragon  at  his  feet,  in  allusion  to  his  victory  over  evil ;  and 
chains  in  his  hands,  because  he  liberated  many  captives ;  or  he 
is  seen  curing  a  leper,  in  memory  of  his  having  first  healed,  and 
then  converted,  a  heathen  sufferer. 

St.  Ansbert,  who  was  at  one  time  Chancellor  to  King 
Clotaire  II.,  succeeded  St.  Ouen  as  Archbishop  of  Rouen  in 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  69 

683,  but  was  banished,  for  a  crime  he  had  not  committed,  to  the 
Monastery  of  Aumont  in  Hainauit,  where  he  died  in  698. 
He  is  sometimes  represented,  as  in  a  painting  by  Hans 
Burgkmair,  holding  a  scourge  in  one  hand,  in  memory  of  his 
self-discipline ;  or  a  chalice,  some  say  because  during  his  exile 
he  looked  after  the  vineyard  of  the  monastery,  whilst  others 
are  of  opinion  that  it  commemorates  the  fact  that  he  was  buried 
in  the  vestments  in  which  he  used  to  officiate  as  Archbishop, 
and  yet  others  that  the  chalice  is  in  memory  of  the  solemn 
Mass  held  when  his  remains  were  taken  back  to  France. 

Another  celebrated  French  Bishop  was  St.  Hidulphus,  who 
occupied  the  See  of  Triers  at  the  latter  end  of  the  seventh 
century,  but  withdrew  from  it,  a.  few  years  before  his  death,  to 
found  the  Monastery  of  Moyen  Moutier  in  the  Vosges.  He  is 
said  to  have  baptized  St.  Ottilia,  who  was  born  blind,  but 
received  her  sight  when  the  ceremony  was  performed,  a  miracle 
also  attributed  to  St.  Faro  of  Meaux  and  St.  Erhard  of 
Ratisbon.  St.  Hidulphus  is  credited  with  the  performance  of 
many  other  wonders,  and  even  after  his  death  such  crowds 
of  pilgrims  flocked  to  his  tomb  to  be  healed,  that  his  successor 
as  Abbot  had  to  beg  him  to  desist  from  his  wonderful  works, 
a  request  he  is  said  to  have  acceded  to  at  once.  ^  The  holy 
Bishop  is  sometimes  represented  baptizing  St.  Ottilia,  or  sur- 
rounded by  men  and  women,  whom  he  is  rescuing  from  evil 
spirits.  His  special  attributes  are  a  pilgrim's  staff  held  in  one 
hand,  and  a  mitre  at  his  feet,  both  in  allusion  to  his  resignation 
of  his  bishopric.  He  is  sometimes  grouped  with  St.  Ottilia, 
and  sometimes  with  St.  Erhard,  who  is  said  to  have  been  his 
brother,  and  whose  attributes  are  the  same  as  his  own,  but 
of  whom  scarcely  anything  definite  is  known. 

Other  foreign  clergy  of  note  who  lived  in  the  seventh 
century,  and  to  whom  special  attributes  are  given,  were  Saints 
Amandus  and  Remaclus  of  Maestricht,  Regulus  of  Lucca, 
Barbatus  of  Benevento,  Cunibert  of  Cologne,  Isidore  of  Seville, 
Ildefonso  of  Toledo,  and  Fructuosus  of  Braga. 

St.  Amandus  was  of  noble  birth,  heir  to  large  estates,  but  at 
the  age  of  twenty  he  withdrew  to  a  monastery,  and  later  lived 
for  fifteen  years  in  a  cell  attached  to  the  Cathedral  of  Bourges. 
In  middle  life  he  went  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  Flanders,  winning 
many  heathen  to  the  faith  by  his  eloquence  and  the  marvels  he 
is  supposed  to  have  wrought>  which  included  the  restoration  to 


70  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

life  of  a  man  who  had  been  hanged.  He  also  founded  many 
monasteries,  and  in  649  was  elected  Bishop  of  Maastricht ;  but 
three  years  later  he  resigned  his  see  to  St.  Remaclus,  and  ended 
his  life  in  the  abbey,  now  named  after  him,  near  Tournai. 
The  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Amandus,  who  is  sometimes^  repre- 
sented preaching  to  a  large  congregation,  as  in  a  painting  by 
Didron  in  the  Cathedral  of  Antwerp,  are  a  church,  on  account 
of  the  many  monasteries  he  founded ;  a  dragon  that  sometimes 
becomes  a  serpent,  and  is  occasionally  seen  holding  the  staff  of 
the  Bishop's  crosier  in  his  mouth,  in  memory,  it  is  said,  of  the 
Saint  having  slain  a  venomous  beast  when  he  was  still  a  mere 
child ;  and  a  flag  or  banner,  because  as  a  missionary  he  led  the 
campaign  against  the  enemies  of  the  faith,  ^  Chains  are  also 
often  given  to  him,  for  he  rescued  many  captives,  and  now  and 
then  two  or  three  men  are  seen  kneeling  in  gratitude  at  his  feet. 
St.  Amandus  appears  as  the  converter  of  St.  Bavon  in  the  two 
celebrated  paintings  by  Rubens,  noticed  below  in  connection 
with  the  latter  saint. 

St.  Remaclus,  the  friend  and  counsellor  of  King  Dagobert, 
with  whose  generous  aid  he  founded  many  monasteries,  was 
Bishop  of  Maestricht  from  650  to  652,  when  he  in  his  turn 
resigned  his  see,  to  withdraw  to  the  Monastery  of  Stavelo, 
where  he  died  in  664.  St.  Remaclus  is  generally  represented 
holding  a  church,  and  occasionally  a  wolf  is  introduced  beside 
him,  possibly  because  of  his  power  over  those  who  oppressed 
the  flock  of  which  he  was  the  spiritual  shepherd,  or,  as  has 
been  suggested,  because  a  group  of  wolves  formed  part  of  the 
arms  of  the  monastery  in  which  he  died. 

A  more  or  less  apocryphal  Bishop  who  lived,  it  is  supposed, 
in  the  sixth  or  seventh  century,  was  St.  Csesareus  of  Aries, 
whose  usual  attribute  in  art  is  a  glove,  because  he  is  said  to  have 
sent  one  full  of  air  to  a  district  in  his  diocese  which  had  long 
suffered  from  an  unnatural  calm.  St.  Csesareus  is  sometimes 
represented  near  a  tomb,  turning  away  from  some  ecclesiastics 
who  are  offering  him  the  episcopalian  insignia,  because  he  is 
supposed  to  have  endeavoured  to  escape  consecration  by  hiding 
in  the  crypt  of  the  cathedral;  or  he  is  surrounded  by  poor 
people,  to  whom  he  is  distributing  alms,  for  from  early  boyhood 
he  was  never  able  to  refrain  from  giving  away  everything  he 
possessed.  He  is  also  sometimes  associated  with  St*  Giles, 
for,  according  to  one  version  of  the  legend  of  the  latter, 


Bnickniann  p!wfo\ 


Gallery 


SS.     CUNIBKRT    AND    SWIDBERT 
By  BarfaloMaiis  Bntyn 


To  face  p.  70 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  71 

he  worked  with  the  Bishop  of  Aries  for  two  years  before  he 
withdrew  to  his  hermitage. 

St.  Regulus  of  Lucca  was  a  Bishop  of  an  African  see  who 
fled  from  his  diocese  during  the  Arian  persecution,  and  fell  a 
victim  to  his  zeal  for  proselytism  near  the  town  after  which 
he  is  named.  He  is  said  to  have  been  beheaded,  and  to  have 
carried  his  own  head  for  some  little  distance,  when,  meeting 
two  of  his  disciples,  he  gave  it  to  them  and  fell  down  dead  at 
their  feet.  His  execution  is  represented  in  the  fine  bas-reliefs 
by  Matteo  Civitali  on  the  altar  dedicated  to  him  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Lucca,  and  there  is  a  statue  of  him  in  Bishop's 
robes  on  the  entrance-porch  of  the  same  building. 

St.  Barbatus,  whose  emblems  in  art  are  a  tree,  because  he 
ordered  one  to  be  cut  down  which  had  long  been  an  object  of 
superstitious  veneration  amongst  the  heathen,  and  a  chalice,  in 
allusion  to  a  legend  to  the  effect  that  he  Changed  a  golden 
serpent  that  had  long  been  worshipped  into  a  sacramental 
cup,  was  Bishop  of  Benevento  from  663  to  682,  and  did  much 
to  change  the  nominal  Christianity  of  the  Lombards  into  living 
faith  in  the  crucified  Redeemer. 

St.  Cunibert,  who  was -Bishop  of  Cologne  for  thirty-six  years, 
and  is  buried  in  the  church  founded  and  named  after  him, 
though  it  was  originally  dedicated  to  St.  Clement,  js  often 
represented  with  a  dove  on  his  head  or  whispering  in  his  ear,  in 
allusion  to  the  popular  belief  that  one  day  whilst  he  was  per- 
forming Mass,  a  dove  revealed  to  him  the  place  of  sepulchre 
of  St.  Ursula  and  her  maidens.*  A  church  is  also  sometimes 
given  to  St.  Cunibert,  as  in  a  painting  by  Bartolomaus  Bruyn, 
because  of  the  number  of  places  of  worship  built  by  him 
during  his  long  episcopate. 

St.  Kilian,  who  was  for  a  short  time  Bishop  of  Wurzburg,  is 
supposed  to  have  been  of  Irish  birth,  and  to  have  gone  as  a 
missionary  to  Germany  with  two  companions,  Saints  Colman, 
a  priest,  and  Totnan,  a  deacon.  Many  were  converted  to 
Christianity  by  their  preaching,  including  Duke  Gosbert,  of 
Wurzburg,  to  whose  influence  the  consecration  of  St.  Kilian  as 
Bishop  is  said  to  have  been  due.  The  story  goes  that  the  Duke 
had  married  his  dead  brother's  wife,  and  that  St.  Kilian  tried  to 
persuade  him  to  divorce  her,  in  revenge  for  which  she  caused  the 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  315,  3*7,  31*- 


72  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

three  missionaries  to  be  murdered  during  her  husband's  absence. 
Their  relics  are  now  preserved  in  the  Cathedral  of  Wurzburg, 
and  the  effigy  of  the  Bishop,  whose  attribute  in  art  is  a  sword  or 
a  dagger,  in  allusion  to  the  instrument  of  his  death,  is  stamped 
upon  the  coins  of  that  city.  In  German  ecclesiastical  decoration 
he  is  sometimes  introduced  with  a  sword  piercing  his  breast,  or 
holding  two  swords  in  his  hand,  and  now  and  then  he  is  grouped 
with  his  two  fellow-martyrs. 

Of  St.  Florentius,  who  was  Bishop  of  ^  Strasburg  for  some 
years  in  the  seventh  century,  many  poetic  legends  are  told, 
though  little  is  really  known  about  him.  He  is  supposed  to 
have  been  a  hermit  for  some  years  before  he  founded  the 
Monastery  of  Hasslach,  whence  he  was  called  to  the  See  of 
Strasburg  when  he  was  quite  an  old  man.  Whilst  living  in 
his  lonely  cell  he  was  constantly  surrounded  by  the  animals  of 
the  forest,  whom  he  taught  to  obey  his  slightest  gesture.  It  is 
related  that  it  was  no  unusual  thing  for  crowds  of  wild  creatures 
to  be  waiting  outside  the  fence  round  his  garden,  which  he  had 
forbidden  them  to  pass.  A  bear  acted  as  shepherd  to  his  flocks, 
never  harming  them.  Of  St.  Florentius,  as  of  so  many  other 
specially  favoured  saints,  it  is  related  that  he  used  to  hang  his 
cloak  on  a  sunbeam  ;  he  healed  the  daughter  of  a  Prankish 
king,  who  had  been  born  blind  and  deaf,  and  when  the 
grateful  monarch  sent  him  a  beautiful  horse  as  a  reward,  he 
refused  to  ride  it,  saying  that  his  humble  donkey  was  good 
enough  for  him.  During  his  episcopate  he  evangelized  the 
whole  of  Alsace,  founding  many  churches,  for  which  reason  he 
is  generally  represented  holding  one  in  his  hand.  He  is  sup- 
posed to  be  able  to  cure  internal  diseases,  such  as  stone,  and  his 
chief  attributes  in  art  are  a  group  of  wild  animals  or  a  donkey, 
in  allusion  to  the  incidents  related  above. 

St.  Isidore,  who  succeeded  his  brother  St.  Leander*  as  Arch- 
bishop of  Seville  in  601,  did  much,  during  a  term  of  office  that 
lasted  thirty-five  years,  to  break  the  power  of  the  Arians,  and 
to  reconcile  the  Goths  to  the  Church.  As  one  of  the  patron 
saints  of  Seville,  his  figure  appears  in  the  arms  of  that  city  on 
one  side  of  St.  Ferdinand,  whilst  St.  Leander  is  on  the  other, 
and  in  representations  of  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Hermengildust 
the  two  Archbishops  are  generally  introduced  as  spectators. 

St.  Isidore  is  sometimes  grouped  by  Spanish  artists  with 
*  See  vol.  iL,  pp.  317  and  318.  t  /£/</.,  p.  386. 


J,ait.rcnt  photo~\ 


[Cafhettral,  Swil 


ST.    ISIDORE    READING 
Bv  Murillo 


To  face  p.  72 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  CLERGY  73 

his  brothers,  Saints  Leander  and  Fulgentius,*  and  their 
sister  St.  Florentina,  who  became  an  Abbess,  but  has  no 
special  attributes  in  art.  Bees,  the  symbol  of  eloquent 
speaking,  and  a  pen,  that  of  ready  writing,  are  amongst 
the  emblems  given  to  St.  Isidore,  and  now  and  then  the 
prostrate  figure  of  a  crowned  King  is  seen  at  his  feet,  in 
allusion,  it  is  supposed,  to  the  political  influence  exercised  by 
him.  There  are  two  fine  interpretations  of  the  great  Arch- 
bishop by  Murillo  in  the  Cathedral  of  Seville,  and  the  Church 
of  S.  Isidoro,  in  the  same  city,  owns  a  beautiful  painting 
by  Juan  de  las  Roelas,  representing  the  death  of  St,  Isidore, 
which  took  place  in  church  in  the  presence  of  a  large  con- 
gregation. The  dying  Prelate  is  on  his  knees,  falling  back  into 
the  arms  of  the  attendant  priests,  whilst  two  of  the  boys  of  the 
choir  look  on  in  wondering  awe. 

St.  Ildefonso  was  Abbot  of  a  Benedictine  monastery  near 
Toledo  for  some  years  before,  in  659,  he  became  Archbishop 
of  that  city.  He  ruled  his  diocese  with  great  wisdom  until 
his  death  in  669,  and  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  special 
favourite  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  from  whom  he  is  said  to  have 
received  a  chasuble,  presented  to  him  in  the  presence  of 
numerous  clergy.  According  to  the  most  generally  received 
version  of  the  legend,  St.  Ildefonso,  on  entering  his  cathedral 
at  the  head  of  a  procession — some  say  on  the  night  of  the 
F£te  of  the  Assumption,  others  on  the  eve  of  that  of  the 
Annunciation,  found  his  throne  occupied  by  the  Mother  of 
the  Lord,  surrounded  by  a  court  of  angels  who  were  singing 
psalms.  As  he  approached  in  awe-struck  wonder,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  said  to  him:  'Come  hither,  most  faithful  servant  of 
God,  and  receive  this  robe  which  I  have  brought  thee  from  the 
treasury  of  my  Son.'  Then,  as  the  Archbishop  knelt  at  her 
feet,  she  placed  over  his  shoulders  a  chasuble  of  gleaming 
material,  that  was  long  preserved  as  one  of  the  greatest  treasures 
of  the  cathedral.  On  the  day  of  the  fete  of  St.  Leocadia,t 
St.  Ildefonso  is  said  to  have  been  the  recipient  of  another  re- 
markable favour,  for  the  martyred  maiden  issued  from  her 
tomb,  and,  taking  the  Archbishop  by  the  hand,  told  him  that 
he  was  specially  honoured  in  heaven  on  account  of  a  treatise 
he  had  written  on  the  Blessed  Virgin.  Anxious  to  retain  a 
proof  of  the  strange  occurrence,  St.  Ildefonso  cut  off  a  piece  of 
*  See  vol.  ii.,  p.  318.  t  See  vol.  i.,  p.  274. 


74  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

the  veil  of  the  saint,  who,  having  given  him  her  blessing,  went 
back  to  her  repose. 

The  special  attributes  in  art  of  St.  Ildefonso  are  a  chasuble 
and  a  veil.  The  gift  of  the  miraculous  vestment  is  the  subject 
of  two  celebrated  paintings:  one  by  Murillo,  in  the  Prado 
Gallery,  Madrid,  the  other  by  Rubens,  in  the  Vienna  Gallery. 
The  interview  with  St.  Leocadia  and  the  Investiture  of  St. 
Ildefonso  as  Archbishop  are  also  very  frequently  represented 
in  Spanish  churches. 

St.  Fructuosus,  Archbishop  of  Braga  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  seventh  century,  is  occasionally  represented  amongst  his 
colleagues,  with  a  doe  at  his  side,  because  he  is  said  to  have 
been  constantly  followed  by  one  he  had  saved  from  the 
hunters,  and  with  birds  flying  about  his  head,  for  it  is  related 
that  when  he  had  hidden  himself  in  a  hermitage  to  escape 
from  the  homage  of  his  many  admirers,  his  retreat  was  betrayed 
by  some  pet  jays  who  had  followed  him.  A  man  who  killed 
the  tame  doe  was,  it  is  related,  visited  with  a  terrible  punish- 
ment, only  remitted  on  the  intercession  of  St.  Fructuosus,  who 
also  restored  the  animal  to  life.  The  Archbishop  is  the  patron 
Saint  of  Braga,  Lisbon,  and  Compostella,  to  which  city  his 
relics  were  removed  in  1102. 


CHAPTER  VI 

SEVENTH-CENTURY   MONKS   AND   HERMITS 

CONTEMPORARY  with  the  great  Bishops  who  in  the  seventh 
century  did  so  much  to  promote  the  cause  of  the  true  faith, 
were  many  abbots,  monks,  hermits,  and  laymen,  to  whom  the 
honour  of  canonization  has  been  given,  and  with  whom  various 
symbols  are  associated  in  memory  of  certain  incidents  of  their 
lives,  or  of  the  legends  that  have  gathered  about  their 
memories. 

Of  the  abbots,  the  most  celebrated  is  certainly  St.  Giles,  or 
Egidius,  although  it  must  be  added  that  his  right  to  the  title 
is  disputed  by  many.  Little  is  really  known  about  him,  and  it 
is  not  even  certain  whether  he  lived  in  the  sixth  or  the  seventh 


Photo  bv  Laurent] 


\_Prado,  l\  fad  rid 


THE    BLESSED    VIRGIN    GIVING    A    COPE    TO    ST.    ILDEFONSO 
By  Murillo 


To  face  p.  74 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  MONKS  AND  HERMITS    75 

century.  He  is  supposed  to  have  been  an  Athenian  of  noble 
birth,  who  fled  from  his  native  land,  to  escape  from  the  venera- 
tion excited  by  the  wonderful  works  of  healing  his  faith  in 
Christ  enabled  him  to  perform,  such  as  curing  a  paralyzed 
man  by  throwing  a  mantle  over  him.  After  wandering  about 
for  some  time  seeking  a  spot  where  he  might  worship  God  in 
secret,  remote  enough  to  elude  his  admirers,  St.  Giles  came  to 
a  forest  near  Aries,  where  he  built  himself  a  little  cell,  in  which 
he  dwelt  for  many  years  with  no  companion  but  a  tame  hind, 
who  supplied  him  with  milk,  and  no  food  but  such  wild 
fruits  and  herbs  as  grew  near  his  retreat.  Now,  it  happened 
one  day  that  the  King  of  the  country  was  hunting  in  the  forest, 
and,  to  quote  an  English  version  of  a  charming  old  ballad, 

'The  galloping  of  horses'  feet,  the  bloody  bay  of  hounds, 
Broke  through  the  forest  silence  sweet,  and  echoed  deadly  sounds.' 

Aroused  by  the  tumult,  the  holy  hermit  came  to  the  opening 
of  his  cell  to  look  out,  and  there  he  saw  his  beloved  hind  '  all 
flecked  with  foam,  all  quivering  with  weariness  and  fear/  rush- 
ing to  him  for  protection.  He  flung  himself  between  her  and 
her  enemies,  and  as  he  threw  his  arms  about  her  an  arrow 
aimed  at  her  pierced  his  hand,  or,  according  to  another  version, 
his  thigh.  Then,  continues  the  ballad, 

*  St.  Giles  upon  the  greensward  fell  and  dyed  it  with  his  blood. 
He  fell,  but,  falling,  laid  his  hand  upon  the  trembling  deer  ; 
"My  life  for  hers,  you  understand  P  he  cried  that  all  could  hear.3 

At  this  strange  sight  the  dogs  shrank  back  in  terror,  whilst 
the  King  and  all  his  courtiers,  with  the  simple  faith  of  the 
time,  recognised  at  once  the  holiness  of  the  wounded  man,  and 
flinging  themselves  upon  their  knees  beside  him,  entreated 
his  forgiveness.  He  gave  it  freely,  but  refused  to  have ^  his 
wound  dressed,  declaring  he  had  no  wish  to  have  his  sufferings 
for  one  so  dear  to  him  as  his  beloved  hind,  mitigated  in  any 
way ;  a  resolution,  say  some,  which  left  him  a  cripple  for  the 
rest  of  his  days.  The  King  did  all  he  could  to  persuade  St. 
Giles  to  come  to  Court  with  him,  and,  failing  that,  he  asked  to 
be  allowed  to  remain  with  the  hermit  for  a  time.  Consent  was 
given,  the  courtiers  were  dismissed,  and  for  many  days  the  royal 
guest  and  the  humble  hermit  dwelt  together.  The  conversion 


76  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

of  the  King  and  all  his  subjects  was  the  result,  and  the  retreat 
of  St.  Giles  became  henceforth  the  resort  of  hundreds,  eager  to 
do  the  holy  hermit  honour.  Some  say  his  lonely  cell  became 
the  nucleus  of  the  abbey  bearing  his  name,  which  in  course 
of  time  grew  into  one  of  the  greatest  Benedictine  communities 
of  France,  whilst  others  assert  that  the  monastery  was  not 
founded  until  after  his  death,  which  took  place  at  a  good  old 
age,  in  the  humble  home  in  which  it  was  his  delight  to  dwell 
until  the  last.  One  of  the  two  churches  which  belong  to 
the  Abbey  of  St.  Giles  still  remains,  to  bear  witness  to  its 
former  glory,  and  a  strange  winding  staircase  of  stone  is  known 
amongst  the  people  of  the  neighbourhood  as  *  La  vis  de  Saint 
Gilles.' 

St.  Giles  is  greatly  venerated  in  the  whole  of  Northern 
Europe,  and  is  one  of  the  fourteen  auxiliary  Saints  of  Germany.* 
The  Cathedral  of  Edinburgh  is  dedicated  to  him,  and  no  less 
than  150  English  churches  bear  his  name,  including  the 
two  celebrated  ones  in  London:  St.  Giles -in -the -Fields, 
originally  the  chapel  of  a  hospital  for  lepers,  founded  by 
Matilda,  wife  of  Henry  L,  and  St.  Giles  in  Cripplegate,  a 
district  said  by  some  to  be  so  called  in  memory  of  the 
crippled  Saint,  or,  rather,  of  a  home  for  cripples  built  in  his 
honour. 

St.  Giles  is  the  patron  Saint  of  many  French  and  German 
towns,  as  well  as  of  Edinburgh.  For  some  unexplained  reason 
he  is  supposed  to  give  special  attention  to  the  interests  of  the 
spur-makers  of  Paris ;  to  protect  the  lame,  because  of  his  own 
wound,  and  lepers,  because  of  his  universal  charity.  Wives 
who  wish  to  become  mothers  appeal  to  him  for  aid ;  beggars 
claim  him  as  their  advocate ;  and  those  who  secure  his  interces- 
sion need  not  dread  cancer.  In  fact,  although  it  is  impossible 
to  prove  that  he  ever  lived,  his  beautiful  legend  has  taken  an 
extremely  strong  hold  upon  the  popular  imagination.  His  most 
constant  attribute  is  a  hind,  either  lying  at  his  feet,  as  on  a 
roodscreen  in  Lessingham  Church,  Norfolk,  or  leaping  up  to 
him,  as  on  a  font  in  Norwich  Cathedral,  the  arrow  aimed  at  her 
piercing  his  hand  or  leg.  More  rarely,  as  in  certain  illuminated 
MSS.,  and  in  an  engraving  by  Jacques  Callot,  the  Saint  lies 
bleeding  on  the  ground,  with  the  hind  beside  him ;  or,  as  in 

*  See  vol.  I,  p.  229, 


Ha  nfstt  i  ngl  ph  oto 


\Ntitional  Gallery,  London 


THE    LEGEND    OF   ST.    GILES 
Flemish  School,  XV,  Century 


To  face  p.  76 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  MONKS  AND  HERMITS    77 

an  engraving  by  Albrecht  Diirer,  the  holy  man  is  standing 
holding  a  book  in  one  hand,  whilst  he  clasps  the  hind  to  his 
heart  with  his  hand  pierced  by  the  arrow.  Sometimes  St.  Giles 
is  represented  kneeling  at  an  altar,  whilst  an  angel  standing  by 
presents  him  with  a  scroll  bearing  the  words  '  Mgidio  merito 
Caroli  peccata  dimitto '  (*  By  the  merits  of  Egidius  the  sin  of 
Charles  is  remitted  '),  because,  according  to  one  version  of  his 
legend,  the  hunter  who  found  the  hermit  in  his  retreat  was 
Charles  Mattel,  who  was  forgiven  some  sin  through  the  inter- 
cession of  St.  Giles.  This  is,  however,  evidently  an  incident 
filched  from  the  legend  of  St.  Leu  of  Sens,  or  of  St.  Eleutherius 
of  Tournay,*  of  bo*h  of  whom  a  story  resembling  that  of  the 
hermit  and  the  warrior  is  told,  in  connection  with  a  different 
offender.  As  the  result  of  a  similar  overlapping  of  tradition,  a 
hand  issuing  from  a  cloud  above  his  head  is  also  now  and  then 
given  to  St.  Giles,  and  he  is  sometimes  seen  preaching,  with 
his  hand  raised  in  benediction,  although  there  is  no  proof  that 
he  ever  addressed  a  congregation.  In  Styria  it  is  usual  to 
represent  St.  Giles  standing  on  a  bridge,  merely  because  the 
town  of  Graeta,  of  which  he  is  patron,  is  built  on  a  river ; 
and  in  France  he  is  sometimes  grouped  with  St.  Leu  for  an 
equally  accidental  reason,  the  fact  that  their  ftte-day  is  the 
same.  In  the  French  department  of  Drome  it  is  customary 
to  take  fennel  to  the  churches  to  be  blessed  by  the  priest  on 
September  i,  probably  because  St.  Giles  lived  upon  the  herbs 
of  the  field,  of  which  fennel  is  one. 

St.  Giles  is  generally  represented  as  an  old  man  wearing  the 
Benedictine  habit.  In  the  ancient  frescoes  of  S.  Clemente, 
Rome,  he  is  grouped  with  St.  Blaise ;  in  the  celebrated  Triptych 
by  Memlinc  in  the  Bruges  Academy  he  appears  opposite  St. 
Maurus  ;  and  in  the  National  Gallery,  London,  his  whole  legend 
is  told  in  a  painting,  originally  part  of  a  Triptych  by  an  unknown 
hand,  probably  that  of  a  Flemish  master  of  the  fifteenth  cen- 
tury. St.  Giles  is  introduced  in  the  sculptures  of  Chartres 
Cathedral,  some  of  those  above  the  south  porch  giving  several 
incidents  of  his  story;  including  his  meeting  with  the  royal 
hunter  and  the  visit  of  the  angel,  and  he  appears  in  the  twelfth- 
century  frescoes  of  the  crypt  and  in  the  modern  windows  of 
the  nave  of  the  same  building.  He  occupies  a  place  of  honour 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  p.  310. 


78  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

in  the  Cathedral  of  Winchester,  and  for  many  years  a  fair  was 
held  on  the  first  three  days  of  September  on  St.  Giles's  Hill 
outside  that  city ;  his  familiar  figure  can  still  be  made  out  in 
several  old  mural  paintings  in  English  churches,  notably  in 
those  of  Bradninch,  Devon,  and  Great  Plumstead,  Norfolk, 
and  there  is  scarcely  a  Roman  Catholic  place  of  worship  in 
France  or  Belgium  which  does  not  contain  some  memento  of 
the  much-loved  saint. 

St.  Giles  the  Hermit  is  sometimes  confounded  with  another 
holy  man  of  the  same  name,  who  was  probably  really  the  co- 
adjutor of  St.  Csesareus  of  Aries,  and  to  whom  may  possibly 
belong  some  of  the  attributes  given  to  his  more  famous  name- 
sake. 

Of  a  simple,  loving-hearted  nature  akin  to  that  of  St.  Giles 
the  Hermit  was  his  contemporary  St.  Val6ry,  or  Walaric,  who 
was  for  some  time  Abbot  of  a  monastery  at  Le  Vimeu,  but 
began  life  as  a  shepherd.  It  is  related  that,  being  anxious  to 
learn  to  read,  he  used  to  persuade  passers-by  to  write  out  the 
letters  of  the  alphabet  for  him  when  he  was  minding  his  flock, 
and  that,  unknown  to  his  parents,  he  had  learned  the  whole  of 
the  Psalms  by  heart  when  he  was  still  a  boy.  His  gentle 
ways  won  all  wild  creatures  to  trust  him,  and  he  is  generally 
represented  caressing  a  bird  perched  on  his  hand,  whilst  others 
are  hovering  about  him,  or  he  is  surrounded  by  sheep,  and  holds 
a  tablet  with  letters  written  upon  it. 

Another  celebrated  seventh-century  Abbot  was  St.  Ricarius, 
or  Riquier,  said  to  have  been  the  son  of  the  Comte  de  Ponthieu, 
and  a  distant  relation  of  King  Clovis,  for  which  reason  the  royal 
emblem  of  the  fleurs-de-lis  is  sometimes  given  to  him.  The 
founder  of  the  Abbey  of  Centula,  now  named  after  him,  in  the 
Diocese  of  Amiens,  St.  Ricarius  is  generally  represented,  as  in  a 
mural  painting  in  the  church  of  his  monastery,  holding  two 
keys  in  his  hand ;  some  say  because  he  gave  his  slaves  their 
freedom  when  he  withdrew  from  the  world,  whilst  others  see 
in  the  keys  an  allusion  to  an  altar  dedicated  by  the  saint  to 
St.  Peter.  A  spring  of  water  is  also  associated  with  him,  on 
account  of  a  miraculous  supply  supposed  to  have  been  obtained 
by  him  by  striking  the  ground  with  his  staff.  St.  Ricarius,  who, 
according  to  Alcuin,  was  converted  to  Christianity  by  two  Irish 
missionaries  whom  he  had  rescued  from  ill-usage  at  the  hands 
of  the  peasantry  on  his  father's  estate,  is  said  to  have  visited 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  MONKS  AND  HERMITS    79 

England,  where  he  zealously  preached  his  new  faith.  A  church 
at  Aberford  in  Yorkshire,  long  known  as  St.  Richard's,  has 
lately  been  formally  renamed  St.  Ricarius,  it  being  now  gene- 
rally supposed  that  it  was  originally  dedicated  to  the  French 
Abbot. 

With  Saint  Ricarius  may  justly  be  associated  St.  Frobert, 
Abbot  of  a  monastery  near  Troyes,  who  is  sometimes  re- 
presented chasing  away  demons,  in  memory  of  his  power  over 
the  evil  one,  or  he  is  seated  as  a  child  upon  his  mother's 
knee,  because  he  is  said  to  have  restored  her  sight  when  he  was 
still  a  mere  boy  by  making  the  sign  of  a  cross  over  her  eyes. 
Another  famous  monk  was  St.  Winoc,  who  ruled  for  some 
years  over  the  Abbey  of  Bergues  in  Flanders,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  of  royal  birth,  but  to  have  resigned  everything  to 
withdraw  to  a  monastery.  His  attribute  in  art  is  a  mill,  which 
he  works  with  one  hand,  whilst  he  holds  his  Abbot's  staff  in 
the  other,  because  he  is  said  to  have  ground  the  corn  for  his 
monks  even  after  he  became  Abbot. 

Of  St.  Bercharius,  first  Abbot  of  Hautvilliers,  and  who  was 
assassinated  by  his  monks  on  account  of  the  rigour  of  his 
rule,  it  is  related  that  when  he  was  only  a  monk,  and 
acted  as  cellarer  to  his  community,  he  one  day  left  a  tap 
running,  but  after  an  absence  of  some  hours  found  the  vessel 
beneath  it  only  just  full,  the  flow  of  beer  having  been  miracu- 
lously arrested,  for  which  reason  a  barrel  is  his  chief  art 
emblem ;  and  of  St.  Achard,  or  Aichart,  of  Jumieges,  whose 
emblem  in  art  is  an  angel,  the  story  is  told  that  one  night, 
when  he  had  been  praying  with  great  fervour  that  his  monks 
might  be  preserved  from  evil,  an  angel  appeared  to  him,  and 
with  a  long  wand  touched  the  heads  of  a  number  of  the  sleeping 
brethren,  in  token  that  their  death  was  near. 

Other  famous  seventh-century  monks  were  St.  Clarus  of 
Vienne,  who  is  said  to  have  checked  an  inundation  of  the 
Rhine,  and  is  sometimes  represented  bidding  the  waves  sub- 
side ;  St.  Rouin,  the  first  Abbot  of  Beaulieu,  whose  art  emblems 
are  a  gold  coin,  because  he  is  said  to  have  drawn  some  pieces  of 
money  out  of  a  pool  of  water  for  a  poor  woman  with  his 
abbatial  staff,  which  acted  as  a  magnet,  and  a  spring  of  water, 
because  he  caused  one  to  flow  by  similar  means;  and  St. 
Landelin,  for  some  time  Abbot  of  Crespin  in  Hainault,  who  is 
sometimes  grouped  with  St.  Aubert  of  Cambrai,  by  whom  he 


8o  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

was  educated,  and  whose  art  emblems  are  a  suit  of  armour 
beside  him,  because  he  is  said  at  one  time  to  have  joined  a  gang 
of  robbers ;  a  church,  on  account  of  the  number  of  monasteries 
he  founded ;  and  a  spring  of  water,  in  memory  of  his  having 
obtained  a  miraculous  supply  for  his  monastery. 

Although  as  a  general  rule  the  men  of  the  seventh  century 
to  whom  the  honour  of  canonization  has  been  accorded  were 
dignitaries  of  the  Church  or  Abbots  of  monasteries,  some  few 
hermits  and  laymen,  notably  Saints  Bavon,  Leonard,  Judoc, 
and  Anastasius,  steadily  refused  to  accept  any  earthly  reward 
for  their  zeal  in  the  cause  of  their  Redeemer,  but  for  all  that 
have  been  admitted  since  their  death  into  the  spiritual  hierarchy. 

St.  Bavon  was,  it  is  said,  a  wealthy  nobleman  of  Brabant, 
who,  after  leading  a  life  of  dissipation,  was  converted  by  the 
preaching  of  St.  Amandus,  and  having  distributed  all  his  goods 
to  the  poor,  withdrew  to  a  forest  near  Ghent,  where^he  dwelt 
alone  in  a  hollow  beech-tree,  spending  his  whole  time  in  prayer. 
As  a  matter  of  course,  the  fame  of  his  holiness  spread  far  and 
near,  and  crowds  came  out  of  the  town  to  consult  him. 
Amongst  them  a  man  one  day  appeared  who  had  once  been^  St. 
Bavon's  slave,  and  after  being  cruelly  punished  for  some  slight 
offence,  had  been  sold  to  another  master.  When  the  ^hermit 
recognised  his  old  servant  he  fell  on  his  knees  before  him  and 
cried :  '  Behold,  I  am  he  who  sold  thee,  bound  in  leathern 
thongs,  to  a  new  oppressor ;  but  oh,  my  brother,  I  beseech  thee 
remember  not  rny  sin  against  thee,  and  grant  me  this  prayer: 
bind  me  now  hand  and  foot,  shave  my  head,  and  cast  me  into 
prison ;  make  me  suffer  all  I  inflicted  on  thee,  and  then  per- 
chance the  Lord  will  have  mercy  and  forget  my  great  sin  that  I 
have  committed  against  Him  and  against  thee.'  Needless  to 
say,  the  slave  at  first  refused  to  grant  this  strange  request,  but 
St.  Bavon  entreated  him  yet  again  so  earnestly,  that  he  finally 
yielded,  and  the  hermit  was  taken,  bound  hand  and  foot,  to 
prison,  where  he  remained  for  some  time.  Whether  true  or 
not,  this  dramatic  incident  is  very  significant  of  the  time  at 
which  St.  Bavon  lived,  when  slavery  was  still  legalized  and 
self-inflicted  punishment  was  considered  specially  acceptable 
in  the  sight  of  God. 

St.  Bavon  is  said  by  some  to  have  died  in  his  beech-tree, 
but  others  assert  that  when  he  felt  his  end  approaching  he 
crept  to  a  neighbouring  monastery,  where  he  was  kindly  re- 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  MONKS  AND  HERMITS     81 

ceived  by  the  inmates,  and  peacefully  expired.  The  memory 
of  the  holy  hermit,  who  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  protect  his 
votaries  from  whooping-cough,  is  still  greatly  revered  in  Belgium 
and  Holland,  especially  in  Ghent  and  Haarlem,  of  which  cities 
he  is  patron.  Incidents  of  his  chequered  career  are  of  frequent 
occurrence  in  old  prints,  and  there  are  many  pictures  of  him  in 
the  churches  of  Northern  Europe.  He  is  sometimes  represented 
as  a  noble  in  richly  decorated  armour,  with  a  drawn  sword  in 
his  left  hand  and  a  falcon  on  his  right  wrist,  in  memory  of  his 
position  as  a  great  noble  and  of  his  having,  it  is  said,  appeared 
to  the  people  of  Ghent  as  a  triumphant  warrior  when  an 
appeal  was  made  to  him  for  aid  in  some  threatened  calamity. 
St.  Bavon  is,  in  fact,  to  the  Flemings  what  the  great  Duke  Rollo 
was  to  the  Northmen — the  one  hero  to  whom  all  things  were 
possible — and  of  him  it  is  said :  '  Ante  pesit  mundus  veinat 
quam  Bavo  secundus '  ('  So  long  as  the  world  lasts  none  will 
be  second  to  Bavon ').  Sometimes  the  beloved  warrior  and 
hermit  saint  wears  a  plumed  hat  and  a  long  mantle,  and  the 
only  hint  of  the  meditative  life  he  led  is  a  book  held  in  one 
hand.  Occasionally  he  is  seen  bending  over  a  man  who  has 
been  thrown  from  a  cart,  in  memory  of  a  story  to  the  effect 
that  he  once  healed  a  labourer  who  had  been  bringing  wood 
to  build  a  cell  for  him,  and  whose  legs  were  broken  in  a 
fall.  A  church  is  now  and  then  given  to  St.  Bavon,  because  he 
is  supposed  to  have  founded  the  Abbey  of  St.  Peter,  later  named 
after  him,  at  Ghent,  and  he  is  also  occasionally  seen  tottering 
along  with  a  huge  stone  in  his  arms.  This  stone,  which  is  said 
to  have  been  long  preserved  at  Mendouck  in  Eastern  Flanders, 
was,  according  to  some,  used  by  St.  Bavon  as  a  pillow  in  his 
beech-tree ;  whilst  others  assert  that  the  saint  used  to  carry  it 
about  by  way  of  penance. 

Above  the  high  altar  of  the  Cathedral  of  Ghent,  originally  the 
Abbey  Church  of  St.  Bavon,  is  a  statue  by  Verbriiggen  of  the 
warrior  hermit  in  his  ducal  robes,  and  in  one  of  the  side 
chapels  is  a  fine  but  much  restored  oil  painting,  by  Rubens,  of 
St.  Bavon  renouncing  his  military  career  to  become  a  hermit, 
in  which  the  penitent  is  being  received  by  St.  Amandus  on  the 
steps  of  a  church,  whilst  his  worldly  goods  are  being  distributed 
to  the  poor  below.  The  National  Gallery,  London,  owns  a 
very  similar  composition  on  a  smaller  scale  from  the  hand  of 
the  same  great  Flemish  master. 

VOL.   III.  6 


82  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

St.  Leonard  (surnamed  the  Younger  to  distinguish  him  from 
his  more  celebrated  namesake  of  Limousin*),  whose  attribute  in 
art  is  a  serpent  coiled  about  his  body,  in  allusion  to  his  having 
miraculously  escaped  injury  when  he  was  attacked  by  & 
venomous  snake,  was  a  recluse  who  dwelt  for  many  years  in 
a  forest  on  the  borders  of  the  Sarthe^and  is  said  to  have  been 
specially  successful  in  curing  the  blind,  a  power  his  relics 
retained  long  after  his  death.  St.  Leonard  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  original  founder  of  the  Abbey  of  Vendeuve,  but^  it  is 
more  probable  that  it  was  built  in  memory  of  him  on  the  site  of 
his  cell. 

Round  about  the  meagre  facts  of  the  life  of  St.  Judoc,  a  holy 
hermit  of  Brittany,  have  gathered  many  wonderful  legends, 
and  he  has  nearly  as  many  art  attributes  as  some  of  the 
Apostles  themselves.  He  is  said  to  have  belonged  to  a  large 
family  of  saints,  one  of  whom,  St.  Judicael,  was  King  _  of 
Armorica,  but  withdrew  from  the  world  in  the  prime  of  life, 
offering  his  crown  to  St.  Judoc.  The  latter,  however,  cared 
nothing  for  worldly  glory,  and,  having  been  ordained  priest,  he 
joined  a  party  of  young  missionaries  who  were  as  eager  to  serve 
God  as  he  was  himself.  Later,  he  found  even  their  society  too 
distracting,  and  with  one  chosen  companion  named  Wulmar, 
he  retired  to  a  lonely  spot  in  a  forest  on  the  sea-coast,  where 
the  friends  erected  two  little  shelters  side  by  side,  on  the  site 
of  which  later  rose  irp>  the  stately  Abbey  of  Joss^-sur-Mer, 
given  by  Charlemagne  in  792  to  the  holy  Alcuin.  Resisting 
all  efforts  to  withdraw  him  from  his  seclusion,  St.  Judoc,  except 
for  one  pilgrimage  to  Rome  to  worship  at  the  shrine  of  the 
Apostles,  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  his  cell,  healing 
all  who  came  to  him  of  their  sufferings,  whether  mental  or 
bodily.  Whilst  he  was  still  travelling  with  his  brother  mission- 
aries, he  is  supposed  to  have  obtained  a  miraculous  supply  of 
food  when  they  were  on  the  brink  of  starvation ;  for  which 
reason  a  boat  laden  with  provisions  is  one  of  his  attributes, 
and  on  another  occasion  he  got  water  for  his  party  by  planting 
his  staff  in  the  ground,  hence  his  emblem  of  a  pilgrim's  staff. 
One  day  when  St.  Judoc  was  celebrating  Mass  a  hand  was 
stretched  out  in  benediction  above  the  chalice  he  held ;  and, 
most  beautiful  legend  of  all,  once  when  he  was  alone  in  his  cell 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp,  282-285. 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  MONKS  AND  HERMITS     83 

Christ  Himself  came  to  him  in  the  disguise  of  a  poor  pilgrim, 
to  whom  the  holy  hermit  gave  his  last  loaf  of  bread.  The 
Master  revealed  Himself  as  He  had  done  of  old  to  the  disciples 
at  Emmaus,  in  the  breaking  of  the  bread,  and  the  touching  in- 
cidentf  is  commemorated  in  a  hymn  in  honour  of  St.  Judoc  in 
the  sixteenth-century  Missal  of  Frisingue : 

£  Hie  (Christus)  se  viro  demonstravit 
Quail  do  panem  impetravit 

Deus  vultu  proprio ; 
Panis  ^datus,  non  ingratus, 
Imo  clto  reparatus 

DIvino  consilio. 
Deo  panem  hie  divisit 
Deus  naves  huic  remisit 

Plenes  beneficio,'  etc.* 

Besides  the  pilgrim's  staff,  two  keys,  sometimes  embroidered 
on  his  cap,  in  memory  of  his  visit  to  Rome,  and  a  crown,  in 
allusion  to  his  royal  birth,  are  given  to  St.  Judoc.  A  chalice,  a 
hand  issuing  from  a  cloud  above  his  head,  a  loaf  of  bread  and 
two  small  altars,  in  memory  of  his  having  dedicated  one  to  St. 
Paul  and  another  to  St.  Peter  in  his  oratory,  are  also  amongst 
his  attributes,  and  occasionally  he  wears  suspended  from  a  scarf 
worn  round  his  neck  a  casket  supposed  to  represent  certain 
relics  given  to  him  by  the  Pope.  It  was  long  customary  for 
pilgrims  to  the  shrine  of  St.  Judoc  to  take  away  with  them  little 
images  of  the  hermit  with  his  casket  of  relics,  holding  the 
pilgrim's  staff  in  his  hand.  In  certain  old  French  engravings 
St.  Judoc  is  represented  receiving  a  crown  from  an  angel  as  he 
kneels  at  an  altar,  and  refuses  the  earthly  crown  offered  to  him 
by  his  brother. 

A  noted  contemporary  of  St.  Judoc  was  St.  Magnus,  Abbot 
in  the  second  half  of  the  seventh  century  of  a  monastery  at 
Fiissen,  and  one  of  the  fourteen  auxiliary  saints  already  several 
times  referred  to.f  Little  is,  however,  really  known  about  him, 
but  he  is  supposed  to  have  wrought  several  miracles  during  his 
life,  and  since  his  death  to  have  given  sight  to  many  of  the 

*  l  Here  to*a  man  in  His  own  image  was  Christ  revealed.  When  He  asked 
for  bread  He  received  it  with  deep  gratitude,  rendering  it  back  with  interest. 
He  (St.  Jude)  shared  his  bread  with  God,  and  God  rewarded  him  with  boats 
laden  with  plenty.'  var&fcj 

t  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  40,  42,  68,  93. 

6—3 


84  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

votaries  who  visited  his  tomb.  He  is  invoked  against  snakes 
and  caterpillars,  because  he  is  credited  with  having  destroyed 
certain  venomous  reptiles  which  infested  his  diocese,  and  for 
the  same  reason  his  chief  emblem  in  art  is  a  dragon.  Now  and 
then,  however,  this  is  replaced  by  an  angel  offering  him  pieces 
of  money,  or  by  a  fox  or  bear  with  a  coin  in  its  mouth ;  because 
the  existence  of  the  mineral  wealth  near  his  home  is  said  to 
have  been  miraculously  revealed  to  him,  according  to  some,  by 
an  angel,  whilst  others  make  the  agent  a  wild  beast.  St.  Magnus 
died,  or,  as  some  assert,  was  murdered,  in  666,  after  having 
evangelized  the  greater  part  of  the  province  of  Algau,  and  in 
some  old  iconographies  he  is  represented  being  done  to  death 
with  clubs  and  swords  by  a  party  of  heathen. 

With  Saints  Giles,  Judoc,  and  Magnus  may  justly  be 
associated  the  comparatively  little -known  Persian  martyr 
St.  Anastasius,  an  account  of  whose  so-called  Passion  Bede 
speaks  of  having  'corrected  as  to  the  sense,  it  having  been 
badly  translated  from  the  Greek  and  worse  amended  by  some 
unskilful  person.' 

The  son  of  a  celebrated  heathen  soothsayer,  St.  Anastasius, 
whose  original  name  was  Magundat,  is  supposed  to  have  lived 
in  the  first  half  of  the  seventh  century,  and  to  have  been  an 
officer  in  the  army  of  King  Chosroes  II.  When  Jerusalem  was 
besieged  by  that  monarch,*  and  the  Holy  Cross  was  captured, 
Magundat  asked  some  of  his  comrades  why  such  a  fuss  was 
made  over  the  mere  instrument  of  a  malefactor's  death.  The 
reply  that  the  'malefactor'  who  had  suffered  on  it  was  the 
all-powerful  Son  of  God,  who  had  voluntarily  submitted  to 
a  shameful  death  for  the  redemption  of  mankind,  aroused  the 
young  officer's  intense  interest.  He  at  once  resolved  to  seek 
further  information  on  the  subject  at  the  fountain-head,  and 
secretly  leaving  his  regiment,  he  went  to  the  Holy  Land,  where 
he  made  eager  inquiries  of  all  he  met,  coming  at  last  to  Jerusalem 
itself.  There  he  was  finally  converted  to  Christianity  and 
baptized,  taking  the  name  of  Anastasius.  Shortly  afterwards 
he  became  a  monk,  and  the  next  seven  years  he  spent  in  a 
Syrian  monastery,  delighting  in  waiting  on  the  brethren  ;  con- 
tent to  perform  the  humblest  offices  for  them,  if  only  he  might 
follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his  divine  Master. 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  p.  115. 


SEVENTH-CENTURY  MONKS  AND  HERMITS     85 

His  probation  over,  St.  Anastaslus  was  sent  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  Cesarea,  and  there  his  zeal  got  him  into  trouble  with 
the  Persian  Governor,  who  had  him  arrested  on  the  charge  of 
endeavouring  to  poison  with  his  superstitious  teaching,  the  minds 
of  the  troops.  He  was  tried  and  condemned  to  be  scourged, 
but  he  accepted  the  terrible  punishment  with  joy,  calling  upon 
the  name  of  Christ.  At  a  loss  to  know  what  to  do  with  his 
prisoner,  the  Governor  referred  the  case  to  King  Chosroes,  who 
gave  instructions  that  the  culprit  should  be  sent  back  to  Persia 
to  be  punished.  Knowing  that  his  death  was  certain,  St.  Anas- 
tasius  made  no  resistance,  but  went  joyfully  home  with  his 
guards,  and  after  being  subjected  to  fearful  tortures  with  a 
view  to  making  him  recant,  he  was  beheaded  at  the  little  town 
of  Barsalo.  Two  monks  who  had  remained  with  the  martyr 
to  the  end  obtained  leave  to  take  his  body  back  to  the  Holy 
Land;  but  it  was  not  allowed  to  rest  there  long,  and  is  said 
to  have  been  eventually  translated  to  Rome,  where  it  is  sup- 
posed still  to  rest  in  the  Church  of  SS.  Vincenzo  ed  Anastasio, 
on  the  ^ walls  of  which  are  some  much-defaced  frescoes  of  inci- 
dents in  the  lives  of  the  two  saints,  whose  association  is  the 
result  of  their  fete-day — January  22 — being  the  same. 

The  memory  of  St.  Anastasius  the  martyr  is  much  revered  in 
England  as  well  as  in  Italy  and  France.  For  many  centuries 
there  was  a  church  named  after  him  at  Wyke  in  Hampshire,  on 
the  site  of  a  later  building  dedicated  to  St.  Paul.  The  chief 
emblem  of  the  Persian  soldier,  as  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  is 
a  head  in  a  dish  or  platter,  but  it  is  distinguished  from  that  of 
the  victim  of  King  Herod,  by  a  knife  or  axe  embedded  in  the 
skull,  and  by  the  monk's  hood  with  which  it  is  covered.  The 
latter  peculiarity  has  led  both  the  Carmelites  and  Basilians  to 
claim  St.  Anastasius  as  a  member  of  their  Order,  but  he  certainly 
did  not  belong  to  the  former,  and  we  know  too  little  of  the  early 
followers  of  the  rule  of  St.  Basil,  to  be  able  definitely  to  connect 
him  with  them. 


86  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

CHAPTER  VII 

ANGLO-SAXON  ABBESSES   OF  THE   SEVENTH   CENTURY 

ONE  of  the  most  remarkable  results  of  the  great  wave  of  religious 
enthusiasm  which  swept  over  Northern  Europe  in  the  seventh 
century  was  the  retirement  from  the  world — that  is  to  say,  the 
political  world — of  many  high-born  ladies,  whose  ambition  it 
was  to  serve  God  entirely  in  their  own  way ;  not  in  the  lonely 
solitudes  beloved  of  so  many  of  their  masculine  contemporaries, 
but  as  rulers  of  communities  in  which  their  will  was  law,  and 
where  there  was  no  appeal  from  their  decisions.  Though  vowed 
to  perpetual  virginity,  these  holy  women  by  no  means  eschewed 
as  do  their  modern  successors,  the  society  of  men,  for  they  had 
monks  as  well  as  nuns  in  their  monasteries,  and  to  quote 
Sir  William  Dugdale,  the  learned  author  of  the  *  Monasticum 
Anglicarum/  *  they  exercised  jurisdiction  over  both  men  and 
women,  and  those  men  whom  the  Abbess  thought  qualified 
for  Orders  she  recommended  to  the  Bishop,  who  ordained  them, 
yet  they  remained  still  under  her  government,  and  officiated  as 
chaplains  until  she  pleased  to  send  them  forth  upon  the  work 
of  the  ministry.' 

Amongst  these  saintly  ladies  of  the  seventh  century  the  most 
celebrated  were  Queen  Ethelreda,  who  exercised  as  great 
an  influence  over  the  history  of  her  time  as  did  her  friend 
and  adviser  St.  Wilfrid  himself,  and  St.  Hilda  of  Whitby,  the 
earnest  opponent  of  the  increase  of  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Pope 
in  England ;  with  whom  may  be  justly  associated  Saints  Sexburga 
and  Withburga,  the  sisters  Ebba  and  Werburga,  the  near  rela- 
tions of  Queen  Ethelreda,  and  the  less  well-known  Eanswith, 
Eadburga  or  Ethelburga,  and  Osyth  or  Sitha. 

St.  Ethelreda  or  Awdry,  the  one  woman  who  is  included  in 
the  Anglican  Prayer- Book  Calendar,  and  whose  name  is  also 
preserved,  strange  to  say,  in  the  uncomplimentary  adjective 
*  tawdry,'  a  coarse  kind  of  lace  having  been  sold  at  a  fair  held 
in  honour  of  the  royal  saint  on  the  Isle  of  Ely  for  many  years, 
was  the  daughter  of  Anna,  a  powerful  East  Anglian  King,  and 
was  by  him  married  in  early  girlhood  to  a  young  Prince  named 
Tondbert,  who  gave  his  bride  the  Isle  of  Ely  on  their  wedding- 
day.  Passionately  in  love  with  his  young  wife,  who  is  said  to 


ANGLO-SAXON  ABBESSES  87 

have  been  remarkably  beautiful,  Tondbert  was  greatly  dismayed 
when  he  learnt  from  her  that  she  had  no  affection  to  give  him 
in  return,  but  wished  to  lead  a  life  of  seclusion,  and  prayer. 
With  noble  self-denial  the  generous  Prince  at  once  set  apart 
a  portion  of  his  palace  for  the  use  of  Ethelreda,  and  until  his 
death,  three  years  later,  she  was  allowed  to  do  exactly  as  she 
liked.  Glad  to  be  released  from  the  ties,  nominal  though  they 
had  been,  which  had  bound  her  to  her  husband,  the  widow 
resolved  to  found  a  nunnery  at  Ely;  but  the  fame  of  her 
beauty  had  so  inflamed  the  imagination  of  King  Egfrid  of 
Northumbria  that  he  sought  her  hand  in  marriage,  and,  in 
spite  of  all  her  resistance,  her  uncle,  who  had  succeeded  Anna 
a  year  before,  compelled  her  to  consent  to  the  union. 

Buoyed  up  with  the  hope  that  she  would  be  able  to  manage 
Egfrid  as  she  had  done  Tondbert,  Ethelreda  went  to  her  new 
home ;  but  she  soon  found  that  she  had  a  very  different  char- 
acter to  her  first  husband  to  deal  with,  and  the  next  few  years 
were  one  long  conflict  between  the  wedded  pair.  At  last, 
strengthened  in  her  rebellion  by  St.  Wilfrid  of  York,  she 
managed  to  obtain  a  separation,  and  retired  to  the  convent 
founded  by  her  aunt  St.  Ebba,  at  Coldingham,  where  she 
received  the  veil,  to  which  she  had  so  little  right,  from  the 
hands  of  her  mistaken  adviser.  King  Egfrid  not  unnaturally 
resented  the  conduct  of  his  wife ;  but  he  seems  to  ^have  be- 
haved generously  to  her,  and  although  he  married  again,  he  left 
Ethelreda  in  full  possession  of  the  property  settled  on  her  at 
their  marriage. 

After  a  year  spent  with  St.  Ebba,  the  ex -Queen  went 
to  her  own  estate  of  Ely,  and  there  founded  an  important 
monastery  for  monks  and  nuns,  which  she  ruled  wisely  and 
well  for  seven  years,  when  she  was  suddenly  cut  off  in  the 
prime  of  her  life,  by  an  epidemic  which  was  devastating  the 
country.  She  was  buried  in  a  wooden  coffin  in  the  common 
cemetery  of  her  own  Abbey  Church. 

These,  the  well-authenticated  historical  facts  of  the  life  of  the 
celebrated  Abbess,  have  been  supplemented  by  many  picturesque 
legends.  According  to  one  of  these  King  Egfrid,  instead  of 
consoling  himself  with  a  new  wife,  pursued  his  Queen  to 
Coldingham,  and  she  fled  with  two  nuns  to  St.  Ebb's  or 
Colbert's  Head,  where,  just  as  her  angry  husband  was  about 
to  seize  her,  the  tide  surrounded  the  rock  on  which  she  was, 


88  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

so  that  he  could  not  approach  her.  On  the  same  journey,  when 
the  Queen,  worn  out  with  her  rapid  flight,  had  fallen  asleep 
upon  the  ground  at  mid-day,  with  her  head  on  the  lap  of  one 
of  her  attendants,  her  staff,  which  she  had  stuck  in  the  ground 
beside  her,  became  a  mighty  tree,  shading  her  from  the  noon- 
day heat;  and  until  she  was  safely  back  at  Coldingham  she 
was  miraculously  preserved  from  every  danger  that  threatened 
her. 

After  her  death  the  power  of  St.  Ethelreda  became  even 
greater  than  before.  All  who  came  to  worship  at  her  humble 
grave  were  healed  of  their  infirmities  and  comforted  in  their 
sorrows,  but  it  seemed  unfitting  that  one  so  revered  should  be 
allowed  to  remain  in  the  lowly  spot  she  had  chosen.  It  was, 
therefore,  decided  to  translate  the  beloved  remains  ^  to  the 
church,  and  St.  Sexburga,  who  had  succeeded  her  sister  as 
Abbess,  sent  some  of  the  monks  to  Grantchester,  where  Cam- 
bridge now  stands,  to  procure  stone  for  a  new  coffin.  There, 
strange  to  say,  they  found  a  beautiful  marble  sarcophagus, 
which  they  brought  back  with  them  to  Ely.  A  canopy  was 
erected  over  the  old  grave,  and  when  the  coffin  in^it  was 
opened,  the  body  of  the  saintly  Queen  was  found  lying  un- 
decayed  as  if  in  sleep.  It  was  reverently  transferred  to  the 
sarcophagus,  and  in  the  presence  of  a  vast  crowd  of  ecclesiastics, 
monks,  nuns,  and  other  spectators,  solemnly  re-interred  within 
the  sacred  building. 

Unfortunately  the  church  with  all  it  contained  was  destroyed 
by  the  Danes  in  the  ninth  century,  but  the  spirit  of  Queen 
Ethelreda  still  seems  to  linger  in  her  beloved  Ely.  The  beauti- 
ful Gothic  cathedral  founded  in  the  eleventh  century,  now 
dedicated  to  the  Holy  Trinity,  was  originally  named  after  her, 
and  contains  in  the  corbels  of  the  arches,  upholding  the  central 
lantern,  designed  by  Allan  de  Walsingham,  a  remarkable  series 
of  sculptures  of  scenes  from  her  life  and  legend,  including  her 
marriage  to  Prince  Tondbert,  her  father  giving  her  away ;  the 
taking  of  the  veil  at  Coldingham,  the  Abbess  Ebba  placing  it 
over  her  head  as  St.  Wilfrid  pronounces  the  benediction,  whilst 
the  renounced  crown  is  seen  on  the  altar  close  by ;  the  miracle 
of  the  tide,  the  Queen,  who  wears  her  crown  above  her  veil, 
crouching  with  her  nuns  upon  the  rock;  the  miracle  of  the 
tree,  in  which  the  astonishment  of  the  nuns  is  very  graphically 
rendered ;  the  consecration  of  St.  Ethelreda  as  Abbess ;  her 


ANGLO-SAXON  ABBESSES  89 

last  illness,  in  which  her  doctor,  the  priest,  who  gave  her  the 
last  Sacraments,  and  her  faithful  servant  Owen,  later  the  com- 
panion of  St.  Chad,  are  introduced ;  a  miracle  said  to  have 
taken  place  in  the  twelfth  century  when  Saints  Ethelreda  and 
Benedict  rescued  a  penitent  criminal  from  prison ;  and,  lastly, 
the  translation  from  the  grave  to  the  church  of  the  undecayed 
body  of  the  Abbess  Queen,  with  the  crown  still  upon  her  head. 

In  a  fine  window  in  Ely  Cathedral,  dating  from  the  same 
period  as  the  sculptures  just  described,  St.  Ethelreda  is  intro- 
duced in  the  flowing  robes  of  the  Benedictine  Order,  wearing 
her  crown  and  holding  her  crosier,  and  there  is  a  fine  modern 
statue  of  her  in  Lichfield  Cathedral.  She  appears  with  other 
English  saints  on  many  roodscreens  in  old  parish  churches, 
notably  on  one  at  Oxburgh  and  another  at  Upton,  both  in 
Norfolk;  her  familiar  figure  can  still  be  made  out  in  certain 
mural  paintings,  including  one  in  Eton  Chapel  and  one  at 
Hessett,  in  Suffolk,  in  the  celebrated  '  Benedictional y  of 
St.  Ethelwold  of  Winchester,  who  had  an  immense  admiration 
for  her,  the  great  Abbess  is  seen  leading  a  choir  of  nuns,  with 
a  book  in  one  hand  and  in  the  other  a  lily,  in  token  of  her 
purity.  Hans  Burgkmair  has  painted  her  standing  before  an 
open  chest,  and  in  some  old  German  engravings  she  is  driving 
a  demon  before  her,  emblematical  of  her  general  power  over 
evil  rather  than  of  any  special  incident,  and  in  one  hand  she 
holds  a  sunflower,  possibly  in  allusion  to  her  flowering  staff. 
The  memory  of  St.  Ethelreda  is  also  preserved  in  the  dedication 
of  numerous  English  churches.  There  is  one,  for  instance,  at 
Norwich,  and  one  in  Ely  Place,  Holborn,  in  which  a  small 
portion  of  the  uncorrupted  hand  of  St  Ethelreda  is  said  to  be 
preserved ;  and,  most  interesting  perhaps  of  all,  one  at  West 
Halton,  in  Lincolnshire,  long  known  as  Ethelred's  Stow,  said 
to  occupy  the  site  of  a  chapel  built  on  the  scene  of  the  miracle 
of  the  tree. 

St.  Hilda  of  Whitby,  whose  memory  is  still  lovingly  cherished 
in  Northern  England,  and  who  is  sometimes  grouped,  as  on  the 
west  front  of  Lichfield  Cathedral,  with  other  Abbesses,  was  the 
great-niece  of  Edwin,  the  first  Christian  King  of  Northumbria, 
and  was  baptized  at  the  age  of  thirteen  by  St.  Paulinus.  Her 
father  had  been  treacherously  murdered  when  she  was  a  child, 
and  she  was  educated  at  the  Court  of  her  uncle ;  but  on  his 
death,  and  the  retreat  to  the  South  of  St.  Paulinus,  she  was 


go  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

brought  under  the  influence  of  St.  Aidan,  who  encouraged  her 
in  her  resolve  to  dedicate  her  life  to  God.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, until  she  was  thirty- three  years  old  that  she  took  ^  the 
veil,  and  though  she  is  supposed  to  have  spent  some  years  in  a 
French  monastery  at  Chelles,  little  is  known  of  her  life  up  to 
that  time.  In  any  case,  she  was  made  Abbess  of  a  monastery 
at  Heorta,  the  present  Hartlepool,  in  649,  and  eight  years  after 
that  she  founded  the  famous  community  at  Streaneshalch, 
later  called  Whitby,  the  original  name  of  which  signified  the 
Beacon  Bay.  The  new  monastery  grew  rapidly  in  importance, 
and  to  it  were  attracted  many  noble  men  and  women,  over 
whom  the  mother,  as  the  Abbess  was  lovingly  called,  ruled  with 
such  wisdom  that  her  fame  spread  far  and  near.  She  presided 
at  the  great  Synod  held  in  her  abbey  in  664,  at  which  King 
Oswy  was  present,  for  the  discussion  of  the  questions  at  issue 
between  the  Roman  and  Celtic  parties  in  the  Church;  and, 
although  her  sympathies  were  entirely  with  the  latter,  she 
accepted  the  decision  in  favour  of  the  former  with  the  greatest 
loyalty,  never  attempting  to  enforce  her  own  views  on  those 
under  her  control. 

In  the  Abbey  of  St  Hilda  lived  the  eloquent  singer  Caedmon, 
of  whom  it  is  related  by  Bede  that  he  did  not  learn  the  art  of 
poetry  from  men,  but  from  God,  for  he  had  lived  in  a  secular 
habit  till  he  was  well  advanced  in  years,  being  employed  as  one 
of  the  servants  in  the  monastery.  The  revelation  from  God  is 
said  to  have  come  to  Caedmon  in  a  dream,  when  an  angel  appeared 
to  him  and  ordered  him  to  sing  a  song  to  him.  '  I  cannot  sing,' 
was  the  humble  reply,  '  and  that  is  why  I  have  ever  left  the 
table  when  it  came  to  my  turn  to  take  the  harp.'  ^The  angel, 
however,  insisted,  and  Caedmon  asked  in  a  despairing  voice, 
*  What  shall  I  sing  ?'  *  Sing  the  beginning  of  created  beings/ 
said  his  visitor ;  and  lo !  the  gift  of  improvisation  came  to  him, 
so  that  he  sung  beautiful  verses  in  praise  of  God  the  Creator. 
When  he  awoke  he  remembered  all  the  words  of  this  song, 
and,  having  told  his  dream  to  his  fellow-monks,  he  was  taken 
by  them  before  the  Abbess,  who,  on  hearing  his  story,  at 
once  recognised  the  divine  leading.  The  poet  was  raised  to 
high  honour  in  the  community,  but  though  he  eventually  became 
celebrated  wherever  the  Anglo-Saxon  tongue  was  understood, 
he  remained  to  the  end  as  humble  in  spirit  as  before. 

St.  Hilda  suffered  greatly  from  an  incurable  disease  for  seven 


ANGLO-SAXON  ABBESSES  91 

years  before  her  death,  but,  though  she  was  unable  or  unwilling 
to  obtain  relief  for  herself,  she  is  credited  with  having  performed 
for  others  many  wonderful  works  of  healing.  To  the  last  she 
gathered  her  nuns  about  her  daily,  and  when,  says  Bede,  '  she 
joyfully  saw  death  approaching/  she  summoned  her  whole  com- 
munity to  hear  her  farewell  charge,  as  she  passed,  even  as 
she  was  speaking,  from  this  world  to  the  next.  A  certain  nun 
named  Bega,  who  later  became  venerated  under  the  name  of 
St.  Bees,  living  in  a  village  thirteen  miles  away,  is  said  to  have 
seen  the  soul  of  the  saint  being  carried  into  heaven  by  angels. 

Amongst  the  wonders  supposed  to  have  been  performed  by 
St.  Hilda  was  the  destruction  of  thousands  of  snakes  which  used 
to  infest  Whitby,  and  the  driving  away  of  hundreds  of  wild 
geese  that  had  long  devastated  the  fields.  The  snakes  she  first 
beheaded,  and  then  turned  into  stone.  The  fossil  ammonites, 
so  numerous  in  the  neighbourhood,  were  long  popularly  be- 
lieved to  be  all  that  was  left  of  these  reptiles,  and  they  are  still 
called  St.  Hilda's  snakes  by  the  fishermen  of  Yorkshire,  whilst 
the^  successors  of  the  defeated  geese  are  supposed  to  droop 
their  wings  when  they  pass  over  Whitby.  In  'Marmion/  Sir 
Walter  Scott  refers  to  both  these  popular  beliefs  when  he  says 
St.  Hilda's  nuns — who,  the  scene  of  the  poem  having  been  laid 
in  the  sixteenth  century,  can  only  have  existed  in  his  imagina- 
tion,— told : 

*  How,  of  thousand  snakes,  each  one 
Was  changed  into  a  coil  of  stone, 

When  holy  Hilda  pray'd ; 
Themselves,  within  their  holy  bound, 
Their  stony  folds  had  often  found, 
They  told  how  sea-fowls'  pinions  fail, 
As  over  Whitby's  towers  they  sail, 
And,  sinking  down,  with  batterings  faint, 
They  do  their  homage  to  the  Saint/ 

Representations  of  St.  Hilda,  although  they  were  probably 
numerous  in  the  north  of  England  before  the  destruction,  after 
the  Reformation,  of  so  many  churches,  are  now  extremely  rare, 
but  her  effigy,  with  a  goose  at  her  feet  and  a  priest  on  either 
side  celebrating  Mass,  forms  the  design  of  the  official  seal  of 
Hartlepool.  Her  memory  will  ever  be  associated  with  the  ruins 
of  the  Abbey  at  Whitby,  although,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  they 
belong  to  a  building  with  which  she  had  nothing  to  do ;  a 


92  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Benedictine  monastery  founded  in  the  eleventh  century.  The 
name  of  the  much-loved  Abbess  is  also  preserved  in  the  dedica- 
tions of  numerous  churches  in  Yorkshire  and  elsewhere,  in- 
cluding an  ancient  one  at  Hartlepool,  a  modern  one  at  Whitby, 
and  one  at  Middlesbrough.  Hinderwell,  a  village  near  Whitby, 
was  originally  Hilda's  well,  and  Islekirk,  a  parish  in  Cumber- 
land, was  Hildkirk,  or  Hilda's  Church. 

St.  Sexburga,  the  elder  sister  of  St.  Ethelreda,  is  occasionally 
represented  in  stained-glass  windows  and  elsewhere,  holding  a 
palm  in  one  hand,  though  she  was  certainly  not  a  martyr,  and 
wearing  the  robes  of  an  Abbess.  Married  at  an  early  age  to 
King  Ercombert  of  Kent,  she  faithfully  performed  the  duties 
of  a  wife  until  his  death,  and  acted  as  regent  for  her  eldest  son 
during  his  minority;  but  when  the  latter  was  old  enough  to 
reign,  she  withdrew  from  the  world,  receiving  the  veil  from 
Archbishop  Theodore.  She  was  for  a  short  time  Abbess  of 
Sheppey,  where  her  name  is  still  preserved  in  the  dedication  of 
the  church  of  Saints  Mary  and  Sexburga;  but  she  was  too 
humble-minded  to  care  for  dignity,  and  soon  resigned  her 
position  to  her  daughter  Emerilda,  in  order  to  join  St.  Ethelreda 
at  *Ely,  It  was  against  her  own  will  that  St.  Sexburga  was 
chosen  Abbess  on  the  death  of  her  more  celebrated  sister,  and 
the  only  occasion  on  which  she  played  a  really  prominent  part, 
was  that  of  the  translation  of  the  relics  of  her  predecessor  from 
the  cemetery  to  the  cathedral. 

St.  Withburga,  the  sister  of  Saints  Ethelreda  and  Sexburga, 
was  even  more  humble-minded  than  the  latter,  and  although 
she  is  still  held  in  loving  memory  in  the  Norfolk  villages  of 
Holkham,  where  her  childhood  was  passed,  and  East  Dereham, 
where  she  founded  a  monastery,  next  to  nothing  is  known 
of  her  life.  She  appears  sometimes  in  ecclesiastical  decoration 
— as  on  rood-screens  in  the  churches  of  Burnham  Broom  and 
Burlingham,  both  in  Norfolk — holding  a  church  in  one  hand 
and  with  two  does  at  her  feet ;  the  latter  in  allusion  to  a  legend 
to  the  effect  that  she  and  her  nuns  were  nourished  with  the 
milk  of  two  tame  hinds,  till  the  poor  creatures  were  killed  by  a 
cruel  man,  who  was  immediately  punished  with  death. 

In  the  story  of  St.  Ebba,  the  daughter  of  Ethelred  the 
Avenger  and  sister  of  Kings  Oswald  and  Oswy,  fact  and  fiction 
are  inextricably  blended.  The  founder  of  a  nunnery  at 
Ebchester,  which  is  named  after  her,  and  of  a  double  monastery 


ANGLO-SAXON  ABBESSES  93 

for  monks  and  nuns  at  Coldingham,  she  is  said  to  have  ruled 
the  latter  with  so  lax  a  hand  that  grave  scandals  occurred ;  for, 
to  quote  a  contemporary  witness,  'even  the  cells  that  were 
built  for  praying  or  reading  were  converted  into  places  of  feast- 
ing, drinking,  talking,  and  other  delights.'  Warned  that  if 
reforms  were  not  instituted  speedy  destruction  would  overtake 
the  whole  community,  St.  Ebba,  who  seems  to  have  been  blind 
to  what  was  going  on  rather  than  wilfully  lax,  set  about  to 
restore  order.  According  to  some  she  succeeded,  and  died 
peacefully  at  a  good  old  age  surrounded  by  her  penitent  nuns ; 
but  others  assert  that  her  monastery  was  attacked  and  burnt 
to  the  ground  by  Danish  pirates,  the  Abbess  and  her  whole 
household  perishing  in  the  flames.  Before  the  end  came,  how- 
ever, St.  Ebba  is  said  to  have  proved  herself  a  woman  of 
courage  and  resource,  for,  fearing  a  fate  worse  than  death  if 
the  Danes  should  effect  an  entrance,  she  cut  off  her  nose  and 
upper  lip,  and  persuaded  all  her  nuns  to  follow  her  example. 
*  And  when  the  Danes,'  says  an  old  chronicler,  *  broke  through 
the  gates  and  rushed  upon  their  prey,  the  nuns  lifted  their  veils 
and  showed  their  faces  disfigured  horribly.  Then  those  merci- 
less ravishers,  starting  back  at  such  a  spectacle,  were  about  to 
flee,  but  their  leaders,  being  full  of  fury,  ordered  the  convent  to 
be  fired.  So  these  most  holy  virgins,  with  St.  Ebba  at  their 
head,  attained  the  glory  of  martyrdom,' 

Whether  St.  Ebba  died  a  natural  death  or  not,  her  memory 
is  revered  as  that  of  a  martyr,  and  in  the  few  existing  repre- 
sentations of  her  she  holds  a  knife,  in  token  of  her  supposed 
self-mutilation.  According  to  Bede,  however,  the  fire  which 
destroyed  the  monastery  at  Coldingham  was  due  to  carelessness 
only,  and  did  not  take  place  until  after  St.  Ebba's  death.  In 
any  case,  the  relics  of  the  Abbess,  or  what  purported  to  be 
her  relics,  were  translated  from  Coldingham  to  Durham  in  the 
eleventh  century,  and  her  name  is  preserved  in  several  dedica- 
tions of  churches  in  England  and  Scotland,  including  one  at 
Beadnell  in  Northumberland,  supposed  to  occupy  the  site  of  an 
outlying  cell  of  the  Abbey  of  Coldingham,  and  one  as  far  south 
as  Oxford.  To  this  account  it  is  only  fair  to  add  that  some 
authors,  including  the  Rev.  Alban  Butler,  claim  that  there  were 
two  St.  Ebbas  of  Coldingham ;  the  foundress,  who  died  a  natural 
death,  and  a  second  abbess  who  was  martyred  in  the  ninth  cen- 
tury with  all  her  nuns  after  the  self-mutilation  described  above. 


94  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

The  daughter  of  King  Wulphere  of  Mercia  and  the  niece  of 
St.  Ethelreda,  St.  Werburga,  to  whom  the  Cathedral  of  Chester 
is  dedicated,  it  having  been  built  on  the  site  of  a  monastery 
founded  by  her,  is  especially  celebrated  for  the  missionary 
journeys  she  undertook,  her  course  being  marked  by  theorising 
up  of  one  religious  house  after  another-,  so  that  her  name  is  met 
with  in  districts  as  far  apart  as  Lancashire  and  Cornwall.  Her 
special  attribute  in  art  is  a  goose,  because  she  is  said  to  have 
so  completely  tamed  the  wild  geese  who  used  to  feed  in  the 
fields  round  her  monastery  at  Chester,  that  when  she  walked 
abroad  she  was  often  escorted  by  a  large  number  of  her  feathered 
friends.  The  story  goes  that  the  steward  of  the  monastery 
once  dared  to  kill  a  goose  and  eat  it  in  a  pie ;  but  ^his  crime 
being  discovered  by  the  Abbess,  she  had  him  punished  and 
restored  her  pet  to  life.  St.  Werburga  appears  amongst  the 
statues  of  abbesses  on  the  west  front  of  Lickfield  Cathedral 
and  also  in  the  Lady  Chapel  of  the  same  building, 

St.  Eanswith,  the  daughter  of  King  Eadbald  and  sister-in- 
law  of  St.  Sexburga,  whose  memory  is  still  held  specially  sacred 
in  Sussex,  founded  a  monastery  near  the  present  Folkestone, 
providing  the  town,  it  is  said,  with  a  miraculous  supply  of 
water  by  striking  the  ground  with  her  crosier,  an  incident 
commemorated  in  the  name  of  St.  Eanswith's  Spring,  which 
still  feeds  a  reservoir. 

St.  Eanswith  is  said  to  have  died  young,  and  soon  after  her 
death  her  monastery,  the  site  of  which  had  been  badly  chosen, 
was  washed  into  the  sea,  but  five  centuries  later  a  new  church, 
dedicated  to  her  and  St.  Mary,  was  erected  further  inland. 
The  patron  saint  of  the  fishermen  of  Folkestone,  the  Corpora- 
tion seal  of  that  town  bears  upon  it  the  effigy  of  St.  Eanswith, 
wearing  the  robes  of  an  abbess,  and  holding  two  fishes  in  a 
kind  of  hoop,  whilst  on  that  of  the  mayoralty  she  has  the  fishes 
at  her  feet,  and  the  additional  emblems  of  the  crown,  in  memory 
of  her  royal  birth,  the  crosier  and  a  book,  are  given  to  her. 

St.  Eadburga,  or  Ethelburga — who  must  not  be  confounded 
with  her  namesake  the  daughter  of  King  Ethelbert  and  Queen 
Bertha,  who  married  King  Edwin  of  Northumbria — is  supposed 
to  have  been  a  connection  of  St.  Ethelreda.  She  withdrew  at 
an  early  age  to  the  Convent  of  Farernontier,  of  which  she 
became  Abbess,  and  is  sometimes  represented  embracing  the 
instruments  of  the  Passion,  and  with  a  flaming  heart  in  her 


ANGLO-SAXON  ABBESSES  95 

hand,  both  emblems  of  her  ardent  devotion  to  Christ^  Her 
shrine,  containing  some  of  her  relics,  can  still  be  seen  in  the 
church  of  St.  Mary. 

St.  Osyth,  or  Sitha,  one  of  the  very  few  Saxon  ladies  who  won 
the  glory  of  martyrdom,  is  said  to  have  been  the  daughter  of  a 
Mercian  prince,  and  to  have  been  married  as  a  mere  girl  to  an 
East  Anglian  King,  who  honoured  her  in  her  wish  to  dedicate  her 
life  to  God,  giving  her  an  estate  at  Chick  on  the  estuary  of  the 
Colne,  where  she  built  a  monastery.  There  she  had  lived 
happily  for  some  years  surrounded  by  her  nuns,  when  the 
monastery  was  attacked  by  Danish  pirates,  whose  leader 
became  so  enamoured  of  the  beauty  of  the  Abbess  that  he 
promised  to  spare  her  life  if  she  would  become  his  wife.  She 
refused,  and  he  at  once  ordered  her  to  be  beheaded-  As  the 
blow  fell,  the  saintly  Abbess  is  said  to  have  taken  her  head  in 
her  hands  and  walked  with  it  for  300  yards  to  her  Abbey 
church,  the  door  of  which  was  closed.  She  knocked  loudly, 
leaving  the  impress  of  her  blood-stained  knuckles  upon  the  panels, 
and  then  fell  dead  ;  a  gruesome  legend  memorialized  on  the  seal 
of  the  parish  of  St.  Osyth,  where  her  monastery  once  stood, 
on  which  she  is  represented  holding  her  own  head.  Other 
attributes  given  to  the  martyr  are  a  crown,  in  allusion  to  the 
royal  dignity  she  renounced ;  a  key  or  keys,  possibly  because 
she  had  dedicated  her  church  to  St.  Peter;  and  a  stag,  in 
memory  of  a  legend  to  the  effect  that  she  ran  away  from  her 
husband  when  he  was  out  hunting.  Representations  of  St. 
Osyth  used  to  abound  in  old  English  churches,  notably  on  a 
rood-screen  at  Barton  Turf,  and  on  one^in  St.  James's  Church, 
Norwich,  both  now  in  private  possession.  She  also  appears 
with  Saints  Christopher,  Thomas  a  Becket,  and  Edward  the 
Confessor  on  one  of  the  Norman  piers  of  St.  Albans  Cathedral, 
and  in  a  window  of  the  College  Library,  Winchester,  in  which 
last  she  holds  a  book  bound  in  the  manner  ^characteristic  of 
the  time  at  which  the  composition  was  designed,  that  is  to 
say,  with  the  leather  cover  gathered  into  a  kind  of  rosette  at 
the  top,  giving  it  the  appearance  of  a  bag. 


g6  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SAINTLY  WOMEN   OF  THE    SEVENTH,    EIGHTH,   AND 
NINTH   CENTURIES 

SCARCELY  less  celebrated  than  her  great  Anglo-Saxon  con- 
temporaries was  St.  Bathilde,  of  France,  whose  story  is 
a  very  romantic  one.  She  is  said  to  have  been  the  daughter 
of  an  Anglo-Saxon  King,  to  have  been  carried  off  by 
pirates,  and  sold  to  a  certain  Prankish  count,  whose 
wife  treated  her  very  harshly,  making  her  do  all  the  rough 
work  of  the  house.  Her  master  was,  however,  soon  left  a 
widower,  and  he  at  once  asked  Bathilde  to  marry  him.  She 
refused,  declaring  that  she  would  be  the  bride  of  none  but 
Christ.  To  resist  the  further  importunities  of  the  Count,  she 
ran  away  and  hid  herself,  but  she  was  discovered  in  her  retreat 
by  King  Clovis  II.,  who,  in  his  turn,  fell  in  love  with  her.  She 
seems  to  have  returned  his  affection,  for  when  he  said  he  would 
purchase  her  from  her  lawful  master  and  make  her  his  Queen, 
she  consented.  The  marriage  appears  to  have  been  a  very 
happy  one,  and  the  Queen  became  the  mother  of  three  sons, 
who  all  wore  the  crown  in  succession.  King  Clovis  died, 
when  the  eldest  of  them  was  five  years  old,  but  before  his  end 
he  appointed  St.  Bathilde  Regent,  till  her  son  should  be  old 
enough  to  reign.  The  widowed  Queen  ruled  the  kingdom 
wisely,  with  the  aid  of  Saints  Eloy  and  Ouen,  and  when 
Clotaire  II.  came  of  age  she  withdrew  to  a  nunnery  she  had 
founded  at  Chelles,  where  she  died  in  680. 

The  restorer  of  many  religious  houses  which  had  fallen  into 
decay,  and  the  foundress  of  the  great  Abbey  of  Corbie, 
St.  Bathilde  is  greatly  honoured  in  France,  and  is  often  re- 
presented in  ecclesiastical  decoration  wearing  royal  robes,  and 
with  a  crown  on  her  head,  but  holding  a  broom  in  her  hand  in 
memory  of  her  time  of  servitude.  A  ladder  is  another  of  her 
attributes;  some  say  because  of  a  vision  she  had  just  before 
her  death,  of  angels  ascending  and  descending  a  long  ladder 
leading  from  earth  to  heaven,  whilst  others  see  in  it  only  an 
allusion  to  the  name  of  her  monastery  at  Chelles,  echelle  being 
the  French  for  ladder.  Sometimes,  also,  St.  Bathilde  holds  a 
church,  in  memory  of  the  sacred  buildings  erected  by  her,  or 


SAINTLY  WOMEN  OF  FRANCE  97 

she  is  causing  water  to  spring  up  by  waving  a  rod  ;  and  she 
has  been  represented  by  Hans  Burgkmair  gazing  up  at  an 
apparition  of  Christ  upon  the  cross. 

Other  famous  women  of  France  of  the  seventh  century 
were  the  Abbesses  Saints  Fare  of  Champigny,  Aure  of  Paris, 
Gertrude  of  Nivelle,  Aldegonda  of  Maubeuge,  Waltrude  of  Mons, 
Begga  of  Audene,  and  Gudula  of  Brussels,  with  whom  may  be 
associated  the  less  well  known  virgin  martyrs  Dympna  and 
Maxellinda,  and  the  more  or  less  apocryphal  Angradesma  of 
Beaulieu,  Winifred  of  Wales,  and  Modwena  of  Ireland. 

St.  Fare  of  Champigny,  the  sister  of  St.  Faro  of  Meaux, 
with  whom  she  is  occasionally  grouped,  is  said  to  have  founded 
a  nunnery  in  her  brother's  diocese,  and  is  sometimes  repre- 
sented holding  a  crosier  and  a  book,  or  with  a  bunch  of  ears  of 
wheat  in  her  hand,  the  last  because  when  she  was  a  little  girl 
and  St.  Columban  came  to  see  her  father,  she  ran  into  the  room 
with  some  corn  in  her  hand,  and  the  missionary  prophesied 
that  the  harvest  of  the  just  should  be  her  portion.  St.  Fare 
is  said  to  have  been  the  means  of  converting  St.  Faro,  and 
is  sometimes  represented  talking  to  him  in  the  presence  of  two 
nuns. 

St.  Aure,  Abbess  for  some  years  of  a  convent  in  Paris,  is 
represented  holding  a  nail  between  her  first  finger  and  thumb, 
or  seated  in  a  chair  studded  all  over  with  nails,  the  points  of 
which  are  piercing  her  flesh,  because  she  is  said  to  have 
recited  the  Psalms  every  day  for  seven  years  in  such  a  chair, 
as  a  self-inflicted  punishment  for  having  ventured  to  correct  a 
deacon  for  infringing  the  rubric. 

St.  Gertrude  of  Nivelle,  in  Brabant,  a  very  favourite  Saint  in 
Belgium,  where  she  is  invoked  for  protection  against  mice,  rats, 
and  voles,  the  water  from  a  spring  in  the  crypt  of  her  church 
having  long  been  used  to  sprinkle  fields  infested  by  vermin,  was 
Abbess  for  many  years  of  a  great  nunnery  at  Nivelle,  but  re- 
signed her  post  three  years  before  her  death.  St.  Gertrude 
often  appears  in  ecclesiastical  decoration  and  in  illuminated 
manuscripts,  surrounded  by  mice  and  rats,  or  with  rats  and 
mice  running  up  and  down  her  spinning-wheel.  Now  and 
then,  as  in  an  old  German  book  of  legends,  fiery  tongues 
are  introduced  above  St.  Gertrude's  head — or  as  in  the 
'Attributen  der  Heiligen'  a  crown  is  being  brought  to  her 
by  an  angel.  A  lily,  in  token  of  her  purity,  and  a  loaf,  in 

VOL.  in.  7 


g8  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

memory  of  her  gifts  to  the  poor,  are  also  amongst  her  attributes. 
She  has  been  represented  appearing  in  the  sky  after  her  death, 
and  putting  out  with  her  veil  a  fire  which  was  devastating 
her  monastery.  St.  Gertrude  is  supposed  to  be  specially 
attached  to  cats,  possibly  because  she  was  the  enemy  of  their 
natural  prey,  and  travellers  and  those  suffering  from  fever 
appeal  to  her  for  aid. 

St.  Waltrude  or  Vautrude  belonged  to  the  royal  blood  of 
France,  and  was  the  wife  of  Madelgaire,  the  powerful  Count  of 
Hainault,  and  the  mother  of  four  children ;  but  late  in  life  she 
persuaded  her  husband  to  enter  a  monastery,  and  herself  with- 
drew to  a  little  cell  near  the  present  Mons,  which  in  course 
of  time  became  the  nucleus  of  a  wealthy  community  of  ^  nuns. 
St.  Waltrude  is  said  to  have  come  to  her  strange  decision  to 
leave  her  husband,  through  the  intervention  of  St.  G6ry  of 
Cambrai,  who  one  day  when  she  was  at  prayer,  appeared  to 
her  and  presented  her  with  a  chalice,  an  incident  occasionally 
represented  in  art.  More  generally  she  is  seen  offering  a 
crucifix  to  her  husband,  and  herself  refusing  a.  crown  of  roses, 
or  she  is  surrounded  by  prisoners,  whose  chains  she  is  striking 
off,  for  she  is  said  to  have  persuaded  Count  Madelgaire  to 
ransom  many  slaves;  or  she  is  sheltering  a  number  of  children 
under  her  mantle  in  memory  of  her  love  for  her  own  little  ones. 
A  church  is  also  sometimes  given  to  St.  Waltrude,  although  it 
was  not  until  after  her  death  that  the  abbey  named  after  her 
was  founded.  Now  and  then  the  saintly  wife  and  mother  is 
grouped  with  her  husband,  and  her  two  young  ^daughters,  none 
of  whom,  however,  have  any  special  attributes  in  art. 

St.  Aldegonda  was  a  woman  of  a  very  different  character  to  St. 
Waltrude,  and  she  did  not  withdraw  from  the  world  until  she  felt 
that  her  work  there  was  done.  From  the  first  she  is  supposed 
to  have  been  under  the  special  protection  of  Heaven,  and  she 
resolved  as  a  mere  child  to  dedicate  her  life  to  God.  As  soon  as 
she  was  old  enough  her  father  wished  her  to  marry,  but  she  ran 
away  from  her  home,  and  is  said  to  have  crossed  the  Sambre  dry- 
shod,  an  angel  leading  her  by  the  hand.  She.  received  the  veil 
from  St.  Amandus,  and  it  is  related  that  as  he  blessed  her  a  dove 
appeared  above  her  head,  holding  a  gleaming  veil  in  its  claws. 
After  serving  her  novitiate,  St.  Aldegonda  founded  an  important 
nunnery  at  Maubeuge,  which  she  ruled  for  thirty  years,  when 
she  died  of  cancer,  bearing  her  terrible  sufferings  with  great 


SS.  ALDEGONDA  AND  BEGGA  99 

heroism.  Saint  Waltrude,  who  was  with  her  sister  at  the  end, 
declared  that  she  saw  her  soul  carried  up  to  Heaven  in  a  blaze 
of  glory  by  angels.  Many  wonderful  cures  are  said  to  have 
been  wrought  at  the  shrine  of  St.  Aldegonda,  and  the  water  of 
a  spring  near  her  church  is  supposed  to  be  especially  efficacious 
in  cases  of  cancer.  Jacques  Callot  has  represented  the  wilful 
maiden  flying  from  home,  and  there  are  many  beautiful  Flemish 
engravings  of  St.  Aldegonda  as  Abbess,  with  a  book  in  one 
hand  and  a  crosier  in  the  other,  or  as  a  novice  receiving  the 
veil  from  the  dove,  an  angel  standing  beside  her. 

There  appear  to  have  been  two  St.  Beggas  or  Bees  who  lived 
in  the  seventh  century,  one  of  Irish,  the  other  of  Belgian  origin. 
One,  who  has  given  her  name  to  a  parish  in  Cumberland 
and  to  several  English  churches,  is  said  to  have  run  away  on 
the  eve  of  her  marriage  with  a  Norwegian  Prince,  and  to 
have  crossed  the  sea  on  a  green  grass  sod.  After  living 
alone  for  many  years  she  was  made  Abbess  of  a  convent  by 
St.  Aidan.  The  other  St.  Begga,  whose  history  is  far  better 
authenticated  than  that  of  her  namesake,  was  the  daughter 
of  Count  Pepin  of  Landen,  sister  of  St.  Gertrude  of  Nivelle, 
wife  of  the  son  of  St.  Arnould  of  Metz,  mother  of  the  great 
Count  Pepin  of  H6ristal,  and  grandmother  of  the  yet  greater 
Charles  MarteL  The  Irish  St.  Begga  has  no  special  emblems,  but 
the  Belgian  saint  is  often  represented  with  seven  chickens 
at  her  feet,  or  seven  ducks  on  a  pond  beside  her,  in  allusion,  it 
is  supposed,  to  seven  churches  or  monasteries  built  by  her  at 
Audenne  on  the  Meuse,  in  memory  of  the  seven  basilicas  of 
Rome,  to  which  she  had  made  a  pilgrimage  after  the  death  of 
her  husband,  who  was  killed  when  out  hunting.  It  is  said  that 
the  Saint  was  guided  in  her  choice  of  the  sites  of  her  churches 
by  seven  birds  she  had  noticed  collected  round  their  mother. 
On  a  medal  that  used  to  be  worn  by  the  Canonesses  of 
Audenne,  she  is  seen  with  seven  chickens  on  one  side  of  her 
and  a  bear  on  the  other,  the  latter  in  allusipn,  some  say,  to 
Charles  Martel  having  killed  a  bear  near  his  grandmother's 
settlement,  whilst  others,  see  in  it  a  mere  reference  to  the  wild 
animals  of  the  surrounding  forests.  On  the  right  of  the  abbey 
domains  there  still  remains  a  spring  called  the  Fontaine  de  la 
Poule,  and  on  the  left  is  one  known  as  La  Fontaine  de  TOurs. 
A  crown,  in  allusion  to  her  noble  lineage,  and  an  ornate 
building  held  on  one  hand,  are  also  given  to  St.  Begga,  who  is 

7—2 


ioo  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

supposed  to  have  been  the  original  foundress  of  the  communi- 
ties known  as  Beguinages,  in  which  a  number  of  women 
devoted  to  good  works  live  in  separate  houses  grouped  round 
a  church. 

The  legend  of  St.  Gudula,  the  patron  Saint  of  Brussels, 
where  she  is  still  greatly  revered,  resembles  closely  that  of 
St.  Genevi&ve  of  Paris.*  A  near  relation  of  St.  Gertrude  of 
Nivelle,  she  was  placed  under  her  care  as  a  child-,  and  early 
resolved  to  dedicate  her  life  to  God.  Even  before  she  was  sent 
to  the  convent,  she  used  to  spend  the  greater  part  of  her  time 
in  prayer,  going  in  the  bitterest  winter  weather  to  a  distant 
chapel  from  her  mother's  house  long  before  it  was  light.  The 
evil  one  is  said  to  have  tried  in  vain  to  thwart  the  holy  child  in 
her  devotions,  constantly  blowing  out  her  candle,  which  was  as 
constantly  re-lighted  by  an  angel,  for  which  reason  the  chief 
emblem  in  art  of  St.  Gudula  is  a  candle  or  a  lantern,  the 
lantern,  according  to  some,  having  special  reference  to  the 
lamps  of  the  watchful  virgins,  which  the  Devil  would  so  gladly 
extinguish.  On  the  official  seal  of  Brussels  is  a  very  quaint  and 
realistic  representation  of  St.  Gudula  on  her  way  to  chapel, 
holding  a  staff  over  her  right  shoulder  and  a  lantern  in  her  left 
hand,  at  which  the  Devil,  in  the  form  of  a  nondescript  animal 
with  horns,  and  the  feet  of  a  man,  is  leisurely  puffing,  seated  at 
the  feet  of  no  less  a  person  than  the  archangel  Michael. 

In  the  Munich  Gallery  is  a  painting  by  an  unknown  Flemish 
master  of  the  Devil  blowing  out  St.  Gudula's  candle  in  the 
presence  of  two  kneeling  nuns  and  St.  Catherine ;  and  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Brussels  are  representations  of  several  scenes  from 
the  life  of  the  favourite  Saint  by  Michael  Coxin.  On  certain 
ancient  rood-screens  in  England,  notably  on  one  in  Berry  Pome- 
roy  Church  in  Devonshire,  and  one  in  St.  Peter's  at  Walpole  in 
Norfolk,  she  is  grouped  with  other  noted  Saints.  St.  Gudula  is 
also  constantly  introduced  in  old  German  and  Flemish  prints ; 
in  the  former  with  a  candle,  in  the  latter  with  a  lantern  in  her 
hand.  More  rarely  she  is  seated  at  her  loom  weaving,  and 
occasionally  she  is  grouped  with  her  sisters,  the  little-known 
Saints  Amalberge  and  Ramilde.  In  Brabant  the  Tvemella 
deliquescens,  which  flowers  at  the  beginning  of  January,  is 
called  *  Sinte  Gould's  lampken/  or  St.  Gudula's  lamp,  probably 
because  her  ftte-day  is  celebrated  in  the  first  week  of  the  year. 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  216-226. 


Ha  nfstangl  photo} 


\_Mtttiich  Claliery 


THE    DEVIL     BLOWING     OUT     ST.     GUDULA*S     CANDLE 
By  an  ttnk/iaivti  .\Jaster,  Flemish  School 


To  face  p.  TOO 


SS.  GUDULA  AND  DYMPNA  101 

Nothing  is  really  known  of  the  life  of  St.  Gudula  after  she 
was  received  into  the  Convent  of  Nivelle,  but  she  is  supposed  to 
have  died  at  a  great  age,  and  to  have  been  first  buried  at  Ham. 
Her  relics  were  later  removed  first  to  Moorsel,  and  then  to 
the  Cathedral  of  Brussels,  which  is  named  after  her.  A  tree  is 
said  to  have  blossomed  near  her  grave  on  the  day  of  the  funeral, 
although  snow  was  on  the  ground  at  the  time,  and  this  tree  was 
transplanted  to  the  Saint's  new  resting-place  at  Moorsel.  A 
convent  was  built  near  the  miraculous  tree,  and  th$  story  goes, 
that  one  day  when  Charlemagne  was  hunting  a  bear  in  the 
neighbourhood,  the  animal  took  refuge  in  the  church,  and 
remained  for  the  rest  of  its  life  as  a  pet  of  the  nuns,  who  had 
begged  its  life  of  the  Emperor. 

St.  Dympna,  who,  though  she  is  called  a  martyr,  seems  to 
have  been  killed  for  reasons  which  had  nothing  to  do  with  her 
religion,  is  supposed  to  have  been  of  royal  Irish  birth,  and  to 
have  fled  to  Belgium  from  her  father,  an  exceptionally  wicked 
man."  He  overtook  her  near  the  present  Gheel,  and  as  she  still 
resisted  his  will,  he  cut  off  her  head  and  left  her  dead  body 
upon  the  ground.  It  was  reverently  interred  by  some  Christian 
witnesses  of  the  tragedy,  and  is  now  supposed  to  rest  in  a 
beautiful  shrine  in  the  church  of  Gheel.  St.  Dympna  is 
credited  with  having  healed  many  mental  sufferers  who  visited 
her  tomb,  and  for  this  reason  she  is  specially  honoured  in  the 
celebrated  colony  for  the  humane  treatment  of  the  insane,  which 
is,  indeed,  said  by  some  to  have  been  founded  in  her  honour. 
Her  special  attribute  in  art  is  a  sword,  because  it  was  the 
instrument  of  her  death ;  but  occasionally  she  is  represented 
using  that  weapon  to  slay  a  dragon,  possibly  in  allusion  to  her 
victory  over  evil.  In  a  church  named  after  her  at  Vlodrop 
numerous  scenes  from  her  life  are  represented;  in  an  old 
German  book  on  the  emblems  of  the  Saints  she  is  seen 
dragging  a  defeated  dragon  behind  her,  and  occasionally  her 
father  is  represented  murdering  not  his  daughter,  but  a  priest 
performing  Mass  at  an  altar,  whilst  St.  Dympna  kneels  close  by. 

St.  Maxellinda,  whose  story  greatly  resembles  that  of 
St.  Dympna,  is  said  to  have  been  slain  by  a  young  man 
whose  addresses  she  had  refused,  near  Cambrai,  where  she  is 
still  much  honoured.  She  is  occasionally  represented  holding 
a  sword,  in  memory  of  the  instrument  of  her  death.  Her  lover 
is  supposed  to  have  been  struck  blind  after  his  crime,  but  he 


102  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

repented  of  his  sin,  and  was  healed  at  the  funeral  of  his  victim 
through  her  intercession. 

St.  Angradesma,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  at  one  time 
Abbess  of  Beaulieu,  but  of  whom  nothing  is  really  known, 
is  occasionally  represented  receiving  the  Divine  Child  from  the 
arms  of  His  Mother,  in  memory  of  a  vision  said  to  have  been 
vouchsafed  to  her  when  she  resolved  to  take  the  veil. 

St.  Winifred,  whose  special  attribute  is  a  crosier  with  a  lily 
in  the  volute  of  the  handle,  in  token  of  her  purity  and  her 
rank  as  Abbess,  is  said  to  have  been  the  daughter  of  a  Welsh 
officer  of  high  rank,  who,  being  left  alone  at  home  one  day,  was 
surprised  at  her  devotions  by  a  wicked  prince  who  made  dis- 
honourable proposals  to  her.  She  ran  away  from  him,  but  he 
pursued  her  and  struck  off  her  head  at  a  single  blow.  She 
picked  it  up  and  carried  it  to  a  holy  man  named  Beino,  who 
put  it  on  again  and  healed  the  wound  with  a  touch  of  his 
fingers.  Where  the  blood  from  the  wound  had  fallen  a 
fountain  sprang  up,  still  called  Holywell  in  memofy  of 
the  remarkable  occurrence.  As  a  reward  for  his  timely  aid, 
Beino  asked  St.  Winifred  to  give  him  every  year  a  mantle 
made  by  herself.  She  did  so,  and  in  accordance  with  his 
instructions,  the  cloak  was  always  placed  on  a  projecting  stone 
in  the  middle  of  a  river,  whence  it  was  removed  by  unseen 
hands,  never,  in  the  words  of  the  legend,  'getting  wet  with 
rain  or  having  its  nap  moved  by  the  wind,'  St»  Winifred  lived 
to  become  Abbess  of  a  little  monastery  in  the  valley  of  Clwyd, 
in  the  church  of  which  she  was  buried,  when  a  second  death 
overtook  her.  A  beautiful  little  chapel  was  built  in  memory  of 
her  in  the  fifteenth  century,  in  the  chapel  of  which,  as  well  as 
in  an  illuminated  manuscript  preserved  in  the  Bodleian  Library 
at  Oxford,  she  is  represented  carrying  her  own  head.  To  this 
chapel  hundreds  of  pilgrims  used  to  resort,  and  it  is  said  to 
have  been  through  prayers  offered  up  in  it  that  James  II.  of 
England  owed  the  birth  of  his  one  legitimate  son,  the  ill-fated 
Chevalier.  St.  Winifred's  relics  were  translated  to  Shrewsbury 
in  the  twelfth  century,  but  her  spirit  is  supposed  still  to  haunt  the 
scenes  of  her  life. 

St.  Modwena,  who,  for  a  reason  so  far  unexplained,  is 
occasionally  represented  in  Irish  and  English  churches  with 
a  red  cow  beside  her,  is  said  to  have  been  at  one  time 
Abbess  of  an  important  nunnery  in  county  Louth,  Ireland, 


SS.  BERTHA  AND  WALPURGA  103 

and  is  still  much  venerated  in  that  district ;  to  have  fled  to 
Northumbria  when  her  convent  was  pillaged  by  some  lawless 
barbarians,  and  to  have  been  the  original  foundress  of  the 
Monastery  of  Polesworth,  rendered  so  famous  later  by  the  noble 
Abbess,  St.  Edith,  whose  story  is  related  below.  St.  Modwena 
is  credited  with  having  healed  the  epileptic  son  of  King  Egbert, 
who  rewarded  her  with  a  grant  of  land  at  Polesworth,'and  in  an 
ancient  effigy,  now  lost,  but  reproduced  in  Fisher's  *  Antiquities/ 
she  is  represented  in  the  black  Benedictine  habit,  holding  a 
book  in  one  hand  and  a  crosier  in  the  other. 

The  opening  of  the  eighth  century  showed  no  diminution  in 
the  religious  zeal  which  had  marked  the  whole  of  the  seventh, 
and  the  great  Anglo-Saxon  Abbesses  and  their  foreign  contem- 
poraries, found  many  successors  eager  to  emulate  their  illustrious 
examples.  Amongst  them  were  specially  distinguished  Saint 
Bertha  of  Blangwy,  Saints  Walpurga  and  Ottilia  of  Alsace, 
and  Saints  Opportuna,  Ulpha,  Frideswide,  Amelburga,  Marina, 
Godeberte,  and  Exuperia. 

St.  Bertha,  who  is  said  to  have  been  of  English  parentage, 
was  married  at  an  early  age  to  a  Flemish  Count  named  Sigefroi, 
and  it  was  not  until  after  his  death,  that  she  withdrew  with  two 
out  of  her  five  daughters,  to  a  nunnery  she  had  founded  at 
Blagwy  in  Artois,  where  she  lived  until  her  death  at  a  very 
advanced  age.  St.  Bertha  is  often  represented  with  her  two 
young  daughters,  Saints  Gertrude  and  Deotila,  either  kneeling 
at  an  altar  or  standing  behind  them,  apparently  presenting  them 
to  God,  all  three  wearing  the  Benedictine  robes.  More  rarely 
only  one  of  her  girls  is  with  her,  and  the  mother  and  daughter 
kneel  together  at  an  altar,  in  memory,  it  is  said,  of  a  brother 
having  told  a  suitor  for  her  daughter's  hand  that  our  Lord  Him- 
self was  his  rival.  Sometimes,  also,  the  Abbess  is  seen  conversing 
with  St,  Peter,  who  is  supposed  to  have  come  to  her  aid  when 
the  water-supply  of  her  convent  had  failed.  A  distaff,  now  and 
then  replaced  by  a  church,  is  the  usual  attribute  of  the  Abbess., 
because  she  is  said  to  have  used  one  to  mark  the  spot  indicated 
by  the  Apostle,  from  which  a  stream  issued  that  followed  her  all 
the  way  home,  although  she  had  wandered  far  away  when 
the  remarkable  vision  was  vouchsafed  to  her. 

St.  Walpurga  was  the  daughter  of  the  famous  Anglo-Saxon 
King  St.  Richard,  whose  legend  is  related  below,  by  whom  she 
was  sent  to  be  educated  in  a  nunnery  at  Wimborne,  then  occupy- 


104  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

ing  the  site  of  the  beautiful  Minster  founded  later  by  Edward  the 
Confessor.  The  young  Princess  became  so  enamoured  of  the 
monastic  life  that  she  took  the  veil,  and  when  St.*  Boniface, 
to  whom  she  was  related,  asked  that  some  lady  mission- 
aries might  be  sent  to  help  him  in  his  apostolic  work  in 
Germany,  she  was  one  of  those  chosen.  Eventually  she  became 
Abbess  of  an  important  nunnery  at  Heidenheim,  founded  by  her 
brothers,  Saints  Willebald  and  Winebald,  over  which  she  ruled 
wisely  until  her  death  twenty-five  years  later. 

St.  Walpurga,  or  Walpurgis,  is  greatly  revered  in  Germany, 
Belgium,  and  eastern  France,  where  many  beautiful  churches 
have  been  named  after  her.  She  was  at  first  laid  to  rest  in 
a  cave  near  her  nunnery,  and  many  were  the  miracles  said  to 
have  been  performed  on  behalf  of  her  votaries,  by  means  of 
the  balm  supposed  to  have  been  emitted  by  her  remains, 
although  certain  sceptical  authors  suggest  that  the  wonder- 
working liquid  was  a  product  of  the  bituminous  rock  of  her  tomb. 
Later  the  relics  of  St.  Walpurga  were  translated  to  Eichstadt, 
and  the  fact  that  the  ceremony  took  place  on  May  r,  has  led 
to  the  saint  becoming  connected  in  the  popular  belief  with  the 
mysterious  revels,  alluded  to  by  many  writers — notably  by 
Goethe  in  *  Faust '  as  taking  place  on  Walpurgis  Night — held 
by  the  devil  and  the  witches  who  do  his  evil  will,  although, 
as  a  matter  of  fact,  the  strange  fancy  is  really  a  relic  of  heathen 
times,  when  sacrifices  were  offered  up  on  the  so-called  witch- 
hills. 

St.  Walpurga,  who  is  said  to  be  able  to  protect  those  who 
appeal  to  her  from  mad  dogs,  is  generally  represented  wearing 
the  robes  of  a  Benedictine  Abbess,  with  her  crosier  in  one  hand 
and  in  the  other  a  phial,  in  allusion  to  the  miracle-working 
balm,  whilst  at  her  feet  lies  her  crown,  in  memory  of  her  royal 
birth.  Sometimes  a  tomb  is  introduced  beside  her,  from  which 
drops  of  oil  are  exuding ;  or  she  holds  three  phials  on  an  open 
book,  and  an  angel  is  bringing  her  a  fourth.  Occasionally,  for 
some  reason  unexplained,  the  three  phials  are  replaced  by  three 
ears  of  corn  ;  on  the  seal  of  the  Monastery  of  Eichstadt  she 
wears  her  crown,  and  although  she  was  certainly  not  a  martyr, 
a  palm  is  placed  in  her  right  hand.  In  an  old  German  Icono- 
graphy St.  Walpurga  kneels  at  an  altar  adoring  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  and  she  has  been  represented  by  Hans  Burgkmair 
standing  on  the  seashore,  her  oil-flask  on  a  book  in  one  hand, 


ST.  OTTILIA  105 

whilst  with  the  other  she  points  to  a  departing  vessel-  Karl 
Hess  introduced  the  voyage  of  St.  Walpurga  in  his  series  of 
frescoes  in,  the  Church  of  St.  Boniface  at  Munich,  and  Rubens 
painted  the  voyage  and  the  burial  of  the  Abbess,  for  a  church 
named  after  her  at  Antwerp. 

St.  Ottilia,  whose  legend  greatly  resembles  that  of  St.  Lucy,* 
was  the  daughter  of  Duke  Adalrich,  of  Alsace,  and  was  born  blind. 
Her  father,  who  had  long  ardently  desired  a  son,  is  said  to  have 
been  so  enraged  at  the  arrival  of  this  afflicted  little  girl,  that  he 
refused  to  acknowledge  her.  He  ordered  his  wife  to  see  that  the 
poor  child  was  put  out  of  the  way,  announced  that  the  expected 
little  one  had  been  still-born,  and  until  he  was  on  his  deathbed 
never  alluded  to  her  again.  The  hapless  infant  was  taken  by  her 
nurse  to  a  monastery  in  Burgundy,  where  she  was  adopted  by  the 
nuns.  When  she  was  twelve  years  old  her  guardians  were  sur- 
prised by  a  visit  from  St.  Erhard,  Bishop  of  Ratisbon,  who 
informed  them  he  had  been  told  in  a  dream  to  go  to  their 
convent  and  baptize  a  blind  maiden  of  noble  birth.  St.  Ottilia 
was  sent  for,  and  when  the  holy  man  anointed  her  eyes  with  the 
sacred  chrism  she  received  her  sight.  She  remained  in  the 
nunnery  for  several  years  longer,  and  later  herself  founded  one 
at  Hohenburg,  in  which  she  died  at  a  great  age.  Her  father,  to 
whom  had  been  born  four  sons  and  another  daughter,  repented 
of  his  cruelty  to  his  eldest  child  before  his  death,  and  sent  to 
her  to  beg  her  forgiveness,  which  she,  of  course,  readily  granted. 
A  touching  scene  of  reconciliation  took  place,  and  the  Duke 
bequeathed  a  large  sum  of  money  to  St.  Ottilia,  all  of  which  she 
expended  in  good  works. 

St.  Ottilia  is  generally  represented  wearing  the  Benedictine 
habit  and  holding  a  book  on  which  are  two  eyes ;  but  some- 
times, as  in  a  painting  in  the  Vienna  Gallery  by  Cignaroli,  the 
gruesome  symbol  is  on  the  ground  beside  her.  Subjects  from  her 
life  are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  German  churches,  including 
her  baptism  and  restoration  to  sight ;  her  reconciliation  with  her 
father,  in  which  he  presents  her  with  a  key  supposed  to  be  that 
of  his  castle  at  Hohenburg,  converted  by  his  daughter  into  a 
nunnery ;  and  her  rescue  of  her  father  from  purgatory,  where 
he  was  expiating  his  cruelty  to  her,  an  angel  leading  the 
ransomed  spirit  forth  from  flames  beside  the  kneeling  Saint, 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  80-83. 


io6  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

or  more  rarely,  a  gleaming  ray  of  light  descending  from  heaven, 
forming  the  only  sign  that  the  petition  has  been  heard. 

Of  St.  Opportuna,  whose  special  emblems  are  a  flaming  heart 
held  in  one  hand,  in  allusion  to  her  fervent  devotion,  and  a 
dragon  under  her  feet,  in  memory  of  her  victory  over  evil,  next 
to  nothing  is  known,  except  that  she  was  Abbess  for  some  time 
of  a  nunnery  at  Montreuil  in  Pontbieu.  She  is,  however, 
greatly  honoured  in  France,  where  many  picturesque  legends 
are  connected  with  her  memory,  and  scenes  from  her  legend 
are  of  frequent  occurrence  in  stained-glass  windows.  One  day 
she  sent  a  servant  with  a  donkey  to  fetch  wood  from  the  forest, 
and  a  neighbouring  landowner  stole  the  donkey  and  imprisoned 
the  man.  When  charged  by  the  Abbess  with  his  guilt,  he  laughed 
and  said :  '  when  my  meadows  are  white  with  salt  I  will  make 
restitution.'  The  next  morning  they  were  covered  with  brine, 
and  the  sinner  was,  of  course,  at  once  converted.  The  fields  are 
still  called  '  Les  pres  sal£s.J  When  St.  Opportuna  was  dying  the 
Virgin  Mary  is  said  to  have  appeared  to  her,  and  after  her  death 
many  miracles  were  wrought  on  behalf  of  those  who  called  upon 
her  name.  She  is  credited  with  having  restored  life  to  one  man 
who  had  been  murdered ;  to  have  rescued  another  from  drown- 
ing, and,  quaintest  incident  of  all,  she  one  day  made  a  lark  who 
was  singing  high  up  in  the  sky,  fly  down  and  alight  on  the 
shoulder  of  a  poor  woman  who  was  lamenting  that  she  had 
nothing  to  offer  at  the  shrine  of  the  Saint. 

Of  St.  Alpha,  who  is  also  much  honoured  in  France,  especially 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Amiens,  even  less  is  known  than  of 
St.  Opportuna,  but  she  is  very  constantly  introduced  in  ecclesi- 
astical decoration,  seated  on  a  stone  with  a  frog  in  a  pool 
of  water  beside  her,  because  she  is  supposed  to  have  ordered 
some  frogs  to  be  silent,  in  punishment  for  the  noise  they  used  to 
make  near  the  cell  in  which  she  lived.  The  story  goes  that  a 
certain  priest  was  in  the  habit  of  knocking  at  the  door  of  the 
saintly  maiden's  retreat  every  morning  on  his  way  to  chapel, 
to  let  her  know  it  was  time  to  perform  her  devotions,  but  one 
day  she  did  not  hear  him,  and  when  she  reproached  him  with 
forgetting  her,  he  said  he  had  knocked  as  usual.  St.  Alpha 
jumped  to  the  conclusion  that  the  frogs  were  to  blame,  and 
punished  them  accordingly.  The  place  where  this  rather  hasty 
Saint  resided  is  still  called  the  e  Prairie  de  Saint  Ulphe,'  and  a 
pathway  between  St.  Acheul  and  Amiens  is  also  named  after 


ST.  FRIDESWIDE  107 

her ;  the  people  of  the  district  declaring  that  the  vegetation  is 
richer  where  her  feet  used  to  tread  than  anywhere  else. 

The  story  of  St.  Frideswide,  the  patron  Saint  of  Oxford,  for 
which  reason  her  special  emblem  is  an  ox,  is  very  variously  told, 
but  the  most  popular  form  is  that  she  was  the  daughter  of  a  Saxon 
Prince  named  Didan,  who  in  due  course  betrothed  her  to  Algar, 
a  wealthy  Mercian  nobleman,  who  came  to  claim  his  bride, 
attended  by  a  great  retinue  of  servants.  St,  Frideswide  had, 
however,  already  determined  to  devote  her  life  to  God  alone, 
and  hearing  of  the  approach  of  her  suitor,  she  fled  with  two  of 
her  maidens  to  the  banks  of  the  Thames,  an  angel  having 
revealed  to  her  in  a  dream  that  she  would  find  a  boat  awaiting 
her.  The  dream  was  fulfilled,  for  the  boat  was  found  with  an 
angel  in  gleaming  white  raiment  at  the  helm,  who  steered  the 
fugitives  to  a  certain  spot,  where  he  bid  them  land.  They 
obeyed,  and  after  wandering  about  for  some  time  came  to 
the  hut  of  a  swineherd,  where  they  took  refuge.  Here  they 
were  discovered  by  Algar,  but  just  as  he  was  about  to  seize 
St.  Frideswide,  she  called  upon  Saints  Cecilia  and  Catherine  to 
help  her,  and  the  unfortunate  young  nobleman  was  struck 
blind.  Raging  fiercely  against  this  treatment,  Algar  was  led 
away  by  his  attendants,  but  whether  his  sight  was  ever  restored 
to  him  the  legend  does  not  say.  Having  got  rid  of  her  lover  in 
this  very  dramatic  manner,  St.  Frideswide  settled  down  happily 
in  the  forest,  where  she  was  joined  by  other  maidens,  and  after 
a  few  years  of  retirement  she  removed  to  Oxford,  where  she 
founded  an  important  monastery,  supposed  by  many  to  have 
occupied  the  site  of  the  present  Cathedral  of  Christ  Church.  It 
is  related  that  the  first  time  St.  Frideswide  entered  her  new 
home  a  leper  waiting  outside  entreated  her  to  kiss  him,  and 
that,  conquering  her  loathing,  she  granted  his  request,  the 
disease  leaving  him  at  the  touch  of  her  pure  lips.  She  also 
cured  a  blind  girl  with  water  in  which  she  had  washed  her  own 
hands,  and  restored  a  wood-cutter  whose  hand  had  become 
glued  to  his  axe  as  a  punishment  for  having  worked  on  a 
Sunday. 

Saints  Cecilia  and  Catherine  are  said  to  have  appeared  to 
St,  Frideswide  just  before  her  death,  which  took  place  at  Oxford, 
where  her  memory  has  ever  since  been  greatly  revered.  There 
is  a  statue  of  her  in  one  of  the  transept  turrets  of  the  present 
cathedral;  her  figure  appears  amongst  the  ancient  sculptures 


io8  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

above  the  altar  in  the  choir;  on  the  modern  lectern  she  is 
grouped  with  Cardinal  Wolsey  and  Bishop  King;  and  her 
whole  legend  is  graphically  told  in  a  beautiful  window  in  the 
Latin  chapel,  designed  by  Sir  Edward  Burne- Jones. 

There  seem  to  have  been  two  Saints  named  Amelburga  who 
lived  in  the  eighth  century,  one  a  widow,  whose  emblem  in 
art  is  a  goose,  probably  because  her  fete-day  falls  in  November, 
when  geese  migrate,  and  the  other  a  highly-born  Dutch  maiden, 
who  is  occasionally  represented  holding  a  sieve,  in  allusion  to  a 
story  to  the  effect  that  she  carried  water  in  one  to  her  arid  estate 
in  Holland,  where  ever  afterwards  there  was  a  plentiful  supply. 
Why  a  sieve  should  have  been  chosen  for  this  operation  it  is 
difficult  to  understand,  but  the  symbol  is  explained  by  the 
similarity  between  the  Dutch  word  for  sieve  and  that  of 
the  district  where  the  miracle  is  supposed  to  have  been  per- 
formed, in  which  a  spring  is  still  shown  as  that  of  St.  Amelburga, 
near  a  little  chapel  dedicated  to  her.  Sometimes  the  virgin 
Saint  is  represented  treading  upon  a  man  in  royal  robes, 
in  allusion,  it  is  said,  to  her  having  rejected  the  advances  of  a 
heathen  suitor — identified  with  scant  reason  with  Charles  Martel 
— who  treated  her  so  roughly  that  she  only  escaped  after  he 
had  broken  her  arm. 

Of  St.  Marina  the  romantic  story  is  told  that  she  lived  for 
many  years  disguised  as  a  monk  in  a  monastery  for  men,  but 
was  expelled  because  she  was  supposed  to  be  the  father  of  a 
child  born  to  a  young  girl  in  the  village  near  by.  She  accepted 
her  punishment  without  attempting  to  prove  her  innocence, 
and  brought  up  the  boy  as  if  he  had  indeed  been  her  own.  On 
her  death  the  truth  was  discovered,  and  she  became  honoured 
as  a  Saint.  She  is  often  represented  in  the  robes  of  a  monk 
carrying  a  child ;  kneeling  in  prayer,  with  the  little  one  asleep 
beside  her  ;  or  praying  at  an  open  tomb,  supposed  to  be  that  of 
her  father,  whilst  a  dove  is  flying  down  to  her  from  heaven  in 
response  to  her  appeal  for  help.  On  the  death  of  St.  Marina, 
the  real  mother  of  the  child  is  said  to  have  been  seized  by  an 
evil  spirit,  and  only  rescued  by  the  intercession  of  the  holy 
maiden  she  had  injured  so  terribly. 

St.  Godeberte,  whose  emblem  in  art  is  a  ring  held  between 
her  finger  and  thumb,  is  said  to  have  been  of  noble  birth,  and 
to  have  been  promised  in  marriage  against  her  will  to  a  wealthy 
suitor;  but  having  confided  her  wish  to  become  a  nun  to 


ST.    FRIDESWIDE    IN    THE    SWINEHERD'S    HUT 
From  a  window  />}'  .SVr  /;.  Bur  tie-Jones  in  Christ  Ck2trch,  Oxford 


To  face  p.  108 


SS.  MAURA  AND  SOLANGE  109 

St.  Eloy,  he  placed  his  episcopal  ring  upon  her  finger  with  the 
words,  '  I  betroth  thee  to  Jesus  Christ.'  The  father  of  the 
Saint,  with  unusual  generosity,  forgave  the  deception  practised 
on  him,  and  bestowed  upon  his  daughter  a  large  tract  of  land 
near  Noyon,  on  which  she  founded  an  important  nunnery. 

St.  Exuperia,  the  patron  Saint  of  Turenne — in  one  of  the 
churches  of  which  there  is  a  quaint  representation  of  her  kneel- 
ing at  the  feet  of  Christ,  holding  her  own  bleeding  head  in  her 
hands  whilst  the  Blessed  Virgin  looks  on  weeping — is  said  to 
have  been  a  French  maiden  of  noble  birth,  who  wished  to  live 
for  God  alone.  She  was  engaged  to  a  young  noble,  but  on  the 
eve  of  what  was  to  have  been  her  wedding  day  she  ran  away, 
and  hid  in  the  forest  Her  lover  pursued  her,  and  when  she 
declined  to  listen  to  his  entreaties  to  return  with  him  he  cut  off 
her  head.  She  picked  it  up,  carried  it  a  few  yards,  and  then  laid 
it  down  on  the  ground,  a  spring  of  water  gushing  forth  on  the 
spot,  which  is  still  called  *La  Fontaine  de  St.  Sph6rie/  and  is 
supposed  to  have  miraculous  healing  powers. 

In  the  ninth  century  there  appears  to  have  been  a  very 
marked  falling  off  in  the  number  of  women  whose  sanctity  led 
to  their  canonization  after  death,  and  amongst  the  few  to  whom 
that  honour  has  been  given,  only  two,  St.  Maura  of  Champagne, 
and  St.  Solange  of  Berry,  call  for  notice  here.  St.  Maura — whose 
attribute  is  a  crucifix,  because  it  is  said  that  once  when  she 
was  kneeling  at  the  foot  of  one,  the  crucified  Redeemer  bowed 
His  head  in  response  to  her  earnest  prayers — was  a  highly- 
born  maiden  who  dedicated  her  life  to  God,  and  died  at  the 
early  age  of  twenty-three ;  but  whether  she  became  a  nun,  or 
worked  for  the  good  of  the  poor  and  suffering  in  her  own  home, 
is  not  known.  St.  Solange,  who  is  supposed  to  be  able  to 
obtain  rain  for  her  votaries,  was  a  shepherd  girl  of  remarkable 
beauty,  who  had  made  up  her  mind  when  quite  a  child  to  be 
the  bride  of  Christ  alone.  One  day  when  she  was  minding  her 
flock  she  attracted  the  notice  of  a  young  noble,  who  offered  to 
marry  her,  and  when  she  refused  he  was  so  enraged  against  her 
that  he  slew  her  with  his  own  hand,  some  say  by  piercing  her 
heart  with  his  sword,  others  by  cutting  off  her  head,  which  she 
herself  carried  to  the  site  of  the  village  named  after  her.  The 
martyred  maiden  is  sometimes  represented  lying  at  the  foot 
of  a  cross  with  her  head  beside  her,  but  more  often,  as  in 
a  charming  engraving  reproduced  by  Pere  Cahier  in  his 


no  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

1  Caract<§ristiques  des  Saints,'  she  lies  dying  on  a  little  hill  with 
a  sheep  and  a  distaff  at  her  feet,  one  hand,  in  which  is  a  bunch 
of  lilies  and  palms,  clasping  the  base  of  a  cross,  the  other  pressed 
against  her  breast,  from  which  protrudes  the  hilt  of  a  sword. 
The  whole  story  of  St.  Solange  is  also  told  in  some  eighteenth- 
century  tapestries  preserved  in  a  little  chapel  named  after  the 
martyred  maiden,  about  three  miles  from  Bourges,  where  the 
tragedy  of  her  murder  is  supposed  to  have  taken  place.  A 
neighbouring  field  is  still  known  as  Le  Champ  de  St.  Solange, 
and  there  used  to  be  a  wooden  cross  in  it  which  had  to  be  con- 
tinually renewed,  on  account  of  pieces  of  it  being  carried  off  by 
votaries  of  the  Saint. 


CHAPTER  IX 

ST.   BONIFACE  AND   OTHER  EIGHTH-CENTURY   SAINTS 

OF  the  many  noble-hearted  men  who  in  the  eighth  century 
went  forth  as  missionaries  to  the  heathen,  counting  all  suffer- 
ings as  naught  if  they  could  but  win  one  soul  to  God,  none  is 
more  celebrated  than  St.  Boniface,  whose  baptismal  name  was 
Winfred,  and  whose  life-story  is,  fortunately,  as  well  authenti- 
cated as  it  is  beautiful  and  inspiring.  The  eldest  son  of  wealthy 
parents,  Winfred  was  born  at  Crediton  in  Devonshire  about 
680,  and  would  have  inherited  a  large  fortune  had  he  not  from 
the  first  resolved  to  be  a  monk.  With  the  reluctant  consent  of 
his  father  he  entered  a  monastery  at  Nutsall,  the  modern 
Nutshalling  in  Hampshire,  where  there  is  still  a  church  dedicated 
to  him.  There  he  remained  until  he  was  past  thirty,  earnestly 
endeavouring  to  prepare  himself  for  missionary  work.  It  is  re- 
lated that  whether  the  young  monk  was  performing  his  allotted 
tasks  in  the  monastery,  pacing  to  and  fro  in  the  convent  pre- 
cincts, or  kneeling  in  prayer  before  the  crucifix  in  his  cell,  he 
constantly  heard  a  voice,  inaudible  to  all  but  himself,  urging 
him  to  go  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  all  nations,  and  in  716 
he  obtained  the  consent  of  his  Superior  to  obey  the  Divine 
summons. 

With    three    companions   Winfred    set    sail    for    Holland, 
and  landed  in   Friesland,  where  so   many  missionaries  had 


ST.  BONIFACE  in 

already  made  more  or  less  futile  efforts  to  win  the  savage  In- 
habitants to  the  true  faith.  The  country  was  still  distracted 
by  the  struggle  between  Charles  Martel  and  King  Radbod,  and 
after  trying  in  vain  to  obtain  a  hearing,  Winfred  was  com- 
pelled to  return  home.  Soon  after  this  he  was  elected  Abbot 
of  the  monastery  at  Nutsall,  but  he  persuaded  the  Bishop  of 
Winchester  to  annul  the  appointment,  and  to  allow  him  to  go 
to  Rome  to  ask  for  the  aid  of  the  Pope  in  a  fresh  missionary 
journey.  Kindly  received  by  St.  Gregory  IL,  who  then 
occupied  the  Papal  See,  Winfred,  who  now  took  the  name  of 
Boniface,  received  full  authorization  to  preach  the  Gospel  in 
the  whole  ^  of  Germany,  and  having  passed  through  Thuringia 
and  Bavaria,  he  came  once  more  to  Friesland,  where  Charles 
Martel,  since  the  last  visit  of  the  missionary,  had  become  the 
sole  ruler.  Armed  with  letters  from  the  Pope  to  him  and  to  all 
the  minor  Princes  of  the  Teutonic  provinces,  St.  Boniface  was 
now  able  to  secure  their  aid  in  his  work  of  evangelization.  For 
many  years  he  wandered  hither  and  thither  with  a  little  band 
of  enthusiastic  helpers,  converting  thousands  to  belief  in  Christ, 
destroying  the  heathen  idols  and  other  objects  of  idolatrous 
veneration,  including  the  celebrated  oak  at  Geismar,  with  the 
wood  of  which  he  built  a  chapel,  and  the  image  of  the  god 
Stuffo,  to  whom  sacrifices  used  to  be  offered  up  on  the  mountain 
named  after  him  in  the  Hartz  Mountains. 

The  remarkable  success  of  St.  Boniface  led  to  his  being 
appointed  the  first  Archbishop  of  Mainz,  as  well  as  Primate  of 
all  Germany,  the  latter  position  giving  him  the  power  of  found- 
ing bishoprics  wherever  he  chose,  and  from  that  time  until 
his  voluntary  resignation  of  all  his  ecclesiastical  dignities  he 
was  perhaps  the  most  powerful  man  in  Northern  Europe. 
The  bishoprics  of  Ratisbon,  Paderborn,  Erfurt,  Wurzburg, 
Eichstadt,  and  Salzburg,  with  the  famous  Abbey  of  Fulda, 
and  many  other  monasteries  were  founded  by  him.  He 
became  the  trusted  friend  and  adviser  of  Charles  Martel,  and, 
on  his  death,  of  his  sons  and  successors,  Carloman  and  Pepin 
the  Short.  It  was  St.  Boniface  who  advised  the  former,  after  a 
reign  of  three  years,  to  abdicate  and  retire  to  the  Monastery  of 
Monte  Cassino;  it  was  St.  Boniface  who  at  Soissons  in  751 
placed  the  crown  upon  the  head  of  Pepin,  the  founder  of  the 
Carlovingian  Dynasty,  and  the  father  of  Charlemagne.  In 
spite,  however,  of  the  enthralling  interest  of  the  political  situa- 


H2  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

tion,  in  which  he  was  himself  so  very  important  a  factor,,  the 
heart  of  St.  Boniface  remained  true  to  his  first  love,  that  of 
missionary  work  pure  and  simple,  and  at  the  age  of  seventy- 
four  he  resolved  to  go  forth  once  more  to  preach  the  Gospel 
to  the  heathen  in  Friesland,  where  so  many  years  ago  he  had 
made  an  abortive  attempt  to  obtain  a  hearing. 

Having  carefully  arranged  all  his  worldly  affairs,  and  ap- 
pointed as  his  successor  in  the  See  of  Mainz  an  Englishman, 
named  Lullus,  who  had  long  worked  under  him,  St.  Boniface 
started  with  about  fifty  followers  on  a  new  missionary  enterprise. 
Some  of  the  party  were  armed,  but  the  leader  himself  had  no 
weapons  except  a  copy  of  the  Holy  Scriptures  written  with  his 
own  hand,  and  the  celebrated  treatise  of  St.  Ambrose,  'De 
Bono  Mortis/  which  he  is  said  to  have  been  in  the  habit  of 
carrying  with  him  wherever  he  went. 

At  first  success  attended  the  efforts  of  the  devoted  band,  who, 
after  following  the  course  of  the  Rhine  and  winning  many 
to  the  true  faith,  halted  by  a  little  stream  in  the  very  heart  of 
Friesland,  in  order  that  St.  Boniface  might  confirm  a  large 
number  of  his  new  converts.  Whilst  awaiting  the  arrival  of 
the  neophytes,  a  band  of  savage  warriors  suddenly  dashed  upon 
the  mission  party,  shouting  that  they  had  come  to  avenge  the 
insults  that  had  been  offered  to  their  gods.  Some  of  the 
younger  companions  of  St.  Boniface  would  fain  have  fought  for 
their  lives,  but  their  leader,  standing  up  in  their  midst,  forbade 
them  to  use  their  weapons,  saying :  e  Oh  my  children,  let  us  not 
return  evil  for  evil.  The  day  that  I  have  long  expected  has 
come  at  last.  Fear  not  those  who  kill  the  body,  but  put  your 
trust  in  God,  who  will  speedily  give  you  entrance  into  His 
kingdom.'  The  brave  words  had  hardly  left  his  lips  before  the 
speaker  was  struck  down,  all  but  a  few  of  his  followers  who 
escaped  by  flight,  sharing  his  fate.  Some  say  that  St.  Boniface 
threw  himself  on  the  ground  with  his  head  resting  on  the 
Gospels  to  await  the  fatal  blow;  others  that  his  heart  was 
pierced  with  a  sword,  the  weapon  passing  through  the  Holy 
Scriptures  without  injuring  one  word  of  the  text,  or,  according 
to  yet  another  version,  through  the  treatise  of  St.  Ambrose,  an 
incident  which  is  said  to  have  led  the  tailors  of  Flanders,  who, 
like  the  rest  of  their  brethren,  pride  themselves  in  careful 
cutting  out,  to  choose  the  martyred  missionary  as  their  patron. 
However  that  may  be,  a  copy  of  the  Bible  stained  with  the 


ST.  BONIFACE  113 

blood  of  St.  Boniface  is  still  shown  in  the  Abbey  of  Fulda, 
where  the  remains  of  the  revered  Archbishop  now  rest,  after 
being  interred  for  a  short  time,  first  at  Utrecht  and  later  at 
Mainz. 

The  memory  of  the  Apostle  of  Germany,  as  St.  Boniface  is 
lovingly  called,  is  still  held  sacred  throughout  the  sphere  of  his 
influence  on  the  Continent,  as  well  as  in  his  native  land.  In 
1811  a  Monument  was  erected  in  his  honour  on  a  hill  near 
Altenburga,  in  the  duchy  of  Gotha,  where  he  is  said  to  have 
built  the  first  Christian  church  of  Northern  Germany.  Some 
years  later  a  statue  of  the  missionary,  by  Henschel,  was 
placed  in  a  square  at  Fulda,  and  in  1835  was  founded  the 
beautiful  Basilica,  named  after  St.  Boniface,  at  Munich. 
Though  comparatively  few  churches  are  dedicated  to  him  in 
England,  his  name  is  preserved  in  several  parishes,  notably  in 
that  of  Bonchurch,  in  the  Isle  of  Wight,  and  he  is  the  titular 
Saint  of  the  important  Missionary  College  at  Warminster. 

Effigies  of  St.  Boniface  are  of  constant  occurrence  in  German 
and  Flemish  churches,  and  as  a  general  rule  he  wears  the 
ornate  robes  and  pallium  of  an  Archbishop,  but  now  and  then 
his  habit  is  that  of  a  Benedictine  monk.  Sometimes  he 
holds  his  crosier  in  one  hand,  and  in  the  other  a  book  pierced 
with  a  sword,  or  a  book,  on  which  that  weapon  rests.  A 
scourge  is  also  now  and  then  given  to  him,  in  memory  of  his 
self-discipline,  and  in  certain  old  calendars,  a  bunch  of  grapes 
marks  his  ftte-day,  June  5,  possibly  in  allusion  to  his  baptismal 
name  of  Winfred.  In  the  Cathedral  of  Mainz,  St.  Boniface  is 
represented  with  three  Kings  before  him,  on  the  heads  of  two 
of  whom — probably  meant  for  Carloman  and  Pepin — he  is 
placing  crowns;  in  a  picture  by  Hans  Burgkrnair,  a  hand 
offering  the  Archbishop  a  cross  is  introduced  beside  him ;  and 
in  an  ancient  Dutch  iconography,  he  is  seen  striking  the  ground, 
from  which  water  is  issuing,  with  his  crosier.  Elsewhere  the 
emblem  of  St.  Boniface  is  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  on  which  he 
places  one  foot,  and  in  an  old  German  engraving  an  angel  is 
offering  him  a  fish — why  is  not  known — whilst  a  trunk  of  a  tree 
with  an  axe  embedded  in  it,  is  seen  in  the  background,  the  latter 
in  manifest  allusion  to  the  destruction  of  the  oak  at  Geismar. 

The  most  important  representations  of  St.  Boniface  are  the 
frescoes  designed  by  Karl  Hess,  in  the  Basilica  named  after  him 
at  Munich.  In  the  choir  the  great  Archbishop  appears  with 

VOL.  in.  8 


n4  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

other  missionaries  who  preached  in  Bavaria,  and  in  the 
nave  twenty  scenes  from  his  life  are  given,  including  his 
embarkation  at  Southampton,  his  destruction  of  the  oak, 
his  coronation  of  Pepin,  his  martyrdom,  and  the  transla- 
tion of  his  remains  from  Mainz  to  Fulda.  There  is  a  good 
statue  of  St.  Boniface  on  the  west  front  of  Exeter  Cathedral, 
where  he  is  placed  next  to  St.  Birinus,  and  he  is  introduced 
amongst  the  early  Bishops  in  a  fine  modern  window  in  Lichfield 
Cathedral. 

A  noted  contemporary  and  kindred  spirit  of  St.  Boniface  was 
St.  Williehad,  a  native  of  Northumberland,  who,  fired  with 
enthusiasm  by  the  accounts  of  the  noble  work  being  done 
by  English  missionaries  in  Friesland,  determined  to  emulate 
their  example.  For  seven  years  he  worked  with  great  success 
in  southern  Germany,  but  when  in  782  the  Saxons,  led 
by  Duke  Wittekind,  rebelled  against  Charlemagne,  he  was 
compelled  to  give  up  his  missionary  work  for  a  time,  and  with- 
drew to  Rome,  where  he  was  kindly  received  by  the  Pope. 
In  785,  however,  the  restoration  of  peace  enabled  St.  Williehad 
to  return  to  Saxony,  and,  to  his  great  joy,  he  was  able  to 
crown  his  work  there  by  the  baptism  of  Duke  Wittekind, 
which  took  place  in  the  presence  of  the  Emperor,  and  is  one  of 
the  subjects  of  the  frescoes  by  Alfred  Rethel  in  the  Town 
Hall  of  Aix-la-Chapelle.  In  787  the  devoted  missionary  was 
made  Bishop  of  Bremen,  and  he  died  at  the  village  of  Plexem 
in  789.  He  was  buried  in  the  church,  which  later  became  the 
cathedral,  and  he  is  still  much  honoured  in  Saxony.  He  appears 
occasionally  amongst  other  missionaries  in  German  eccle- 
siastical decoration,  and  an  axe  is  generally  given  to  him,  in 
memory  of  a  tradition  that  the  heathen  once  tried  in  vain  to 
behead  him,  the  axe  remaining  suspended  in  the  air. 

Another  great  contemporary  of  St.  Boniface,  who  is,  however, 
rarely  represented  in  art,  was  St.  John  of  Damascus,  or  St. 
John  Damascene,  also  known  as  John  Chrysorroas,  or  the  gold- 
flowing,  on  account  of  his  eloquent  writings,  and  who  is  ranked 
as  one  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church.  The  son  of  a  Syrian 
statesman  of  eminence,  St.  John  was  educated  in  his  father's 
house  by  a  Greek  monk  named  Cosmas,  who  had  been  brought 
to  Damascus  as  a  slave,  but  was  freed  by  the  father  of  the 
future  Saint.  Cosmas  convinced  his  pupil  that  the  best  way  to 
serve  God  was  to  withdraw  to  a  monastery,  and  when  St.  John 


ST.  JOHN  OF  DAMASCUS  115 

was  old  enough  the  two  went  secretly  to  that  of  St.  Sabas,  near 
Jerusalem,  where  they  remained  until  Cosmas,  much  against 
his  will,  was  elected  Bishop  of  Maginna,  in  Palestine. 

After  his  friend  had  left  him,  St.  John  became  the  trusted 
adviser  of  the  Superior  of  his  monastery,  who  sent  him  on  various 
missions  to  Constantinople  and  elsewhere,  with  a  view  to  under- 
mining the  influence  of  the  iconoclast  Emperor,  Leo  the  Isaurian. 
The  great  success  of  the  emissary  and  the  wonderful  eloquence 
of  his  writings  greatly  incensed  the  Emperor,  and  the  icono- 
clasts declared  that  he  laid  a  plot  against  St.  John,  causing  a 
forged  letter  full  of  treasonable  suggestions  to  be  circulated 
throughout  the  Empire.  The  holy  man  was  arrested  as  the 
author  of  the  letter,  and,  in  spite  of  his  innocence,  condemned 
to  have  his  right  hand  struck  off.  It  is  related  that  on  the 
night  after  the  mutilation  the  Saint  prayed  fervently  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin  for  help,  and  she  herself  came  to  his  aid, 
restoring  the  hand  to  its  place. 

St.  John  Damascene  is  said  to  have  spent  the  last  few  years 
of  his  life  in  great  seclusion3  and  to  have  been  employed  as 
basket-maker  to  his  convent.  It  is  even  asserted  that  he  used 
to  sell  baskets  in  the  streets  of  Constantinople,  and  for  this 
reason  a  basket  is  his  chief  emblem  in  art,  though  it  is  some- 
times replaced  or  supplemented  by  an  image  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  in  memory  of  the  legend  just  related.  St.  John  died  in 
his  cell  at  St.  Sabas  in  780,  and  was  buried  in  the  church  of  his 
monastery.  Many  of  his  eloquent  writings  have  been  preserved, 
amongst  which  the  most  celebrated  is  the  so-called  *  Vita 
Barlaam  et  Joasaph,'  and  he  is  the  author  of  several  hymns 
still  in  use  in  the  Eastern  and  Western  Church,  including  that 
beginning :  *  'Tis  the  Day  of  Resurrection ;  earth  tell  it  out 
abroad/  and  the  yet  more  familiar,  '  Come,  ye  faithful,  raise  the 
strain.' 

Worthy  to  rank  with  Saints  Boniface  and  John  Damascene, 
on  account  of  the  fearless  enthusiasm  with  which  he  defended 
what  he  believed  to  be  the  truth,  was  St.  Stephen  the  younger, 
so  called  to  distinguish  him  from  his  namesake,  the  first  martyr 
for  the  Christian  faith.  St.  Stephen  the  younger,  whose 
attributes  in  art  are  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  because  he 
was  the  opponent  of  iconoclasm,  and  a  mass  of  blood-red  cloud 
above  his  head,  for  a  reason  explained  below,  was  the  fellow- 
countryman  and  contemporary  of  St.  John  Damascene.  Like  the 

8—2 


n6  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

latter,  and  for  somewhat  similar  reasons,  he  fell  under  the  dis- 
pleasure of  the  Emperor  Leo.  Dedicated  to  God  by  his  parents 
even  before  his  birth,  St.  Stephen  was  brought  up  in  a  monastery, 
and  for  a  short  time  enjoyed  the  dignity  of  an  Abbot.  He  re- 
signed that  position,  however,  in  the  prime  of  life,  withdrawing 
to  a  lonely  cell  in  a  dreary  district  near  Constantinople,  where 
he  was  visited  by  crowds  of  pilgrims,  eager  to  consult  him.  The 
Emperor  made  many  futile  efforts  to  win  the  holy  man  over  to 
his  side,  and  finally  resolved  upon  his  banishment.  He  was 
sent  to  an  island  of  the  Propontis,  but  even  there  his  friends 
sought  him  out,  and  in  the  end  his  death  was  determined  upon. 
After  being  tried  before  the  Emperor,  he  was  condemned  to  be 
scourged  in  his  prison  till  he  died ;  but  he  revived  after  life  was 
supposed  to  be  extinct,  and  was  finally  dragged  forth  and  beaten 
to  death  in  the  market-place  of  Constantinople,  a  blood-red 
cloud,  it  is  said,  hovering  over  the  city  during  the  final  scene, 
thus  proving  that  the  anger  of  Heaven  was  roused  by  the  cruel 
treatment  of  the  victim. 

Other  noted  Saints  who  lived  in  the  eighth  century 
were:  Popes  Gregory  III.  and  Zachary;  the  Saxon  King 
Richard ;  Prince  Sebald  of  Denmark ;  Bishops  Theodard, 
Lambert,  and  Hubert,  of  Maestricht;  Rigobert  of  Rheims; 
Agricola  of  Avignon;  Rombaud  of  Mechlin;  Willibald  of 
Eichstadt,  and  Thurien  of  Dol ;  Saints  Salvius,  Silvanus,  and 
Gomer,  whose  rank  in  the  church  is  doubtful ;  Abbots  Bertul- 
phus,  Bertin,  Herbland,  Winibald,  Leufroi,  Adelard,  Merri, 
Brieuc,  and  Adrian,  with  the  layman  Gengulph. 

St.  Gregory  IIL,  whose  emblems  in  art  are  broken  statues, 
supposed  to  typify  his  share  in  winning  independence  for 
western  Europe,  or  Images  of  Saints,  in  allusion  to  his 
excommunication  of  the  iconoclasts ;  was  Pope  from  731  to  741, 
a  most  important  decade  in  the  history  of  the  Church. 
St.  Z'achary,  who  succeeded  him,  was  a  man  of  a  very  different 
type,  a  lover  of  peace  and  an  admirer  of  monasticism ;  who 
is  occasionally  represented  giving  the  monastic  habit  to  a 
Prince,  supposed  to  be  Rachis,  King  of  the  Lombards,  in 
memory  of  his  having  persuaded  that  monarch  to  renounce 
the  world. 

St.  Richard  was  a  West- Saxon  King,  the  father  of  Saint 
Walpurga,  whose  story  is  related  above,  and  also  of  Saints 
Willibald,  later  Bishop  of  Eichstadt,  and  Winibald,  the  future 


ST.  SEBALD  OF  NUREMBERG  117 

Abbot  of  Heidenheim.  Having  won  the  recovery  from  dangerous 
illness  of  one  of  his  boys  by  laying  him  at  the  foot  of  a 
crucifix  in  an  English  market-place,  St.  Richard  resigned  his 
crown,  and  started  with  both  of  his  sons  on  a  pilgrimage  to 
Rome,  but  he  died  at  Lucca  before  he  reached  the  holy  city. 
In  his  '  Caract&istiques  des  Saints '  Pere  Cahier  reproduces  a 
beautiful  engraving  representing  St.  Richard  in  the  robes  of  a 
pilgrim,  and  with  his  crown  at  his  feet,  embracing  his  sons, 
who,  though  they  were  still  boys  when  they  lost  their  father, 
here  appear  as  grown  men,  one  in  the  costume  of  a  Bishop,  the 
other  in  that  of  a  monk.  The  incident  of  the  recovery  of  the 
young  Prince  through  the  intercession  of  St.  Richard  has  been 
represented  by  Hans  Burgkrnair  and  other  artists. 

St.  Sebald,  the  patron  Saint  of  Nuremberg,  whose  fame, 
owing  to  exceptional  circumstances,  has  eclipsed  that  of 
many  equally  worthy  contemporaries,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  son  of  a  Danish  King,  and  to  have  been  betrothed 
to  a  beautiful  maiden  of  royal  birth,  whom  he  persuaded 
to  release  him  from  his  engagement,  that  he  might  devote 
his  life  entirely  to  the  service  of  God.  Laying  aside  his 
royal  robes  and  donning  those  of  a  pilgrim,  the  young 
Prince  walked  to  Rome,  where  he  was  kindly  received  by 
the  Pope,  who  commissioned  him  to  preach  the  Gospel  in 
Franconia.  On  his  journey  to  and  from  Italy  the  Saint  is  said 
to  have  performed  many  miracles.  He  crossed  the  Danube  on 
his  mantle ;  restored  sight  to  a  poor  man  who  had  been  blinded 
as  a  punishment  for  poaching;  warmed  himself  at  a  fire  of 
icicles  when  wood  was  refused  him,  for  which  reason  he  is 
invoked  by  those  who  suffer  from  cold ;  turned  stones  into 
bread  and  water  into  wine ;  called  down  the  vengeance  of 
Heaven  on  a  blasphemer — in  a  word,  carried  all  before  him 
wherever  he  went.  Arrived  on  the  scene  of  his  missionary 
labours,  where  two  centuries  later  the  city  of  Nuremberg  was  to 
rise  up,  the  holy  man  took  up  his  residence  in  a  secluded  part 
of  the  forest,  and  from  his  hermitage  he  made  many  expeditions 
to  the  surrounding  country,  winning  hundreds  of  converts  to 
the  faith  by  his  eloquence.  In  spite,  however,  of  the  vast 
number  of  his  converts,  he  lived  alone  until  his  death,  which 
is  supposed  to  have  taken  place  about  770.  He  is  said  to  have 
died  in  his  cell,  whence  his  body  was  drawn  to  a  village  on  the 
site  of  Nuremberg  by  two  oxen  who  had  never  worn  the  yoke ; 


u8  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

a  poetic  incident  commemorated  in  the  following  words  in  a 
hymn  in  honour  of  the  Saint : 

£  Mortuus  deducitur 
Rudibus  jumentis 
Nuremberg  perducitur 
Divinis  fomentis.'* 

The  remains  of  the  much-loved  teacher  were  laid  in  a 
simple  grave  on  the  site  of  the  beautiful  church  now  named 
after  him,  founded  in  the  thirteenth  century ;  but  in^  1507  his 
relics  were  transferred  to  a  remarkable  shrine  designed  by 
Peter  Vischer. 

St.  Sebald  is  generally  represented  in  the  dress  of  a  pilgrim, 
with  the  shell  in  his  cap  and  a  staff  in  one  hand ;  but  occasion- 
ally he  wears  armour  beneath  his  robes,  in  memory  of  his 
original  position,  and  a  crown  is  placed  at  his  feet  to  denote  his 
royal  birth.  An  ornate  church,  in  allusion  to  the  one  raised  in 
his  honour,  is  also  often  given  to  him.  In  a  beautiful  print  by 
Hans  Sebald  Beham,  St.  Sebald  appears  seated  between  two 
trees,  grasping  his  staff  in  one  hand,  and  with  a  realistic  model  of 
his  church  in  the  other;  and  in  one  by  Albrecht  Dtirer  he  stands 
under  an  arch  bearing  the  arms  of  the  city  of  Nuremberg.  The 
ancient  coinage  of  the  town  is  stamped  with  his  effigy*  ^  In  an 
engraving  by  Hans  Burgkmair  he  is  holding  up  a  piece  of 
money,  and  in  many  iconographies  two  oxen  are  introduced 
beside  him.  The  most  celebrated  representations  of  ^  the  royal 
pilgrim  are,  however,  the  bronze  statue  and  bas-reliefs  of  his 
shrine  at  Nuremberg,  the  joint  work  of  the  two  Vischers,  Peter 
the  elder  and  Peter  the  younger,  justly  considered  one  of  the 
greatest  masterpieces  of  sculpture  produced  in  the  sixteenth 
century. 

The  statue  is  that  of  a  bearded  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  and 
the  bas-reliefs  give  graphic  renderings  of  four  of  the  most 
noteworthy  of  the  miracles  supposed  to  have  been  performed 
by  St,  Sebald.  These  are  the  turning  of  water  into  wine  in  the 
presence  of  two  spectators,  supposed  to  be  intended  for  Saints 
Willibald  and  Winibald ;  the  punishment  of  the  man  who  had 
scoffed  at  the  preaching  of  the  missionary  and  was  swallowed 
up  by  an  earthquake,  but  rescued  through  the  intercession  of 

*  *  Led  by  the  divine  Spirit,  oxen  that  had  never  known  the  yoke  drew  his 
dead  body  through  Nuremberg.5 


H-5  "^      "2 

<  ^  ^ 

K  $    ?v 

w  ^^ 


^  ¥ 

II 


SS.  THEODARD  AND  LAMBERT      119 

the  Saint ;  the  miracle  of  the  icicles,  in  which  the  holy  man  is 
warming  his  hands  over  a  fire  made  of  them,  for  it  is  related 
that  one  bitter  day  when  he  had  taken  shelter  in  a  hut  by  the 
wayside  the  owner  grudged  wood  to  make  a  fire,  on  which  St. 
Sebald  told  the  housewife  to  bring  some  of  the  icicles  hanging 
from  the  roof  and  used  them  as  fuel ;  and,  lastly,  the  restoration 
of  the  sight  of  the  convicted  poacher,  who,  according  to  one 
account,  had  committed  his  crime  to  procure  a  fish  for  the 
Saint's  own  dinner. 

St.  Theodard,  who  is  sometimes  represented  with  a  sword 
wedged  in  his  skull  or  piercing  his  heart,  and  for  some  unex- 
plained reason  is  supposed  to  look  after  the  interests  of  herds- 
men, was  Bishop  of  Maestricht  for  many  years,  and  was 
assassinated,  probably  at  the  instigation  of  those  who  had 
defrauded  him,  when  on  his  way  to  the  Court  of  King 
Childeric  II.  to  complain  of  the  alienation  of  part  of  the  lands 
of  his  see.  He  was  succeeded  by  his  friend  and  pupil  St. 
Lambert,  whose  fate  resembled  his  own,  for  he,  too,  was  murdered 
at  Li6ge  in  revenge  for  a  crime  with  which  he  had  personally 
nothing  to  do,  although  it  was  committed  by  members  of  his 
family.  The  story  goes  that  St.  Lambert,  hearing  of  the  approach 
of  the  avengers,  refused  to  attempt  any  defence,  or  to  allow 
his  attendants  to  protect  themselves  by  flight,  but  withdrew  to 
his  own  cell,  where  he  laid  himself  down  on  the  ground, 
stretched  out  his  arms  so  that  his  body  formed  a  cross,  and 
calmly  awaited  the  end.  He  was  killed  by  a  lance  flung  from 
the  roof  by  an  unknown  hand,  or,  according  to  another  version, 
he  was  beaten  to  death  with  clubs,  and  at  the  moment  of  the 
passing  of  his  spirit,  a  gleaming  cross  is  said  to  have  appeared 
in  the  sky.  His  body  was  at  first  buried  at  Maestricht,  but 
was  later  taken  back  to  Li6ge  by  St.  Hubert,  who  founded  the 
beautiful  church,  still  marking  the  spot  where  the  saintly  Bishop 
met  his  death. 

St.  Lambert  is  the  patron  Saint  of  Li£ge  and  other  Flemish 
towns,  and  is  said  to  look  after  the  interests  of  agricultural 
labourers,  possibly  because  he  superintended  the  tilling  of  his 
own  fields,  His  special  attributes  are  a  lance  or  javelin  in  his 
hand,  and  a  luminous  cross  above  his  head.  He  is  some- 
times represented,  as  in  a  painting  in  the  Cathedral  of  Ghent, 
carrying  live  coals  in  his  surplice,  in  allusion  to  a  miracle  said 
to  have  been  performed  by  him  when  he  was  only  an  acolyte, 


120  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

and  was  sent  to  fetch  a  light  for  the  censer.  Elsewhere 
he  is  seen  seated  at  table  with  Pepin  d'H6ristal,  and  refusing  a 
cup  offered  to  him,  in  memory,  it  is  supposed,  of  his  having 
remonstrated  with  his  host  on  his  immorality;  or  he  is  abruptly 
leaving  the  room  in  indignation,  because  the  mistress  of  Pepin, 
the  beautiful  Alparde,  tried  to  get  him  to  bless  her  cup  of  wine 
as  well  as  that  of  her  lover.  Occasionally  St.  Lambert  wears 
the  rational  or  superhumeral,  already  explained  in  connection 
with  St.  Arnould  of  Metz,  and  holds  in  his  hand  what  looks 
like  a  lantern,  but  is  really  a  book  in  a  kind  of  bag,  such  as 
could  be  carried  on  the  shoulder,  which  in  the  fifteenth 
century  became  the  emblem  of  Saints  noted  for  their  love  of 
reading.  There  is  a  fine  '  Martyrdom  of  St.  Lambert/  by  Carlo 
Saraceni,  in  S.  Maria  dell'  Anima  at  Rome,  and  the  same 
subject  has  been  treated  by  Jacques  Callot.  In  the  '  Cabinet 
des  Estampes/  in  Paris,  is  an  engraving  by  an  unknown  hand 
of  the  Bishop,  who  wears  richly  jewelled  gloves  and  holds 
his  book  and  crosier ;  in  the  Cathedral  of  Lichfield  is  a  remark- 
able stained-glass  window  from  the  old  Abbey  of  Herkenrode, 
near  Liege,  in  which  St.  Lambert  is  introduced;  and  on  the 
exterior  of  the  Cathedral  of  Chartres  he  appears  amongst  other 
celebrated  ecclesiastics. 

Of  St.  Hubert,  the  successor  of  St.  Lambert  in  the  See  of 
Maestricht,  very  little  is  really  known,  but  a  most  romantic 
legend,  greatly  resembling  that  of  St.  Eustace,*  has  gathered 
about  his  memory.  He  is  supposed  to  have  been  a  wealthy 
nobleman  of  Aquitaine,  the  modern  Guienne,  the  familiar  friend 
and  constant  companion  of  Pepin  d'H&istai  He  was  passion- 
ately devoted  to  the  chase,  and  his  conversion  was  brought 
about  by^  a  remarkable  vision  vouchsafed  to  him  when  he  was 
hunting  in  the  forest  of  Ardennes  one  Good  Friday.  He  had 
become  separated  from  his  companions^,  and  was  riding  rapidly 
along,  when  his  horse  suddenly  reared,  and  before  his  astonished 
eyes  rose  up  a  snow-white  stag,  bearing  between  its  wide- 
spreading  antlers  a  luminous  crucifix.  As  St.  Hubert  gazed  in 
wondering  awe  at  the  strange  apparition,  he  heard  a  voice  saying, 
'  Hubert,  Hubert !  how  long  wilt  thou  thus  chase  the  beasts 
of  the  forest  ?  How  long  will  thy  vain  passion  for  the  chase 
lead  thee  to  neglect  the  salvation  of  thy  immortal  soul  ?'  Almost 
involuntarily  the  hunter  slipped  from  his  horse,  and,  falling  on 

*  See  vol.  i«,  pp»  209,  210, 


ST.  HUBERT  OF  MAESTRICHT  121 

his  knees,  cried  aloud,  *  Lord,  what  wouldst  Thou  have  me  do  T 
to  which  question  the  same  voice  replied,  *  Go  to  my  servant 
Lambert  at  Maestricht,  and  he  will  tell  thee.'  St.  Hubert  obeyed, 
and  after  proving  the  sincerity  of  the  new  convert  by  many  tests, 
the  Bishop  advised  him  to  go  to  Rome. 

During  the  absence  of  St.  Hubert  St.  Lambert  was  assassi- 
nated, and  an  angel  is  said  to  have  appeared  to  the  Pope,  telling 
him  to  choose  the  former  as  his  successor.  The  Pope,  who 
had  never  even  heard  of  the  Bishop  elect,  had  some  little 
difficulty  in  recognising  him  amongst  the  crowds  of  pilgrims 
then  in  Rome,  but  having  found  him,  he  informed  him  of  the 
instructions  from  Heaven.  St.  Hubert  at  first  entreated  to 
be  allowed  to  remain  a  humble  servant  of  God,  but  his 
objections  were  overruled,  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself  sending 
him,  it  is  said,  a  stole  woven  by  her  own  hands,  in 
token  of  the  favour  of  her  Divine  Son.  The  new  Prelate 
ruled  the  united  Diocese  of  Liege  and  Maestricht  wisely  and 
well  for  several  years,  evangelizing  the  whole  of  the  forest  of 
Ardennes  and  performing  many  wonderful  miracles,  including 
the  restoration  of  a  woman  who  had  been  paralyzed  for  working 
on  Sunday,  and  the  causing  of  the  waters  of  the  Somme  to  rise 
so  high  that  boats  bearing  stone  for  a  church  he  was  building, 
might  float  easily.  St.  Hubert  died  in  727,  with  the  opening 
words  of  the  Pater  Noster  upon  his  lips,  and  was  at  first  buried 
at  Li6ge,  but  his  remains  were  later  translated  to  the  Abbey  of 
Autun,  now  converted  into  a  reformatory  for  young  criminals. 
The  church,  with  the  reliquary  of  the  Saint,  was  burnt  by 
iconoclasts  in  the  sixteenth  century,  but  the  modern  town  still 
bears  his  name. 

Until  its  destruction  the  shrine  of  the  much-loved  Bishop 
was  visited  by  countless  pilgrims,  who  believed  in  his  power  to 
heal  them  of  their  diseases.  He  Is  the  patron  Saint  of  hunters, 
archers,  foresters,  furriers,  and  of  the  mathematical-instrument 
makers  of  Li6ge,  probably  simply  because  of  his  residence  in 
that  city.  He  is  also  supposed  to  be  able  to  protect  his  votaries 
from  the  bite  of  mad  dogs,  and  to  cure  those  who  have  already 
been  bitten.  Little  horns  made  of  metal,  and  leaden  images  of 
the  Saint,  used  to  be  brought  to  his  shrine  to  be  laid  on  it,  and 
were  then  looked  upon  as  certain  charms  against  hydrophobia, 
for  which  reason  a  dog  has  become  one  of  St.  Hubert's  chief 
emblems  in  art. 

As  a  general  rule,  St.  Hubert  is  represented  in  the  robes  of  a 


122  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

bishop,  holding  a  horn  in  one  hand  and  a  crosier  in  the  other. 
The  horn  is  sometimes  replaced  by  a  book,  as  on  the  hilt  of  a 
beautiful  crosier,  now  in  private  possession,  which  once  belonged 
to  the  bishops  of  Liege,  on  which  the  Saint  is  seen  standing, 
with  the  supernatural  stag  kneeling  at  his  feet.  Now  and  then 
a  key  is  given  to  him,  because  he  is  said  to  have  received  one 
from  St.  Peter  when  he  was  in  Rome ;  and  a  red-hot  key  was 
long  used  in  his  chapel  at  Autun  to  cauterize  the  wounds  of 
those  who  had  been  bitten  by  mad  dogs.  A  stole,  said  to  have 
been  the  very  one  sent  to  St.  Hubert  by  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
was  long  shown  at  Liege,  from  which  pilgrims  used  to  steal 
threads  as  charms  against  hydrophobia,  and  in  Roman  Catholic 
churches  little  loaves  are  still  blessed  on  November  3,  St. 
Hubert's  fete-day. 

The  effigy  of  St.  Hubert  with  a  stag  lying  on  the  book  he 
holds  is  stamped  on  the  old  coinage  of  the  duchy  of  Juliers ; 
in  the  Munich  Gallery  there  is  a  fine  '  Conversion  of  St.  Hubert ' 
by  William  of  Cologne ;  in  the  National  Gallery,  London,  is  a 
painting  by  the  Meister  von  Werden  of  the  gift  of  the  stole,  known 
as  'The  Mass  of  St.  Hubert/  and  one  of  the  *  Exhumation  of  the 
Saint '  by  a  pupil  of  Jan  van  Eyck;  in  the  Eastlake  Collection, 
now  dispersed,  there  used  to  be  a  beautiful  representation,  by 
Justus  of  Ghent,  of  the  translation  of  the  body  of  the  Saint  to 
Autun  ;  in  the  famous  *  Heures  d'Anne  de  Bretagne '  the  stole 
incident  is  included ;  in  a  rare  engraving,  perhaps  the  most 
celebrated  representation  of  St.  Hubert,  Albrecht  Durer  has 
given  a  dramatic  rendering  of  the  conversion  scene ;  and 
in  a  sixteenth-century  French  miniature,  the  vision  of  the  stag 
and  that  of  the  angel  bringing  the  stole,  are  interpreted  as 
taking  place  at  the  same  time.  Even  in  England,  where  there 
can  be  no  real  association  with  St.  Hubert,  his  figure  is  some- 
times introduced  in  churches,  notably  in  a  mural  painting  at 
Lenham  in  Kent,  and  on  a  rood-screen  at  Litcham  in  Norfolk, 
where  he  is  placed  beside  St.  William  of  Norwich. 

Of  St.  Rigobert — who,  after  being  Abbot  of  Orbais,  became 
Archbishop  of  Rheims  about  730,  but  was  exiled  from  his  see 
by  Charles  Martel,  because  he  dared  to  reprove  that  powerful 
Prince  for  his  infringements  of  the  rights  of  the  Church — a 
very  quaint  legend  is  told,  to  explain  his  symbol  of  a  goose  or 
swan,  although  it  is  probably  merely  given  to  him  because  his 
fete  is  celebrated  in  January.  A  goose  is  said  to  have  come  to 


.Hanfstangl  photo\  [School  of  Van  JZyck,  National  Gallery 

THE    EXHUMATION    OF    ST.    HUBERT 

To  face  p.  122 


SS,  AGRICOLA  AND  ROMBAUD  123 

the  holy  man  when  he  was  travelling  about  his  diocese,  or, 
according  to  others,  to  have  been  given  to  him  for  the  table, 
but,  after  having  flown  away,  to  have  returned  voluntarily  and 
alighted  at  his  feet.  The  Bishop  was  so  touched  by  the  poor 
bird's  devotion  that  he  refused  to  allow  it  to  be  killed,  and  it 
followed  him  about  like  a  dog  for  the  rest  of  its  life. 

St.  Agricola,  Bishop  of  Avignon  in  the  early  part  of  the  eighth 
century,  chiefly  celebrated  as  having  been  the  first  to  introduce 
alternate  chanting  in  the  services  of  the  Church,  whose  emblem 
in  art  is  a  stork,  is  said  to  have  saved  the  people  of  his  diocese 
from  a  plague  of  snakes,  by  summoning  a  flock  of  storks  to 
destroy  the  reptiles,  or,  according  to  another  version,  to  have 
compelled  the  birds  to  pick  up  a  number  of  dead  snakes  they 
had  dropped  on  the  roofs  of  the  houses.  A  stork  with  outspread 
wings,  holding  a  snake  in  its  beak,  forms  part  of  the  arms  of 
Avignon,  and  it  is  related  that  when  in  1480  there  was  some  dis- 
pute about  the  boundaries  of  the  see,  two  storks  flew  down  and 
marked  them  out  by  digging  up  the  ground  with  their  beaks. 

There  appear  to  have  been  two  eighth-century  Saints  of  the 
name  of  Rombaud  or  Romuald,  both  of  British  birth,  one  the 
Infant  son  of  a  Northumbrian  King,  the  other  one  Bishop  and 
patron  of  Mechlin.  The  former  has  no  special  art  emblem, 
but  several  churches  are  dedicated  to  him  in  England,  and 
though  he  lived  only  three  days,  he  is  said  to  have  declared 
with  his  first  breath,  *  I  am  a  Christian/  to  have  chosen  a 
hollow  stone  as  the  font  in  which  he  would  be  baptized,  and 
to  have  instructed  his  mother  to  have  him  buried  first  at 
Sutton — hence  its  name  of  King's  Sutton — then  at  Brackley, 
and  finally  at  Buckingham. 

St.  Rombaud  of  Mechlin,  who  is  sometimes  confounded,  not 
only  with  his  infant  namesake  and  contemporary,  but  also  with 
the  far  more  celebrated  St.  Romualdo,  founder  of  the  Camol- 
doll  Order,  whose  life  is  related  below,  is  said  to  have  been  of 
royal,  Irish  birth,  and  to  have  gone,  as  did  so  many  of  his  fellow- 
countrymen,  to  the  Netherlands  to  preach  the  Gospel.  Little 
is  known  of  the  adventures  of  St.  Rombaud,  but  he  became 
eventually  Bishop  of  Mechlin,  and  was  assassinated  by  some 
masons  in  his  employ,  in  revenge  for  his  detection  of  a  crime 
they  had  committed.  His  body  was  flung  into  the  river,  but 
it  is  related  that  it  would  not  sink,  and  a  heavenly  radiance 
hovered  above  it,  so  that  it  was  discovered,  and  reverently 


124  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

interred  in  a  church  on  the  site  of  the  present  cathedral,  which 
is  dedicated  to  St.  Rombaud,  and  contains  a  series  of  scenes 
from  his  life,  dating  from  the  fifteenth  century. 

St.  Rombaud,  whose  special  attributes  in  art  are  a  crown, 
in  allusion  to  his  royal  birth,  and  a  pickaxe,  the  supposed 
instrument  of  his  martyrdom,  is  often  represented  in  Belgian 
ecclesiastical  decoration,  wearing  his  Bishop's  robes  and  per- 
forming one  or  another  of  the  many  miracles  with  which  he  is 
credited,  such  as  the  restoration  to  life  of  a  boy  who  had  been 
drowned,  and  the  obtaining  of  a  supply  of  water  for  his  work- 
men by  striking  the  ground  with  his  crosier.  On  a  fifteenth- 
century  seal  preserved  at  Mechlin,  the  Bishop  is  seen  calmly 
awaiting  a  blow  from  a  pickaxe,  and  on  another,  dating  from 
the  sixteenth  century,  he  is  trampling  one  of  his  murderers 
underfoot  Hans  Burgkmair  has  represented  him  lying  dead 
beside  a  chest  full  of  coins,  thus  hinting  at  theft  having  been 
the  motive  of  his  cruel  fate,  and  other  artists  have  depicted 
different  subjects  from  the  legend  of  the  martyr,  such  as  his 
preaching  in  the  forest  before  he  became  Bishop,  and  the 
finding  of  his  body,  which  is  sometimes  seen  floating  on  the 
top  of  the  water,  and  sometimes  lying  amongst  the  rushes  on 
the  bank,  with  some  fishermen  bending  over  it. 

St.  Willibald,  who,  as  related  above,  was  saved  from  death 
wh^n  a  child  by  the  prayers  of  his  father,  King  Richard,  was 
educated  at  the  Monastery  of  Waltheim,  and  sent  thence  in 
early  manhood,  with  his  brother,  St.  Winibald,  to  join  St. 
Boniface  in  Friesland.  In  746,  after  much  successful  work 
under  that  great  leader,  St.  Willibald  was  by  him  consecrated 
Bishop  of  Eichstadt,  and  he  ruled  wisely  over  that  diocese 
until  his  death  in  790.  Closely  connected  with  many  other 
more  celebrated  Saints,  St.  Willibald  is  sometimes  grouped 
with  his  father  and  brother,  and  sometimes  with  his  sister,  St. 
Walpurga,  who  left  England  with  other  holy  women  at  his 
invitation,  and  was  by  him  made  Abbess  of  Heidenheim.  He 
is  generally  represented,  as  in  the  engraving  referred  to  in 
connection  with  St.  Richard,  in  the  robes  of  a  Bishop,  and 
occasionally  the  words  Spes,  Fides,  and  Caritas  are  worked  upon 
his  robes,  in  memory  of  his  unfailing  practice  of  the  virtues  of 
faith,  hope,  and  charity.  A  crown  at  his  feet,  in  allusion  to 
his  royal  birth,  a  roll  of  paper  he  is  throwing  into  a  fire, 
because  he  is  said  to  have  challenged  the  ordeal  by  fire  to 


A  GROUP  OF  BISHOPS  125 

prove  the  truth  of  his  doctrine,  are  amongst  his  emblems. 
Hans  Burgkmair  has  represented  St.  Willibald  directing  the 
felling  of  a  tree,  possibly  one  sacred  to  some  heathen  god ; 
and  in  a  German  iconography  he  is  seen  directing  the  building 
of  a  church.  He  is  the  patron  Saint  of  Eichstadt  and  other 
Bavarian  towns,  and  is  said  to  give  special  attention  to  the 
interests  of  the  trellis-makers  of  Liege. 

St.  Thurien,  or  Thurief,  Bishop  of  Dol  in  Brittany  in  the  first 
half  of  the  eighth  century,  whose  art  emblems  are  a  iamb  and 
a  dove,  is  said  to  have  begun  life  as  a  shepherd-boy,  but  to 
have  taught  himself  to  read.  He  had  a  very  beautiful  voice, 
and  one  day,  when  he  was  singing  as  he  watched  his  flock, 
he  attracted  the  attention  of  the  Bishop  of  the  diocese,  who 
had  him  well  educated.  On  the  death  of  his  benefactor, 
St.  Thurien  was  chosen  to  succeed  him,  and  during  his  tenure 
of  the  episcopate  many  signal  proofs  were  given  to  him  of  the 
favour  in  which  he  was  held  in  heaven ;  including  the  coining 
down  of  a  snow-white  dove,  which  settled  on  his  shoulder  when 
he  was  praying  for  the  forgiveness  of  a  noted  robber. 

St.  Salvius,  or  Saulve,  who  is  occasionally  represented  in 
Flemish  art  in  Bishop's  robes,  and  whose  emblem  is  a  cow  or 
bull,  is  said  to  have  been  martyred  with  one  of  his  clergy  in  a 
stable  near  Valenciennes,  where  the  bodies  remained  for  some 
time,  a  bull  keeping  the  other  cattle  from  entering.  Eventually 
discovered  by  Charles  Martel,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been 
miraculously  led  to  the  scene  of  the  martyrdom,  the  sacred 
remains  were  reverently  interred  by  him  in  a  church  on  the 
banks  of  the  Scheldt.  As  the  name  of  the  second  victim  was 
unknown,  he  is  said  to  have  been  canonized  as  St.  Super, 
because  his  body  was  found  lying  upon  that  of  St.  Salvius. 

St.  Silvin,  or  Silvanus,  was  another  missionary  Bishop,  of 
whom  next  to  nothing  is  known,  but  who  is  sometimes  intro- 
duced in  French  and  Flemish  art  holding  a  torch,  in  memory 
of  his  having  carried  the  true  faith  into  heathen  districts,  and 
casting  out  a  devil,  in  allusion  to  a  miracle  said  to  have  been 
performed  at  his  tomb. 

St.  Gomer,  who  is  looked  upon  as  the  special  protector  of 
ill-assorted  couples,  because  he  was  himself  unhappily  married 
before  he  resolved  to  give  up  the  world,  is  much  honoured  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Antwerp ;  but  whether  he  was  a  Bishop, 
an  Abbot,  or  a  mere  priest  or  monk,  is  not  known.  His  emblem 


126  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

in  art  is  a  flowering  staff  held  in  one  hand,  or  a  tree  beside  him 
with  an  axe  in  its  trunk;  both,  it  is  generally  supposed,  in 
allusion  to  a  miracle  he  is  said  to  have  performed-  Some 
of  his  servants  had  cut  down  a  tree  which  did  not  belong  to 
him,  and  when  the  owner  complained,  the  holy  man  had  the 
tree  replaced,  and  bound  it  to  the  stump  with  his  belt,  the 
wood  growing  again  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  The 
miraculous  belt  was  long  preserved  at  the  village  of  Lierre, 
and  was  credited  with  marvellous  powers  of  healing.  Others 
explain  the  flowering  staff  by  a  story  that  one  day,  when 
Saints  Gomer  and  Rombaud  met  midway  between  Lierre 
and  Mechlin,  their  staves,  which  they  had  stuck  in  the  ground 
beside  them,  took  root  and  flowered.  Near  the  place  of  meet- 
ing a  spring  of  water  is  still  shown,  said  to  have  been  procured 
by  St.  Gomer  with  the  aid  of  his  flowering  staff. 

Of  St.  Bertulphus  the  beautiful  legend  is  told,  that  an  eagle 
with  outspread  wings,  which  has  become  his  special  emblem  in 
art,  accompanied  him  as  a  protector  wherever  he  went,  shelter- 
ing him  from  the  rain  and  driving  away  all  who  would  have 
done  him  harm.  The  strange  phenomenon  so  touched  the  heart 
of  a  certain  Count  Wambert  that  he  gave  St.  Bertulphus  a  large 
tract  of  land  at  Renty  in  Flanders,  where  the  holy  man  built  a 
monastery  in  which  he  remained  for  the  rest  of  his  life.  Origin- 
ally a  wealthy  man,  he  gave  all  his  goods  to  the  poor  when  he 
became  a  monk,  and  certain  Flemish  artists  have  represented 
him  distributing  alms,  with  his  eagle  above  his  head.  He  is 
also  sometimes  seen,  as  in  a  German  iconography,  changing 
water  into  wine,  and  now  and  then  a  boat  is  placed  in  his  hand, 
possibly  in  memory  of  his  relics  having  been  removed  several 
times,  before  they  found  a  final  resting-place  at  Ghent. 

Of  St.  Bertin,  whose  emblem  in  art  is  a  boat  without  sails  or 
rudder,  little  is  known,  but  he  is  said  to  have  been  the  founder 
of  a  monastery,  later  named  after  him,  in  the  old  province  of 
Artois,  now  the  department  of  Pas  de  Calais.  Anxious  to  be 
guided  by  the  Divine  will  only,  he  and  a  few  monks  embarked  on 
a  river,  the  name  of  which  the  legend  does  not  give,  in  an  open 
boat,  which,  after  drifting  for  some  days,  ran  aground  at  a 
certain  spot  where  the  holy  men  disembarked,  chanting  as  they 
did  so  the  words :  '  This  is  my  rest ;  here  will  I  dwell/ 

St.  Herbland,  whose  symbols  in  art  are  a  tree  covered 
with  caterpillars,  a  barrel,  and  a  fish,  and  who  is  credited  in 


SS.  BERTIN  AND  LEUFROI  127 

Brittany  with  the  power  of  protecting  cows,  some  say  because 
the  first  syllable  of  his  name  means  grass,  was  the  founder  of  a 
monastery  at  Indret.  During  his  reign  as  Abbot  he  is  supposed 
to  have  performed  many  miracles,  including  the  destruction  of 
a  plague  of  caterpillars,  some  of  which  are  represented  falling 
on  his  book  as  he  kneels  at  prayer,  and  the  conversion  of  a  few 
drops  of  wine  into  a  barrelful;  It  is  related  that  one  day  a 
certain  nobleman  who  had  been  converted  by  St.  Herbland,  told 
a  servant  to  offer  the  holy  man  a  goblet  of  wine.  The  careless 
man  brought  in  an  all  but  empty  goblet,  and  the  host,  seeing 
the  mistake,  reddened  with  shame ;  but  the  Abbot  made  the  sign 
of  the  cross  over  the  few  drops,  and  the  wine  overflowed  the 
goblet,  which  remained  full  until  after  more  than  twenty  people 
had  drunk  from  it.  Sometimes  a  fish  as  well  as  a  barrel  is 
associated  with  St.  Herbland,  because,  when  one  of  his  monks 
boasted  of  catching  a  very  large  specimen,  the  Abbot  replied, 
e  See  if  I  cannot  produce  a  bigger  one/  and  at  that  moment  a 
huge  fish  appeared  at  his  feet. 

More  celebrated  than  Saints  Bertin  or  Herbland  was  St. 
Winibald,  the  elder  son  of  King  Richard,  who,  when  his  brother 
St.  Willibald  became  Bishop  of  Eichstadt,  was  appointed  by 
him  joint  ruler  with  their  sister  St.  Walpurga,  of  the  double 
monastery  for  monks  and  nuns  at  Heidenheim.  St.  Winibald 
had  lived  for  some  time  in  the  Benedictine  Monastery  of  Monte 
Cassino  before  he  was  summoned  to  Germany  by  his  brother, 
and  In  his  new  position  of  trust  he  led  very  much  the  same 
austere  life  of  self-denial  as  he  had  done  in  Italy.  He  died  in 
760,  and  St.  Willibald  had  a  beautiful  church,  which  became  the 
resort  of  many  pilgrims,  built  above  his  tomb  at  Heidenheim. 
St.  Winibald,  who  is  generally  grouped  with  his  father  and 
brother,  is  also  sometimes  represented  alone,  seated  with  a 
trowel  in  his  hand,  superintending  the  building  of  a  church,  or 
standing  with  his  pilgrim's  staff  in  his  hand  and  a  crown  at  his 
feet,  in  memory  of  his  renunciation  of  the  privileges  of  his  royal 
birth. 

Of  St.  Leufroi,  or  Leutfrid,  founder  of  a  monastery  long 
known  as  Le  Croix  de  St.  Leufroi,  near  Evreux,  and  who 
is  supposed  to  be  the  special  protector  of  delicate  children — for 
which  reason  he  is  sometimes  represented  with  several  little 
ones  about  him — various  quaint  stories  are  told.  He  dispersed 
a  plague  of  flies  by  a  word,  hence  the  cloud  of  winged  insects 


128  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

occasionally  introduced  above  his  head ;  he  rewarded  a  peasant 
who  had  given  him  a  drink  of  water  and  at  the  same  time 
complained  of  the  dryness  of  his  land,  by  causing  a  permanent 
spring  to  rise  up  out  of  the  ground  with  one  blow  from  his  staff; 
he  discomfited  the  devil,  who  had  assumed  the  form  of  the  Abbot 
and  taken  his  place  in  church,  by  making  the  sign  of  the  cross 
over  his  head,  thus  compelling  him  to  resume  his  true  shape, 
though  what  that  shape  was  the  story  does  not  say ;  and  he 
refused  Christian  burial  to  one  of  his  monks,  who  had  broken 
his  vow  of  poverty  by  concealing  money  in  his  cell.  The  body 
of  the  delinquent,  with  the  coins  upon  the  breast,  was  laid  out- 
side consecrated  ground,  and  the  only  words  spoken  over  it 
were,  '  Thy  money  perish  with  thee ';  but  the  spirit  of  the 
condemned  monk  haunted  his  judge,  till  the  latter  relented  and 
allowed  the  remains  to  be  re-interred  in  the  cemetery  with  all 
the  usual  rites. 

St.  Adelard,  who  is  one  of  the  patron  saints  of  agriculturists, 
and  was  Abbot  of  Corbie  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighth 
century,  is  said  to  have  been  of  royal  birth,  but  to  have  worked 
as  a  gardener  for  the  monks  for  several  years  before  he  would 
accept  any  dignity,  for  which  reason  his  special  emblem  is 
a  map. 

St.  Merri,  one  of  the  patrons  of  Paris  and  Autun — who 
was  for  some  little  time  Abbot  of  a  monastery  in  the  latter 
city,  but  withdrew  before  his  death  to  a  lonely  cell  in  the 
forest — is  sometimes  represented  gazing  up  to  heaven,  from 
which  a  number  of  stars  are  falling,  because  he  is  said  to  have 
been  thus  warned  of  his  approaching  death ;  or  holding  heavy 
chains  in  his  hands,  in  memory  of  his  having  released  many 
captives  through  his  prayers.  It  is  related  that  one  day,  when 
he  was  passing  through  Melun,  he  heard  some  prisoners  moan- 
ing, and  as  he  prayed  God  to  help  them  an  angel  appeared 
beside  him,  who  opened  the  gates  of  the  gaol. 

Of  St.  Brieuc,  who  has  given  his  name  to  a  town  in  Brittany, 
next  to  nothing  is  known,  but  he  is  said  to  have  been  of  British 
birth,  and  to  have  gone  to  Gaul  as  a  missionary  some  time 
between  500  and  800.  He  is  the  patron  Saint  of  purse-makers, 
possibly  because  purses  are  or  were  manufactured  in  the  district 
he  evangelized;  a  column  of  fire  appeared  above  his  head 
when  he  was  ordained  priest;  he  slew  a  fierce  dragon  that 
had  devoured  many,  and  won  a  miraculous  supply  of  water 


SS.  ADRIAN  AND  GENGULPH  129 

for  his  converts.  On  a  sixteenth-century  leaden  seal  found 
in  the  Seine,  St.  Brieuc  appears  in  Bishop's  robes  with  a  purse 
in  his  hand;  in  French  ecclesiastical  decoration  he  is  some- 
times introduced  with  his  purse  and  the  column  of  fire,  or 
striking  the  ground  with  his  staff,  and  his  memory  is  preserved 
in  the  name  of  the  Cornish  parish  of  Breock,  as  well  as  in  that 
of  St.  Broc  in  the  Isle  of  Man,  where  a  fair  is  still  held  in 
his  honour  on  his  fete-day,  May  I. 

St.  Adrian,  whose  emblem  in  art  is  a  rod,  was  an  African  by 
birth,  who  after  being  Abbot  of  a  monastery  at  Nerida,  near 
Naples,  for  some  years,  was  sent  to  England  to  work  under 
St.  Theodore  of  Canterbury.  The  latter  made  him  Abbot  of 
what  was  then  known  as  the  Monastery  of  Saints  Peter  and 
Paul,  founded  by  St.  Augustine,  which  he  ruled  well  for  thirty 
years.  He  was  buried  in  the  church  of  his  abbey,  and  after  his 
death  he  became  the  protector  of  rebellious  scholars,  who  used 
to  take  sanctuary  beside  his  tomb,  hence  his  emblem  of  the 
rod  ;  and  it  has  even  been  asserted  that  on  one  occasion,  when 
a  boy  was  pursued  to  the  sacred  spot  by  an  angry  master,  a 
dove  flew  in  the  face  of  the  latter,  driving  him  ignominiously 
away. 

St.  Gengulph,  the  patron  Saint  of  Haarlem  and  of  Toul,  to 
whom  ill-assorted  married  couples  appeal  for  aid,  for  the  singular 
reason  that  he  was  murdered  by  his  own  wife  in  revenge  for 
his  discovery  of  her  infidelity,  is  said  to  have  been  a  Count 
of  Burgundy,  who  was  sent  by  his  over -lord  to  protect  the 
missionaries  in  Friesland,  especially  St.  Wulfran,  with  whom 
he  is  occasionally  associated  in  art.  St.  Gengulph  is  honoured 
as  a  martyr,  though  his  death  had  nothing  to  do  with  his  f^ith, 
and  is  generally  represented,  as  in  a  painting  by  Hans  Burgk- 
mair  and  an  engraving  by  Jacques  Callot,  in  the  armour  of  a 
Prankish  count,  with  a  fountain  beside  him,  possibly  in  allusion 
to  his  share  in  the  distribution  of  the  living  waters  of  the 
faith. 


VOL.  Ill, 


130  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

CHAPTER  X 

KING   EDMUND  AND   OTHER   NINTH-CENTURY  SAINTS 

IT  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  touching  or  beautiful 
story  than  that  of  the  young  martyr  St.  Edmund,  the  last  King 
of  East  Anglia,  about  whose  memory  have  gathered  many 
quaint  legends,  significant  of  the  troubled  times  during  which 
he  lived.  The  son  of  King  Alkmund  of  Saxony,  St.  Edmund 
is  supposed  to  have  been  born  about  the  middle  of  the  ninth 
century,  and  he  was  still  a  boy  in  his  father's  Court  when  the 
childless  King  Offa  of  East  Anglia  halted  there  on  his  way  to 
Rome,  possibly  to  pray  for  the  birth  of  an  heir.  In  any  case 
the  royal  guest  took  a  great  fancy  to  the  young  Prince,  and 
besought  his  father  to  allow  him  to  adopt  him.  King  Alk- 
mund hesitated  at  first,  but  finally  consented,  and  it  was  agreed 
that  Edmund  should  go  to  East  Anglia  when  his  education  was 
completed.  King  Offa  died  soon  after  his  return  home,  and  on 
his  death-bed  he  named  Prince  Edmund  his  successor.  The 
appointment  was,  strange  to  say,  accepted  without  a  murmur, 
and  messengers  were  sent  to  fetch  home  the  new  King,  who 
must  then  have  been  about  fifteen  years  old.  He  set  sail, 
attended  by  many  of  his  father's  nobles,  but  was  shipwrecked 
off  the  coast  of  Norfolk,  near  the  headland  now  known  as 
St.  Edmund's  Point,  where  the  ruins  of  a  chapel  still  mark  the 
spot  on  which  he  landed. 

After  St.  Edmund  had  returned  thanks  for  his  preservation, 
and  besought  God  to  bless  the  land  of  his  adoption,  twelve 
springs,  still  shown  near  Hunstanton,  are  said  to  have  burst 
forth  in  token  that  his  prayer  was  heard.  The  new  King  then 
proceeded  on  his  journey,  and  was  cordially  welcomed  by  his 
subjects.  According  to  one  version  of  the  story,  he  spent  a 
year  in  a  monastery  at  Attleborough  before  he  actually  began 
to  reign,  learning  the  whole  of  the  Psalms  by  heart,  and  the  very 
book  he  is  supposed  to  have  used  is  preserved  in  the  Guildhall 
Library  at  Bury  St.  Edmunds.  However  that  may  be,  King 
Edmund  had  not  reigned  long  before  his  dominions  were  in- 
vaded by  the  Danes,  some  say  in  revenge  for  the  death  of  a 
chieftain  who,  when  on  a  visit  to  his  Court,  had  been  treacherously 
murdered  by  one  of  the  royal  huntsmen.  The  story  goes  that 


ST.  EDMUND  131 

the  latter  hid  the  body  of  his  victim  in  a  wood,  and  the  crime 
was  discovered  through  the  constant  visits  to  the  spot  of  a  pet 
greyhound.  The  murderer  owned  his  guilt,  and  King  Edmund 
condemned  him  to  be  put  into  a  boat  and  set  adrift  on  the  sea* 
The  boat  chosen  was  the  very  one  in  which  the  murdered 
chieftain  had  made  the  voyage  to  East  Anglia,  and  it  was 
carried  by  the  winds  and  waves  back  to  the  place  whence  it  had 
originally  come.  The  sons  of  the  dead  chief  recognised  their 
father's  vessel,  and  concluding  that  some  terrible  fate  had  over- 
taken him,  they  were  about  to  put  the  huntsman  to  death,  when 
he  saved  himself  by  declaring  that  King  Edmund  had  instigated 
his  wicked  deed. 

The  immediate  invasion  of  East  Anglia  was  decided  on,  and 
a  great  fleet  was  collected,  in  which  no  less  than  eight  Kings 
and  twenty  Earls  with  hundreds  of  followers  embarked.  They 
landed  in  Northumbria,  ravaged  the  whole  country  from  the 
Tweed  to  the  Humber,  and  then  marched  into  East  Anglia. 
Hearing  of  their  approach,  the  young  King  went  bravely  forth 
to  meet  them  at  the  head  of  his  army,  although  Bishop 
Humbert  of  Hexham,  one  of  his  chief  counsellors,  had  urged 
him  to  seek  safety  in  flight,  Edmund  replying  with  the  noble 
words  :  *  I  will  not  survive  my  faithful  and  beloved  friends ; 
it  is  better  to  die  for  my  country  than  to  forsake  it/ 

Meanwhile  a  herald  had  arrived  from  the  invaders,  offering 
peace  if  the  King  would  resign  half  his  kingdom  to  them  ;  but 
St.  Edmund  sent  him  back  to  the  leaders  of  the  Danes,  telling 
him  to  say  to  them :  *  Though  you  may  rob  me  of  the  wealth 
and  of  the  kingdom  God  has  given  me,  you  shall  never  make  me 
subject  to  a  heathen.  When  you  have  slain  my  servants,  slay 
also  their  King,  whom  the  King  of  kings  will  receive  in  Heaven, 
there  to  dwell  for  ever  with  Him/ 

When  the  herald  had  left,  King  Edmund  boldly  followed  him 
with  all  his  forces,  and  met  the  Danes  near  his  chief  city  of 
Thetford,  where  after  a  terrible  struggle  he  was  defeated. 
He  is  said  to  have  taken  refuge  in  a  church  at  Henglesdon, 
supposed  to  be  identical  with  the  modern  Hoxne,  or  beneath 
a  bridge,  where  he  was  found  late  at  night  by  a  newly 
married  couple,  who  saw  his  golden  spurs  gleaming  in  the 
moonlight.  In  either  case  he  was  betrayed  to  the  Danes 
and  dragged  before  their  leaders,  who  offered  him  his  life  if 
he  wo.uld  deny  Christ.  St.  Edmund  replied  that  he  would 

9—2 


I32  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

rather  die  than  be  false  to  his  God,  and  he  was  then  bound 
to  a  tree  to  be  shot  to  death  by  a  picked  body  of  archers. 
Whether  his  noble  bearing  daunted  the  executioners  or  they 
purposely  prolonged  his  sufferings,  he  lingered  so  long  that  his 
conquerors  at  last  ordered  his  head  to  be  struck  off.  A  tree 
was  long  revered  at  Hoxne  as  the  one  to  which  the  martyr 
had  been  bound,  and  when,  in  1848,  it  fell  to  the  ground  in  a 
storm,  probability  was  given  to  the  tradition  by  the  discovery 
of  what  looked  like  an  iron  arrow-head  embedded  in  the  trunk. 
The  bridge  beneath  which  the  fugitive  is  said  to  have  Bidden  is 
supposed  still  to  exist,  and  until  quite  recently  no  bride  would 
venture  to  approach  it,  for  fear  of  drawing  upon  herself  the  cnrse 
of  the  martyr. 

The  remains  of  the  murdered  King  were  left  on  the  ground  by 
the  Danes,  but  were  protected  from  injury  by  a  huge  grey  wolf, 
which  guarded  them  until  the  arrival  of  some  of  the  martyr's 
faithful  subjects,  who  were  guided  to  the  spot  by  a  pillar  of  fire. 
They  carried  the  mangled  corpse  to  Hoxne — the  wolf  reverently 
following  with  the  other  mourners — and  it  was  there  interred 
with  all  due  ceremony.  A  little  chapel  dedicated  to  St. 
Edmund,  King  and  Martyr,  was  erected  above  the  grave,  which 

as  left  undisturbed  for  thirty  years,  when  ^ its  revered  contents 
were  translated  to  the  Monastery  of  Beodrics  worth,  on  the  site 
of  which  King  Canute  founded  the  beautiful  Abbey  of  St. 
Edmundsbury  in  honour  of  his  great  predecessor,  the  word 
*  bury/  of  which  the  original  Anglo-Saxon  form  is  'byrig,'  signify- 
ing, however,  court  or  town,  not  burial-place,  as  is  generally 
supposed.  As  is  well  known,  the  relics  of  St.  Edmund  have 
since  then  gone  through  many  vicissitudes,  and  have  been  the 
text  of  many  a  heated  controversy,  some  asserting  that  they  are 
still  at  Bury  St.  Edmunds,  others  that  they  were  taken  to  France 
in  1644,  where  they  remained  until  1901,  when  they  were 
brought  back  to  England  to  be  placed  in  the  new  Roman 
Catholic  Cathedral  at  Westminster. 

Powerless  though  he  was  against  the  Danes  in  his  lifetime, 
St.  Edmund  is  said  to  have  held  them  in  check  from  his  home 
in  heaven,  and  the  sudden  death  of  King  Sweyn  is  supposed  to 
have  been  due  to  his  intervention.  That  monarch  had  made 
an  unjust  demand  upon  the  abbey  containing  the  shrine  of  the 
Saint;  but,  as  he  was  riding  away  gloating  over  his  gains,  a 
mysterious  figure,  whom  he  at  once  recognised  as  St.  Edmund, 


ST.  EDMUND      .  133 

suddenly  rose  up  before  him,  saying  in  a  commanding  voice, 
*  Wouldst  thou  have  the  tribute  from  my  land,  then  go  and 
take  it  V  Paralyzed  with  terror,  King  Sweyn  called  his  soldiers 
to  come  to  his  aid,  for,  '  behold,  St.  Edmund  comes  to  slay  me.' 
Then,  as  the  men  hastened  up,  their  leader  gave  a  loud  cry 
and  fell  lifeless  to  the  ground. 

The  memory  of  St.  Edmund,  who  is  sometimes  called  the 
English  St.  Sebastian,  is  held  sacred  not  only  in  what  was  once 
his  own  kingdom,  but  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
Great  Britain.  His  special  emblem  in  art — a  crown  pierced  with 
arrows — is  still  to  be  made  out  in  certain  old  churches  in  Norfolk 
and  Suffolk ;  his  name  is  preserved  in  many  dedications  as  far 
south  as  Sussex  and  Devon ;  and  his  figure,  in  royal  robes  and 
with  his  crown  upon  his  head,  is  constantly  introduced  in 
ecclesiastical  decoration.  His  martyrdom  is  a  very  favourite 
subject,  and  he  is  generally  represented,  as  on  a  rood-screen  at 
North  Walsham  and  in  an  early  English  diptych  now  in  the 
Pembroke  Collection,  pierced  with  arrows,  but  with  a  smile  of 
ineffable  peace  upon  his  lips.  Sometimes,  as  in  a  beautiful 
engraving  reproduced  by  Pere  Cahier  in  his  *  Caract^ristiques 
des  Saints,5  a  wolf  is  introduced  beside  the  martyr ;  on  a  pulpit 
at  Hempstead  and  a  font  and  rood-screen  at  Stalham  he  holds 
an  arrow  in  his  hand ;  or,  as  in  a  window  in  Saxlingharn  Church 
and  elsewhere,  he  kneels  and  is  offering  up  a  quiver  of  arrows 
to  heaven. 

In  Henry  VII. 's  Chapel  at  Westminster  St.  Edmund  is 
grouped  with  Saints  Oswald  and  Edward  the  Confessor,  and 
in  the  twelfth-century  sculptures  of  the  north  porch  of  Wells 
Cathedral  his  martyrdom  and  the  guarding  of  his  remains  by 
the  wolf  can  still  be  made  out.  There  is  a  fine  statue  of  him  on 
the  celebrated  Great  Screen  of  Winchester  Cathedral,  and  in 
a  fourteenth-century  window  in  Bristol  Cathedral  his  whole 
legend  is  given. 

Great  indeed  is  the  contrast  between  the  unfortunate  young 
King  Edmund  of  East  Anglia  and  his  mighty  contemporary,  the 
Emperor  Charlemagne,  who,  though  he  has  not  been  actually 
admitted  to  the  hierarchy  of  the  Saints,  is  constantly  spoken  of 
as  if  he  had  been,  probably  because  of  his  close  friendship  with 
the  celebrated  St.  Benedict  of  Anian,  and  the  fact  that  he 
founded  several  churches,  including  the  one  at  Aix-la-Chapelle 
in  which  he  was  buried,  on  the  site  of  the  present  cathedral* 


I34  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

The  son  of  Pepin  the  Short  and  the  grandson  of  Charles 
Martel,  Charlemagne,  was  predestined  from  the  first  to  earthly 
greatness,  and  his  career,  but  for  a  few  temporary  checks,  such 
as  the  disaster  of  Roncesvalles,  was  one  long  success  from 
beginning  to  end.  Although,  as  is  well  known,  the  Empire 
he  established  did  not  long  endure,  owing  to  the  inferiority 
of  his  successors,  it  may  justly  be  claimed  that  he  inaugurated 
a  new  era,  and  his  influence  is  still  undoubtedly  felt  through- 
out the  whole  of  Europe.  He  is  one  of  the  patron  saints 
of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  Frankfort-on-Main,  Halberstadt,  Hilders- 
heim,  Miinster,  Paderborn,  and  other  German  cities,  and 
also  of  the  University  of  Paris,  extending,  it  is  supposed, 
special  protection  to  its  messengers.  He  is  constantly  intro- 
duced in  German  ecclesiastical  decoration,  and  in  Italian, 
French,  and  German  illuminated  manuscripts,  in  which  he 
appears  as  an  extremely  handsome  man  in  the  prime  of  life, 
wearing  the  Imperial  robes,  an  ornate  crown  or  diadem  sur- 
mounted by  a  cross  upon  his  head,  and  holding  in  one  hand^a 
sceptre  and  in  the  other  a  church,  or  a  globe  bearing  a  cross ; 
the  latter  emblem  in  allusion  to  the  vast  extent  of  his  dominions. 

In  the  Christian  Museum  of  the  Vatican  is  an  ancient  mural 
painting  of  a  head,  supposed  to  be  a  portrait  of  Charlemagne ; 
in  the  portico  of  St.  Peter's  is  an  equestrian  statue  of  the 
great  Emperor  opposite  to  one  of  St«  Constantine,  and  he  is 
amongst  the  worshippers  in  the  *  Coronation  of  the  Virgin '  by 
Fra  Angelico,  now  in  the  Louvre.  In  the  Town  Hall  of  Aix- 
la-Chapelle  is  a  series  of  modern  frescoes,  by  Alfred  Rethel,  of 
scenes  from  the  life  of  Charlemagne,  and  in  a  window  in  Chartres 
Cathedral  a  quaint  rendering  is  given  of  the  legend  of  the 
Emperor  and  his  Paladin  Roland,  the  hero  of  the  Pass  of 
Roncesvalles ;  who,  though  he  was  certainly  never  canonized, 
is  honoured  in  France  and  Italy  as  a  Saint  and  martyr,  his 
special  art  emblem  being  a  horn,  in  memory  of  the  famous  blast 
he  blew  before  his  death.  The  most  beautiful  interpretation 
of  the  character  of  Charlemagne  is,  however,  the  painting  by 
Albrecht  Diirer  at  Nuremberg,  in  which  he  wears  his  coronation 
robes  and  looks  out  of  the  picture  with  an  expression  of  great 
dignity. 

A  ninth-century  Saint  of  political  note  was  Duke  William 
of  Aquitaine,  one  of  the  Emperor  Charlemagne's  most  trusted 
advisers,  who  had  led  the  Imperial  forces  many  times  to  victory 


Poppi  photo~\ 


[Bologna  Gallery 


THE    CONVERSION    OF    ST.    WILLIAM    OF    AQUITAINE 
BY    ST.    BENEDICT    OF    ANIAN 
I3y  Guercino 


To  face  p.  134 


ST.  WILLIAM  OF  AQUITAINE  135 

before  he  was  converted  to  Christianity  by  St.  Benedict  of  Anian. 
St.  Benedict  himself,  who  was  of  noble  birth,  had  begun  life  as 
a  page  in  the  Court  of  Pepin  the  Short,  and  distinguished  himself 
greatly  as  a  soldier  before  he  retired  from  the  world ;  led  to  do 
so,  it  is  said,  in  gratitude  for  a  miraculous  escape  from  drowning. 
He  entered  a  Benedictine  monastery  in  Burgundy,  of  which  he 
became  Abbot ;  but,  shocked  by  the  laxity  of  the  rule,  which 
he  endeavoured  in  vain  to  reform,  he  left  it  for  a  lonely 
hermitage  on  the  banks  of  a  river  in  Languedoc,  which  in  course 
of  time  became  the  nucleus  of  a  new  community  ot  monks. 
Duke  William,  whose  conscience  had  been  awakened  by  the 
preaching  of  St.  Benedict,  sought  him  out  in  his  solitude,  and 
was  by  him  persuaded  to  become  a  monk.  He  was  received 
into  the  Benedictine  Order,  a  most  important  event,  for  later 
he  founded  the  monastery  at  Clugny,  in  the  department  of 
Saone  et  Loire,  which  was  to  become  in  the  course  of  the 
next  two  centuries,  the  most  celebrated  institution  of  the  kind 
in  Europe ;  ranking  second  to  Rome  alone  as  a  centre  of  Christian 
education,  its  Abbots  taking  precedence  of  all  others. 

Duke  William  ruled  his  monastery  at  Clugny  with  great 
wisdom  and  strictness  until  his  death,  which  took  place  in 
812.  He  was,  it  is  said,  consoled  in  his  last  moments  by  the 
Blessed  Virgin  herself,  and  in  an  old  engraving,  supposed  to  be 
after  Lanfranco,  the  Saint  is  seen  expiring  in  the  arms  of  an 
angel,  whilst  a  woman  beside  him  dips  her  finger  in  a  cup 
offered  to  her  by  the  Mother  of  the  Lord. 

The  conversion  of  Duke  William,  on  which  the  Benedictines 
justly  pride  themselves,  has  been  several  times  represented, 
notably  in  an  old  print  in  the  British  Museum,  in  which  he 
kneels  in  his  armour  at  the  feet  of  St.  Benedict  of  Anian, 
grasping  a  standard,  and  with  his  shield  emblazoned  with  the 
ducal  arms  behind  him;  and  in  a  painting  in  the  Bologna 
Gallery  by  Guercino,  in  which  St.  Benedict  is  seated  on  a 
throne  bending  towards  his  kneeling  convert,  who  is  removing 
his  helmet  and  breastplate. 

St.  Benedict  survived  St.  William  for  several  years,  but  his 
fame  has  been  so  overshadowed  by  that  of  his  pupil  that  he  is 
rarely  represented  apart  from  him.  Now  and  then,  however, 
the  Abbot  of  Anian  appears  in  ecclesiastical  decoration  with 
flames  springing  up  at  his  feet,  in  memory,  it  is  supposed,  of 
his  having  more  than  once  miraculously  checked  a  fire  in  his 


i36  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

monastery.  St.  William,  on  the  other  hand,  is  very  ^  constantly 
Introduced  in  stained-glass  windows  and  elsewhere,  either  in  his 
ducal  armour  or  the  rohes  of  his  Order ;  if  the  latter,  with  his 
crown  and  helmet  beside  him. 

To  the  ninth  century  also  belong  the  more  or  less  apocryphal 
Saints  Kenelm  of  Mercia  and  Salomon  of  Brittany,  both  said  to 
have  been  of  royal  birth  and  honoured  as  martyrs,  though  their 
tragic  deaths  were  the  result  of  political  rather  than  religious 
enmity. 

St.  Kenelm,  whose  emblem  in  art  is  a  lily,  to  typify  his  purity, 
and  who  is  sometimes  represented  carrying  his  own  head,  is 
supposed  to  have  succeeded  his  father  as  King  of  Mercia  when 
he  was  only  seven  years  old,  and  to  have  been  treacherously 
murdered  by  order  of  his  sister  a  few  days  after  his  accession. 
Just  before  the  end  the  little  victim  is  said  to  have  made 
his  staff  blossom,  and  when  his  executioner  was  about  to 
strike  off  his  head,  he  began  to  sing  the  Te  Dewn,  the  fatal 
blow  falling  just  as  the  words  *  The  white-robed  army  of  martyrs 
praise  Thee '  were  on  his  lips.  A  snow-white  dove,  adds  the 
legend,  flew  to  Rome  to  let  the  Pope  know  of  the  martyr's 
death,  and  the  spot  where  his  remains  were  hidden  was  revealed 
by  a  pillar  of  blood-red  cloud.  A  chapel  was  erected  on  the 
spot  in  hdnour  of  the  murdered  Saint,  and,  though  all  trace  of 
the  building  is  now  lost,  the  name  of  Kenelm  is  still  preserved 
in  the  dedications  of  several  churches  in  England. 

St.  Salomon,  whose  chief  symbol  is  an  auger  or  gimlet, 
because  he  is  said  to  have  been  blinded  with  one  before  his 
death,  and  who  is  represented  on  an  ecclesiastical  seal  reproduced 
by  Pere  Cahier  in  his  *  Caracteristiques  des  Saints '  with  gimlets 
driven  sideways  into  his  eyes,  is  supposed  to  have  been  King  of 
Brittany  in  the  latter  part  of  the  ninth  century,  and  to  have  been 
killed  by  a  cousin  who  coveted  his  crown.  The  story  goes  that 
he  had  himself  won  his  position  by  a  similar  crime,  but  he  had  later 
led  such  a  noble  life  that  he  was  mourned  by  his  subjects  as  if 
he  had  been  an  innocent  victim,  and  he  has  been  chosen  as  their 
patron  Saint  by  the  people  of  Vannes  and  other  towns  of  Brittany. 

Yet  another  ninth-century  martyr,  and  one  whose  claim  to 
veneration  is  far  better  accredited  than  that  either  of  St.  Kenelm 
or  St.  Salomon,  was  St.  Meinhardt,  of  Einsiedeln,  whose  em- 
blem in  art  is  a  pair  of  ravens,  a  choice  explained  by  his  legend. 
St.  Meinhardt  was  a  holy  man  who  dwelt  alone  in  a  cell  on  the 


ST.  EULOGIUS  137 

site  of  the  Abbey  of  Einsiedein,  fed,  it  is  said*  by  two  ravens 
whom  he  had  tamed,  A  rumour  having  been  spread  that 
the  hermit  had  money  hidden  In  his  retreat,  two  wicked 
men,  pretending  they  wished  to  consult  him,  came  to  rob 
him.  St.  Meinhardt  knew  all  about  them,  bat  received  them 
kindly,  asking  them  to  share  his  food?  and  when  his  meal 
was  over,  disconcerted  them  by  giving  them  two  candles* 
with  the  words,  '  After  your  work  is  done,  light  these  and  place 
them  at  my  feet/  The  men,  trembling  with  fear,  assured  their 
host  they  would  do  him  no  harm  if  he  would  say  where  his 
treasure  was  hid,  but  when  he  assured  them  that  he  had  none 
except  that  laid  up  in  heaven,  they  would  not  believe  him. 
They  searched  in  vain  for  the  money,  and  finding  nothing,  they 
killed  St.  Meinhardt,  and  were  running  away,  when  one  of  them 
cried :  '  The  candles !  remember  the  candles !'  They  looked 
back,  and  saw  the  candles  burning  at  the  feet  of  their  victim, 
and  this  terrified  them  still  more.  The  tame  ravens  pursued  the 
murderers  and  tried  to  peck  out  their  eyes,  which  led  to  the 
discovery  of  the  crime.  The  body  of  the  Saint  was  buried 
where  it  was  found,  and  above  his  grave  rose  up  later  the  Abbey 
of  Einsiedein,  the  arms  of  which  include  a  pair  of  ravens. 

Scarcely  known  out  of  Spain,  though  greatly  revered  in  that 
country,  where,  for  a  reason  unexplained,  he  is  the  patron 
of  carpenters,  was  St.  Eulogius  of  Cordova,  whose  art  emblems 
are  a  sword  and  a  whip,  because  he  was  cruelly  scourged  before 
he  was  beheaded  by  the  Moors.  A  zealous  preacher,  St.  Eulogius 
had  won  many  Mohammedans  to  the  true  faith,  and  had  been 
nominated  Archbishop  of  Toledo,  though  not  consecrated,  when 
he  fell  a  victim,  with  many  others,  in  the  furious  persecution  of 
the  Christians  which  broke  out  in  the  district  of  Cordova  in  the 
middle  of  the  ninth  century.  A  few  days  after  his  death,  which 
he  met  with  the  utmost  courage,  a  young  girl  named  Leucritia 
was  also  beheaded  for  refusing  to  deny  Christ,  and  the  bodies  of 
the  two  martyrs  having  been  translated  to  Oviedo  at  the  ^  same 
time  many  years  later,  has  led  to  their  occasional  association  in 
Spanish  ecclesiastical  decoration. 

To  the  ninth  century  also  belonged  Popes  Saints  Leo  III. 
and  Leo  IV. ;  the  Apostles  of  Moravia,  Saints  Methodius  and 
Cyril ;  Bishops  Frederic  of  Utrecht  and  Swithin  of  Winchester, 
and  the  celebrated  hermit  St.  Neot,  who  has  given  his  name  to 
two  English  towns. 


138  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

St.  Leo  III.  is  chiefly  noted  for  his  close  friendship  with 
Charlemagne,  whom  he  crowned  Emperor  of  the  West  at  Rome 
in  800,  and  whose  church  at  Aix-la-Chapelle  he  consecrated,  an 
incident  commemorated  by  the  inscription, 

*  ECCE  LEO  PAPA,  cujus  BENEDICTIO  SACRA 
TEMPLUM  SACRA  VIT  QUOD  CAROLUS 


surmounted  by  a  statuette  of  the  Pope,  on  the  great  reliquary 
now  in  the  cathedral. 

It  is  customary  to  give  to  St.  Leo  III.  the  not  very  distinctive 
emblem  of  a  holy-  water  sprinkler,  possibly  in  allusion  to  his 
efforts  to  purify  the  Church  of  heresy,  and  he  is  occasionally 
represented  struggling  with  two  men  who  are  endeavouring  to 
pluck  out  his  eyes,  in  allusion  to  a  legend  to  the  effect  that  one 
day,  when  he  was  at  the  head  of  a  procession  in  Rome,  he  was 
set  upon  by  some  ruffians,  who  shamefully  ill-treated  him.  St. 
Leo  was  rescued  by  his  friends,  but  remained  blind  until  his  eyes 
were  restored  to  him  by  Charlemagne,  who  found  them  in  a  fish 
sent  to  the  Imperial  table.  St.  Leo  III.  lived  for  several  years 
after  this  remarkable  episode,  doing  much  to  consolidate  the 
power  of  the  Church,  for  it  was  during  his  tenure  of  the  see 
that  the  temporal  sovereignty  of  the  Head  of  the  Church  was 
first  formally  recognised  ;  a  fact  he  caused  to  be  commemorated 
in  the  great  dining-hall  of  the  Lateran  in  a  series  of  mosaics 
representing  St.  Peter  enthroned,  giving  with  his  left  hand  a 
standard  to  Charlemagne,  who  is  on  his  knees  before  him,  and 
with  his  right  a  stole  to  Pope  Leo  III.,  who  is  also  on  his  knees. 
Destroyed  in  the  eighteenth  century,  these  interesting  mosaics 
were  restored  from  the  original  drawings  a  few  years  later,  and 
copies  of  them  adorn  a  tribuna,  erected  by  Benedict  XIV.  near 
the  Santa  Scala  outside  the  basilica. 

St.  Leo  IV.  3  who  was  elected  Pope  in  847,  and  died  in  855, 
seems  to  have  been  a  man  of  a  very  different  type  to  his 
namesake.  He  exercised  but  little  influence  over  his  time,  and 
appears  to  have  been  canonized  in  recognition  of  his  having 
saved  the  people  of  Rome  from  a  pestilence,  or,  according  to 
another  version  of  the  legend,  from  a  venomous  beast  —  hence 
the  symbol  of  a  dragon  crouching  at  the  feet  of  the  Saint  —  by 
having  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  carried  through  the 

*  '  Behold  Pope  Leo,  whose  holy  blessing  consecrated  the  Temple  built 
by  Charles,' 


SS,  METHODIUS  AND  CYRIL  139 

streets  of  Rome.  It  Is  even  added  that  the  Image  was  the 
very  one  now  preserved  in  S.  Maria  Maggiore  at  Rome,  and 
the  whole  story  much  resembles  that  related  of  St.  Gregory 
the  Great,  in  connection  with  the  plague  that  devastated  Rome 
In  590,* 

Saints  Methodius  and  Cyril,  of  whose  parentage  nothing  is 
known,  were  educated  at  Constantinople,  and  sent  in  early 
manhood  as  missionaries  to  Moravia.  The  former  was  an  artist 
of  considerable  talent ;  the  latter,  whose  baptismal  name  was 
Constantine,  which  he  changed  to  Cyril  when  he  was  conse- 
crated priest,  was  a  most  eloquent  preacher,  and  the  two, 
working  cordially  together,  converted  many  to  the  true  faith* 
It  is  related  that  St.  Methodius  won  over  Bogoris,  King  of  the 
Bulgarians,  by  showing  him  a  very  realistic  painting  of  the 
Last  Judgment,  for  which  reason  the  missionary  is  generally 
represented  holding  a  picture  in  his  hand,  and  on  account  of 
this  success  he  was  made  Bishop  of  the  whole  of  Moravia,  an 
honour  claimed  by  others  for  St.  Cyril  The  brothers  are  also 
credited  with  having  invented,  although  they  probably  only 
modified,  the  Sclavonian  alphabet,  in  order  to  translate  the 
Holy  Scriptures  into  the  language  of  the  people,  a  crime— for  a 
crime  it  was  considered — for  which  they  were  summoned  to 
Rome,  where  St.  Cyril  died.  St.  Methodius,  who  appears  to 
have  succeeded  in  justifying  himself  with  the  Pope,  returned 
to  Moravia,  and  worked  there  till  his  death,  which  took  place 
at  a  very  advanced  age.  m  f 

The  celebrated  brothers  are  very  constantly  introduced  in 
ecclesiastical  decoration,  especially  in  Moravia  and  Bohemia, 
standing  opposite  to  each  other,  holding  up  a  church  between 
them,  or  St.  Cyril  holds  the  church  and  St.  Methodius  a 
picture  of  the  Last  Judgment.  In  a  sixteenth-century  Prague 
Missal  the  figures  of  the  missionaries  are  framed  in  the  letters 
of  the  Sclavonic  alphabet;  in  an  old  German  iconography 
St  Cyril  appears  without  St.  Methodius,  surrounded  by 
Bulgarian  converts;  in  the  tenth -century  frescoes  of  the 
entrance  porch  of  S.  Clemente,  Rome,  Saints  Cyril  and 
Methodius  are  seen  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the  Redeemer, 
and  in  a  chapel  in  the  same  building  is  a  series  of  modem 
frescoes  by  Novelli,  of  scenes  from  the  lives  of  the  brothers. 

*  See  vol.  I,  p.  47,  and  vol.  ii»,  pp.  292,  293. 


140  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

St.  Frederick,  who  was  Bishop  of  Utrecht  from  820  to  838, 
and  Is  occasionally  represented  in  the  robes  of  his  office,  with 
two  swords  piercing  his  breast,  or  in  the  hands  of  two  assassins 
who  are  stabbing  him,  is  said  to  have  brought  his  terrible  doom 
upon  himself  by  his  plain  speaking  to  Queen  Judith,  the  second 
wife  of  Louis  le  D6bonnaire,  whose  plots  against  her  stepsons 
he  had  discovered. 

St.  Swithin,  whose  chief  art  emblem  is  a  cross  held  in  the 
right  arm,  and  who,  for  a  reason  explained  below,  is  sometimes 
represented  with  rain  pouring  down  on  his  head,  is  said  to  have 
been  of  noble  parentage.  He  was  educated  in  a  monastery  at 
Winchester,  where  he  was  ordained  priest,  and  before  he  became 
Bishop  of  Winchester  he  acted  for  some  years  as  Chaplain 
and  Chancellor  to  King  Egbert.  He  was  the  trusted  adviser 
and  friend  of  Egbert's  successor,  King  Ethelwulf,  the  father  of 
the  great  Alfred,  and  is  said  to  have  had  some  share  in  the 
education  of  the  latter.  St.  Swithin  governed  the  See  of 
Winchester  with  great  wisdom  until  his  death  in  862,  building 
many  churches  and  doing  much  to  improve  the  city.  It  is 
related  that  one  day,  when  he  was  superintending  the  erection 
of  a  bridge,  one  of  his  workmen  accidentally  broke  a  number  of 
eggs  belonging  to  an  old  woman,  but  when  she  complained  to 
the  Bishop,  the  holy  man  at  once  gave  her  back  her  basket,  with 
all  the  eggs  quite  whole. 

On  his  death  St.  Swithin — whose  name  is  still  greatly  revered 
throughout  the  whole  of  England,  more  churches  being  dedi- 
cated to  him  than  to  any  other  Bishop — was  buried,  in  accord- 
ance with  his  own  request, outside  the  church,  'where  passers-by 
might  tread  on  his  grave,  and  where  the  rain  from  the  trees 
might  fall  on  it,'  and  there  it  remained  until  it  was  removed  by 
Bishop  Ethelwold  a  century  later  to  the  cathedral  built  by  him. 
The  translation  took  place  on  July  15,  and  it  was  long  popularly 
believed  that  the  Saint  manifested  his  displeasure  at  the  disre- 
gard of  his  wishes  by  causing  a  violent  storm  to  begin  directly 
the  coffin  was  touched,  a  deluge  of  water  continuing  to  pour 
down  for  forty  days  and  nights,  hence  the  superstition,  that 
if  it  rains  on  St.  Swithin's  Day  the  rest  of  the  summer  will 
be  wet. 

Of  St.  Ludger  very  little  is  known,  but  he  is  credited  with 
having  been  the  Apostle  of  Saxony,  and  was  made  first  Bishop 
of  Mtinster,  when  that  se$  was  founded  in  802.  He  also  founded 


ST.  NEOT  141 

the  Monastery  of  Kaiserwerth,  in  which  he  died  in  Sog,  for 
which  reason  a  church  is  one  of  his  attributes.  A  swan  is  some- 
times associated  with  St.  Ludger,  possibly  because  he  died  on 
March  26,  which  is  about  the  time  when  the  migration  of  the 
wild-swans  takes  place.  He  is,  however,  generally  represented 
reading  his  breviary,  in  memory  of  a  story  to  the  effect  that  one 
day,  when  a  message  was  sent  to  him  by  the  Emperor  Charle- 
magne, he  refused  to  take  any  notice  of  it  till  he  had  finished 
his  devotions,  declaring  that  he  was  engaged  in  communion 
with  One  greater  than  any  earthly  Sovereign.  There  is  a  fine 
interpretation  of  St.  Ludger  by  the  Meister  von  Werden  in  the 
National  Gallery,  London,  in  which  he  is  grouped  with  Saints 
Augustine,  Hubert,  and  Maurice. 

St.  Neot,  whose  emblems  in  art  are  three  fishes,  in  allusion  to 
a  detail  of  his  legend  related  below,  is  said  by  some  authorities 
to  have  been  the  elder  brother  of  King  Alfred ;  in  fact,  identical 
with  the  Prince  Athelstan,  who  was  present  at  the  Battle  of 
Sandwich  in  851,  and  is  said  to  have  withdrawn  to  a  monastery 
at  Glastonbury  in  the  following  year.  Whether  this  be  true  or 
not,  St.  Neot  was  certainly  of  noble  birth,  and  the  name  by 
which  he  is  universally  known  is  evidently  an  assumed  one, 
derived  from  the  Greek  z/eo?,  signifying  new,  a  very  appropriate 
one  for  a  neophyte,  who  had  left  his  old  life  of  luxury  to 
become  a  monk. 

St.  Neot  is  said  to  have  been  a  man  of  very  small  stature,  and 
a  quaint  story  is  told  of  his  having  been  unable  on  one  occasion, 
when  he  was  acting  as  sacristan,  to  reach  the  lock  to  admit  a 
pilgrim.  As  he  was  under  a  vow  of  silence,  he  could  not  call  for 
assistance,  but  he  prayed  earnestly  for  help,  and  the  lock  slid 
down  to  the  level  of  his  waist,  remaining  there  long  enough  for 
the  thorough  attestation  of  the  miracle  in  the  presence  of  many 
witnesses.  Still  more  wonderful  was  another  incident  said  to 
have  taken  place  at  Glastonbury,  when,  the  oxen  of  the  monas- 
tery having  been  stolen,  St.  Neot  summoned  some  wild  stags  of 
the  forest  to  come  and  take  their  place.  The  beautiful  creatures 
obeyed,  arriving  every  evening,  but  returning  to  the  woods  in  the 
morning,  and  it  was  long  believed  by  the  common  people  that 
the  white  ring  round  the  necks  of  certain  deer,  was  the  mark  left 
by  the  collar  of  the  yoke  their  ancestors  had  worn  in  the 
service  of  the  holy  man. 

After  spending  some  years  in  the  monastery,  St.  Neot  obtained 


142  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

permission  to  withdraw  with  one  companion,  named  Barius,  to  a 
remote  district  in  Cornwall,  where  the  two  lived  for  several 
years  in  a  little  cell  beside  a  chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Gueyr,  not 
far  from  the  present  village  of  St.  Neots,  close  to  which  is  still 
shown  a  square  earthen  fort  open  to  the  air,  known  as  St. 
Neot's  Pound,  into  which  he  is  said  to  have  (Driven  the  crows 
that  used  to  steal  the  corn  from  his  neighbours'  fields,  the  birds 
flying  into  the  enclosed  space  of  their  own  free  will  when  ordered 
to  do  so  by  the  Saint.  Another  memorial  of  St.  Neot's 
residence  in  Cornwall  is  a  spring,  now  protected  by  a^  stone 
arch,  in  which  he  is  said  to  have  stood  every  day  to  recite  the 
Psalms,  with  the  water  up  to  his  waist,  and  from  which  he  used 
to  take  for  his  daily  meal  one  fish  out  of  three  always  to  be  found 
swimming  in  it.  The  legend  further  relates  that  once,  when 
St.  Neot  was  ill,  his  fellow-recluse  cooked  two  of  the  fishes  in 
diiferent  ways, hoping  thus  to  induce  the  invalid  to  eat;  but 
when  the  latter  discovered  what  had  been  done,  he  was  very 
angry,  and  ordered  Barius  to  put  back  both  the  fishes,  which 
swam  about  again  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 

As  is  well  known,  St.  Neot  was  the  teacher  and  spiritual 
guide  of  King  Alfred,  and  the  earliest  version  of  the  story 
of  the  burnt  cakes  occurs  in  an  Anglo-Saxon  sermon  in  praise 
of  the  hermit.  Even  before  his  accession  Alfred  often  went  to 
St.  Gueyr  to  pray,  and  when,  later,  St.  Neot  became  the  head 
of  a  college  of  priests  at  Neot  Stoke,  the  King  was  one  of  his 
most  constant  visitors.  St.  Neot,  who  died  peacefully  sur- 
rounded by  his  pupils  in  877,  is  said  to  have  foretold  the 
disasters  of  the  winter  of  878,  and  to  have  appeared  on  the 
battle-field  of  Edington  to  rally  the  Saxon  troops  when  they 
were  giving  way  before  the  Danes.  In  any  case,  his  influence 
over  King  Alfred  was  very  great,  and  but  for  him  the  later 
career  of  that  monarch  would  probably  have  been  very  different, 

St.  Neot  was  at  first  buried  in  the  Chapel  of  St.  Gueyr,  but 
his  body  was  translated  seven  years  later  to  a  larger  church 
near  by,  and  in  the  following  century  his  remains  were  removed, 
much  to  the  indignation  of  the  people  of  Cornwall,  by  order  of 
Bishop  Ethelwold,  to  the  Abbey  of  Eynesbury  in  Huntingdon, 
on  the  site  of  the  present  parish  church  of  St.  Neots. 

Scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Neot,  including  the  miracle  of  the 
stags  and  the  apocryphal  incident  of  the  crowning  by  the  hermit 
of  King  Ethelbald  are  represented  in  a  sixteenth -century 


SCENES   FROM   THE   LIFE  OF   ST.   NEOT 
Prom  a  window  in  the  Parish  Church  of  St.  Neofs,  Cornwall 


To  face  p.  142 


ST.  EDWARD  THE  MARTYR  143 

window  In  the  church  of  the  Cornish  St.  Neot,  and  some 
scholars  are  of  opinion  that  the  figure  on  the  famous  jewel 
of  Alfred  the  Great,  preserved  In  the  Ashmolean  Museum  at 
Oxford,  represents  the  beloved  hermit.  The  jewel,  which  was 
picked  up  in  a  marsh  in  Somersetshire  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  bears  the  Inscription :  e  Aelfred  mee  he  ht  gewyrean,* 
signifying  *  Aelfred  me  ordered  to  be  wrought.' 


CHAPTER  XI 

ROYAL  AND   IMPERIAL  TENTH-CENTURY  SAINTS 

A  VERY  noteworthy  feature  of  the  tenth  century  was  the  number 
of  members  of  the  ruling  houses  of  Europe  who  became  cele- 
brated for  their  sanctity  during  their  lifetime,  and  have  been 
admitted  since  their  death  to  the  hierarchy  of  the  Saints.  In 
England  King  Edward  the  Martyr,  with  the  two  Saints  Edith, 
and  in  Germany  St.  Ludmilla  of  Bohemia,  her  grandson 
Duke  Wenceslas,  the  Empresses  Matilda  and  Adelaide,  and 
the  Emperor  Henry  II.,  with  his  consort  St.  Cunegunda, 
carried  on  into  the  eleventh  century  the  noble  traditions  of  the 
tenth.  One  and  all  they  combined  with  much  astute  worldly 
wisdom,  a  love  for  heavenly  things,  rare  indeed  amongst  the 
great  ones  of  the  earth,  and  it  is  impossible  to  overestimate 
their  Influence  over  their  contemporaries  of  every  rank. 

St.  Edward  the  Martyr  was  the  son  of  King  Edgar  the  Peace- 
ful, and  in  975,  at  the  early  age  of  thirteen,  succeeded  his" 
father  as  Overlord  of  Northumbria,  Mercia,  and  Wessex,  His 
right  to  the  crown  was  contested  by  his  stepmother,  Queen 
Elfrida,  who  would  fain  have  had  her  own  child,  Ethelred, 
elected  in  his  stead;  and  although  the  young  King  had  from  the 
first  the  powerful  support  of  St.  Dunstan,  his  reign  was  a  very 
troubled  one.  St.  Edward  is  said  to  have  been  a  most  earnest 
Christian,  and  to  have  refrained  from  abdicating  in  favour  of 
his  brother  from  conscientious  motives  alone.  He  did  all  In  his 
power  to  conciliate  Elfrida,  and  showed  during  his  brief  tenure 
of  power  remarkable  tact  for  one  so  young. 

Unable  to  gain  her  ends  by  fair  means,  the  Queen  Dowager 
resorted  to  a  cruel  stratagem,  for  she  invited  the  King  to 
visit  her  at  Corfe  Castle,  where  she  resided  with  Ethelred,  and 


144  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

by  her  assumed  affection  she  succeeded  in  lulling  the  suspicions 
of  her  guest  to  rest.  According  to  another  account,  though  the 
victim  knew  that  there  was  a  plot  against  his  life,  he  resolved 
to  take  no  notice,  and  parted  from  his  entertainer  on  the  best  of 
terms.  He  had  already  mounted  for  his  homeward  journey,  and 
was  bending  over  the  saddle,  in  courteous  gesture  of  farewell  to 
his  stepmother,  as  he  raised  the  stirrup-cup  to  his  lips,  when  he 
was  stabbed  in  the  back.  Feeling  himself  wounded,  he  set 
spurs  to  his  horse,  and,  followed  by  his  attendants,  he  dashed 
into  the  forest ;  but  he  soon  fell  dead,  and  his  sorrowing  servants 
bore  his  body  to  Wareham,  where  it  was  interred  without  any 
pomp  or  ceremony.  Hundreds  of  mourners,  however,  flocked 
to  the  tomb  to  do  honour  to  the  murdered  king,  and  Elfrida 
herself,  full  of  remorse  now  that  her  evil  wishes  were  fulfilled, 
is  said  to  have  long  endeavoured  in  vain  to  go  to  the 
resting-place  of  her  victim  to  pray  for  forgiveness.  Her  horse 
refused  to  move,  and  it  was  not  until  she  dismounted  and 
walked  barefooted  to  the  sacred  spot  that  she  was  able  to  reach 
it.  A  year  later  the  remains  of  the  martyr — for  so  he  was 
considered — were  translated  in  the  presence  of  a  reverent 
multitude  to  the  abbey  founded  by  Alfred  the  Great,  at 
Shaftesbury,  where  they  are  supposed  still  to  remain.  The 
stirrup-cup  from  which  St.  Edward  was  drinking  when  he  was 
stabbed,  and  the  knife  which  inflicted  the  fatal  wound,  are  now 
in  the  possession  of  Mr.  Ralph  Bankes,  to  whom  Corfe  Castle 
belongs. 

King  Edward  the  Martyr  is  greatly  honoured  in  the  South 
of  England,  The  parish  church  of  Corfe,  near  the  ruins 
of  the  castle,  at  the  gate  of  which  he  met  his  terrible  fate, 
is  dedicated  to  him,  as  are  many  other  places  of  worship 
in  England,  and  the  well-known  words  of  the  chronicle  of 
William  of  Malmesbury  have  been  amply  fulfilled,  for : 

*  The  lofty  Avenger 
Hath  his  memory 
In  the  heavens, 
And.  in  the  earth  widespread. 
They  who  would  not  erewhile 
To  his  living 
Body  bow  down, 
They  now  humbly 
On  knees  bend 
To  his  dead  bones, 


ST.  EDITH  THE  ELDER  145 

Now  we  may  understand 
That  men's  wisdom 
And  their  devices 
And  their  counsels 
Are  like  nought 
'Gainst  God's  resolves.5 

It  is  usual  to  represent  King  Edward  the  Martyr  as  a  noble- 
looking  young  man  in  royal  robes,  holding  a  dagger  or  a  cup* 
sometimes  both,  or  a  dagger  and  a  sceptre,  the  latter  occasion- 
ally replaced  by  a  palm.  On  a  rood-screen  in  St.  Andrew's 
Church  at  Burlingham  he  is  placed  between  Saints  Edmund 
and  Ethelreda;  on  one  in  Litcham  Church,  Norfolk,  he  is 
beside  St.  Edmund,  and  his  figure  can  still  be  made  out  in 
the  ceiling  paintings  of  the  nave  in  Peterborough  Cathedral  and 
in  those  in  the  crypt  of  Wimborne  Minster.  Hans  Burgkmair, 
in  one  of  his  engravings,  has  given  the  murdered  King  a 
cup  from  which  a  serpent  is  issuing,  implying  that  he  was 
poisoned ;  on  the  West  Front  of  Wells  Cathedral  St.  Edmund 
appears  holding  a  cup  and  trampling  a  small  figure  under  his 
feet,  symbolic,  possibly,  of  his  moral  victory  over  his  enemies, 
in  spite  of  his  apparent  defeat ;  and  on  a  rood-screen  at 
Trimmingham  he  has  a  falcon  perched  on  his  left  wrist  and 
holds  a  dagger  in  his  right  hand. 

The  elder  of  the  two  Saints  Edith  of  England,  who  are  not 
unnaturally  often  mistaken  for  each  other,  was,  according  to 
some,  the  daughter  of  a  certain  Earl  Frewald,  and  lived  and 
died  in  a  nunnery  at  Aylesbury,  without  achieving  any  special 
distinction.  According  to  others,  however,  who  have  many 
strongly  established  traditions  on  their  side,  she  was  one  of  the 
fourteen  children  of  King  Edward  the  Eider,  and  was  forced 
after  her  father's  death,  by  her  brother,  King  Athelstan,  into 
an  uncongenial  marriage  with  the  Danish  King  Sithric  of 
Northumbria.  Her  husband  became  a  Christian  for  the  sake 
of  his  bride,  to  whom  he  seems  to  have  been  at  first  greatly 
attached;  but  he  soon  grew  tired  of  the  restrictions  of  his 
new  religion,  and  when  St.  Edith  remonstrated  with  him 
for  his  excesses,  he  divorced  her.  She  withdrew  to  a  nunnery 
at  Polesworth,  of  which  she  eventually  became  Abbess,  and  in 
which  she  died  at  an  advanced  age  about  964. 

St.  Edith  the  Elder  is  occasionally  introduced  in  English 
ecclesiastical  decoration,  notably  in  the  sculptures  on  the  ex- 

VOL.  in.  10 


146  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

terior  of  Lichfield  Cathedral,  and  the  later  version  of  her  legend 
was  adopted  by  Ford  Madox  Brown  in  the  beautiful  series  of 
cartoons  now  in  the  Municipal  School  of  Art  at  Manchester, 
the  gift  of  Mr.  Charles  Rowley,  to  whom  they  were  bequeathed 
by  the  artist.  They  were  designed,  but,  unfortunately,  never 
executed,  for  some  stained-glass  windows  of  the  church  dedi- 
cated to  St.  Edith  of  Polesworth  at  Tamworth,  and  represent 
various  scenes  from  the  life  of  the  great  Abbess,  including  her 
marriage  to  King  Sithric,  her  election  as  Abbess,  and  her 
death. 

St.  Edith  the  Younger — who  is  generally  represented  as  a 
lovely  girl  in  costly  robes,  holding  a  purse  in  one  hand  and  a 
piece  of  money  in  the  other,  in  memory  of  her  generous  gifts  to 
the  poor,  and  is  occasionally  seen  washing  the  feet  of  a  number 
of  pilgrims — was  the  illegitimate  daughter  of  King  Edgar,  and 
half-sister  of  St.  Edward  the  Martyr.  The  mother  of  St. 
Edith  was,  according  to  some  authorities,  a  beautiful  but  lowly- 
born  nun,  and  according  to  others  a  noble  Saxon  lady,  who 
was  carried  off  against  her  will  by  the  King  to  his  palace,  but 
managed  to  escape  before  the  birth  of  her  child  to  a  convent 
at  Wilton,  on  the  site  of  the  present  Hall,  the  seat  of  the 
Herbert  family.  '  The  little  Edith  was  there,'  says  William  of 
Malmesbury,  'trained  from  her  infancy  in  the  school  of  God/ 
Her  beauty  and  charm  were  so  great  that  all  who  saw  her  loved 
her  at  once,  and  her  father,  who  on  the  death  of  his  wife  would 
gladly  have  married  her  mother,  was  devoted  to  her.  She 
spent  part  of  her  time  at  Wilton,  and  part  at  Court,  managing 
with  rare  tact  to  do  her  duty  towards  both  her  parents,  in  spite 
of  the  exceptional  difficulties  of  her  position  with  regard  to 
them.  She  had,  it  is  said,  but  one  weakness,  a  love  of  finery ; 
for  which  she  was  rebuked  by  St.  Ethelwold,  but  she  naively 
reminded  the  holy  prelate  of  his  own  teaching,  that  God  looks 
to  the  heart,  and  not  to  the  outward  apparel,  adding :  e  Pride 
may  exist  under  the  garb  of  wretchedness,  and  a  mind  may 
be  as  pure  beneath  these  garmeifts  as  under  your  tattered 
furs/ 

When  St.  Edith  was  old  enough,  the  King  would  have  liked 
her  to  marry,  but,  in  spite  of  her  delight  in  pretty  clothes,  she 
begged  him  to  allow  her  to  become  a  nun.  He  consented,  but 
gave  ^  her  the  dowry  she  would  have  had  as  a  bride  to  do  as 
she  liked  with,  and  she  spent  it  all  in  founding  religious  houses 


EDITH    OF   POLESWORTH    REPROVING   TWO    OF    HER    NUNS 
After  a  cartoon  by  Ford  Madox  Brown- 
By  permission  of  Charles  Rowley,  Esq. 


To  face  p.  146 


ST.  LUDMILLA  147 

and  churches.  She  had  a  beautiful  church  built  at  Wilton 
IE  honour  of  St.  Denis,  for  whom  she  had  a  very  great 
veneration,  and  St.  Dunstan,  who  was  devotedly  attached  to 
St.  Edith,  came  to  consecrate  it.  It  is  related  that,  as  the 
Bishop  was  celebrating  Mass  after  the  ceremony,  he  suddenly 
burst  into  tears,  and,  when  asked  the  reason,  replied  :  *  Because, 
alas !  this  blooming  rose  shall  soon  wither ;  in  six  weeks'  time 
this  beloved  bird  shall  take  its  flight  to  God/  To  this  touch- 
ing story  has  been  added  the  somewhat  grotesque  supplement, 
to  the  effect  that  St.  Dunstan  further  said  :  '  The  thumb  which 
so  often  made  the  sign  of  the  cross  shall  never  wither.'  It  was 
long  believed  that  the  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  the  thumb  of  the 
saint  being  found  undecayed  many  years  after  her  death.  The 
forecast  as  to  the  time  of  St.  Edith's  end  proved  correct,  for 
she  passed  to  her  heavenly  home  exactly  forty-two  days  after 
her  church  was  consecrated,  and  St.  Dunstan  is  supposed  to  have 
dreamt  that  he  saw  St.  Denis  leading  her  by  the  hand  to 
heaven.  The  maiden  Saint  was  buried  in  her  own  church  at 
Wilton,  but  all  trace  of  it  has  now  passed  away,  though^ her 
name  is  preserved  in  the  dedication  of  many  sacred  buildings 
in  different  parts  of  England. 

St.  Ludmilla  was  the  wife  of  Duke  Borawoy  of  Bohemia, 
and  was  brought  up  by  her  parents  as  a  heathen,  but  converted 
to  Christianity  after  she  was  left  a  widow,  by  St.  Adalbert  of 
Prague.  She  tried  very  hard  to  induce  her  son,  who 
succeeded  her  husband  in  the  dukedom,  to  embrace  her 
religion.  All  her  efforts  were,  however,  defeated  by  her 
daughter-in-law,  who  yet,  strange  to  say,  allowed  her  to 
superintend  the  education  of  the  elder  of  her  two  grandsons, 
the  future  St.  Wenceslas.  The  boy  became  a  very  devoted 
Christian,  and  his  mother,  repenting  of  her  concession,  deter- 
mined to  have  his  grandmother  murdered.  St.  Ludmilla  was 
found,  by  the  hired  assassins  sent  to  kill  her,  kneeling  in  her 
private  oratory,  and  was  strangled  with  her  own  veil,  for  which 
reason  a  veil  held  in  her  hand  is  her  usual  attribute  in  art.  She 
is  generally  grouped  in  Bohemian  sacred  pictures  with  her  pupil 
and  grandson,  St.  Wenceslas,  and  occasionally  the  martyr's 
palm  is  given  to  her.  Her  martyrdom  is  represented  in  an 
old  bas-relief  in  the  Church  of  St.  Lawrence  at  Nuremberg,  her 
murderers  meeting,  apparently,  with  no  resistance  from  their 

victim. 

10 — 2 


148  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

The  fate  of  Duke  Wenceslas  greatly  resembled  that  of  King 
Edward  the  Martyr,  for  he  fell  a  victim  to  the  jealous  hatred  of 
his  mother,  who  wished  his  younger  brother  Boleslas  to 
reign  in  his  stead.  St»  Wenceslas  appears  to  have  been  an 
excellent  ruler  and  a  most  devoted  servant  of  the  Church.  It 
is  related  that  in  his  struggle  with  Radislas,  Prince  of  Gurima, 
who  invaded  his  dominions,  he  showed  great  wisdom,  for  to  avert 
bloodshed  he  challenged  the  rival  leader  to  single  combat^  It  is 
claimed  by  his  votaries  that  the  Bohemian  Duke  owed  his  victory 
to  the  intervention  of  two  angels,  who  warded  off  every  blow 
aimed  at  him  by  his  adversary,  and  so  terrified  the  latter  that  he 
threw  himself  on  his  knees  before  St.  Wenceslas,  entreating  his 
forgiveness.  The  two  became  close  friends,  and  in  the  later 
struggle  with  his  brother,  the  Duke  had  the  constant  support 
of  Radislas.  It  is  further  related  that  St.  Wenceslas  won  the 
high  esteem  of  the  Emperor  Otto  L,  by  his  courage  in  insist- 
ing on  attending  Mass  before  he  could  go  to  the  Diet  at 
Worms,  to  which  he  had  been  summoned,  thus  keeping  all  the 
dignitaries  of  the  Empire  waiting.  Instead  of  being  angry,  the 
Emperor  commended  him,  and  said  he  would  grant  him  any 
favour  he  liked  to  ask.  It  is  very  significant  of  the  time  at 
which  he  lived  that,  instead  of  any  earthly  honour^  the  Duke 
begged  for  some  relics  for  his  churches  in  Bohemia,  and  he 
received  an  arm  of  St.  Vitus  of  Rome,  with  a  portion  of  the 
bones  of  St.  Sigismund  of  Burgundy,  a  fact  which  accounts 
for  the  constant  association  of  St.  Wenceslas  with  them  in 
devotional  pictures.* 

Not  only  did  the  Emperor  grant  the  strange  request  of  St. 
Wenceslas :  he  also  conferred  upon  the  Duke  the  title  of  King, 
and  gave  him  permission  to  use  the  Imperial  eagle  upon  his 
standard,  two  privileges  of  which  he  did  not,  however,  care  to 
avail  himself.  On  his  return  home  after  his  interview  with  Otto, 
the  Duke  built  a  church  at  Prague  to  enshrine  his  newly-acquired 
relics,  and  set  to  work  to  endeavour  to  convert  his  heathen  sub- 
jects to  Christianity;  but  during  his  absence  a  plot  had ^ been 
laid  against  him  by  his  mother  and  brother,  who  invited  him  to 
visit  them  in  their  castle,  to  share  in  their  rejoicings  over 
the  birth  of  a  son  to  Boleslas.  After  the  entertainment  St, 
Wenceslas,  as  was  his  custom,  withdrew  to  a  chapel  to  pray, 

*  See  vol.  iu,  pp.  58,  59,  225,  226. 


ST.  WENCESLAS  149 

and  as  he  knelt  at  the  altar  he  was  slain  by  his  brother,  who 
stabbed  him  in  the  back.  The  body  was  at  first  hastily  burled 
in  an  ordinary  grave,  but  the  rumours  of  the  many  miracles 
performed  at  the  tomb  so  terrified  the  murderer,  that  he  had 
the  remains  removed  to  the  church  containing  the  relics  of 
Saints  Sigismund  and  Vitus,  where  they  are  supposed  still 
to  rest. 

It  is  related  that  when  the  body  of  St.  Wenceslas  was  trans- 
lated, the  Moldau  was  so  swollen  that  the  bridges  over  it  were 
impassable,  but  angels  appeared  and  carried  the  coffin  safely 
to  its  new  resting-place,  an  incident  sometimes  introduced  in 
Bohemian  art  The  famous  Duke  is  generally  represented 
— as  in  a  painting  in  the  Modena  Gallery  by  Tommaso  da 
Rabisino — in  the  armour  of  a  knight,  sometimes  wearing  a 
crown,  sometimes  a  helmet,  and  holding  in  one  hand  a  banner, 
bearing  the  Imperial  eagle.  [Occasionally,  as  in  certain  old 
iconographies,  two  angels  are  carrying  a  golden  cross  before 
St.  Wenceslas,  in  allusion  to  the  incident  on  the  battle- 
field related  above,  or,  as  in  an  engraving  by  Jacques  Callot, 
Duke  Radislas  kneels  at  his  feet  in  supplication,  and  an  angel 
hovers  above  his  head.  A  shrine  is  also  a  constant  emblem 
of  the  much-loved  Bohemian  Saint,  in  allusion  to  his  acquisition 
of  relics,  and  he  has  been  represented  standing  sponsor  to  a 
child  who  is  being  baptized. 

The  popular  veneration  for  St.  Wenceslas  has  been  embodied 
in  a  beautiful  carol  still  in  use  in  German  and  English  churches, 
in  which  the  royal  title  is  given  to  him,  although  he  himself 
never  assumed  it.  The  following  is  the  most  generally  received 
English  version : 

*  Good  King  Wenceslas  looked  out, 

On  the  Feast  of  Stephen, 
When  the  snow  lay  round  about, 
Deep,  and  crisp,  and  even. 

*  Brightly  shone  the  moon  that  night, 

Though  the  frost  was  cruel, 
When  a  poor  man  came  in  sight, 
Gathering  winter  fuel. 

* "  Hither,  page,  and  stand  by  me : 

If  thou  know'st  it,  telling, 
Yonder  peasant,  who  is  he  ? 
Where  and  what  his  dwelling  ?" 


150  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

c "  Sire,  he  lives  a  good  league  hence, 

Underneath  the  mountain  ; 
Right  against  the  forest  fence, 
By  St.  Agnes'  fountain," 

* "  Bring  me  flesh,  and  bring  me  wine, 

Bring  me  pine-logs  hither ; 
Thou  and  I  will  see  him  dine, 
When  we  bear  them  thither." 

£  Page  and  monarch  forth  they  went, 

Forth  they  went  together, 
Through  the  rude  wind's  wild  lament 
And  the  bitter  weather. 

*  "  Sire,  the  night  is  darker  now, 

And  the  wind  blows  stronger ; 
Fails  my  heart,  I  know  not  how : 
I  can  go  no  longer." 

* "  Mark  my  footsteps,  my  good  page. 

Tread  thou  in  them  boldly ; 
Thou  shalt  find  the  winter's  rage 
Freeze  thy  blood  less  coldly." 

*  In  his  master's  steps  he  trod, 

Where  the  snow  lay  dinted  ; 
Heat  was  in  the  very  sod 
Which  the  Saint  had  printed 

4  Therefore,  Christian  men,  be  sure, 

Wealth  or  rank  possessing, 
Ye  who  now  will  bless  the  poor 
Shall  yourselves  find  blessing/ 

The  Empress  Matilda  was  the  daughter  of  Theodoric,  a 
powerful  Count  of  Saxony,  and  was  married  when  very  young 
to  Duke  Henry,  surnamed  the  Fowler,  on  account  of  his  love 
of  hunting,  who  became  Emperor  of  Germany  a  few  years  later, 
On  the  death  of  her  husband  in  936,  the  Empress,  who  had 
been  very  devoted  to  him,  and  had  brought  up  her  three  sons 
in  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  determined  to  withdraw  from  the  world, 
and  spent  the  rest  of  her  life  in  good  works,  founding  many 
churches  and  monasteries,  aiding  the  poor  and  suffering,  and 
giving  special  attention  to  the  education  of  children.  She  died 
in  one  of  her  own  monasteries  at  Quedlinburg,  and  was  buried 
in  its  church.  The -special  attributes  of  the  saintly  Empress 
are  a  bag  of  money  or  a  church  held  in  her  hands,  in  allusion 
to  her  generous  gifts  to  the  poor  and  to  the  many  religious 


ST.  ADELAIDE  151 

communities  she  founded.  She  generally  wears  the  Imperial 
robes,  with  a  crown  surmounted  by  a  cross,  and  though  she 
was  quite  old  when  she  became  a  widow,  she  is,  as  a  rule, 
represented  as  a  beautiful  young  woman  distributing  alms  to 
the  poor,  kneeling  in  prayer  at  an  altar,  surrounded  by  little 
children,  or  teaching  a  boy — probably  meant  for  one  of  her 
own  sons — to  read.  Occasionally  her  halo  is  converted  into 
an  aureole  of  cherubs*  heads,  a  poetic  way  of  hinting  at  her 
devotion  to  the  young. 

There  are  few  more  romantic  or  better-authenticated  life- 
stories  than  that  of  the  Empress  Adelaide,  or  Alice,  as  she  is 
sometimes  called,  who  is  a  familiar  figure  in  German  eccle- 
siastical decoration,  and  whose  emblems  are  much  the  same 
as  those  of  the  Empress  Matilda,  for  she,  too,  was  a  liberal 
almoner  to  the  poor  and  the  foundress  of  many  churches.  The 
daughter  of  Rudolph  IL,  King  of  Burgundy,  the  future 
Empress  was  married  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen  to  Prince 
Lothaire,  son  of  the  King  of  Italy,  who  died  whilst  she  was 
still  young,  leaving  her  with  an  only  child,  a  daughter,  who 
became  later  Queen  of  France.  St.  Adelaide  renounced  all 
claim  to  the  lands  of  her  husband,  except  to  the  town  of  Pavia, 
which  her  father  had  bestowed  upon  her  as  a  dowry,  but 
even  that  was  snatched  from  her  by  the  titular  King  of  Italy, 
Berengarius  III.,  who  tried  to  persuade  her  to  marry  him,  and 
on  her  refusal  had  her  shut  up  in  a  strong  castle  on  the 
Lake  of  Garda.  There  she  was  very  harshly  treated,  but  she 
managed  to  make  her  escape  in  a  boat  by  night,  an  incident 
sometimes  represented  in  art,  and  took  refuge  in  the  stronghold 
of  Canossa,  where  dwelt  many  noble  Italians  who  were  hostile 
to  the  rule  of  Berengarius.  Some  of  these  malcontents  tried  to 
persuade  the  widow  to  take  up  the  reins  of  government  herself, 
promising  her  their  support ;  but  she  had  resolved  to  dedicate 
her  life  to  God  alone,  and  appealed  for  protection  to  the 
Emperor  Otto  L,  who  was  at  first  disposed  to  help  her  to  with- 
draw to  a  nunnery.  In  an  interview  with  her,  however,  he 
fell  so  deeply  in  love  with  her  that  he  persuaded  her  to  marry 
him.  She  became  the  mother  of  three  sons,  and  late  in  life 
was  again  left  a  widow ;  her  eldest  son,  who  succeeded  his  father 
as  Emperor,  turned  against  her,  resenting  her  wise  counsels, 
and  banished  her  from  his  dominions.  She  took  refuge  with 
her  brother,  Prince  Conrad  of  Burgundy,  but  on  the  death  of 


i52  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

her  son,  leaving  an  infant  heir,  she  was  appointed  Regent 
during  the  minority  of  the  latter,  and,  after  ruling  the  empire 
wisely  for  many  years,  she  died  in  999,  in  a  religious  house 
she  had  founded  at  Salces  in  Alsace. 

St.  Henry,  surnamed  the  Pious  and  the  Lame,  who  did 
more,  perhaps,  than  any  of  his  contemporaries  to  promote 
the  interests  of  the  Church,  was  the  son  of  Duke  Henry  of 
Bavaria,  and  was  born  in  992.  He  was  educated  by  St.  Wolf- 
gang, and  from  his  earliest  boyhood  was  a  most  earnest  and 
devoted  Christian.  He  succeeded  his  father  as  Duke  in  995, 
and  on  the  death  of  his  cousin,  Otto  III.,  he  was  elected 
Emperor.  Soon  after  his  accession  to  the  Imperial  dignity,  he 
married  the  Princess  Cunegunda,  daughter  of  Siegfried,  Count 
of  Luxembourg,  who  was  as  devout  a  Christian  as  himself,  and 
with  whom  he  is  said  to  have  made  a  compact  on  the  eve  of 
their  wedding,  that  he  would  be  her  husband  in  name  only. 

Although  he  governed  his  vast  dominions  with  great  wisdom, 
and  led  many  victorious  expeditions  against  the  idolaters  of 
Poland  and  Sclavonia,  St.  Henry  never  cared  to  profit  politi- 
cally by  his  successes.  He  began  every  campaign  with  prayer, 
placing  himself  and  his  army  under  the  special  protection  of 
Saints  Lawrence,*  George,  and  Adrian,t  who  are  said  to  have 
been  seen  fighting  beside  him  in  many  a  battle.  The  conflict 
over  and  his  foes  subdued,  the  saintly  Emperor  used  to  summon 
their  leaders  before  him,  compel  them  to  receive  baptism,  and 
restore  their  possessions  to  them,  on  condition  that  they  in  their 
turn  should  convert  their  subjects.  The  only  visible  results  in  his 
own  domain  of  the  conquests  made  by  him  were  the  beautiful 
churches  he  founded  to  mark  his  gratitude  to  Heaven,  of  which 
the  most  remarkable  is  the  grand  Cathedral  of  Bamberg,  in 
which  he  and  his  wife  are  buried. 

It  is  related  that  at  the  very  zenith  of  his  power  St.  Henry 
resolved  to  abdicate  and  become  a  monk,  led  to  do  so  by  a 
remarkable  dream,  which  was  repeated  several  times,  in  which, 
when  he  was  praying  at  the  tomb  of  his  former  tutor,  St. 
Wolfgang,  the  mysterious  words  'Six  more'  shone  out  in 
gleaming  letters  upon  the  stone.  The  sleeper  thought  ,at  first 
that  he  had  only  six  days  more  to  live,  but  when  they  had 
passed  and  nothing  happened,  he  concluded  that  six  years  were 

*  See  vol.  i.,  pp.  230-234. 
f  Ibid.,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  64-73. 


V   *9^ 

'%'      •  •  ,„,<&»!¥'  *    '  ••    ,,' 


THE   DEATH   OF   ST.    HENRY 

Bas-relief  from  his  Tomb  at  Bamterg 

Bv  Hans  Thielmami 


To  face  p.  152 


SS.  HENRY  AND  CUNEGUNDA  153 

bis  allotted  span.  Again  the  time  passed^  and  he  was  still  In  good 
health,  so  he  decided  that  he  had  to  withdraw  from  the  world 
at  the  end  of  the  six  years,  and  he  duly  presented  himself  at  the 
Abbey  of  Verdun,  where  he  had  a  long  consultation  with  the 
Abbot,  who  at  last  said,  *  Well,  I  will  take  your  vows,  and 
the  very  first  is  that  of  obedience.'  Surprised  at  this  ready  con- 
sent to  his  request,  the  Emperor  promised  absolute  obedience, 
and  the  Abbot  then  told  him  to  return  to  his  palace,  retain 
his  rank,  and  discharge  its  duties.  There  was  nothing  for  it 
but  to  submit,  and  the  astute  adviser  dismissed  his  suppliant 
with  the  words :  '  The  Emperor  will  practise  his  lesson  of 
obedience  by  ruling  wisely.' 

On  another  occasion,  when  the  saintly  ruler,  who  was  suffering 
from  stone,  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Monte  Cassino  to  pray  for 
relief,  St.  Benedict*  is  said  to  have  appeared  to  him,  and  to 
have  healed  him  with  a  touch,  a  proof,  according  to  the 
Benedictines  of  Germany  and  Italy,  that  the  spirit  of  the  great 
founder  of  their  Order  still  haunts  the  scene  of  his  eanhly 
career.  However  that  may  be,  the  value  of  the  cure  effected 
was  somewhat  neutralized  by  the  fact  that  on  the  return 
journey  St.  Henry  became  lame  through  a  contraction  of  the 
sinews  of  the  thigh,  and  from  this  misfortune  no  prayers  were 
successful  in  relieving  him,  for  he  halted  in  his  walk  for  the  rest 
of  his  life,  glorying,  however,  in  his  infirmity  as  a  constant 
reminder  of  his  duty  to  God. 

In  spite  of  his  undoubted  love  for  his  wife  and  his  knowledge 
that  she  had  taken  upon  herself  vows  of  chastity  similar  to  his 
own,  St.  Henry  is  said  to  have  allowed  himself  to  have  been 
influenced  by  certain  slanderous  reports  which  were  at  one 
time  circulated  concerning  her.  When  publicly  accused  of 
unfaithfulness  to  her  husband,  St.  Cunegunda — for  she,  too, 
is  canonized — appealed  to  the  ordeal  of  fire,  and  the  Emperor 
made  no  attempt  to  save  her  from  the  terrible  trial,  probably 
because  he  felt  sure  that  her  innocence  would  be  established. 

In  the  presence  of  vast  crowds,  and  arrayed  in  her  most 
costly  robes,  but  with  nothing  on  her  feet,  the  beautiful 
Empress  walked  unscathed  over  twelve  red-hot  ploughshares. 
She  was,  of  course,  triumphantly  acquitted,  and  her  remarkable 
preservation  led  to  the  conversion  of  many  heathen  who  had 

*  For  account  of  St.  Bendict,  see  vol.  il,  pp.  251-264. 


154  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

been  amongst  the  spectators.  St.  Henry  died  in  1024,  and  his 
widow  withdrew  to  the  Abbey  of  Kauffingen,  near  Cassel, 
founded  by  herself,  where  she  remained  as  a  humble  nun  until 
her  death  sixteen  years  later,  when  she  was  laid  beside  her 
husband  in  his  tomb  in  the  Cathedral  of  Bamberg. 

Saints  Henry  and  Cunegunda  are  very  constantly  represented 
together,  each  wearing  Imperial  robes  and  a  crown,  and  holding  a 
lily  or  the  model  of  a  church  between  them,  in  token  of  their  joint 
vows  of  chastity  and  mutual  help  in  good  works.  When  alone, 
the  Emperor  sometimes  holds  a  globe  with  a  dove  seated  on  it, 
as  in  an  engraving  by  Hans  Burgkmair,  in  allusion  to  the 
great  extent  of  his  dominions  and  his  love  of  peace,  or,  as  in 
one  by  Jacques  Callot,  he  has  a  church  and  palm,  and  evil 
spirits  are  hovering  above  him,  in  memory  of  his  supposed 
power  over  them.  In  an  old  window  in  Exeter  Cathedral  St. 
Henry  is  introduced  holding  a  cross  surmounted  by  the  letters 
INRI  in  one  hand  and  a  book  in  the  other;  in  many  icon- 
ographies he  is  represented  asleep,  with  St.  Wolfgang  appearing 
to  him ;  and  in  S.  Lorenzo  at  Florence  are  some  old  frescoes 
of  the  legend  of  the  rescue  of  the  soul  of  the  Emperor  by  St. 
Lawrence,  already  related  in  connection  with  the  latter  Saint.  * 

When  St.  Cunegunda — who  is  still  greatly  revered  in 
Germany,  where  she  is  looked  upon  as  the  type  of  all  that  is 
best  in  womankind — appears  alone,  she  is  generally  walking 
over  the  ploughshares  and  clasping  one  or  more  similar  emblems 
in  her  hands.  Occasionally  she  holds  a  church,  supposed  to 
represent  that  of  the  Abbey  of  Katiffingen ;  and  now  and  then 
she  is  seen  hanging  up  her  gloves  on  a  sunbeam,  a  quaint 
variation  of  the  legend  of  a  sunbeam  used  as  a  peg  for  a  cloak, 
already  related  in  connection  with  St.  Bridgett  and  other 
Saints. 

On  the  Tomb  of  the  celebrated  Emperor  and  Empress  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Bamberg,  designed  and  executed  by  Hans  Thiel- 
mann,  the  saintly  pair  are  represented  resting  beneath  a  beautiful 
Gothic  canopy,  and  on  the  sides  of  the  sarcophagus  are  the 
following  scenes  in  bas-relief:  the  ordeal  by  fire,  a  beautiful 
group  of  eight  figures ;  St.  Cunegunda  paying  the  architects 
and  masons  who  built  the  cathedral ;  the  death  of  St.  Henry  ; 
and  the  rescue  of  his  soul  by  St.  Lawrence.  In  the  public 

*  See  vol  I,  pp.  233,  234. 
f  lbid.i  vol.  ii. ,  p.  248. 


^*\t^  — :;>— I 


ST.    CUNEGUNDA    DISTRIBUTING    ALMS    TO    THE    POOR 

Bas-relief  from  her  Tomb  at  Bamberg 

By  Hans  Thielmanu 


To  face  p.  154 


ST.  DUNSTAN  155 

library  of  Bamberg  is  an  illustrated  manuscript  life  of  Saints 
Henry  and  Cunegunda,  containing  an  extremely  quaint  woodcut 
of  the  ordeal  by  fire,  in  which  the  Empress  is  walking  on  the 
ploughshares  escorted  by  two  Bishops,  whilst  St.  Henry  Jocks 
on  with  a  deprecating  smile,  and  one  of  the  reconciliation 
between  the  Imperial  pair  after  the  innocence  of  St.  Cunegunda 
had  been  established ;  the  Emperor,  in  the  presence  of  a  number 
of  courtiers,  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  his  wife,  as  she  bends  over 
him,  as  if  giving  him  her  benediction. 


CHAPTER  XII 

ST.    DUNSTAN   AND   OTHER   TENTH-CENTURY   PRIESTS 
AND   MONKS 

IT  has  been  given  to  few  even  of  the  greatest  statesmen  to 
exercise  a  more  remarkable  influence  over  contemporary  history 
than  did  St.  Dunstan  of  Canterbury,  or  to  have  been  subjected 
alike  during  their  lifetime  and  since  their  death  to  a  greater 
variety  of  criticism.  The  first  of  a  series  of  political  statesmen, 
whose  aim  was  to  promote  the  power  of  the  Church  as  well  as 
of  the  State,  and  where  the  interests  of  the  two  were  in  oppo- 
sition to  turn  the  scale  in  favour  of  the  former,  the  personality 
of  St,  Dunstan  stands  out  with  a  distinctness  rare  indeed  in 
the  troubled  times  in  which  he  lived,  when  one  ruler  succeeded 
another  with  bewildering  rapidity,  and  internal  dissensions 
were  aggravated  by  constant  incursions  of  the  Danes. 

The  son  of  a  wealthy  Anglo-Saxon  noble  named  Heorstan, 
St.  Dunstan  was  born  near  Glastonbury  in  924,  soon  after  the 
accession  to  the  throne  of  Athelstan,  the  grandson  of  Alfred  the 
Great.  He  was  educated,  it  is  said,  by  some  monks  who  dwelt 
in  the  then  almost  deserted  Abbey  of  Glastonbury,  and  was  the 
most  promising  of  all  their  pupils.  Indeed,  he  worked  with  such 
earnest  ardour  that  he  was  taken  ill  with  brain  fever,  and  one 
night  in  his  delirium  he  left  his  bed,  climbed  a  long  ladder  left 
by  some  workmen  against  the  church,  and  was  discovered  on 
the  roof  by  his  attendants.  Fortunately,^  he  climbed  down 
again  uninjured,  and  when  he  came  to  himself  he  declared 
that  he  had  been  pursued  by  dogs,  and  had  fled  to  the  church, 


156  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

where  he  knew  he  would  be  safe.  In  later  tradition  the  dogs 
of  the  young1  monk's  fevered  imagination  became  converted  into 
devils,  and  his  escape  was  spoken  of  as  a  miracle  due  to  direct 
intervention  from  heaven. 

When  his  education  was  completed*  St.  Dunstan  spent  part 
of  his  time  at  his  father's  castle,  and  part  at  Court,  where  he 
early  became  a  favourite,  on  account  of  his  beautiful  face,  his 
charming  manners^  and  his  great  love  of  music.  He  used,  it  is 
said,  to  carry  his  harp  with  him  wherever  he  went,  and  was 
always  ready  to  cheer  those  he  met  by  the  way  with  a  song, 
sometimes  of  his  own  composition,  but  more  often  some  well- 
known  ballad.  As  he  grew  older  his  popularity  aroused 
the  jealousy  of  Athelstan's  courtiers,  who  persuaded  the 
King  to  banish  him,  and  though  he  was  recalled  after  that 
ruler's  death  by  King  Edmund,  a  plot  was  laid  against  him 
which  nearly  cost  him  his  life.  He  was  set  upon  by  some 
young  nobles  as  he  was  riding  in  the  King's  train,  thrown 
from  his  horse*  trampled  in  the  mud,  and  left  for  dead  upon 
the  ground.  After  a  long  illness  he  recovered ;  but  he  was  a 
changed  man,  caring  no  more  for  the  vainglory  of  the  world, 
and  resolved  henceforth  to  dedicate  his  life  to  God.  Acting  on 
the  advice  of  his  uncle,  St.  Alphege,  then  Bishop  of  Win- 
chester, Dunstan  took  the  vow  of  celibacy,  and  having  been 
ordained  priest,  he  was  sent  to  Glastonbunr  to  aid  in  the  services 
of  the  church.  There  he  built  for  himself  a  small  cell,  in  which 
he  could  not  even  stand  upright,  spending  many  hours  in 
devotion,  but  also  devoting  much  of  his  time  to  working  in 
metal,  for,  like  St.  Eloy,  he  was  a  skilful  craftsman.  It  is 
related  that  one  night,  when  the  holy  man  was  working  at  his 
forge,  the  devil  appeared  to  him  in  the  form  of  a  beautiful 
woman ;  but  he  recognised  the  enemy  at  once,  and  seized  the 
apparition  by  the  nose  with  his  red-hot  tongs,  causing  the  evil 
one  to  resume  his  true  shape  and  withdraw. 

Some  time  after  this  remarkable  occurrence  King  Edmund 
was  hunting  in  the  forest  near  the  cell  of  the  recluse,  and, 
having  outstript  his  courtiers,  was  led  in  the  ardour  of  the 
chase,  to  the  very  brink  of  a  precipice,  down  which  the  stag  and 
hounds  had  fallen.  The  terrified  King,  believing  his  end  had 
come,  cried  aloud  to  God  for  help,  declaring  that  if  he  were 
saved  he  would  recall  St  Dunstan  to  Court.  As  the  promise 
left  the  trembling  lips  of  the  King,  his  horse  paused  as  if  spell- 


ST.  DUXSTAN  157 

bound,  again  in  his  palace,  lost  no  in 

carrying  out  his  resolution.     He          hirnseif  to  the  eel! 

of  St.  Dnnstan,  and  when  the  exile  he         no  to 

return  to  the  world,  his  visitor  compromised  by 

him  Abbot  of  Glastonbury. 

In  position,  which  admirably  his  but 

energetic  character,  St.  Dnnstan          won  the  of 

his  monks,  and  his  monastery  for  the 

works  of  art  in  metal,  including  the  of  Abingdon, 

!  destroyed,  and  the  fine  illuminated 

in  it  under  the  superintendence  of  the  new  Abbot*      In 
Bodleian    Library  at    Oxford    are  several 

scripts  copied  by  St.  Dunstan  and  his  monks, 
with  an   illuminated  frontispiece*  which  is  undoubtedly 
his  own  hand,  representing  a  monk,  probably  for  the 

Abbot  himself,  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  the  Saviour;  in 

another  is  a  drawing  of  a  child's  head,  inscribed  *  Wulfric 
cild/  supposed  to  be  a  portrait  by  St.  Duastan  of  his  only 
brother,  who  remained  with  him  as  a  lay  helper  at  Glaston* 
bury  until  his  death  in  early  manhood* 

A  beautiful  tradition  relates  that  the  work  of  St.  Dunstan 
and  his  monks  was  sometimes  cheered  by  the  songs  of  angels* 
and  on  one  occasion,  when  the  Abbot  had  hung  his  harp  upon 
the  wall,  an  angel  played  on  it  the  anthem  beginning  *  Gaudeat 
in  Coelis'  (they  rejoice  in  Heaven),  much  to  the  delight  and 
edification  of  all  who  heard  it.  According  to  another  version  of 
the  same  legend,  it  was  when  St.  Dunstan  was  instructing  a 
class  of  young  maidens  how  to  embroider  a  stole  he  had 
designed  for  a  lady  of  high  degree  named  Ethelfreda,  that  the 
harp  upon  the  wall  gave  its  impromptu  rendering  of  the  well- 
known  hymn  of  praise.  It  is  added  further  that  Ethelfreda 
bestowed  upon  the  Abbot  all  her  wealth,  enabling  him  to 
restore  the  Abbey  of  Glastonbury  and  widely  extend  the  sphere 
of  its  influence,  so  that  it  became  renowned  throughout  the 
land  as  a  great  centre  of  education. 

A  touching  story  gives  a  vivid  picture  of  the  individual 
interest  taken  by  St.  Dunstan  in  his  pupils.  During  a  brief 
absence  at  Bath,  he  had  dreamt  that  he  saw  the  soul  of  a  little 
boy  under  his  care  being  carried  to  heaven,  and  on  his  return 
he  eagerly  questioned  a  messenger  who  met  him  near  the  gates 
of  the  abbey.  The  monk  declared  that  all  was  well,  and  St* 


i58  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

still,  anxious,  him,  *  All  well  with  all  ?' 

to  which  the  reply :  *  Yes,  except  that  one  Is 

fc  So  I  feared;  cried  the  Abbot,  *  May  his  happy  spirit 
rest  in  !* 

On  the  assassination  of  King  Edmund  by  the  robber  Leofa 
in  946,  and  the  accession  of  his  brother  Edred,  St.  Dunstan  felt 
it  his  duty  to  return  to  Court ;  and  though  he  still  ruled  the 
abbey  at  Glastonbury,  he  gradually  became  the  chief  counsellor 
of  the  new  King,  accompanying  him  on  all  his  journeys.  It  was 
indeed  mainly  due  to  his  wise  influence  that  Edred  was  able  to 
assume  the  proud  title  of  the  Csesar  of  the  whole  of  Britain* 
After  the  untimely  death  of  the  King  in  955,  however,  all  was 
changed.  The  new  King,  Edwy,  was  a  man  of  a  very  different 
type,  who,  against  the  advice  of  his  Witan,had  married  Ethelgiva, 
a  relation  within  the  forbidden  degrees*  and  St.  Dunstan,  who 
had  tried  to  prevent  the  union,  fell  into  disgrace.  The  story 
goes  that  a  quarrel  broke  out  between  the  young  monarch 
and  his  thanes  at  the  coronation  feast,  and  that  Edwy  left  the 
table  in  high  dudgeon,  to  join  his  bride  in  her  mother's  apart- 
ments, St.  Dunstan  was  deputed  to  compel  the  King  to  return 
to  the  banquet,  and  has  been  accused  of  acting  with  unneces- 
sary roughness.  In  any  case,  his  offence,  whatever  it  was,  was 
never  forgiven.  He  was  exiled  from  England^  and  took  refuge 
in  the  great  Benedictine  Monastery  of  Blandinium,  near  Ghent, 
where,  however,  he  remained  for  one  year  only.  King  Edwy 
was  solemnly  separated  from  his  wife  in  958  by  Archbishop 
Odo.  The  people  of  Northumbria  and  Mercia  revolted  against 
him,  and  proclaimed  King  in  his  stead  his  brother  Edgar,  one 
of  whose  first  acts  was  to  recall  St.  Dunstan.  During  the 
eighteen  years'  reign  of  the  new  ruler,  who  on  the  death  of 
Edwy  in  959  became  King  of  all  England,  the  Abbot  was 
without  doubt  the  leader  both  in  Church  and  State.  He  was 
appointed  in  rapid  succession  to  the  Sees  of  Worcester,  London, 
and  Canterbury,  going  to  Rome  to  receive  the  pallium  as 
Primate  of  all  England  from  the  hands  of  Pope  John  XII. 

On  his  return  home  the  new  Archbishop^  devoted  himself 
with  eager  zeal  to  the  founding  of  monasteries,  into  which  he 
introduced  the  rigid  Benedictine  rule,  with  which  he  had  be- 
come acquainted  during  his  residence  in  Flanders,  and  to 
inaugurating  the  wise  policy  of  conciliating  the  Danes,  aiming 
at  welding  them  and  the  Anglo-Saxons  into  one  nation  instead 


fa  :*effc  t>e  . 


ST.    DUNSTAN    AT   THE    FEET    OF    CHRIST 

(FRONTISPIECE  OF  MS.  COPIED  BY  ST.  DUNSTAN,  NOW  m  THE  BODLEIAN  LIBRARY,  OXFORD) 
By  permission  of  Macmillan  fr*  Co. 


To  face  p.  158 


ST.  DUNSTAN  159 

of  encouraging  perpetual  feuds  between  them.  Moreover,  the 
saintly  Archbishop  exercised  a  most  salutary  influence  over 
the  private  life  of  King  Edgar,  whom  he  never  hesitated 
to  reprove,  although  his  own  position  depended  entirely  on 
the  royal  favour.  After  the  tragic  episode  related  above  in 
connection  with  St.  Edith  of  Wilton,  St.  Dunstan  is  said  to 
have  refused  to  take  the  hand  of  Edgar,  drawing  back  with  the 
words,  £  I  cannot  be  a  friend  to  the  enemy  of  Christ,'  and  the 
King  instead  of  resenting  this  plain  speaking,  humbly  entreated 
the  Archbishop  to  forgive  him,  declaring  that  he  would  submit 
to  any  penance  he  chose  to  inflict.  St.  Dunstan  took  him  at 
his  word,  and  forbade  him  to  wear  his  crown  for  seven  years ; 
a  punishment  which  was  submitted  to  without  a  murmur. 

On  the  death  of  King  Edgar — leaving  two  young  sons,  St. 
Edward  the  Martyr,  whose  tragic  fate  has  already  been  de- 
scribed, and  his  step-brother  Ethelred — St.  Dunstan  eagerly 
espoused  the  cause  of  the  former,  and  it  is  related  that,  at  a 
Council  held  at  Winchester  to  decide  on  the  succession, 
St.  Dunstan's  pleading  for  the  rights  of  the  elder  brother 
was  endorsed  by  a  voice  from  a  crucifix  hanging  on  the  wall. 
Edward  was  duly  crowned  at  Winchester  by  the  Primate, 
and  it  is  claimed  that  at  the  first  Council  held  at  Calne  after 
the  ceremony,  yet  another  miracle  was  performed  on  behalf  of 
St.  Dunstan,  for  when  certain  of  his  enemies  spoke  against 
some  reforms  advocated  by  him,  the  floor  of  the  room  gave 
way.  All  who  had  opposed  the  holy  man  were  killed,  but  he 
and  his  friends  were  saved  by  clinging  to  a  beam. 

After  the  assassination  of  King  Edward,  St.  Dunstan,  though 
he  loathed  the  crime  which  had  led  to  the  accession  of  Ethelred, 
loyally  supported  the  new  ruler ;  but  his  political  influence  now 
gradually  waned,  and  he  spent  most  of  his  time  at  Canterbury, 
labouring  zealously  for  the  cause  of  the  Church,  and  receiving, 
it  is  said,  many  special  tokens  of  the  Divine  favour.  On  one 
occasion  he  had  a  vision — such  as  that  so  often  represented  in 
connection  with  St.  Catherine  of  Alexandria* — of  his  mother 
being  betrothed  to  the  Redeemer  in  the  presence  of  a  choir  of 
angels,  one  of  whom  taught  the  Archbishop  the  hymn  of  praise 
they  were  singing,  which  he  repeated  to  his  monks  the  next  day, 
but  which,  unfortunately,  no  one  wrote  down,  so  that  it  was 
lost  to  posterity. 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  89-97. 


160  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

St.  Dunstan  died  at  Canterbury  in  988,  at  the  comparatively 
early  age  of  sixty-four.  He  was  taken  suddenly  ill  on  May  ig, 
just  after  he  had  received  the  Holy  Communion,  as  he  was  re- 
citing Psalm  cxi.,  and  expired  the  same  evening.  He  was  buried 
in  his  own  cathedral,  and  until  his  fame  was  eclipsed  by  that 
of  the  murdered  St.  Thomas  £  Becket,  his  shrine  was  the  goa 
of  hundreds  of  pilgrims  and  the  scene  of  many  supposed 
miracles. 

Beloved  and  revered  by  many  who  look  upon  him  as  a  wise 
statesman,  a  disinterested  reformer  of  monastic  life,  and  a 
purifier  of  the  Church,  but  hated  and  condemned  by  others  as 
an  upholder  of  the  claims  of  the  Papacy  and  an  advocate  of 
the  celibacy  of  the  clergy,  the  name  of  the  Archbishop  is  pre- 
served in  the  dedications  of  a  very  large  number  of  churches, 
including  the  well-known  St.  Dunstan  in  the  East  and  St. 
Dunstan  in  the  West  in  London,  with  one  at  Mayfield  in 
Sussex.  The  last  is  supposed  to  occupy  the  site  of  a  wooden 
chapel  which  was  dedicated  by  its  titular  Saint  himself,  who, 
according  to  a  quaint  legend,  observing  that  it  did  not  exactly 
turn  to  the  sunrise  at  the  equinox  as  it  should  have  done,  gave 
it  a  little  push  with  his  shoulder,  and  turned  it  from  its  original 
position  to  the  true  line  of  the  east.  Less  than  twenty  years 
after  the  death  of  St.  Dunstan,  who  was  accounted  a  Saint  in 
popular  imagination  long  before  he  was  canonized,  King  Canute 
ordered  a  special  service  to  be  held  in  his  honour  on  May  19,  a 
very  significant  proof  of  the  high  esteem  of  the  Danes  for  the 
man  who  had  done  so  much  to  promote  peace  between  them 
and  the  English,  and  an  eleventh-century  Mass,  with  a  prayer 
to  the  Saint  written  by  St.  Anselm,  is  still  preserved. 

The  name  of  St.  Dunstan  appears  on  many  Anglo-Saxon 
coins  issued  by  him,  the  greater  number  of  which  were  cast  in 
Guildford  Castle,  where  he  resided  for  some  time.  Actual  repre- 
sentations of  the  Primate,  who  is  supposed  to  be  the  special 
protector  of  English  jewellers  and  blacksmiths,  are  com- 
paratively rare,  but  in  addition  to  the  quaint  drawing  from  his 
own  hand  already  referred  to,  the  Bodleian  Library,  Oxford, 
owns  a  window  in  which  the  Archbishop  is  seen  seizing  the 
devil  by  the  nose;  and  in  the  British  Museum  are  various 
Saxon  manuscripts  containing  his  effigy,  with  a  dove  whispering 
in  his  ear  or  hovering  above  him,  in  token  of  the  inspiration  he 
constantly  received  from  on  high.  Now  and  then  St.  Dunstan 


SS.  OSWALD  AND  ETHELWOLD  161 

appears  in  old  iconographies  playing  on  a  harp,  listening  to  the 
voice  from  the  crucifix,  or  surrounded  by  angels  who  are 
singing  the  *  Gaudent  in  Ccelis/  On  a  rood-screen  at  Great 
Plumstead,  he  is  introduced  between  Saints  Giles  and  Benedict, 
and  in  some  nearly  -  defaced  mural  paintings  in  churches  at 
Broughton  in  Buckinghamshire,  Highworth  in  Wiltshire, 
Latton  in  Essex,  and  Watford  in  Hertfordshire,  what  is  sup- 
posed to  be  his  figure  can  still  be  made  out. 

Two  noted  contemporaries  and  fellow-countrymen  of  St. 
Dunstan  were  Saints  Oswald  of  Worcester  and  St.  Ethelwold 
of  Winchester.  The  former,  whose  aims  were  very  much  the 
same  as  those  of  the  great  Archbishop,  was  educated  at 
Winchester,  and  withdrew  in  early  manhood  to  the  celebrated 
French  Monastery  of  Fleury,  whence  he  was  recalled  to  be 
made  Bishop  of  Worcester,  a  see  he  retained  even  after  his 
consecration  as  Archbishop  of  York.  St.  Oswald  was  chiefly 
famed  for  his  zeal  in  building  churches  and  for  his  great 
humility.  It  was  his  custom  to  wash  the  feet  of  twelve  poor 
persons  every  day  in  Lent,  and  he  performed  this  pious  duty  even 
during  his  last  illness.  He  died  at  Worcester  in  992,  and  was 
buried  in  the  cathedral  of  that  city.  His  special  attributes  in 
art  are :  a  dove  hovering  above  his  head,  in  token  of  the  Divine 
protection  accorded  to  him  throughout  his  life ;  a  church,  in 
memory  of  the  many  places  of  worship  founded  by  him ;  and 
a  ship,  in  allusion  to  his  voyage  to  France,  and  his  rescue  after 
his  own  death,  in  response  to  the  prayers  of  the  crew,  of  a 
vessel  threatened  with  destruction.  St.  Oswald  is  also  some- 
times represented  blessing  a  huge  stone  which  several  men  are 
trying  in  vain  to  move,  and  now  and  then  the  quaint  detail  is 
added  of  a  little  devil  seated  on  the  stone,  for  it  is  said  that  the 
evil  one  did  all  he  could  to  hinder  the  Bishop  in  his  church- 
building,  but  was  defeated  by  the  holy  man,  who  made  the 
sign  of  the  cross  above  his  head. 

St.  Ethelwold,  or  Athelwold,  who  is  occasionally  represented 
distributing  fragments  of  metal  to  the  poor,  because  he  is  said 
to  have  broken  up  and  sold  the  sacred  vessels  of  his  cathedral 
during  a  time  of  famine,  was  Bishop  of  Winchester  from  963 
to  984,  and  distinguished  himself  chiefly  by  his  zealous  reform 
of  the  monasteries  in  his  diocese  and  his  eagerness  in  collecting 
relics  for  the  churches  he  founded.  As  already  related,  he 
translated  those  of  St.  Neot  from  Cornwall  to  Huntingdonshire, 

VOL.  III.  II 


z&2  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

and  those  of  St.  Swithin  from  their  humble  resting-place  outside 
the  walls,  to  a  place  of  honour  in  the  cathedral. 

The  successor  of  St.  Ethelwold  in  the  See  of  Winchester 
was  the  far  more  celebrated  St.  Alphege,  or  ^Elfheah,  who 
from  early  boyhood  to  his  tragic  death  led  a  life  of  the  sternest 
self-denial.  Of  noble  birth,  he  was  educated  at  the  Monastery 
of  Deerhurst  in  Gloucestershire,  and  was  made  Abbot  of  an 
important  monastery  at  Bath  when  he  was  still  quite  a  young 
man.  It  is  related  that  he  endeavoured  to  escape  the  appoint- 
ment to  that  dignity  by  hiding  himself  in  a  lonely  cell  in  a 
desert  place,  but  that  his  retreat  was  discovered  through  many 
young  men  going  to  him  for  advice,  and  entreating  him  to  allow 
them  to  remain  with  him.  One  of  these  followers,  after  taking 
the  vow  of  obedience,  is  said  to  have  secretly  rebelled,  and  to 
have  been  punished  by  sudden  death.  He  was  buried  by  his 
companions,  but  the  night  after  the  funeral  St.  Alphege  was 
disturbed  by  horrible  cries  from  the  grave,  and,  hastening  out, 
he  found  a  number  of  demons  maltreating  the  corpse.  He 
dispersed  them  at  once  by  blessing  the  remains  of  the  culprit, 
who  thenceforth  had  rest,  and  the  terrible  incident  was  later 
often  quoted  to  enforce  the  authority  of  the  saint. 

Finding  it  impossible  to  remain  in  seclusion,  St.  Alphege 
consented  to  take  up  the  position  offered  him  at  Bath,  and  he 
remained  there,  ruling  his  monks  with  the  greatest  strictness, 
till  he  was  thirty  years  old.  He  was  then  elected  Bishop  of 
Winchester,  St.  Dunstan  having  declared  that  St.  Andrew  had 
come  to  him  on  purpose  to  nominate  St.  Alphege  as  the  best 
possible  successor  to  St.  Ethelwold. 

On  the  death  of  St.  Dunstan  in  988,  St.  Alphege  became  the 
chief  adviser  of  King  Ethelred,  and  in  the  troubled  times  which 
ensued,  his  wise  counsel  again  and  again  saved  the  State  when 
it  was  on  the  very  brink  of  ruin.  It  was  the  Bishop  of  Win- 
chester who  broke  up  the  alliance  against  England  of  the  Kings 
of  Denmark  and  Norway,  and  induced  the  latter  to  become 
a  Christian.  No  doubt  had  a  similar  policy  been  pursued  with 
regard  to  the  Danes,  who,  now  that  St.  Dunstan  was  no  more, 
were  again  perpetually  harrying  the  coasts,  the  whole  future 
history  of  England  might  have  been  changed.  Unfortunately, 
however,  Ethelred,  though  apparently  ready  enough  to  yield  to 
the  advice  of  his  counsellors,  was  subject  to  sudden  panics, 
when  he  would  act  entirely  on  his  own  initiative,  often  with 


ST.    ALPHEGE 
From  a  wiudoiu  in  the  Church  of  St.  Alphegi;,  Greenwich 


To  face  p.  162 


ST.  ALPHEGE  OF  CANTERBURY  163 

very  tragic  results.  This  was  the  case  when  he  sudden!}' 
ordered  the  massacre  of  the  Danes  in  1002,  thus  destroying  all 
chance  of  reconciliation  with  their  ruler,  King  Sweyn,  whose 
sister,  a  Christian  convert,  with  her  husband  and  child,  were 
amongst  the  victims. 

Shocked  and  grieved  at  this  terrible  and  useless  crime, 
St.  Alphege  did  everything  in  his  power  to  induce  King 
Ethelred  to  make  all  the  amends  possible  to  the  relations 
of  those  he  had  done  to  death.  The  King  alternated  between 
helpless  terror  and  senseless  defiance,  and  when  in  1005,  on 
the  death  of  .ZElfric,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  St.  Alphege 
was  chosen  to  succeed  him,  the  English  cause  was  practically- 
lost.  The  new  Primate  went  to  Rome  to  receive  his  pallium 
from  the  hands  of  the  Pope,  and  on  his  return  to  take  up  his 
new  responsibilities,  he  found  himself  the  leader  of  a  forlorn 
political  hope,  rather  than  the  spiritual  Head  of  the  Church. 
The  Danish  King  had  already  begun  to  fulfil  his  threat  that  he 
would  wrest  England  from  Ethelred,  and  the  seven  years  of 
St.  Alphege's  rule  at  Canterbury  were  spent  in  a  hopeless 
struggle  to  save  the  nation  from  its  impending  fate.  Many 
were  the  meetings  over  which  the  Archbishop  presided,  and 
many  were  the  wise  statutes  drawn  up  by  him  and  the  Bishops 
working  with  him,  but  it  was  all  in  vain. 

At  the  end  of  every  dearly-bought  truce  the  Danes  returned  in 
ever  greater  force,  and  in  ion  a  formidable  army  besieged  the 
city  of  Canterbury.  The  greater  number  of  the  residents  had 
fled  at  the  first  rumour  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy ;  but  St. 
Alphege  refused  to  leave  his  post,  and  every  day  during  the  three 
weeks  the  siege  lasted,  he  held  constant  services  in  the  cathedral, 
giving  the  Communion  to  the  soldiers  before  they  went  to  their 
posts  on  the  ramparts.  It  is  supposed  that  the  town  fell  in 
the  end  through  the  treachery  of  one  of  the  clergy,  who  is  said 
to  have  made  a  breach  in  the  walls  from  within.  In  any  case, 
the  cathedral  was  set  on  fire  and  the  city  was  sacked.  The 
greater  number  of  the  inhabitants  were,  however,  spared  to  be 
carried  away  as  slaves  by  the  Danes,  and  St.  Alphege  himself 
was  amongst  the  captives.  It  is  said  that  the  holy  prelate  was 
at  first  disposed,  as  was  the  custom  of  the  time,  to  buy  his 
liberty ;  but  when  he  found  how  great  a  ransom — 3,000  pieces 
of  silver — was  demanded  for  his  life,  he  forbade  his  friends  to 
attempt  to  save  him.  For  seven  dreary  months  the  Archbishop 

II — 2 


THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

was  dragged  about  by  his  captors,  on  whose  behalf  he  Is  said 
to  have  wrought  several  miracles,  such  as  healing  their  sick  by 
giving  them  bread  that  he  had  blessed,  and  checking  by  his 
prayers  a  plague  which  had  broken  out  amongst  the  soldiers, 
but  ^all  his  generous  kindness  was  of  no  avail  to  save  himself. 
Again  and  again  he  was  dragged  before  the  assembled  chiefs, 
and  asked  if  he  would  pay  the  ransom  demanded,  and  again 
and  again  he  refused. 

At  last,  on  April  19,  1002,  when  the  Danish  ships  were  lying 
at  anchor  off  Greenwich,  and  the  crews  were  holding  a  heathen 
festival  on  shore,  the  end  came.  The  Archbishop  was  brought 
out  for  the  last  time,  and  to  the  old  question,  replied  that  he 
would  never  consent  to  his  life  being  bought,  adding  that  his 
poor  body  was  in  the  hands  of  his  captors,  to  do  with  it  what 
they  would,  but  that  his  soul  was  in  the  power  of  the  Almighty 
God.  At  this  noble  answer  the  Danes  rushed  upon  the  prisoner 
and  pelted  him  with  stones  and  the  bones  of  the  oxen  on  which 
they  had  been  feasting,  till  he  fell  down  in  a  dying  condition. 
Then  one  of  them,  said  to  have  been  a  Christian  convert, 
mercifully  put  an  end  to  the  sufferings  of  the  victim  by  cleaving 
his  skull  with  an  axe. 

^  Although  St.  Alphege  would  not  consent  to  be  ransomed  in 
his  lifetime,  his  dead  body  was  bought  by  the  people  of  London 
from  the  Danes,  and  buried  by  them,  with  all  due  honour,  in 
St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  whence,  by  order  of  King  Canute,  who 
knew  how  to  respect  a  brave  enemy,  it  was  translated  in  1023 
to  Canterbury,  to  be  laid  beside  that  of  St.  Dunstan. 

^  St.  Alphege,  whose  figure  is  occasionally  introduced  in  eccle- 
siastical decoration,  notably  in  a  window  in  a  church  named 
after  him  at  Greenwich,  and  in  one  in  the  Lady  Chapel  of 
Winchester  Cathedral,  is  generally  represented  holding  stones 
in  his  chasuble  or  an  axe  in  his  hand ;  both  in  allusion  to  the 
manner  of  his  death,  and  now  and  then  in  old  iconographies  he 
is  seen  being  driven  along  by  Danish  soldiers,  or  dispersing  the 
demons  who,  as  related  above,  were  beating  the  dead  monk. 

Noted  foreign  Saints  of  the  tenth  century,  who  are  more  or 
less  frequently  represented  in  art,  were  St.  Radbod,  of  whom 
next  to  nothing  is  known,  except  that  he  was  Bishop  of  Utrecht 
from  900  to  918,  and  is  said  to  have  been  attended  in  his  last 
moments  by  the  Blessed  Virgin;  Bishops  Ulrich  of  Augsburg, 
Wolfgang  of  Ratisbon,  Adalbert  of  Prague,  and  Conrad  of 


ST.  ULRICH  OF  AUGSBURG  165 

Constance;  Abbots  Odo  of  Clugny,  Poppo  of  Stavelo,  Gerard 
of  Naraur,  and  the  comparatively  obscure  St.  Nilus  of  Grotta 
Ferrata,  who  owes  his  celebrity  chiefly  to  the  accidental 
circumstance  of  his  legend  having  been  chosen  as  the  subject 
of  the  remarkable  frescoes  by  Domenichino  described  below — 
and  St.  Bernard  of  Menthon. 

St.  UJrich  of  Augsburg  was  a  very  typical  example  of  a  prelate 
who  combined,  with  great  insight  into  heavenly  things*  a  keen 
interest  in  the  politics  of  his  day.  Of  noble  birth,  he  was 
educated  in  the  Monastery  of  St.  Gall,  and  in  924,  when  he  was 
thirty-one  years  old,  he  was  made  Bishop  of  Augsburg.  During 
the  unnatural  struggle  between  the  Emperor  Otto  I.  and  his 
son,  Prince  Liutolf,  St.  Ulrich  eagerly  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
former,  but  on  the  defeat  of  the  rebels,  he  succeeded  in  recon- 
ciling the  father  and  son.  When  Augsburg  was  invested  by 
the  Hungarians  in  962,  the  Bishop  himself  superintended  the 
defence,  and  compelled  the  assailants  to  raise  the  siege.  Later 
he  rebuilt  the  cathedral,  dedicating  it  to  St.  Afra,*  and  on  his 
death  in  973  he  was  buried  in  it. 

These,  the  well-authenticated  facts  of  the  great  Bishop's 
life,  have  been  supplemented  by  many  legends  significant  of  the 
high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held.  During  the  struggle  with 
the  Hungarians  an  angel  bearing  a  luminous  cross,  which  is  sup- 
posed to  have  been  preserved  in  the  cathedral  for  many  years, 
is  said  to  have  directed  the  forces  of  St.  Ulrich,  and  St.  Simpert 
his  predecessor  in  the  See  of  Augsburg,  came  to  him  in  a  dream, 
to  complain  of  the  desecration  of  his  tomb.  One  day  when  the 
Bishop  was  celebrating  Mass,  a  hand  was  suddenly  seen  stretched 
out  in  benediction  above  the  chalice  in  his  hands,  and,  most 
remarkable  occurrence  of  all,  when  he  and  St.  Conrad  of 
Constance  had  been  talking  on  the  eve  of  a  fast-day,  and, 
forgetting  the  flight  of  time,  had  not  begun  to  eat  their  supper 
till  after  midnight,  the  meat  on  their  table  was  changed  to 
fish.  According  to  another  account  of  this  quaint  story,  a 
courier  with  a  message  for  St.  Ulrich  surprised  the  holy  men 
at  their  repast,  and  the  Bishop,  always  generous,  gave  him  one 
of  the  dishes  on  the  table.  The  man,  delighted  at  the  chance 
of  discrediting  two  such  great  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  took 
the  meat  away  instead  of  eating  it,  meaning  to  show  it  as 

*  For  account  of  St.  Afra,  see  vol.  iL,  p.  100. 


165  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

a  proof  of  the  sin  which  had  been  committed ;  but  when,  having 
told  his  story,  he  produced  the  food,  it  had  been  changed  into 
a  fish. 

St.  Ulrich  is  joint  patron  of  Augsburg  with  St.  Afra,  with 
whom  he  is  for  this  reason  often  associated,  as  in  an  altarpiece 
by  Christ oph  Amberger  in  the  cathedral  of  that  city.  He  is 
supposed  to  be  able  to  protect  his  votaries  from  rats,  and  it 
was  long  customary  for  pilgrims  to  his  shrine  to  carry  away 
a  little  soil  from  Augsburg  with  which  they  made  pellets  to 
poison  vermin.  Many  who  had  been  bitten  by  mad  dogs  are 
said  to  have  been  cured  by  drinking  from  a  chalice  used  by  the 
holy  man  during  his  lifetime,  which  was  buried  with  him,  but 
was  found  when  the  Bishop's  tomb  was  opened  to  verify  his 
remains  many  years  after  his  death. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Ulrich  on  horseback  in  his  episcopal 
robes,  with  an  angel  carrying  a  cross  above  his  head.  Some- 
times the  heavenly  apparition  holds  a  chalice  as  well  as  a 
cross,  and  in  an  old  German  iconography,  two  angels  are 
approaching  the  Bishop  as  he  lies  asleep,  bringing  to  him  the 
Blessed  Sacrament  and  a  crosier.  In  a  beautiful  engraving  by 
Albrecht  Dtirer,  and  on  the  old  coinage  of  Augsburg  and 
Wtirtemberg,  St.  Ulrich  is  introduced  holding  a  fish  in  his 
hand,  and  elsewhere  the  emblem  of  the  fish  is  placed  upon  a 
book,  or  the  Bishop  is  giving  one  to  a  poor  man,  all  in 
manifest  allusion  to  the  legend  related  above. 

St.  Wolfgang  of  Ratisbon  was  a  man  of  a  very  different  type 
to  St.  Ulrich,  and  would  fain  have  spent  his  whole  life  in  retire- 
ment and  prayer.  He  early  attracted  the  notice  of  Henry, 
Archbishop  of  Trier,  who  made  him  director  of  an  important 
place  of  education  at  Wiirzburg,  and  his  success  there  led 
St.  Ulrich  to  ordain  him  priest  and  entrust  to  him  the  care  of 
the  school  in  the  important  Monastery  of  Enfilden.  Hence  he 
was  sent  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  Hungary,  and  there  he  won  so 
many  heathen  to  the  faith  by  his  eloquence  that  when  the  See 
of  Ratisbon  fell  vacant  he  was  elected  Bishop.  St.  Wolfgang 
did  all  he  could  to  avoid  the  new  dignity,  and  when  taken  before 
the  Emperor  Otto  II.  to  receive  investiture,  he  fell  on  his  knees, 
entreating  to  be  released.  Finding  it  impossible  to  escape, 
however,  he  religiously  discharged  all  the  duties  of  his  high 
office,  only  withdrawing  now  and  then  for  a  few  days'  private 
prayer  to  a  remote  district  near  Salzburg,  where  he  is  said  with 


Walker  &>  Cockerel! photo] 


\_Bri  I  ish  J  Ittsen  w 


ST.    ULRIC    OF,  AUGSBERG 
By  A  Ibrecht  Uiirer 


To  face  p.  166 


SS.  WOLFGANG  AND  ADALBERT      167 

his  own  hands  to  have  built  a  church,  which  was  for  many 
years  a  goal  of  pilgrimage.  The  education  of  the  four  children 
of  Duke  Henry  of  Bavaria  was  entrusted  to  the  Bishop,  and 
it  is  delated  that  he  used  from  the  first  to  call  them  the 
Bishop,  the  Emperor,  the  Queen,  and  the  Abbess,  thus 
prophesying  their  future  careers.  As  is  well  known,  the  elder 
boy,  Bruno,  became  Bishop  of  Augsburg ;  the  younger,  Henry* 
was  the  future  St.  Henry  II.;  whilst  the  elder  daughter,  Gisela* 
married  the  King  of  Hungary ;  and  the  younger,  Brigetta,  was 
made  Abbess  of  a  nunnery  in  her  teacher's  see. 

St.  Wolfgang  died  in  994  on  one  of  his  visitation  journeys, 
but  his  body  was  brought  back  to  Ratisbon  and  buried  in  the 
cathedral.  One  of  the  patron  Saints  of  the  whole  of  Hungary 
and  Bavaria,  the  Bishop  is  specially  honoured  at  Ratisbon. 
He  is  credited  with  the  power  of  saving  his  votaries  from 
apoplexy  and  paralysis — why  is  not  known — and  to  look  after 
the  interests  of  carpenters,  possibly  because  a  hatchet  or  axe 
is  one  of  his  emblems,  in  memory  of  the  following  legend: 
When  he  wished  to  choose  the  site  of  his  chapel  at  Salzburg, 
he  flung  an  axe  into  the  air,  which  fell  upon  a  rock,  splitting 
it  open ;  or,  according  to  another  version  of  the  same  story, 
when  the  devil  tried  to  interfere  with  him  at  his  prayers,  he 
escaped  by  cleaving  a  passage  in  the  rock  with  an  axe. 

Other  emblems  of  St.  Wolfgang  are  a  church  held  in  one 
hand,  sometimes  with  an  axe  imbedded  ^  in  its  roof,  in  evident 
allusion  to  the  same  incident,  and  a  spring  gushing  out  from  a 
rock  beside  him,  for  he  is  credited  with  obtaining  a  miraculous 
supply  of  water  with  the  aid  of  his  crosier.  Occasionally  a 
child  holding  a  crown  is  associated  with  St.  Wolfgang,  or  the 
young  St.  Henry  is  standing  near  him,  with  the  ^  words  Post 
Sex  inscribed  above  his  head,  in  allusion  to  the  vision,  already 
described,  said  to  have  been  vouchsafed  to  that  monarch.  ^ 

St.  Adalbert  of  Prague,  to  whom  was  due  the  conversion  of 
St.  Ludmilla,  and  through  her  of  St.  Wenceslas,  as  well  as  of 
King  Stephen  of  Hungary,  was  of  noble  birth,  and  was  brought 
up  by  Adalbert,  Archbishop  of  Magdeburg,  after  whom  he  was 
named.  Elected  in  983  Bishop  of  Prague,  against  his  own  will, 
St.  Adalbert  is  said  to  have  entered  the  city  barefooted,  and, 
when  asked  the  reason,  to  have  replied:  'It  is ^ easy  to  wear  a 
mitre  and  a  cross,  but  it  is  a  terrible  thing  to  give  an  account 
of  a  see,  to  the  Judge  of  the  living  and  the  dead.' 


168  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Truly  typical  of  his  ascetic  temperament,  these  stern  words 
struck  the  keynote  of  the  Bishop's  career.  His  austerity 
alienated  those  he  would  gladly  have  conciliated,  with  the 
result  that  popular  feeling  became  so  embittered  against  him 
that  he  was  compelled  to  flee  for  his  life  from  his  diocese,  and 
he  went  to  Rome  to  beg  the  Pope  to  release  him  from  his  re- 
sponsibilities. Having  obtained  the  necessary  permission,  he 
withdrew  to  a  monastery,  but  in  994  he  was  ordered  to  return 
to  Prague,  and  he  obeyed,  only  to  find  his  difficulties  greater 
than  ever. 

St.  Adalbert  seems,  indeed,  to  have  been  far  better  fitted  to  be 
a  missionary  than  the  ruler  of  a  newly  constituted,  and  as  yet 
disorganized,  see,  and  he  again  and  again  deserted  Prague  to 
preach  the  Gospel,  first  in  Hungary,  where  he  won  over  and 
baptized  the  King  and  many  of  his  subjects,  and  later  in 
Prussia,  where,  on  April  23,  997,  after  making  a  few  converts 
at  Dantzig,  he  was  assassinated  by  a  party  of  heathen.  Sur- 
prised by  his  enemies  as  he  was  resting  by  the  wayside  after  a 
long  day's  march,  the  holy  man  met  his  fate  without  flinching, 
praying  to  God  to  forgive  his  murderers,  and  baring  his  breast 
to  receive  their  blows.  He  was  stabbed  to  death  with  spears, 
and  when  he  fell  to  the  ground,  covered  with  wounds,  his  head 
was  cut  off  and  fixed  on  a  pole,  to  be  exhibited  throughout  the 
country  in  triumph.  His  remains  were,  however,  bought  by 
Boleslas,  the  Christian  Duke  of  Poland,  and  by  him  reverently 
Interred  in  the  Abbey  of  Tremezno,  whence  they  were  later 
translated,  first  to  Gnesen,  and  later  to  Prague,  where  they  are 
still  greatly  revered. 

The  special  attributes  of  St.  Adalbert — who  is  occasionally 
represented  baptizing  King  Stephen,  trampling  on  the  idols  he 
has  overturned,  dying  in  the  hands  of  his  murderers,  or  being 
carried  up  to  heaven  by  angels — are  an  oar,  held  in  one  hand, 
because  it  is  said  that  on  the  day  before  his  actual  martyrdom 
he  was  cruelly  beaten  with  one  by  a  man  who  warned  him  that 
he  would  be  killed  if  he  did  not  leave  the  country ;  a  lance  or 
a  bundle  of  miscellaneous  weapons,  in  allusion  to  the  manner 
of  his  death;  an  eagle  hovering  above  his  head,  because  his 
dead  body  is  said  to  have  been  protected  by  one  from  beasts  of 
prey ;  a  finger  held  in  his  left  hand,  in  allusion  to  a  tradition 
that  his  assailants  cut  off  the  finger  he  had  been  in  the 
habit  of  raising  when  preaching,  and  threw  it  into  the  river, 


SS.  CONRAD  AND  ODO  169 

where  it  was  swallowed  by  a  fish,  in  whose  body  it  was  found 
later  by  some  fishermen.  All  these  and  other  incidents  from 
the  life  of  St.  Adalbert  are  very  graphically  rendered  in  the 
beautiful  series  of  reliefs  on  the  main  portal  of  the  Cathedral 
of  Gnesen,  executed  in  the  second  half  of  the  twelfth  century, 
and  his  figure  is  often  introduced  elsewhere  amongst  those  of 
the  pioneers  of  Christianity  in  Bohemia  and  Hungary. 

St.  Conrad  of  Constance,  the  friend  and  confidant  of  St.  Ulrich 
of  Augsburg,  with  whom  he  is  sometimes  associated,  belonged 
to  the  noble  house  of  the  Guelphs,  but  in  his  earliest  boyhood 
resolved  to  dedicate  his  life  to  God.  He  was  elected  Bishop  of 
Constance  in  934,  and  ruled  his  diocese  with  great  wisdom 
until  his  death  in  976,  when  he  was  buried  in  the  Church  of 
St.  Maurice  at  Constance.  During  his  long  term  of  office 
St.  Conrad  is  credited  with  having  performed  many  wonderful 
works,  including  walking  across  the  lake  dry-shod,  healing  the 
sick  with  a  word,  and  casting  out  devils  by  making  the  sign  of 
the  cross  over  their  victims.  It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion, 
when  the  Bishop  was  performing  Mass,  a  large  spider  fell  into 
the  chalice,  and,  fearing  the  desecration  of  the  consecrated  wine, 
the  holy  man  took  out  the  insect  and  swallowed  it,  bringing 
it  up  again  after  the  service  without  any  evil  results  to  him- 
self; an  incident  commemorated  in  several  quaint  engravings, 
notably  in  one  in  the  Chronicle  of  Nuremberg,  in  which  the 
spider,  that  the  Bishop  is  looking  at  askance,  hovers  over  the 
cup  in  a  remarkable  manner.  Elsewhere  St.  Conrad  is  seen 
attended  by  angels,  with  a  holy -water  sprinkler  in  his  hand, 
or  he  is  walking  calmly  on  a  lake,  looking  up  to  heaven  with 
an  expression  of  rapt  devotion. 

St.  Odo,  who  is  occasionally  represented  in  art  stripping 
himself  of  his  rich  garments  to  give  them  to  the  poor,  or 
wearing  his  Abbot's  robes  and  grasping  a  short  -hilted  cross, 
occupies  a  unique  position  in  ecclesiastical  history  as  the 
inaugurator  at  Clugny  of  the  reform  of  the  Benedictine 
Order,  which  had  such  wide-reaching  results  in  the  eleventh 
century.  He  was  the  son  of  a  nobleman  of  Anjou,  and  early 
resolved  to  become  a  monk.  After  spending  several  years  in  a 
lonely  cell  in  the  forest,  he  entered  the  Monastery  of  Beaune 
in  Besangon,  and  later  became  Abbot  of  several  monasteries, 
including  that  of  Clugny,  founded  by  St.  William  of  Aquitaine. 
St.  Odo  had  a  great  admiration  for  St.  Martin  of  Tours,  and 


T7o  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

when,  in  942,  he  felt  death  approaching,  he  made  a  pilgrimage 
to  the  tomb  of  that  wonder-worker,  there  to  breathe  his  last.    . 

St.  Poppo,  who  was  of  noble  Flemish  birth,  began  life  as  a 
soldier,  but  left  the  army  in  early  manhood  to  become  a  monk. 
He  was  eventually  made  Abbot  of  several  monasteries,  including 
that  of  Stavelo,  near  Li£ge,  with  which  his  name  is  chiefly 
associated.  It  is  related  that  he  cured  a  man  who  was  dying 
of  leprosy,  by  flinging  his  own  bed-cover  upon  him ;  that  he 
saved  a  shepherd  who  was  being  carried  off  by  a  wolf,  and, 
during  a  visit  to  the  Court  of  the  Emperor  Henry  II.,  persuaded 
that  monarch  to  forbid  the  sports  in  which  men  and  beasts 
were  pitted  against  each  other.  The  incident  of  the  rescue 
from  the  wolf  is  commemorated  in  the  arms  of  the  Abbey  of 
Stavelo,  which  consist  of  a  perron  supported  by  three  wolves, 
and  a  wolf  is  the  usual  attribute  of  St.  Poppo  in  art.  It  has, 
however,  been  suggested  that  the  real  origin  of  the  emblem 
was  the  skill  of  the  holy  Abbot  in  curing  the  skin  disease, 
called  by  the  French  la  louve,  which  signifies  wolf. 

Of  St.  Gerard  of  Namur,  who  founded  a  monastery  on  his 
own  estate  at  Brogne,  and  aided  much  in  the  reform  of  several 
Benedictine  abbeys  in  Belgium,  very  little  is  known.  He  is 
occasionally  represented  wearing  the  robes  of  a  pilgrim,  and 
holding  a  crosier  in  one  hand,  and  a  church  in  the  other,  or  asleep 
In  his  monk's  robes,  with  a  bishop,  who  is  consecrating  a 
church,  appearing  to  him,  the  latter,  in  allusion  to  a  legend  to 
the  effect  that  St.  Peter  aided  him  in  his  work  at  Brogne. 

St.  Nilus,  whose  chief  emblems  in  art  are,  for  reasons  ex- 
plained below,  a  lamp  and  a  crucifix,  is  said  to  have  been  of 
Greek  origin,  and  to  have  been  born  at  Taranto  towards  the 
end  of  the  tenth  century.  He  married  young,  and  after  many 
years  of  happiness  was  left  a  childless  widower,  when  he  with- 
drew to  a  Basilian  monastery  near  his  home.  There  his  sanctity 
led,  in  course  of  time,  to  his  being  made  Abbot,  but  his 
monastery  was  attacked  and  sacked  by  Saracens,  St.  Nilus  and 
a  few  of  his  monks  only  escaping  to  Capua,  where  they  were 
kindly  received  in  a  monastery.  St.  Nilus  remained  at  Capua 
for  some  time,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  consecrate  him 
Bishop,  but  he  managed  to  escape  what  he  looked  upon  as 
an  ["unwelcome  honour.  His  great  wisdom,  however,  led  to 
hisl  being  constantly  consulted  by  the  people  of  Capua,  and 
it  is  related  that  a  noble  lady  named  Aloare,  who  had  com- 


ST.  NILUS  OF  GROTTA  FERRATA  171 

mitted  the  terrible  crime  of  inciting  her  two  sons  to  murder 
a  cousin  who  had  a  better  right  than  they  to  certain  coveted 
possessions,  came  to  St.  Nilus  in  her  remorse  to  entreat  him  to 
win  absolution  for  her.  The  holy  man  told  her  that  she  must 
send  one  of  her  guilty  sons  to  the  relations  of  the  murdered 
man  to  be  dealt  with  as  they  should  decide,  at  which  the  un- 
happy mother  wept  bitterly,  and  tried  to  bribe  the  hermit  to 
give  her  less  unpalatable  advice.  He  refused  to  listen  further, 
flung  the  gold  upon  the  ground,  and  shut  himself  up  in  his  cell. 
Not  long  after  this,  one  of  the  sons  of  Aloare  assassinated  the 
other  as  he  was  kneeling  at  prayer  in  church,  and  for  the  double 
crime  of  sacrilege  and  murder  the  survivor  was  condemned  to 
death. 

For  the  terrible  fate  of  the  two  young  men  the  blame  was 
cast  upon  St.  Nilus,  who,  it  was  supposed,  might  have  saved  them 
by  his  prayers,  and  he  was  compelled  to  leave  Capua.  He 
took  refuge  in  a  convent  at  Rome,  where  many  flocked  to  him 
to  be  healed  of  their  sufferings,  mental  and  bodily,  and  where 
he  became  the  trusted  friend  and  adviser  of  Pope  John  XVL 
When  that  unfortunate  Pontiff  was  taken  prisoner  by  the 
Emperor  Otto  IIL,  St.  Nilus  pleaded  in  vain  for  mercy.  The 
Pope  was  blinded  and  shut  up  in  prison  for  the  rest  of  his  life, 
and  though  his  successor,  Gregory  V.,  did  all  he  could  to  con- 
ciliate the  Saint,  the  latter  withdrew  from  Rome  to  take  refuge 
in  a  cavern  known  as  the  Grotta  Ferrata,  near  Frascati  Here 
he  was  soon  joined  by  other  recluses,  and  a  little  community 
sprang  up,  which  became  celebrated  far  and  near  for  the  holi- 
ness of  its  members. 

Two  years  later  the  new  Pope  died,  and  the  Emperor,  full  of 
remorse  for  his  treatment  of  John  XVL,  sought  St.  Nilus  in  his 
retreat,  fell  on  his  knees  at  his  feet,  and  offered  to  grant  any 
request  he  chose  to  make.  St.  Nilus  is  said  to  have  replied,  as 
he  laid  his  hand  upon  the  suppliant's  breast :  *  The  only  thing 
I  ask  of  you  is  that  you  would  save  your  own  soul  by  making 
reparation  for  your  many  crimes.1  Keenly  mortified  the 
Emperor  withdrew,  and,  as  is  well  known,  died  miserably 
not  long  afterwards,  having  been  poisoned  at  the  instigation 
of  the  widow  of  a  nobleman  whom  he  had  unjustly  done  to 
death.  St.  Nilus,  who  to  the  last  remained  true  to  his  vows  of 
poverty,  died  at  a  great  age,  exacting  a  promise  from  his  monks 
just  before  the  end  that  they  would  bury  him  secretly,  so  that 


172  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

no  undue  honour  should  be  paid  to  his  remains.  He  was 
obeyed,  but  his  precautions  for  avoiding  posthumous  fame  have 
been  in  vain,  for  although  his  grave  has  never  been  discovered, 
and  some  even  claim  that  he  really  passed  away  in  Rome,  a 
great  monastery,  which  long  kept  his  memory  green,  was  erected 
by  his  friend  Fra  Bartolomeo,  who  succeeded  him  as  Abbot,  on 
the  site  of  his  humble  cell  at  Grotta  Ferrata.  This  monastery 
was  converted  into  a  fortress  by  Giovanni  della  Rovere,  and 
little  of  the  original  church  now  remains,  but  in  1610  a  ruined 
chapel  named  after  Saints  Adrian  and  Natalia*  was  restored 
and  re-dedicated  to  St.  Nilus  and  Bartolomeo,  who,  though 
never  canonized,  is  generally  spoken  of  as  a  Saint.  The 
decoration  of  this  now  world-famous  chapel  was  entrusted 
to  Domenico  Zampieri,  generally  known  as  Domenichino,  who 
rendered  in  fresco,  with  remarkable  dramatic  effect,  the  chief 
incidents  connected  with  the  foundation  of  the  monastery  of 
St.  Nilus.  The  subjects  of  these  compositions,  justly  con- 
sidered masterpieces,  include  the  visit  of  Otto  III.  to  the 
recluse,  in  which  are  introduced  portraits  of  the  artist  himself, 
Guido  Reni,  Guercino,  and  the  beautiful  girl,  who  figures  as 
a  page,  with  whom  Domenichino  was  in  love ;  the  building  of 
the  monastery  after  the  death  of  St.  Nilus,  in  the  background 
of  which  is  seen  what  is  known  as  the  Miracle  of  the  Column, 
when  Fra  Bartolomeo  saved  a  number  of  workmen  on  whom 
a  pillar  was  about  to  fall  by  holding  it  back  unaided;  the 
healing  of  an  epileptic  boy,  in  which  the  Saint  is  touching  the 
lips  of  the  sufferer  with  oil  from  a  lamp  burning  before  the 
altar,  in  the  presence  of  the  parents  of  the  child  and  other 
spectators ;  the  miracle  of  the  crucifix,  a  dramatic  rendering 
of  a  beautiful  legend  to  the  effect  that  one  day,  when  St.  Nilus 
was  praying  fervently  at  the  foot  of  a  cross,  the  Redeemer  ex- 
tended one  hand  in  benediction  above  his  head;  St.  Nilus 
calming  a  storm  which  was  threatening  the  harvest ;  St.  Nilus 
and  Bartolomeo  receiving  from  the  Blessed  Virgin  a  golden 
apple,  which  is  said  to  have  been  buried  later  beneath  the 
foundations  of  the  chapel  belfry ;  and,  lastly,  the  death  of  the 
Saint  in  the  presence  of  his  sorrowing  monks. 

Of  St.  Bernard  de  Menthon,  who  is  generally  represented 
wearing  the  robes  of  a  monk,  though  it  is  doubtful  whether  he 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  71,  72. 


ST.  BERNARD  OF  MENTHON  173 

was  received  Into  any  Order,  a  very  romantic  story  Is  told.  He 
was  the  son  of  a  Swiss  nobleman,  who  had  betrothed  him  to  a 
beautiful  young  girl,  but  he  had  early  made  a  vow  of  celibacy, 
and  on  the  eve  of  his  wedding-day  he  ran  away  from  his  father's 
house,  escaping  through  the  window  of  his  bedroom  with  the 
aid  of  St.  Nicolas,*  to  whom  he  had  appealed.  He  went  first 
to  Aosta,  where  he  was  kindly  received  by  the  Bishop,  who 
ordained  him  priest,  and  sent  him  forth  as  a  missionary  to  the 
heathen  in  the  mountains.  There  he  came  into  conflict  with  a 
band  of  robbers,  whom  he  defeated  by  merely  making  the  sign 
of  the  cross  over  their  leader,  and  destroyed  a  venomous 
dragon,  which  had  long  preyed  upon  the  mountaineers,  by 
casting  a  stole  round  its  neck.  According  to  another  version  of 
the  legend,  the  dragon  was  the  devil  himself,  and  on  a  quaint 
old  seal,  which  has  been  several  times  reproduced,  St.  Bernard 
is  represented  standing  beneath  a  canopy,  hanging  the  evil 
one  with  his  stole,  whilst  a  monk  on  the  other  side  looks  on  in 
evident  astonishment.  The  legend  further  relates  that  the  stole 
turned  into  chains  of  iron,  and  what  were  said  to  be  the  very 
chains  were  long  shown  in  the  treasury  of  the  Abbey  of 
St.  Maurice  in  Valais. 

After  several  years  spent  in  missionary  work,  St.  Bernard, 
whose  heart  was  touched  by  the  sufferings  of  the  pilgrims  con- 
stantly passing  over  the  mountains  on  their  way  to  Rome, 
determined  to  found  a  shelter  for  them,  and  in  962,  with  the 
help  of  a  few  devoted  followers,  he  built  on  the  site  of  a  heathen 
temple,  the  destruction  of  which  he  had  brought  about,  what 
was  later  to  become  the  celebrated  hospice  named  after  him* 
There  he  remained  until  996,  ministering  with  his  own  hands 
to  all  who  came  to  him,  and  winning  the  devotion  of  everyone 
with  whom  he  was  brought  into  contact.  Feeling  his  end  ap- 
proaching, he  determined  to  secure  the  recognition  of  the  Pope 
for  the  institution  he  had  founded,  and  went  to  Rome  for  that 
purpose.  He  was  successful,  but  he  died  on  his  way  back,  at 
Novara,  on  May  28,  1008,  and  was  buried  in  the  monastery 
there.  His  hospice  is  now  capable  of  receiving  more  than 
300  travellers,  and  is  in  connection  with  a  station  in  the  valley, 
from  which  signals  are  made  to  the  monks  when  travellers  are 
approaching. 

*  See  vol.  iL,  pp.  179-188. 


I74  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

CHAPTER  XIII 

SAINTS   ROMUALDO,   GUALBERTO,  AND   BRUNO 

IT  would  be  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  overestimate  the 
importance  of  the  reform  in  the  Benedictine  Order  inaugurated 
in  the  tenth  century  at  Clugny  by  St.  Odo  and  his  successors, 
which  resulted  in  the  eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries  in  the 
foundation  of  a  great  number  of  practically  independent 
communities,  the  members  of  which,  however,  all  claimed  to 
be  still  in  touch  with  the  parent  institution,  and  to  be  subject 
to  the  rule  laid  down  by  St.  Benedict  in  the  sixth  century.* 

The  founders  of  the  new  Orders— for  such  they  undoubtedly 
were_were  an  men  of  exceptional  ability,  endowed  with  great 
administrative  power  and  a  keen  insight  into  human  nature. 
They  attracted  to  them  as  a  matter  of  course  many  of  the 
noblest  characters  of  their  time,  so  that  the  monasteries  which 
sprang  up  as  if  by  magic  in  pretty  well  every  country  of  Europe, 
became  the  centre  not  only  of  the  religious,  but  of  the  intel- 
lectual, life  of  the  day. 

First  in  date  of  origin,  though  perhaps  not  in  importance,  of 
the  reformed  Orders,  was  that  of  the  Camaldoli,  founded  in  1009 
by  St.  Romualdo,  an  Italian  who  belonged  to  the  great  family  of 
the  Onesti,  and  was  born  in  956.  The  future  Abbot  is  said  to 
have  determined  when  still  a  boy  to  dedicate^  his  life  to  God, 
but  to  have  remained  in  his  father's  house  till  he  was  twenty 
years  old,  when  a  tragic  event  gave  him  the  excuse  he  had  long 
sought  to  withdraw  from  the  world.  His  father,  in  a  petty 
quarrel  about  some  property  with  a  near  relation,  challenged 
the  latter  to  a  duel,  and  killed  him  in  the  presence  of  St. 
Romualdo,  who  fled  to  the  Monastery  of  S.  Apollinare  in 
Classe,  near  Ravenna,  where  he  was  gladly  received  by  the 
Abbot.  He  had  not  been  long  amongst  the  monks,  however, 
before  he  realized  that  he  had  gained  little  by  leaving  home,  so 
corrupt  and  so  utterly  hostile  to  the  spirit  of  St.  Benedict  were 
the  lives  of  his  companions.  The  young  enthusiast  now 
determined  to  make  the  reform  of  the  monastery  his  chief 
object,  and  for  seven  years  he  laboured  hard  to  induce  his 

*  See  vol.  iL,  pp.  251-264. 


ST.  ROMUALDO  175 

companions  to  amend  their  lives,  his  own  being  often  in 
danger  from  the  plots  of  those  whose  evil  deeds  he  reproved. 
At  the  end  of  this  probation  time  the  reformer  left  Ravenna, 
and  lived  for  some  time  in  a  lonely  cell  near  Venice,  where 
he  is  said  to  have  been  greatly  tormented  by  the  evil  one, 
whom,  however,  he  defeated  again  and  again  by  calling  upon 
the  name  of  the  Redeemer. 

About  994  St.  Romualdo,  the  fame  of  whose  holiness  had 
spread  far  and  near,  was  elected  Abbot  of  the  monastery  in 
which  he  had  served  his  novitiate,  and  set  vigorously  to  work 
to  enforce  the  reforms  he  had  tried  in  vain  to  bring  about  as 
a  young  man.  He  was  presently  visited  by  St.  Henry  II., 
who  looked  up  to  him  with  great  veneration,  and  after  many 
years  of  success  he  determined  to  found  a  new  community, 
with  rules  far  stricter  than  those  laid  down  anywhere  else. 
With  about  a  hundred  followers  as  zealous  as  himself,  St. 
Romualdo  went  to  a  lonely  valley  of  the  Apennines,  near 
Arezzo,  where  a  tract  of  land  known  as  the  Campo  Maldoli 
— hence  the  name  of  the  new  Order — was  given  to  him  by  a 
nobleman ;  and  there  he  caused  to  be  built  a  number  of  small 
huts,  each  surrounded  by  a  walled-in  garden,  for  the  accom- 
modation of  his  monks,  who  took  upon  themselves  vows  of 
perpetual  silence.  It  is  related  that  soon  after  the  foundation 
of  this  rigidly  strict  institution — which  could  scarcely  be  called 
a  community,  so  little  had  any  of  its  members  to  do  with  each 
other — a  vision  was  vouchsafed  to  St.  Romualdo  of  several  of 
his  monks  climbing  up  a  long  ladder  to  heaven.  St.  Romualdo 
died  in  1027,  and  was  buried  at  Camaldoli,  but  his  tomb  was 
violated  and  his  remains  were  dispersed  by  iconoclasts  in  the 
fifteenth  century.  His  Order  is  still  in  existence,  though  the 
intense  severity  of  his  rule  has  been  to  a  great  extent  relaxed. 

St.  Romualdo  is  generally  represented  as  an  old  man  with  a 
long  white  beard,  leaning  on  a  crutch,  or  with  one  finger  on  his 
lips,  in  allusion  to  his  vow  of  silence,  and  wearing  the  long 
white  habit  with  loose  sleeves,  which,  after  his  vision  of  the 
ladder,  he  is  said  to  have  adopted  instead  of  the  black 
Benedictine  robes.  Sometimes,  as  in  an  unsigned  engraving 
in  the  Paris  *  Cabinet  des  Estampes,'  the  Abbot  is  talking  to 
a  richly-dressed  man,  supposed  to  represent  the  Emperor 
Otto  III.,  who  kneels  at  his  feet,  and  occasionally  he  holds 
the  model  of  a  hut  surrounded  by  trees,  typical  of  the  isolation 


176  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

he  enforced  on  his  monks,  or  he  has  a  scourge  in  his  hand, 
In  allusion  to  his  self-discipline  and  the  reforms  inaugurated 
by  him. 

St.  Romualdo  is  introduced  in  Fra  Angelico's  *  Great  Cruci- 
fixion '*  in  S.  Marco,  Florence,  between  Saints  John  Gualberto 
and  Francis,  at  the  foot  of  the  cross  of  the  impenitent  thief; 
he  is  amongst  the  Saints  in  the  '  Holy  Trinity '  of  Raphael  and 
Perugino  in  S.  Severo,  Perugia  ;t  and  in  the  fresco  of  the 
'  Crucifixion '  by  Andrea  del  Castagno  in  S.  Maria  degli  Angeli, 
Florence,  he  occupies  a  place  of  honour  beside  St,  John. 
There  is  a  very  fine  interpretation  of  the  character  of  the  great 
Abbot  by  Ribera  in  the  Academy  of  Florence,  and  in  the 
Vatican  Gallery,  Rome,  is  a  remarkable  altar-piece  by  Andrea 
Sacchi,  in  which  he  is  represented  seated  beneath  a  tree  sur- 
rounded by  his  monks,  and  pointing  to  the  vision  of  the  ladder 
in  the  background. 

Of  St.  John  Gualberto,  founder  in  1070  of  the  Order  of 
Vallambrosa,  who  was  a  man  of  very  different  type  to  St. 
Romualdo,  a  beautiful  legend  is  told.  Of  noble  lineage,  he 
was  born  at  Florence  in  999,  and  had  been  leading  a  gay 
though  not  an  evil  life  for  many  years,  when  the  murder  of  his 
only  and  much-loved  brother,  led  him  to  determine  to  devote 
his  life  to  bringing  the  assassin  to  justice.  For  some  time  his 
search  for  the  guilty  man  was  in  vain,  but  on  the  evening  of  a 
certain  Good  Friday,  he  came  suddenly  upon  his  enemy  alone 
and  unarmed  in  the  narrow  road  leading  to  the  Church  of 
S.  Miniato  al  Monte.  St.  Gualberto,  delighted  at  this  un- 
expected success,  drew  his  sword  to  slay  the  murderer,  who 
fell  on  his  knees  praying  in  the  name  of  Christ  for  mercy.  The 
blow  was  about  to  fall,  when  St.  Gualberto,  to  his  own  intense 
surprise,  felt  his  arm  mysteriously  arrested,  and  was  at  the  same 
moment  seized  with  horror  of  the  crime  he  had  been  about  to 
commit.  Instead  of  killing  the  suppliant,  he  held  ^  out  his 
hand,  raised  him  from  the  ground,  and  told  him  to  go  in  peace. 
Astonished  and  touched  beyond  measure  at  his  extraordinary 
escape,  the  murderer  obeyed,  after  promising  never  again  to 
take  away  a  fellow-creature's  life,  and  St.  Gualberto,  realizing 
that  a  turning-point  in  his  own  career  had  come,  went  to  the 
Church  of  S.  Miniato,  where  he  fell  on  his  knees  at  the  foot 

*  For  reproduction  of  the  '  Great  Crucifixion/  see  vol.  i.,  p.  174. 
f  For  reproduction  of  the  *  Holy  Trinity,'  see  vol.  il,  p.  298. 


.Alinari  phoid]  [Pitti  Gallery,  Florence 

SS.    MICHAEL,    GIOVANNI    GUALBERTO,    JOHN    THE    BAPTIST,    AND 

BERNARDO    DEGLI    UBERTI 

BV  Andrea  del  Seirfo 

To  face  p.  176 


ST.  JOHN  GUALBERTO  177 

of  the  cross  to  pray  earnestly  for  guidance.  Presently  he 
raised  his  eyes,  and,  to  his  delighted  surprise,  he  saw  the  head 
of  the  Redeemer  bow  in  response  to  his  appeal* 

The  miracle  completed  the  work  already  begun,  and,  without 
returning  home,  St.  Gualberto  withdrew  to  the  monastery  to 
which  the  church  belonged,  where  the  strange  phenomenon 
had  occurred,  and  took  upon  him  the  vows  of  a  monk.  Greatly 
to  his  disappointment,  however,  he  soon  found  that  he  had 
gained  little  by  the  change,  for  at  S.  Miniato,  as  in  so  many 
other  monasteries,  discipline  had  become  lamentably  lax.  He 
therefore  withdrew  to  a  lonely  spot  in  the  Apennine  Mountains, 
where  he  was  soon  joined  by  several  kindred  spirits,  who 
aided  him  in  founding  a  new  community,  to  which  the  name 
of  Vallombrosa,  signifying  f  the  shady  valley/  was  given. 

The  rule  imposed  upon  his  monks  by  St.  John  Gualberto 
was  far  less  severe  than  that  of  the  Camaldoli  Order,  and  was 
practically  merely  an  enforcement  of  that  of  St.  Benedict,  with 
the  addition  of  the  vow  of  silence.  The  new  Order  rapidly 
became  popular,  and  before  the  death  of  the  first  Abbot,  no  less 
than  twelve  similar  institutions  had  been  inaugurated  in  the 
neighbourhood,  including  the  famous  monastery  of  St.  SalvL 

St.  John  Gualberto  died  in  1073,  and  was  at  first  buried  at 
Vallombrosa,  but  his  remains  were  later  translated  to  the  abbey 
church  of  St.  Salvi,  where  they  were  placed  in  a  richly-decorated 
shrine,  designed  by  Benedetto  da  Rovezzano,  in  a  chapel 
specially  built  to  receive  them. 

The  original  Monastery  of  Vallombrosa  was  replaced  in  1673 
by  the  magnificent  building  secularized  in  1869,  which  still 
bears  witness  to  the  wealth  of  the  once  mighty  Order,  and 
presents,  indeed,  a  remarkable  contrast  to  the  humble  home 
with  which  the  eleventh-century  monks  were  content. 

The  crucifix  which  is  supposed  to  have  brought  about  the 
final  conversion  of  St.  John  Gualberto  is  still  said  to  be  pre- 
served in  the  Church  of  S.  Miniato  al  Monte,  which  also  owns 
a  portrait  of  the  great  Abbot  by  an  unknown  hand.  The 
founder  of  the  new  Order  is  still  greatly  revered  in  Tuscany, 
and  many  quaint  legends  have  gathered  about  his  memory.  It 
is  related  that  on  one  occasion,  when  he  was  visiting  a  branch 
house  under  his  control,  he  found  the  Superior  superintending 
the  erection  of  a  comfortable  house — an  incident  strangely 
prophetic  of  the  future — and,  sternly  reproving  the  offender, 

VOL.  III.  12 


178  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

the  holy  Abbot  prophesied  that  the  new  building  would  soon 
be  destroyed.  A  few  days  after  his  visit  a  flood  swept  down 
from  the  mountains,  carrying  away  everything  in  its  path, 
including  the  nearly-completed  monastery. 

Another  time,  when  St.  John  Gualberto  had  reproached  a 
certain  prelate  for  simony,  he  having  bought  his  appointment 
to  the  Archbishopric  of  Florence,  the  offender  was  put  to 
shame  and  compelled  to  resign  his  see  through  the  spirited 
action  of  one  of  the  Vallombrosan  monks,  who  demanded  the 
trial  of  the  cause  by  the  ordeal  of  fire.  The  Archbishop  gladly 
consented,  expecting  that  the  bold  friar  would  be  consumed  in 
the  flames,  but  he  walked  triumphantly  through  them  in  the 
presence  of  the  Abbot  and  a  great  crowd  of  spectators. 

Again,  when  the  Monastery  of  St.  John  was  threatened  with 
famine  the  holy  man  multiplied  the  scanty  food  upon  the  table ; 
when  one  of  his  monks  was  tormented  on  his  death-bed  by  the 
evil  one,  he  drove  the  latter  away  by  making  the  sign  of  the 
cross  above  his  head ;  and  to  all  who  came  to  him  for  aid  he 
granted  immediate  relief  from  their  sufferings,  no  matter  of 
what  kind. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  John  Gualberto  as  a  young,  beard- 
less man  in  the  light  gray  habit  of  his  Order,  leaning  upon  a 
T-handled  staff  or  crutch.  Sometimes  he  holds  a  long-hilted 
cross,  in  memory  of  the  miracle  related  above;  sometimes  a 
sword,  in  allusion  to  the  weapon  he  was  about  to  use  to  kill  his 
enemy.  In  an  engraving  by  Jacques  Callot  he  gazes  up  at  the 
crucified  Redeemer,  who  bends  His  head  towards  him  ;  and  in 
certain  old  missals  he  is  introduced  trampling  the  devil  under 
foot,  in  memory  of  his  rescue  of  the  dying  monk. 

Many  beautiful  pictures  in  which  St.  John  Gualberto  is  one 
of  the  principal  figures  were  painted  for  the  great  Monastery  of 
Vallombrosa  and  its  offshoots  by  the  masters  of  the  fifteenth 
and  sixteenth  centuries.  Of  these,  two  of  the  most  celebrated 
are  the  *  Assumption  of  the  Virgin,'  by  Perugino,  and  the 
'Quattro  Santi'  of  Andrea  del  Sarto,  both  now  in  the  Academy 
of  Florence.  In  the  former  the  Abbot  appears  as  an  elderly 
man  between  St.  Benedict  and  St.  Bernardo  degli  Uberti ;  in 
the  latter  the  companions  of  St.  John  Gualberto  are  Saints 
Michael,  John  the  Baptist,  and  Bernardo  degli  Uberti,  who 
are  all,  for  one  reason  or  another,  associated  with  the  Order 
of  Vallombrosa. 


ST.  BRUNO  179 

St.  John  Gualberto  also  appears  in  Fra  Angelico's  *  Great 
Crucifixion,'  in  which  he  kneels  in  rapt  devotion  between 
Saints  Romualdo  and  Peter  Martyr.  Perhaps,  however,  the 
most  celebrated  representations  of  him  are  the  series  of  bas- 
reliefs  from  his  shrine,  now  in  the  Bargello  at  Florence, 
which  include :  the  exorcism  of  the  devil ;  the  attack  upon 
the  monks  of  Vallombrosa  by  the  partisans  of  the  wicked 
Archbishop ;  the  monk  passing  through  the  flames ;  the 
death  of  the  Abbot ;  and  the  translation  of  his  remains  to 
St.  SalvL 

Equal  in  importance  and  grandeur  to  the  great  Order  of 
Vallombrosa,  and  resembling  it  alike  in  its  humble  beginning, 
its  extraordinary  development,  and  its  final  decline,  was  that  of 
the  Carthusians,  founded  in  1084  by  St.  Bruno.  A  member  of 
a  noble  German  family,  he  was  born  about  1030  at  Cologne. 
Highly  educated,  and  devoted  from  early  boyhood,  to  the  service 
of  God,  St.  Bruno  was  appointed  when  still  quite  a  young  man 
Rector  of  the  Cathedral  School  at  Rheims,  a  position  which 
involved  control  over  all  the  ecclesiastical  colleges  of  the 
diocese.  There  he  exercised  a  most  beneficial  influence  over 
his  pupils,  amongst  whom  were  many  who  later  rose  to  great 
eminence  in  the  Church,  including  Pope  Urban  II.,  who  re- 
mained the  devoted  friend  and  admirer  of  his  teacher  until  his 
own  death  in  1099,  So  great  was  the  reputation  won  at  Rheims 
by  St.  Bruno  that  he  was  called  by  his  contemporaries  'the 
doctor  of  doctors,'  'the  glory  of  Germany  and  France,*  and 
*  the  mirror  of  the  world ' ;  but  he  himself  was  far  from  happy 
in  his  success.  The  corruption  of  the  Church,  in  which  simony 
was  of  constant  occurrence,  the  laxity  of  morality  amongst  the 
wealthy  and  the  general  depravity  of  all  classes  of  the  com- 
munity, preyed  upon  his  spirit,  and  he  resolved  on  the  first 
opportunity  to  withdraw  entirely  from  the  world.  In  1084, 
when  he  was  on  the  eve  of  being  elected  Archbishop  of  Rheims, 
he  resigned  his  position  in  that  city,  and  after  a  short  visit  to 
his  home  at  Cologne  he  went,  with  six  chosen  companions,  to 
consult  St.  Hugo,  Bishop  of  Grenoble,  who  is  said  to  have 
been  warned  in  a  dream  of  his  approach.  The  party  were,  in 
any  case,  very  cordially  received  by  St.  Hugo,  who  gave  to 
their  leader  a  tract  of  land  in  a  remote  and  lonely  valley  of 
the  Chartreuse  mountain,  in  what  is  now  the  Department  of 
the  Isere.  Thither  St.  Bruno  and  his  devoted  followers  at 

12 — a 


i8o  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

once  repaired,  and  with  their  own  hands  built  for  themselves 
seven  small  huts,  round  a  central  oratory. 

Such  was  the  origin  of  the  celebrated  Grande  Chartreuse — 
from  which,  on  April  28,  1903,  the  French  police  drove  the 
last  of  the  modern  successors  of  the  original  inmates— which 
in  course  of  time  became  famed  throughout  the  civilized  world 
for  the  combined  learning,  austerity,  and  hospitality  of  its 
monks,  and  was  the  parent  of  many  similar  institutions  m 
Europe  and  the  British  Isles.  The  rale  imposed  by  St.  Bruno 
was  practically  the  same  as  that  given  by  Saints  Romualdo 
and  John  Gualberto  to  their  monks ;  but  in  the  case  of  the 
Carthusians  it  was  modified  by  the  recognition  from  the  first 
of  the  duty  of  charity  to  outsiders,  and  many  were  the  lay- 
men who  owed  their  lives  to  the  ministrations  of  the  re- 
cluses, who  were  without  ambition  for  themselves.  The  monks 
were,  moreover,  encouraged  to  study  and  to  labour  with  their 
hands,  and  their  successors  became  in  course  of  time  noted 
gardeners,  paper-makers,  and  breeders  of  sheep.  The  one 
article  of  luxury,  if  such  it  could  be  called,  allowed  by  St. 
Bruno  to  his  monks  was  parchment  on  which  to  copy  the  few 
priceless  books  he  had  brought  with  him  to  his  retreat,  and  it 
is  related  that  when  the  Count  of  Nevers,  who  had  spent  many 
weeks  at  the  Chartreuse,  sent  him  a  present  of  plate  for  his 
oratory  in  return  for  the  hospitality  he  had  received,  the 
Abbot  sent  it  back,  asking  for  parchment  in  exchange.  The 
Carthusians  were  one  of  the  first  Orders  to  set  up  printing- 
presses  of  their  own  in  their  monasteries,  and  there  is  still  a 
celebrated  one  in  the  Chartreuse  at  Montreuil-sur-Mer,  where 
all  the  service-books  used  are  produced. 

Six  years  after  the  foundation  of  the  little  community  in  the 
Chartreuse,  St.  Bruno  was  summoned  to  Rome  by  his  old  pupil, 
Pope  Urban  IL,  who,  in  spite  of  all  his  entreaties,  would  not 
allow  him  to  return  to  his  beloved  retreat,  but  kept  him  with 
him  as  his  chief  adviser.  The  Head  of  the  Church  even  tried  to 
make  the  recluse  Archbishop  of  Reggio,  but  St.  Bruno  managed 
to  escape  the  unwelcome  honour,  and  at  last  persuaded  the  Pope 
to  allow  him  to  withdraw  to  Delia  Torre,  a  desert  district  in 
Calabria,  where  he  founded  a  new  branch  of  his  Order,  and 
died  in  1101  surrounded  by  his  sorrowing  monks.  He  was 
buried  in  the  church  of  his  monastery,  and  many  years  later 
portions  of  his  relics  were  sent  to  his  old  home  in  the 


ST.  BRUNO  181 

Chartreuse  and  the  sister  Institutions  of  later  date  at  Paris, 
Cologne,  and  Fribourg. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  these,  the  well-authenticated  facts  of 
the  life  of  St.  Bruno,  have  been  supplemented  by  many  legends, 
of  which  that  relating  to  Dr.  Raymond,  under  whom  the  future 
Abbot  is  said  to  have  studied  for  some  time  in  Paris  before  he 
went  to  Rheims,  is  peculiarly  significant  of  the  state  of  religious 
belief  at  the  time.  The  young  student  is  said  to  have  become 
devotedly  attached  to  Dr.  Raymond,  to  whom  he  looked  tip 
with  the  utmost  veneration,  and  great  indeed  was  his  grief 
when  he  was  told  that  his  teacher  was  dying,  and  that  he  was 
to  go  with  the  priest  to  attend  his  last  moments.  As  extreme 
unction  was  being  administered,  St.  Bruno,  to  his  horror,  saw  the 
devil  himself,  in  the  form  of  a  hideous  imp,  seated  upon  the  pillow 
of  the  sufferer,  ready  to  take  possession  of  his  soul  so  soon  as  it 
should  leave  his  body.  The  revulsion  of  feeling  was  terrible, 
for  St.  Bruno  knew  that  the  man  he  had  loved  so  greatly  must 
have  been  a  secret  sinner.  He  prayed  earnestly  that  forgiveness 
might  be  granted  before  it  was  too  late,  but  apparently  his  sup- 
plications were  unheard,  for  the  doctor  died  without  confessing 
any  crime.  In  due  course  St.  Bruno  and  a  great  concourse  of 
mourners  went  to  the  funeral,  which  was  proceeding  with  all 
due  solemnitys  when,  as  the  priests  chanted  the  words  c  Responde 
mihi  quantas  habes  iniquitates'  (Give  account  for  the  sins 
committed),  the  dead  man  suddenly  sat  up  and  gave  voice  to 
the  exceedingly  bitter  cry,  '  By  the  justice  of  God  I  am  accused  P 
Terrified,  the  bearers  set  down  the  bier,  and  the  interment  was 
put  off  till  the  next  day.  Again  when  the  fatal  words  were 
spoken  the  corpse  started  up,  and  cried  in  an  agonized  voice, 
'  By  the  justice  of  God  I  am  judged !'  Once  more  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  service  was  deferred ;  once  more  the  same  terrible 
incident  occurred,  the  words  of  the  culprit  being  this  time  even 
more  terrible,  for  he  cried,  l  By  the  justice  of  God  I  am  con- 
demned !'  After  this  the  priests  knew  they  had  no  right  to  bury 
the  sinner  in  consecrated  ground,  so  they  hastily  flung  the  body 
into  a  field  near  by,  and  left  it  to  be  devoured  by  birds  and 

beasts  of  prey.  -too 

Another,  but  less  gruesome  story,  connected  with  St.  Bruno  is 
that  he  saved  the  life  of  Count  Roger  of  Sicily,  who  had  visited 
him  in  his  retreat  in  the  Calabrian  desert,  by  warning  him  in 
a  dream  of  a  plot  against  him ;  and  yet  another  legend  relates 


182  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

that  when  the  holy  hermit  died  his  body  was  carried  up  to 
heaven  by  angels.  In  spite  of  this  his  funeral  was  duly  solemnized, 
and  many  were  the  miracles  wrought  at  his  tomb,  including  the 
gushing  forth  of  a  spring,  the  water  of  which  healed  all  who 
were  fortunate  enough  to  obtain  a  few  drops  of  it.  St.  Bruno 
is  also  credited  with  the  power  of  preserving  his  votaries  from 
the  plague,  and  it  is  said  that  the  grass  never  grew  on  the  piece 
of  ground  in  the  desert  of  Delia  Torre  on  which  he  used  to  sleep, 
which  still  retains  the  impress  of  his  form. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Bruno  as  an  elderly  man  with  a 
shaven  head,  wearing  what  is  still  the  distinctive  costume  of 
Carthusian  monks — that  is  to  say,  an  ample  hooded  white  robe, 
a  long  scapulary  or  sleeveless  tunic,  and  sandals  on  the  feet. 
Sometimes  he  holds  a  book,  sometimes  a  sheet  of  manuscript, 
supposed  to  represent  the  letter  from  the  Pope  summoning 
him  to  Rome,  or  a  scroll  on  which  are  inscribed  the  words 
*O  bonitas,*  a  favourite  exclamation  of  the  Saint's,  or  a  quota- 
tion from  Psalm  liv.  8  (Douay  version),  (  Ecci  elongavi  fugiens 
mansi  in  solitudine '  (Lo,  I  have  gone  far  oif,  flying  away,  and 
I  abide  in  the  wilderness),  in  allusion  to  his  love  of  solitude. 
Occasionally  the  holy  man  has  one  finger  on  his  lips,  in  token 
of  his  vow  of  silence,  or  he  holds  the  poetic  emblem  of  a  flowering 
crucifix,  the  upper  part  of  the  shaft  and  the  arms  consisting  of 
olive  leaves  and  blossoms ;  a  pictorial  translation  of  a  passage 
in  the  Chartreuse  Breviary,  in  which  the  founder  of  the  Order 
is  likened  to  an  olive-tree,  able  to  bear  fruit  in  the  most  sterile 
districts.  Now  and  then  a  long-hilted  cross  and  mitre  are 
introduced  at  the  feet  of  St.  Bruno,  in  token  that  he  declined 
the  bishopric  offered  to  him  by  the  Pope.  In  some  iconographies 
the  fact  that  the  Saint  withdrew  from  Rheims  with  six  com- 
panions, is  symbolized  by  six  stars  forming  his  nimbus,  and 
one  worn  upon  his  breast ;  elsewhere  a  globe  or  a  death's 
head  replaces  the  mitre  at  his  feet,  the  first  possibly  to  typify 
his  renunciation  of  the  world,  the  second  in  memory  of  the 
legend  of  Dr.  Raymond's  funeral;  and  in  a  quaint  old  engraving 
St.  Bruno  is  seen  turning  his  back,  with  scant  courtesy,  upon  a 
woman,  in  memory,  probably,  of  his  vow  of  celibacy. 

The  life  and  legend  of  St.  Bruno,  with  the  many  dramatic 
incidents  for  which  they  are  remarkable,  have  been  the  theme 
of  numerous  celebrated  works  of  art,  amongst  which  the  most 
beautiful  are  the  series  of  compositions  painted  by  Eustache 


ST.  BRUNO  183 

Le  Sueur  In  1649  ^or  ^e  cloisters  of  the  Chartreuse  monastery 
in  Paris,  but  now  in  the  Louvre,  and  those  by  Vincenzo 
Carducci,  painted  in  1632  for  the  Carthusian  monastery  at 
Paular,  in  Spain,  but  now  in  the  National  Collection  at 
Madrid. 

The  former  series  includes:  St.  Bruno  and  other  scholars 
listening  to  the  instructions  of  Dr.  Raymond,  who  is  addressing 
them  from  a  pulpit ;  the  death  of  Dr.  Raymond,  with  the  evil 
one  seated  on  his  pillow,  in  the  presence  of  a  priest,  St.  Bruno, 
and  one  of  his  fellow-students  ;  the  scene  at  the  third  attempt 
to  perform  the  obsequies  of  the  wicked  doctor,  in  which  St.  Bruno 
stands  behind  the  officiating  priest,  looking  on  in  horror ;  St.  Bruno 
kneeling  before  a  crucifix,  whilst  the  flinging  away  of  the  body  is 
going  on  in  the  background ;  St.  Bruno  as  a  young  teacher  in 
the  school  at  Rheims;  the  journey  to  Grenoble;  the  dream 
of  St.  Hugo,  related  below  in  connection  with  that  prelate; 
the  foundation  of  the  Monastery  of  La  Grande  Chartreuse,  in 
which  St.  Hugo  examines  the  plans  of  an  architect  and  a 
number  of  masons  are  seen  at  work  beyond,  in  manifest  con- 
travention of  the  fact  that  the  seven  humble  cells  were  built  by 
the  monks  themselves ;  St.  Hugo  of  Grenoble  investing  St. 
Bruno  with  the  Carthusian  habit ;  St.  Bruno  giving  his  rule  to 
his  monks,  and  receiving  a  number  of  young  men  in  the  presence 
of  their  relations,  one  of  whom  appears  to  be  in  great  distress ; 
St.  Bruno  surrounded  by  his  monks,  reading  the  letter  from 
Pope  Urban ;  the  reception  of  the  Saint  by  His  Holiness ;  the 
attempt  to  make  St.  Bruno  Bishop  of  Reggio,  in  which  he 
kneels  at  the  feet  of  the  Pontiff,  entreating  to  be  spared  promo- 
tion ;  St.  Bruno  in  the  Calabrian  desert  gazing  up  at  a  vision 
of  angels ;  the  foundation  of  the  new  branch  of  his  Order  at 
Delle  Torre ;  the  visit  of  Count  Roger  to  St.  Bruno ;  the  vision 
of  Count  Roger,  in  which  St.  Bruno  appears  to  him ;  the  death 
of  the  Saint  surrounded  by  his  monks ;  and  the  carrying  up  of 
his  body  by  angels  to  heaven. 

The  subjects  chosen  by  the  Spanish  master  were  much  the 
same  as  those  just  enumerated,  supplemented  by  incidents  from 
the  later  history  of  the  Order,  including  the  massacre  in  1572 
of  the  last  English  Carthusian  monks  after  the  suppression  of 
their  monastery  by  Henry  VIII.  The  character  of  St.  Bruno 
has  also  been  well  interpreted  by  Francisco  Zurbaran  in  a 
painting  now  in  the  Cadiz  Museum,  and  also  by  Andrea  Sacchi, 


184  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

who  has  represented  the  holy  hermit  kneeling  beside  a  cross  set 
up  on  a  rock  in  the  desert,  rays  of  light  descending  upon  his 
face,  which  is  uplifted  in  earnest  prayer. 

In  the  Certosa  di  Val  d'  Ema,  near  Florence,  is  a  fine  fresco 
of  the  death  of  St.  Bruno  by  Bernardino  Barbatelli ;  ^a  colossal 
statue  of  the  great  recluse  by  Houdon  occupies  a  niche  in  the 
main  transept  of  S.  Maria  degli  Angeli  at  Rome,  and  in ^ the 
Academy  of  Florence  is  a  fine  '  St.  Bruno  and  St.  Catherine ' 
from  the  Carthusian  Monastery  of  Isola.  St.  Bruno  is  not  in- 
cluded amongst  the  founders  of  Orders  in  Fra^  Angelica's 
*  Great  Crucifixion,'  probably  because  his  canonization  did 
not  take  place  until  after  the  painting  of  that  celebrated 
masterpiece. 

Of  equal  importance  with  the  Orders  founded  by  Saints 
Romualdo  and  John  Gualberto,  though  still  greatly  excelled 
by  the  Carthusian,  is  that  known  as  the  Cistercian,  inaugu- 
rated in  1098  by  St.  Robert  de  Moleme,  and  ^  in  its  turn 
reformed  and  re-modelled  by  his  successors,  Saints  Alberic, 
Stephen  Harding,  and  the  yet  greater  Bernard  of  Clairvaux. 

Born  in  Champagne  about  1018,  St.  Robert  was  the  son^of 
noble  parents,  and  with  their  consent  entered  the  Benedictine 
Abbey  of  Moutier  la  Celle  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen.  He  soon 
became  highly  esteemed,  on  account  of  his  earnest  devotion, 
and  was  made  Abbot  of  the  Monastery  of  St.  Michel  de 
Tonnerre  when  he  was  still  quite  a  young  man.  Finding  it 
impossible,  however,  to  enforce  the  reforms  he  justly  considered 
necessary,  St.  Robert  soon  resigned  his  position,  and  withdrew 
with  a  few  kindred  spirits  to  the  forest  of  Mol£me,  where  he 
founded  a  community,  which  he  dedicated  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  and  to  which  he  gave  a  rule  of  exceeding  strictness. 
Later  the  Abbot  left  the  new  monastery,  to  found  another  ^on 
similar  lines  in  the  forest  of  Citeaux  or  Cistercium,  which 
eventually  became  the  parent  of  the^  great  Cistercian  Order, 
but  he  had  scarcely  got  it  into  working  order,  before  he  was 
commanded  by  the  Pope  to  return  to  Mol&me,  where  he  died 
In  1108.  Accounted  a  Saint  even  before  his  death,  St.  Robert 
is  still  greatly  revered  in  France,  and  is  generally  grouped  in 
ecclesiastical  decoration  with  his  successors,  Saints  Alberic, 
Stephen  Harding,  and  Bernard.  Occasionally,  however,  he  is 
represented  without  them,  receiving  a  ring  from  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  in  allusion  to  his  having  dedicated  his  first  monastery 


ST.  STEPHEN  HARDING  185 

to  her ;  and  now  and  then  a  wolf  Is  introduced  beside  him,  in 
memory,  it  is  said,  of  his  having,  after  his  own  death,  rescued 
a  child  from  one. 

When  St.  Robert  was  compelled  to  leave  Citeaux,  he  was 
succeeded  by  St.  Alberic,  who  is  sometimes  looked  upon  as 
the  real  founder  of  the  Cistercian  Order,  because  he  drew  up 
and  obtained  the  confirmation  of  the  Pope  of  the  *  Institute. 
Monachorum  Cisterciensium,'  or  Rules  of  the  new  Institution. 
Whether  this  claim  be  justified  or  not,  St.  Alberic  undoubtedly 
did  much  to  confirm  the  principles  laid  down  by  his  predecessor. 
He  died  in  1109,  expiring,  it  is  said,  upon  a  mat  laid  upon  the 
ground,  with  the  words  '  Sancta  Maria,  ora  pro  nobis '  upon  his 
lips,  whilst  a  heavenly  radiance  filled  his  cell.  He  is  supposed 
to  have  changed  the  tawny  brown  robes  worn  by  the  first 
Cistercians,  for  the  white  habit  still  distinctive  of  them,  in 
compliance  with  the  direct  orders  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  for 
which  reason  he  is  sometimes  represented  receiving  a  snow- 
white  garment  from  her  hand. 

St.  Stephen  Harding,  who  became  Abbot  of  Citeaux  on  the 
death  of  St.  Alberic,  was  an  Englishman  of  noble  birth,  who 
had  been  educated  in  a  monastery  at  Sherborne  and  joined 
St.  Robert  at  Moldme  about  1075.  Later  he  went  with  him  to 
Citeaux,  and  became  the  right  hand  of  his  successor,  St.  Alberic, 
in  the  work  of  organization.  A  man  of  an  intensely^  austere 
temperament,  St.  Stephen  was  eminently  fitted  to  continue  the 
work  inaugurated  by  Saints  Robert  and  Alberic,  and  when  he 
became  Abbot  in  1109  he  added  yet  more  stringent  conditions 
to  the  Rule  already  in  force.  To  him,  too,  as  to  his  predecessors, 
the  Blessed  Virgin  is  said  to  have  shown  special  favour,  and  he 
is  sometimes  represented  prostrate  in  adoration  at  her  feet,  as 
she  bends  to  tie  a  white  sash  round  his  waist.  It  is  related  that 
on  one  occasion,  when  the  community  was  reduced  to  very  great 
straits,  St.  Stephen  sent  one  of  the  monks,  giving  him  the  few 
pence  which  were  all  he  had,  to  the  fair  at  Vegelay,  telling  him 
to  bring  back  three  waggon-loads  of  provisions,  each  drawn  by 
three  horses.  The  man  was  naturally  astonished,  but  set  forth 
on  his  journey,  and  was  met  by  a  messenger  from  a  wealthy 
noble  in  the  neighbourhood,  who  told  him  he  had  received 
instructions  to  send  him  money  enough  to  buy  all  St.  Stephen 
had  ordered.  The  Abbot,  who  knew  that  the  Blessed  Virgin 
had  intervened  on  his  behalf,  went  forth  at  the  head  of  his 


1 86  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

monks  to  meet  the  convoy — an  Incident  sometimes  introduced 
in  French  ecclesiastical  decoration. 

Another  time,  when  St.  Stephen  had  fasted  too  long  and  was 
fainting  for  want  of  food,  a  bird  is  said  to  have  come  to  him 
bearing  a  fish  in  its  beak.  In  fact,  whenever  the  Abbot  was  in 
any  special  need,  supernatural  help  was  sure  to  be  forthcoming. 
Yet,  in  spite  of  this,  the  community  under  his  care  was  be- 
ginning to  decrease  in  a  lamentable  manner,  when,  in  1113, 
all  was  suddenly  changed  by  the  arrival  at  Citeaux  of  St. 
Bernard  and  thirty  companions.  As  will  be  seen  when  the 
story  of  St.  Bernard  is  told,  this  timely  arrival  had  the  most 
vitally  important  and  far-reaching  results.  His  spirits  cheered 
and  his  hands  strengthened,  by  the  eager  enthusiasm  of  the 
new-comers,  St.  Stephen  was  able  ere  long  to  found  two  new 
branches  of  his  Order,  and  in  1119  he  issued  a  fresh  Rule,  or 
rather  a  supplement  to  the  old  one,  which  he  called  the 
'Charter  of  Charity.'  St.  Stephen  died  in  1134,  having  in- 
augurated since  the  arrival  of  St.  Bernard  no  less  than  thirteen 
Cistercian  monasteries,  including  one  in  England.  He  was 
buried  at  Citeaux  beside  St.  Alberic,  and  is  still  much  honoured 
in  France,  though  his  fame  has  been  to  a  great  extent  over- 
shadowed by  that  of  his  successor. 

Other  Abbots  of  the  eleventh  century  who  have  distinctive 
symbols  of  their  own,  and  are  occasionally  represented  in  art, 
were  Saints  Odilo  of  Clugny,  Robert  d'Abriselle,  Dominic  of 
Silos,  Dominic  of  Sora,  Gautier  of  Pontoise,  Guido  of  Ravenna, 
and  Stephen  of  Grandmont. 

St.  Odilo,  who  was  of  noble  birth,  was  born  towards  the 
close  of  the  tenth  century,  and  was  made  sixth  Abbot  of  Clugny 
whilst  still  quite  a  young  man.  He  was  the  friend  and  adviser 
of  St.  Henry  II.,  and  of  the  Empress  Adelaide,  and  ruled  his 
monastery  with  great  strictness  till  his  death  in  1049  at 
Souvigny,  where  he  was  buried.  His  remains  were  burnt 
during  the  French  Revolution,  but  a  little  reliquary  is  still 
preserved  at  Souvigny,  on  one  of  the  panels  of  which  his 
portrait  is  painted.  St.  Odilo  is  chiefly  remembered  as  the 
founder  of  a  ftte  in  honour  of  the  dead  and  for  his  constant 
prayers  for  the  souls  of  those  in  purgatory;  for  which  reasons  he 
is  generally  represented  looking  down  at  a  skull  lying  at  his 
feet ;  gazing  into  a  fire ;  or  celebrating  a  Mass  for  the  dead  at 
an  altar.  He  also  instituted  what  was  known  as  the  Truce  of 


SS.  DOMINIC  OF  SILOS  AND  SORA  187 

tnat  is  to  say,  an  agreement  amongst  the  nobles  of 
France  to  put  no  one  to  death  between  Wednesday  in  Holy 
Week  and  Easter  Monday. 

St.  Robert  d'Abriselle,  of  whose  early  life  little  is  known,  was 
long  greatly  honoured  in  France  as  the  founder,  in  1099,  of  the 
once  celebrated  Abbey  of  Fontevrault,  in  which  both  monks 
and  nuns  were  received,  and  which  was  ruled  over  by  an  Abbess, 
who  was  subject  to  the  Pope  alone.  The  rule  enforced  in  the 
new  community  was  exceedingly  strict,  and  no  outsider,  not 
even  a  priest,  was  ever  admitted  to  the  cells  of  the  inmates, 
who,  when  dying,  were  carried  into  the  chapel  to  breathe  their 
last  The  Order  of  Fontevrault  received  the  Papal  sanction  in 
1106;  and  many  branches  were  founded  in  France  in  the 
eleventh  and  twelfth  centuries,  their  Abbesses  belonging  to 
the  chief  families  of  the  nobility.  The  Order  was  suppressed 
during  the  French  Revolution,  and  what  is  left  of  the  beautiful 
abbey  buildings  is  now  a  prison.  St.  Robert  died  in  1116,  and 
was  buried  in  the  church  at  Fontevrault.  He  is  rarely  repre- 
sented in  art,  but  is  introduced  in  certain  old  iconographies 
wearing  a  coat  of  mail,  in  memory,  possibly,  of  his  original 
profession  of  arms,  and  gazing  at  a  vision  of  the  crucified 
Redeemer,  with  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  John,  which  is 
supposed  to  have  led  to  his  conversion. 

St.  Dominic  of  Silos,  who  is  one  of  the  patrons  of  Madrid 
and  Cordova  and  is  much  honoured  in  Spain,  where  he  is 
looked  upon  as  the  special  protector  of  captives  and  of  women 
about  to  become  mothers — why,  it  is  difficult  to  say— was  for 
some  years  Abbot  of  the  monastery  after  which  he  is  named* 
On  his  death  some  boys  at  play  in  the  street  are  said  to  have 
seen  his  soul  being  carried  to  heaven  by  angels,  for  which 
reason  he  is  generally  associated  with  a  group  of  children. 

St.  Dominic  of  Sora,  who  is  supposed  ito  be  able  to  save  his 
votaries  from  the  bite  of  snakes,  was  Abbot  of  a  Benedictine 
monastery  in  the  Abruzzi  during  the  early  part  of  the  eleventh 
century.  It  is  related  of  him  that  on  one  occasion  a  servant  of 
the  abbey  kept  back  part  of  a  present  of  fish,  but  the  Abbot, 
who  knew  of  the  theft,  sent  the  culprit  to  fetch  what  he  had 
hidden.  Trembling  with  fear,  the  man  obeyed,  and  found  the 
stolen  fish  turned  into  wriggling  serpents,  for  which  reason  the 
art  emblem  of  St.  Dominic  is  a  basket  of  fish  or  of  snakes. 

Of  St.  Gautier  of  Pontoise  next  to  nothing  is  known,  but  he 


i88  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Is  said  to  have  got  into  disgrace  with  the  authorities  when  he 
was  a  monk  at  the  Abbey  of  R<§bais,  for  giving  all  his  food  to  a 
captive,  and  to  have  been  made  Abbot  of  the  Monastery  of 
St.  Martin  at  Pontoise  through  the  influence  of  King  Philip  I. 
of  France.  He  is  occasionally  represented  carrying  provisions 
in  his  robes,  receiving  a  crosier  from  a  King,  or  holding  a  vine- 
branch  in  his  hand.  The  latter,  though  it  is  the  symbol  of  the 
Holy  Eucharist,  is  possibly  given  to  St.  Gautier  merely  because 
he  is  supposed  to  look  after  the  interests  of  the  vine-dressers  of 
France.  He  died  at  Bertancourt,  near  Abbeville,  in  1099,  and 
Is  still  much  revered  in  that  neighbourhood,  on  account  of  the 
great  austerity  of  his  life. 

St.  Guido  of  Ravenna — who  is  sometimes  represented  watch- 
ing a  boat  laden  with  provisions  approaching  the  shore,  because 
when  his  monks  were  suffering  from  famine  he  obtained  for 
them  a  miraculous  supply  of  food — was  of  noble  birth,  but  early 
withdrew  to  a  hermitage  near  his  native  city,  and  eventually 
became  Abbot  of  the  Monastery  of  Pompona,  where  his  own 
father  joined  him. 

St.  Stephen  of  Muret  was  nobly  born  and  very  wealthy.  He 
founded  an  important  monastery  at  Grandmont,  in  the  Diocese 
of  Limoges.  He  is  sometimes  represented  kneeling  in  adora- 
tion of  the  Trinity,  appearing  to  him  in  the  clouds  above,  and 
occasionally  holds  a  scroll,  bearing  the  words,  *  Stephen,  give 
thyself  to  God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the  Holy 
Ghost,'  because  he  is  said  to  have  been  converted  by  a  vision 
of  the  Triune  God.  St.  Stephen  left  the  world  when  he  was  a 
young  man,  giving  up  all  his  riches  except  one  ring,  which  he 
wore  as  a  pledge  of  his  consecration  to  the  service  of  God. 
He  died  in  his  monastery  at  Grandmont,  and  after  his  death 
it  was  discovered  that,  as  a  penance,  he  had  worn  a  coat  of 
mail  beneath  his  robes.  So  many  miracles  are  said  to  have 
been  wrought  at  the  tomb  of  the  Saint  that  his  successor  as 
Abbot  was  compelled  to  entreat  him  to  desist  from  his  wonderful 
works,  the  monastery  being  constantly  mobbed  by  pilgrims. 
The  holy  man  obeyed  at  once,  and  was  thenceforth  appealed 
to  in  vain. 

In  addition  to  the  great  founders  of  Orders  and  Abbots  of 
lesser  celebrity,  who  lived  in  the  eleventh  century,  there  were 
amongst  their  contemporaries  some  few  humble  monks  and 
hermits,  who,  though  they  never  attained  to  any  earthly  dignity, 


SS.  GUIDO,  THIBAUD  AND  NICETAS          189 

are  still  honoured  as  Saints.  Amongst  them  were  Saints  Guy 
or  Guido  of  Anderlecht,  Theobald  of  Provins,  and  Nicetas  or 
Nicolas  of  Trani. 

St.  Guido  of  Anderlecht,  surnamed  the  Poor,  on  account  of 
his  great  austerity  and  humility,  who  is  still  greatly  beloved  in 
his  native  land,  was  the  son  of  a  peasant,  and  was  born  to- 
wards the  end  of  the  tenth  century  in  a  little  village  near 
Brussels.  He  used  to  help  his  father  to  till  the  fields,  and  It 
is  related  of  him,  as  of  St.  Isidore  of  Madrid,  that  one  day 
when  he  was  praying  an  angel  guided  the  plough  for  him. 
As  a  mere  child  he  was  allowed  by  the  priest  of  Lacken 
to  take  care  of  an  altar  dedicated  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  in 
the  village  church,  hence  the  broom  sometimes  placed  in  his 
hand.  Whether  St.  Guido  the  Poor  was  ever  ordained  or 
received  into  any  Order  is  not  known,  but  he  escorted  a  large 
party  of  pilgrims  to  the  Holy  Land  at  the  beginning  of  the 
eleventh  century,  and  after  an  absence  of  several  years,  returned 
home  only  to  die  in  1012.  He  is  constantly  introduced  in 
Belgian  iconographies  and  elsewhere,  generally  in  pilgrim's 
robes,  and  with  an  ox,  a  horse,  or  a  harrow  beside  him,  in 
allusion  to  his  original  occupation,  or  he  kneels  absorbed  in 
prayer,  whilst  an  angel  guides  the  team  he  is  neglecting. 

St.  Thibaud  or  Theobald  of  Provins  was  of  noble  birth  and 
intended  by  his  parents  for  the  profession  of  arms,  but  he  gave 
up  everything  to  become  a  hermit,  and  is  said  to  have  been 
received  into  the  Camaldoli  Order  just  before  his  death.  He 
is  much  revered  in  Luxemburg,  where  he  is  supposed  to  look 
after  the  interests  of  tanners,  and  is  occasionally  represented 
on  horseback  with  a  falcon  on  his  wrist  and  wearing  the  costly 
garments  of  a  nobleman ;  or  kneeling  in  his  cell  in  the  robes  of 
a  monk,  gazing  up  at  a  vision  of  the  Trinity. 

The  legend  of  St.  Nicetas  or  Nicolas,  of  Trani,  who  is 
generally  represented  in  the  robes  of  a  pilgrim,  carrying  a  long- 
hilted  cross  and  with  a  number  of  children  following  him,  is  a 
very  poetic  one.  The  son  of  poor  parents,  he  is  said  to  have 
been  born  in  Greece,  and  to  have  begun  life  as  a  shepherd. 
He  had  learnt  the  *  Kyrie  Eleison '  before  he  was  eight  years 
old,  and  it  took  his  fancy  to  such  an  extent  that  he  never 
ceased  to  sing  it,  so  that  his  mother  concluded  he  must  be  an 
idiot.  She  scolded  him  so  much  that  he  ran  away,  and  when 
after  a  long  search  he  was  found  in  a  remote  district  in  the 


THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

mountains,  he  was  still  repeating  his  favourite  hymn.  His 
father  then  placed  him  in  a  monastery,  but  he  soon  got  into 
trouble  with  the  monks  on  account  of  his  constant  singing,  and 
they,  too,  sent  him  away.  St.  Nicetas  then  lived  for  some  time 
in  a  cave,  and  eventually  started  on  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome. 
He  landed  at  Otranto,  and  at  Trani  he  persuaded  a  number 
of  children  to  join  him,  to  whom  he  taught  the  'Kyrie  Eleison.' 
He  used  to  go  round  and  round  the  ramparts  at  Trani  with  a 
crowd  of  little  ones  behind  him.  The  people  of  the  place^com- 
plained  of  the  constant  noise  and  obstruction,  and  St.  Nicetas 
was  taken  before  the  Bishop,  who  asked  him  why  he  behaved 
in  such  a  strange  manner.  The  culprit  replied :  c  My  lord,  you, 
who  know  the  words  of  our  Saviour,  will  surely  remember  that 
He  ordered  all  of  us  to  bear  His  Cross  and  become  as  little 
children.'  The  Bishop  was  touched,  told  St.  Nicetas  that  he 
would  not  interfere  with  him,  and  the  young  enthusiast  re- 
turned to  his  mission.  He  would  probably  have  led  his  flock 
all  the  way  to  Rome,  but  three  days  after  the  interview  he  died 
suddenly,  and  was  buried  at  Trani,  where  he  is  still  held  in 
loving  memory. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

ROYAL  SAINTS   OF  THE   ELEVENTH   CENTURY 

AMONGST  the  many  noteworthy  characters  of  the  eleventh 
century — that  great  transition  period  alike  for  the  Church 
and  State  in  England — none  is  more  thoroughly  characteristic 
of  the  time  at  which  he  lived  than  St.  Edward  the  Confessor, 
the  last  Anglo-Saxon  King  of  the  old  royal  line,  predestined 
even  before  his  birth  for  an  unique  position,  yet  from  the 
political  point  of  view  altogether  unfit  to  hold  the  helm 
of  the  State,  in  the  midst  of  the  surging  difficulties  through 
which  it  was  necessary  to  pilot  the  kingdom.  St.  Edward 
had  not  been  long  on  the  throne,  before  his  counsellors  realized 
that  in  the  dreamy  visionary,  whose  mind  was  constantly 
absorbed  in  heavenly  contemplation,  they  had  a  monarch  who 
was  little  likely  to  promote  the  interests  of  his  people  during 
his  lifetime,  or  to  leave  a  son  to  carry  on  the  dynasty  after  his 


ST.  EDWARD  THE  CONFESSOR  191 

death.  Married  in  1045  to  Edith,  the  beautiful  and  virtuous 
daughter  of  the  great  Earl  Godwin,  the  young  King  treated  her 
rather  as  a  sister  than  a  wife,  responding  to  her  devotion  with 
chilling  coldness,  and  seizing  the  first  excuse  that  presented 
itself  for  banishing  her  to  a  convent.  St.  Edward  won  the 
love  of  his  subjects,  not  through  any  permanent  benefits  con- 
ferred on  them,  but  through  his  supposed  power  of  healing 
their  bodily  sufferings.  To  him,  indeed,  the  most  valuable  of 
his  royal  prerogatives  seemed  that  of  touching  for  the  so-called 
King's-evil,  which  he  looked  upon  as  a  sacred  privilege,  bring- 
ing him  into  direct  intercourse  with  the  poor,  who  were  in  his 
sight  the  representatives  of  his  divine  Master.  On  one  occasion 
the  King  carried  a  leper  on  his  own  shoulders  from  the  gate  of 
his  palace  to  the  church,  because  his  chamberlain  had  told  him 
St.  Peter  had  promised  the  sufferer  to  cure  him  if  St.  Edward 
would  take  him  to  the  altar,  and  no  disease  was  too  revolting 
to  be  charmed  away  by  the  soothing  touch  of  the  monarch's 
long,  transparent  fingers. 

St.  Edward  was  above  all  things  a  seer  of  visions,"  endowed 
perhaps  with  the  mysterious  faculty  called  by  the  Scotch  the 
second  sight,  and  all  the  most  important  actions  of  his  reign 
were  dictated  rather  by  a  superstitious  belief  in  dreams  and 
omens,  than  by  any  real  apprehension  of  the  political  situation. 
To  give  but  a  few  cases  in  point :  he  absolved  his  people  from 
the  tax  for  the  maintenance  of  ships  of  war,  not  because  it  was 
unjust,  but  because  he  had  seen  the  devil  dancing  with  unholy 
joy  in  the  treasury;  he  accepted  the  evils  threatening  his 
kingdom  as  inevitable,  because  he  had  had  a  vision  of  the 
Seven  Sleepers  of  Ephesus  turning  from  their  right  side  to  their 
left  after  remaining  motionless  for  two  centuries,  a  sure  presage 
of  misfortune  ;*  and  he  was  more  interested  in  what  he  took 
for  a  reflection  of  the  Infant  Saviour  in  the  consecrated  wine, 
than  over  any  of  the  hard- won  triumphs  of  the  national  party 
at  his  Court.  But  for  the  remonstrances  of  his  Witan,  the 
saintly-minded  King  would  have  left  England  at  a  most  critical 
juncture  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  Rome  in  fulfilment  of  a  vow ; 
and  it  was  in  dispensation  of  that  vow,  that  he  founded  the 
stately  Abbey  of  Westminster,  which  constitutes  his  chief  claim 
to  the  gratitude  and  veneration  of  posterity.  It  is,  in  fact, 

*  See  vol.  I.,  pp.  51,  52. 


192  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

related  that  St.  Peter  appeared  to  the  King — or,  according 
to  another  account,  to  an  old  hermit  of  Worcester — in  a 
dream,  and  expressed  a  wish  that  the  new  monastery  should 
be  built  on  the  site  of  the  church  the  Apostle  had  himself 
consecrated  in  the  time  of  St.  Mellitus,  and  armed  with  this 
sanction,  St.  Edward  did  not  hesitate  to  demolish  the  time- 
honoured  structure  erected  by  King  Sebert. 

The  building  of  the  Abbey  was  a  task  after  the  ascetic 
monarch's  own  heart,  and  the  rest  of  his  life  was  devoted 
almost  entirely  to  it.  The  signing  of  the  charter  of  its  founda- 
tion was  one  of  his  last  conscious  acts,  and  though  he  was  too 
ill  to  be  present  at  the  consecration,  he  was  represented  at  it 
by  his  wife,  whom  he  had  now  recalled  to  his  side,  and  who 
nursed  him  till  the  end  with  the  greatest  devotion.  St. 
Edward  the  Confessor  died  on  January  5,  1066,  and  was  buried 
at  the  foot  of  the  high-altar  in  the  chapel  still  named  after 
him,  wearing  his  royal  robes  and  crown  as  well  as  the  gold  ring 
supposed  to  have  been  given  him  by  St.  John  the  Evangelist, 
who  had  appeared  to  him  in  the  guise  of  a  pilgrim  many  years 
before.*  In  1163  the  coffin  of  the  Confessor,  who  had  been 
canonized  in  1161,  was  opened  in  the  presence  of  St.  Thomas 
a  Becket,  who  had  the  sacred  ring  removed,  and  in  1269  the 
remains  were  translated  with  much  pomp  and  ceremony  to 
their  present  resting-place.  Of  the  monastery  built  by  the  last 
of  the  Anglo-Saxon  Kings  nothing  now  remains  except  the 
Chapel  of  the  Pyx  and  certain  portions  of  the  refectory  and 
dormitory,  but  the  Shrine  of  St.  Edward  is  still  the  central 
object  of  interest  in  the  Abbey,  and  until  the  King  was  sup- 
planted by  St.  George  in  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  he  was 
revered  as  the  patron  Saint  of  England.  For  some  time,  as 
proved  by  an  illumination  in  a  Life  of  St.  Edward  now  in 
the  Cambridge  University  Library,  the  shrine  was  left  open 
at  one  end  that  the  sick  might  be  able  to  touch  the  coffin; 
and  on  October  13,  the  day  of  the  translation  of  the  relics, 
many  Roman  Catholics  still  flock  to  the  Abbey  to  do  honour 
to  the  memory  of  its  founder. 

The  special  attributes  of  St.  Edward  the  Confessor  are:  a 
ring  held  in  one  hand,  in  memory  of  the  meeting  with  the 
pilgrim ;  a  copy  of  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  on  account  of  his 

*  See  vol.  L,  pp.  55,  56. 


ST.  EDWARD  THE  CONFESSOR  193 

devotion  to  the  Evangelist ;  and  a  purse  hanging  from  his  right 
arm,  because  of  his  generosity  to  the  poor.  His  figure  in  royal 
robes,  is  of  very  frequent  occurrence  in  English  ecclesiastical 
decoration,  appearing,  for  instance,  on  the  exterior  of  Wells 
Cathedral;  in  Henry  VIL's  Chapel,  Westminster;  on  the 
Great  Screen  in  Winchester  Cathedral;  on  a  rood-screen  at 
Ludham,  and  on  one  in  St.  Andrew's,  Burlingham;  as  well 
as  in  various  mural  paintings,  notably  in  one,  dating  from  the 
fourteenth  century,  in  St.  Albans  Cathedral. 

The  Win  ton  family  own  a  very  quaint  old  diptych,  which 
has  been  engraved  by  Hollar,  in  which  King  Richard  II.  is 
kneeling,  with  Saints  Edward  the  Confessor,  Edmund,  and 
John  the  Baptist  standing  behind  him.  The  most  important 
representations  of  St.  Edward  the  Confessor  are,  however, 
the  series  of  sculptures,  supposed  to  date  from  the  fourteenth 
century,  on  the  screen  dividing  his  chapel  in  Westminster 
Abbey  from  the  choir,  which  form  a  complete  epitome  of 
the  chief  incidents  of  his  life  and  legend.  The  subjects  are : 
The  Bishops  and  Ealdormen  of  England  swearing  allegiance 
to  the  unborn  child  of  Queen  Emma,  for  it  is  related  that  just 
before  the  birth  of  St.  Edward,  his  father  King  Ethelred, 
summoned  a  Council  to  decide  who  should  succeed  him,  and 
St.  Dunstan  having  prophesied  that  the  elder  brothers  of  the 
expected  child  would  die  young,  all  present  took  the  oath  of 
fealty  to  the  little  one  still  in  his  mother's  womb  ;  the  birth  of 
King  Edward  ;  his  coronation  on  Easter  Day,  1043  >  ^s  vision 
of  the  devil  dancing  on  the  barrels  containing  the  money  of  the 
ship-tax ;  the  King  starting  up  from  his  couch  and  urging  a 
robber  who  is  stealing  gold  from  a  coffer  to  escape  before  he 
is  detected :  for  on  one  occasion  St.  Edward  is  said  to  have 
refused  to  punish  a  thief  when  urged  to  do  so  by  his  treasurer 
Hugolin,  replying  to  his  remonstrances,  '  Hold  thy  peace  ; 
perhaps  he  who  has  taken  the  gold  needs  it  more  than  we  * ; 
St.  Edward  kneeling  to  receive  the  Holy  Eucharist,  and  gazing 
at  an  apparition  of  the  Saviour  upon  the  altar ;  the  Confessor 
seeing  in  a  vision  the  drowning  at  sea  of  the  King  of  Denmark, 
whose  fate  is  said  to  have  been  revealed  to  him  in  a  dream ; 
St.  Edward,  his  wife,  and  Earl  Godwin  seated  at  table,  watch- 
ing the  Queen's  brothers  Harold  and  Tosti  wrestling  together  ; 
St.  Edward  relating  his  dream  of  the  Seven  Saints  of  Ephesus 
turning  in  their  sleep;  the  meeting  with  St.  John  the  Evangelist 

VOL.  III.  13 


194  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

In  the  guise  of  a  pilgrim ;  the  restoration  of  some  blind  men  to 
sight  by  the  use  of  water  in  which  St.  Edward  had  washed ; 
St.  John  handing  to  two  pilgrims  the  ring  given  to  him  by 
St.  Edward;  the  restoration  of  the  ring  to  the  Confessor; 
and,  lastly,  the  dedication  of  the  Abbey  of  Westminster. 

Other  celebrated  royal  Saints  of  the  eleventh  century  who 
are  represented  with  more  or  less  frequency  in  art  were 
Kings  Stephen  of  Hungary,  Olaf  II.  of  Sweden,  Canute  IV.  of 
Denmark,  Procopius  of  Bohemia,  Ladislas  of  Hungary,  and 
Queen  Margaret  of  Scotland.  The  first-named,  to  whom  the 
proud  title  of  'the  Apostolic  King'  was  given  by  Pope 
Sylvester  IL,  was  the  son  of  the  Christian  Duke  Geysa,  and 
was  baptized  in  infancy  by  St.  Adalbert.  The  name  of 
Stephen  was  given  to  him  because  it  is  said  that  just  before 
his  birth  the  first  Christian  martyr  appeared  to  his  mother, 
and  told  her  that  her  expected  child  would  complete  the 
work  of  evangelization  begun  by  his  father  with  the  aid  of 
St.  Adalbert.  The  dream  was  fulfilled,  and  St.  Stephen,  who 
married  the  Princess  Gisela,  sister  of  St.  Henry,  lived  to  see 
Christianity  established  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of 
his  dominions.  Moreover,  he  won  over  many  of  his  heathen 
neighbours  to  the  true  faith,  and  it  was  as  a  reward  for  these 
services,  that  the  Pope  accorded  to  him  the  title  of  King, 
sending  him  a  royal  diadem,  still  used  in  the  coronation 
ceremony  in  Hungary,  and  a  cross  to  be  borne  before  his 
armies  in  battle.  The  latter  was  supplemented  by  the  royal 
leader  with  a  banner  bearing  on  it  a  representation  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Divine  Child,  and,  according  to  a  poetic 
tradition,  it  was  usual  on  the  eve  of  a  battle  to  remove  the 
spurs  of  the  standard-bearer,  so  that  there  should  be  no  danger 
of  his  sacred  charge  being  dragged  along  in  a  retreat. 

St.  Stephen  died  in  1038,  and  was  canonized  a  few  years 
later.  His  remains  rest  in  a  beautiful  chapel  in  the  Church  of 
Our  Lady  at  Budapest,  which  is  said  to  have  been  the  scene 
of  many  miracles.  He  is  a  favourite  figure  in  German 
ecclesiastical  art,  and  is  generally  represented  as  a  handsome 
man  in  the  prime  of  life,  in  full  armour,  with  a  double  cross  upon 
his  breast,  holding  in  one  hand  a  sword,  and  in  the  other  the 
banner  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  its  staff  surmounted  by  a  cross. 
Occasionally,  as  in  the  '  Revue  de  FArt  Chretien,'  he  is  seen 
carrying  a  Legate's  cross,  or  he  holds  a  church  instead  of  the 


ST.  OLAF  II.  OF  NORWAY  195 

banner,  and  he  is  sometimes  represented,  as  in  a  painting  by 
an  unknown  hand  in  the  Vienna  Gallery,  receiving  the  crown 
sent  to  him  by  Pope  Sylvester.  Now  and  then  the  apostolic 
King  is  grouped  with  St.  Gerhard  of  Czanad,  who  was  his  chief 
collaborator  in  the  work  of  evangelization,  and  with  his  own 
young  son,  St.  Emeric,  who  died  before  him. 

St.  Olaf,  or  Olave  II.  of  Norway,  to  whom  many  churches 
are  dedicated  in  England,  including  several  in  London,  is 
honoured  as  a  martyr,  because  he  was  killed  in  battle  by  his 
infidel  subjects.  The  posthumous  son  of  Harold  Grenascus, 
who  was  assassinated  before  his  birth,  St.  Olaf  spent  his  child- 
hood in  exile,  and  was  baptized  at  the  age  of  three  with  his 
mother  and  her  second  husband,  Sigurd,  a  simple  husbandman 
who  cared  nothing  for  political  power,  and  brought  up  the  little 
Prince  to  his  own  occupation.  As  soon  as  Olaf  came  to  man's 
estate,  however,  he  determined  to  win  back  his  kingdom,  and  on 
his  first  arrival  in  Norway,  he  was  eagerly  welcomed  by  the  greater 
number  of  his  subjects.  He  was  proclaimed  King,  and  at  first 
all  went  well  with  him,  but  his  eager  zeal  for  the  conversion  of 
his  people  brought  him  into  conflict  with  the  heathen  priests, 
and  after  many  fierce  conflicts  with  them,  he  was  again  driven 
into  exile.  He  took  refuge  in  Sweden,  but  in  a  dream  the  stern 
warrior  Olaf  Tryggvesson,  who  had  been  his  father's  chief 
friend,  appeared  to  him  and  reproached  him  for  deserting  his 
country,  and  for  laying  down  the  royal  dignity  bestowed  on 
him  by  God. 

St.  Olaf  determined  to  try  his  fortune  once  more,  and 
returned  to  Norway,  where  he  was  joined  by  a  large  number  of 
Christian  warriors,  but  in  a  battle  near  Drontheim  he  was 
defeated  and  slain.  He  was  buried  at  Drontheim,  where  later 
was  erected  the  beautiful  cathedral  dedicated  to  him.  Round 
about  these  well  authenticated  facts  many  poetic  legends  have 
gathered,  in  which  the  brave  warrior  has  been  converted  into 
a  saintly  character,  caring  little  for  earthly  fame,  who,  with 
the  aid  of  Bishop  Sigurd,  won  hundreds  to  believe  in  the 
White  Christ,  and  again  and  again  put  his  heathen  opponents 
to  shame ;  notably  when  he  ordered  the  destruction  of  a  heathen 
god,  from  which,  as  it  fell,  'issued  forth  a  swarm  of  mice, 
reptiles,  and  adders.'  So  strict  was  St.  Olaf  in  observing 
the  Sabbath  that  when  he  had  in  a  moment  of  forgetfulness 
hewn  wood  on  that  day,  he  burnt  all  the  shavings  on  his  own 

13—2 


196  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

hand ;  and  on  another  occasion  when  a  strong  body  of  warriors 
came  to  offer  him  their  services  he  sent  them  away,  in  spite 
of  his  great  need  of  them,  because  they  would  not  be  baptized. 
On  the  eve  of  his  death  the  famous  sea-king  had  a  vision  of 
a  ladder  reaching  from  earth  to  heaven,  and  saw  himself  on  the 
topmost  rung  about  to  enter  eternal  bliss,  but  though  he  knew 
that  his  end  was  near,  he  would  take  no  precautions  for  his 
safety  in  the  struggle,  insisting  on  standing  forth  wherever  the 
•danger  was  greatest,  a  conspicuous  figure  in  his  gleaming 
armour  and  with  a  golden  cross  upon  his  shield. 

The  Norwegians  claim  that  during  his  first  exile  St.  Olaf 
espoused  the  cause  of  Ethelred  the  Unready,  doing  much  to  aid 
the  latter  in  his  struggle  with  the  Danes,  and,  with  the  aid  of  a 
little  band  of  warriors  who  had  come  with  him  to  England,  per- 
forming many  marvellous  feats  of  valour,  including  the  destruc- 
tion of  London  Bridge  by  the  clever  stratagem  of  covering  over 
his  boats  with  temporary  roofs,  under  the  shelter  of  which  his 
men  were  able  to  approach  near  enough  to  tie  ropes  round  the 
supports.  They  then  rowed  rapidly  away,  and  the  bridge,  with 
those  who  were  defending  it,  fell  into  the  water — an  exploit  com- 
memorated in  a  saga  in  the  following  lines,  which,  however, 
altogether  ignore  the  Christianity  of  St.  Olaf: 

*  At  London  Bridge  stout  Olaf  gave 
Odin's  law  to  his  war-men  brave  : 
To  win  or  die  ! 
And  their  foemen  fly, 
Some  by  the  dyke-side  refuge  gain, 
Some  on  their  tents  on  Southwark  Plain.1 

The  chief  attribute  of  St.  Olaf  is  a  battle-axe,  which  has  been 
worked  into  the  arms  of  the  royal  family  of  Norway,  and  also 
marks  the  day  of  his  martyrdom  —  July  29 — in  certain  old 
calendars ;  according  to  some  because  it  was  the  instrument  of 
his  death,  whilst  others  see  in  it  an  allusion  to  the  King  having 
appeared  long  after  he  had  passed  away,  brandishing  a  battle- 
axe,  on  the  eve  of  a  battle  in  which  he  secured  victory  to  an 
eastern  Emperor,  whose  name  is  not  given.  Occasionally,  as 
on  the  seal  of  St.  Olave's  Priory,  Herringfleet,  Suffolk,  St.  Olaf 
is  represented  crowned,  holding  a  cross  in  one  hand  and  a 
battle-axe  in  the  other.  Now  and  then  a  dagger,  the  usual 
weapon  of  a  sea-king,  replaces  the  battle-axe,  or  a  ladder  is 
introduced  behind  the  Saint,  in  memory  of  the  dream  related 


SS.  PROCOPIUS  AND  LADISLAS  197 

above.  Instances  also  occur,  as  in  a  mural  painting  at  Barton 
Turf  in  Norfolk,  of  what  looks  like  a  loaf  of  bread  being  given 
to  the  warrior  Saint — it  has  been  suggested  as  a  play  upon  his 
name,  the  word  Olaf  sounding  rather  like  *  whole  loaf.* 

Little  is  known  of  St.  Canute  IX.  of  Denmark — who  must  not 
be  confounded  with  a  later  Saint  of  the  same  name  who  died  a 
natural  death  in  1103,  and  has  no  special  art  attributes' — except 
that  he  was  martyred  by  his  rebellious  subjects  in  1086,  as  he 
knelt  in  prayer  at  the  altar  of  a  church  at  Odensee.  The 
assassins  flung  spears  at  St.  Canute  through  the  windows  of  the 
sacred  building,  for  which  reason  a  spear  or  a  lance  is  his 
special  attribute,  which  in  certain  calendars  is  associated  with  a 
scythe,  because  mowing  commences  in  the  extreme  north  of 
Europe  about  the  time  of  the  martyr's  f£te-day,  July  n. 

In  the  story  of  St.  Procopius  of  Bohemia  fact  and  fiction  are 
inextricably  blended.  According  to  one  tradition  he  was  a  King 
who  resigned  his  crown  to  become  a  hermit,  whilst  others 
assert  that  he  was  of  noble  but  not  royal  birth.  In  any  case, 
he  appears  to  have  given  up  everything  to  become  a  recluse, 
and  his  retreat  is  said  to  have  been  discovered,  as  was  that 
of  St.  Giles,  by  the  accident  that  a  stag  he  had  tamed  was 
pursued  to  his  hermitage  by  royal  huntsmen.  Eventually 
St.  Procopius  became  Abbot  of  a  monastery  near  Prague,  and 
he  is  still  greatly  honoured  in  Bohemia.  He  is  often  introduced 
in  iconographies,  with  a  stag  beside  him,  or  he  is  felling  a  tree 
in  a  forest ;  and  occasionally  he  holds  a  chalice,  because  he  is 
said  to  have  changed  water  into  wine,  for  the  benefit  of  a 
certain  Duke,  who,  when  heated  in  the  chase,  asked  the  holy 
man  for  something  to  drink. 

In  the  history  of  the  latter  part  of  the  eleventh  century  the 
figure  of  the  gallant  young  monarch  St.  Ladislas  of  Hungary 
stands  out  distinctly,  as  that  of  a  man  far  in  advance  of  his 
time.  Compelled  to  ascend  the  throne  against  his  will  in  1080, 
he  made  the  best  interests  of  his  subjects  his  constant  care, 
and  was  on  the  eve  of  starting  for  the  Holy  Land,  to  join  the 
Crusade  for  the  recovery  of  the  Holy  Sepulchre,  when  he  died, 
on  July  30,  1095.  It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Ladislas  in  royal 
robes,  holding  a  standard  similar  to  that  described  in  connection 
with  his  predecessor,  St.  Stephen,  which  is  sometimes  replaced 
by  a  globe  surmounted  by  a  cross,  because  he  declined  the 
Imperial  crown  of  Germany  when  it  was  offered  to  him;  or 


I98  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

by  a  church,  in  memory  of  his  foundation  of  the  cathedral  at 
Varadin,  in  which  he  is  buried.  Two  angels  are  generally  in- 
troduced beside  the  royal  Saint,  because  it  is  related  that  in 
a  combat  with  his  uncle,  Prince  Salomon,  the  latter  saw  two 
winged  figures  in  white  protecting  him,  and  because  of  a 
tradition  to  the  effect  that  at  his  funeral,  angels  carried  his 
coffin  to  its  last  resting-place.  Sometimes  the  much-loved 
King  holds  a  rosary  in  his  hand,  because  he  is  said  to  have 
carried  one  with  him  wherever  he  went,  a  tradition  rendered 
probable  by  the  fact,  that  the  use  of  that  aid  to  devotion  was 
introduced  into  Europe  during  his  lifetime.  Occasionally  St. 
Ladislas  holds  a  sword  or  battle-axe  as  well  as  a  chaplet,  and 
now  and  then  he  is  seen  striking  a  rock  with  his  sword ;  the 
latter  in  memory,  it  is  supposed,  of  his  having  obtained  by 
that  means  a  miraculous  supply  of  water  for  his  troops. 

Very  touching  and  pathetic  is  the  story  of  the  saintly  Queen 
Margaret  of  Scotland,  who  was  born  in  Hungary  about  1047, 
when  her  parents  were  in  exile  there,  and  was  educated  at  the 
Court  of  her  great-uncle,  St.  Edward  the  Confessor,  where  she 
came  under  the  influence  of  St.  Lanfranc.  After  the  disastrous 
defeat  at  Senlac  and  the  unsuccessful  attempt  to  secure  the 
succession  to  the  English  throne  of  Edgar  the  Atheling,  the 
brother  of  St.  Margaret,  she  fled  with  him  to  Scotland,  where 
they  were  kindly  received  by  King  Malcolm.  They  had  not 
been  at  the  Scottish  court  long  before  the  King  fell  in  love  with 
the  beautiful  Saxon  Princess,  and  although  she  would  rather 
have  remained  single,  to  devote  herself  entirely  to  the  service  of 
*God,  she  finally  consented  to  become  his  wife.  St.  Margaret 
nobly  fulfilled  all  the  duties  of  her  high  station,  winning  her 
husband  over  to  her  own  strict  religious  views  and  bringing  up 
her  eight  children  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord.  She  refounded  the 
famous  monastery  at  lona,*  built  a  beautiful  church  at  Dun- 
fermline,  and  did  much  to  reconcile  the  conflicting  religious 
parties  in  Scotland.  Her  kindness  and  generosity  to  the  poor 
and  afflicted  were  unfailing,  and  she  is  said  to  have  adopted 
nine  orphan  girls,  whom  she  waited  upon  with  her  own  hands. 
The  last  years  of  her  life  were  saddened  by  the  war  between 
King  M  alcolm  and  William  Rufus,  and  she  died  in  1093,  three 
days  after  the  tragic  deaths  of  her  husband  and  her  son  Edward, 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  305,  306. 


ST.  MARGARET  OF  SCOTLAND      199 

In  their  attempt  to  win  back  the  Castle  of  Alnwick,  which  had 
been  treacherously  seized  by  the  English  King*  She  was  buried 
at  Dunfermline,  in  the  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  but  her 
remains  were  translated  later  to  Spain,  where  they  were 
enshrined  in  the  Escorial  by  King  Philip  II. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Margaret  of  Scotland — who  appears 
amongst  the  royal  Saints  of  Britain  in  Henry  VIL's  Chapel  in 
Westminster  Abbey — as  a  beautiful  woman  in  royal  robes  hold- 
ing a  sceptre  and  a  book,  the  latter  sometimes  replaced  by  a 
cross.  Occasionally  she  is  seen  praying  for  the  soul,  of  her 
husband,  which  is  escaping  from  the  fire  of  purgatory  beside 
her,  or  she  is  in  her  palace  washing  the  feet  of  a  number  of 
pilgrims. 

A  humble  contemporary  of  Queen  Margaret  of  Scotland  was 
St.  Godelieve  of  Flanders,  who  is  still  much  revered  in  her 
native  land,  where  she  is  invoked  by  those  who  suffer  from 
diseases  of  the  throat  or  from  quinsy.  Married  against  her  will 
to  a  Flemish  Count,  she  soon  lost  his  affection,  and  in  a  fit  of 
rage  against  her,  he  strangled  her  with  a  handkerchief.  Her 
martyrdom — for  such  her  death  was  considered — is  represented 
in  a  quaint  old  picture  in  the  Bruges  Academy;  and  in  Flemish 
iconographies  she  sometimes  appears  with  a  rope  round  her 
neck  or  in  her  hand.  Elsewhere  two  crowns  are  given  to 
St.  Godelieve,  one  in  memory  of  her  martyrdom,  the  other  of 
the  vow  of  chastity  which  she  kept  at  the  cost  of  her  life. 


CHAPTER  XV 

GREAT  CLERGY  OF  THE  ELEVENTH  CENTURY 

ALTHOUGH  they  are  not  so  constantly  represented  in  art  as  are 
the  great  founders  of  the  reformed  monastic  Orders,  many 
churchmen  of  the  eleventh  century  have  been  admitted  into 
the  hierarchy  of  the  Saints,  and  have  become  associated  with 
special  emblems  recalling  certain  peculiarities  of  their  char- 
acters or  incidents  of  their  careers.  Of  these  the  most  cele- 
brated were  Popes  Leo  IX.  and  Gregory  VII.,  Archbishops 
Lanfranc  and  Anselm  of  Canterbury,  Bishops  Wolstan  of 
Worcester,  Stanislas  of  Cracow,  Siegfrid  of  Sweden,  Benno 


200  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

of  Meissen,  Gerard  of  Chonad,  Hugo  of  Grenoble,  Fulbert 
of  Chartres,  Bernward  of  Hildesheim,  Arnold  of  Soissons, 
and  Geoffroy  of  Amiens. 

St.  Leo  IX.  is  said  to  have  been  dedicated  to  God  even 
before  his  birth,  and  his  life  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave  was 
marked  by  an  absorbing  love  of  things  divine.  Of  noble  German 
origin,  his  baptismal  name  was  Bruno,  and  his  early  years  were 
passed  in  visiting  and  caring  for  the  sick  in  his  native  land* 
He  became  Bishop  of  Toul  in  1026,  and  was  raised  to  the 
Papacy  in  1049.  He  died  in  1055,  having  exercised  little 
political  influence,  and  he  is  chiefly  remembered  on  account 
of  two  miraculous  incidents  said  to  have  occurred  during 
his  term  of  office  as  Pope,  and  sometimes  represented  in  art. 
On  one  occasion,  when,  being  pressed  for  time,  St.  Leo  con- 
secrated a  church  from  a  distance,  all  the  usual  signs  of  the 
ceremony  having  been  performed,  such  as  the  crosses  on  the 
walls  and  the  letters  traced  in  ashes  on  the  ground,  were  dis- 
covered in  the  building.  Still  more  remarkable  was  the  second 
miracle,  when  a  leper  whom  the  charitable  Pope  had  placed  in 
his  own  bed  disappeared,  and  Christ  Himself  came  to  thank 
St.  Leo  for  the  aid  given  to  Him  in  the  form  of  the  sufferer. 

St.  Gregory  VII. ,  whose  baptismal  name  was  Hildebrand,  is 
said  by  some  to  have  been  of  humble  origin  and  to  have  begun 
life  as  a  carpenter,  whilst  others  claim  that  he  was  the  son  of  a 
Tuscan  nobleman.  He  is  chiefly  celebrated  for  his  long  struggle 
with  Henry  IV.  of  Germany,  by  whom  he  was  besieged  in  his 
Castle  of  St.  Angelo  in  1084.  After  fleeing  to  Robert  Guis- 
card,  Duke  of  Calabria,  St.  Gregory  withdrew  to  the  Bene- 
dictine Monastery  of  Monte  Cassino,  where  he  died  in  1085. 
His  special  emblem  in  art  is  a  dove  resting  on  his  shoulder, 
because  his  election  as  Pope  is  said  to  have  been  due  to 
Divine  intervention ;  and  he  is  sometimes  represented  weep- 
ing before  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  is  mingling  her 
tears  with  his,  in  memory  of  a  miracle  said  to  have  taken  place 
when  he  was  mourning  over  the  troubles  of  the  Church ;  or  he 
is  seen  as  a  young  man  in  a  carpenter's  shop  tracing  in  the 
sawdust  the  words  '  Dominabitur  a  mari  usque  ad  mare '  (he 
shall  rule  from  sea  to  sea),  prophetic  of  his  future  greatness. 

The  special  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Lanfranc — of  whom,  how- 
ever, unfortunately,  scarcely  any  representations  have  been 
preserved — are  a  monstrance  held  in  his  hands,  in  memory  of 


SS.  LANFRANC  AND  ANSELM  201 

his  successful  refutation  of  the  heresy  of  Berengarius  of  Tours 
on  the  subject  of  the  Real  Presence  in  the  Eucharist,  and  a 
demon  at  his  feet,  in  allusion  to  his  victory  over  eviL  St. 
Lanfranc  was  born  at  Pavia  about  1005,  and  in  1046  became 
Abbot  of  the  celebrated  Monastery  of  Bee,  which  he  left  in 
1062,  to  be  made  Prior  of  the  Abbey  of  St.  Stephen  at  Caen, 
whence  he  was  summoned  to  England  in  1070  by  William  the 
Conqueror,  who  made  him  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  From 
the  first  St.  Lanfranc  exercised  a  most  important  influence  over 
his  contemporaries,  aiding  the  King  in  his  struggle  to  keep  the 
Church  in  subjection  to  the  State,  and  doing  much  to  reform  the 
monastic  institutions  alike  of  Normandy  and  England.  The  new 
Primate  rebuilt  the  Cathedral  of  Canterbury,  which  had  fallen 
into  decay ;  founded  the  great  Abbey  of  Christchurch ;  and  after 
the  accession  of  William  II.,  at  whose  coronation  he  officiated, 
he  protected  the  revenues  of  the  Church  from  the  cupidity  of 
that  most  avaricious  monarch.  St.  Lanfranc  died  in  1089,  an(i 
was  buried  in  the  nave  of  his  own  cathedral,  but  exactly  where 
is  not  known.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  See  of  Canterbury, 
after  it  had  remained  vacant  four  years,  by  St.  Anselm,  also  an 
Italian  by  birth,  who  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Abbey  of  Bee 
and  had  been  made  Abbot  when  St.  Lanfranc  was  transferred 
to  Caen. 

A  man  of  a  very  different  type  to  his  great  predecessor,  St. 
Anselm  from  the  first  vigorously  upheld  the  rights  of  the 
Church.  It  is  said  that  when  he  was  told  by  the  King  that 
he  was  to  be  Archbishop  he  replied :  *  To  appoint  me  will  be 
to  yoke  the  bull  with  the  lamb/  a  remark  William  interpreted 
to  mean  that  the  new  prelate  would  submit  to  his  will. 
Whether  the  words  were  spoken  or  not,  they  were  fulfilled 
in  a  very  strange  manner.  It  was  St.  Anselm  who  revived 
the  custom  of  appealing  to  Rome  in  disputes  with  the  home 
government,  which,  though  no  doubt  justified  by  the  circum- 
stances of  the  time,  had  later  such  disastrous  results  for 
England.  Exiled  by  William  Rufus,  who  had  made  him  Arch- 
bishop, in  a  fit  of  terror  at  what  he  believed  to  be  the  approach 
of  death,  St.  Anselm  was  recalled  by  Henry  I.,  only  to  be 
banished  again  by  that  monarch,  on  account  of  his  uncom- 
promising attitude,  whenever  the  rights  of  the  Church  appeared 
to  be  threatened.  St.  Anselm  appealed,  as  he  had  done  before, 
to  the  Pope,  and  in  the  end  a  threat  of  excommunication 


202  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

induced  the  English  King  to  agree  to  a  compromise.  After 
two  years'  absence  the  Archbishop  returned  to  Canterbury, 
and  for  the  rest  of  his  life  he  was  allowed  to  rule  his  diocese 
without  interference  from  the  secular  power.  He  died  in  1109, 
and  was  buried  beside  St.  Lanfranc,  but  his  remains  were  later 
translated  to  the  chapel  bearing  his  name,  where  they  still  rest. 

Whatever  the  diversity  of  opinion  as  to  the  merits  of  the 
political  actions  of  St.  Anselm,  all  who  are  competent  to  judge 
agree  in  recognising  him  to  have  been  a  great  thinker  and 
writer,  a  profound  theologian,  worthy  to  rank  with  the 
Fathers  of  the  Church  of  the  fourth  and  fifth  centuries ;  an 
unselfish  worker  for  the  good  of  others,  to  whom  the  poor,  the 
weak,  and  the  oppressed  never  appealed  in  vain.  He  had  a 
great  tenderness  for  little  children  and  for  animals.  It  is 
related  that  he  one  day  stopped  in  the  streets  of  Canterbury 
to  tell  a  boy  to  set  free  a  bird ;  on  another  occasion  he  saved 
a  hare  which  had  taken  refuge  beneath  his  horse,  as  he 
was  riding  through  the  forest.  Drawing  rein  he  dismounted, 
the  dogs  pausing  in  their  rush  upon  their  victim  in  obedience 
to  his  gesture  of  command,  and  turning  to  the  astonished 
huntsmen,  he  bid  them  note  the  significance  of  the  incident. 
*  Even,'  he  said,  *  as  this  poor  animal  escapes  from  the  fangs 
of  your  dogs,  so  does  the  soul  of  the  sinner  who  trusts  in  God, 
escape  the  powers  of  hell.1 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Anselm,  to  whom  many  .churches 
in  England  are  dedicated,  in  the  ornate  robes  of  an  Archbishop, 
holding  in  his  hand  a  model  of  a  ship,  in  memory  of  his  various 
voyages  to  Rome,  or  a  Papal  bull,  with  unbroken  seals,  in 
allusion  to  his  appeals  to  the  Pope.  In  some  iconographies 
a  vision  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Divine  Child  is  associated 
with  St.  Anselm,  or  a  fire,  supposed  to  represent  purgatory,  is 
introduced  beside  him,  because  he  is  credited  with  having  said 
that  he  would  rather  go  to  hell  without  sin,  than  appear  before 
God  with  a  burdened  conscience.  On  the  seal  of  St.  Anselm, 
reproduced  in  DucarePs  'Anglo-Norman  Antiquities'  and  else- 
where, the  Archbishop  holds  an  open  book  in  one  hand  and 
his  crosier  in  the  other;  and  in  the  beautiful  'Coronation  of 
the  Virgin,'  by  Francia,  in  S.  Frediano  at  Lucca,  the  great 
theologian  is  grouped  with  St.  Augustine  of  Hippo*  opposite 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  165-171. 


Alinari  photo\  [S.  Fred/ana,  Lucca 

ST.    ANSELM   AND    OTHER   SAINTS   WITH   THE 

CORONATION    OF   THE  VIRGIN 

By  Prancia 

To  face  p.  202 


ST.  WOLSTAN  OF  WORCESTER  203 

Kings  David  and  Solomon.  He  holds  a  scroll  bearing  the 
words,  *  Non  puto  esse  verum  amatorem  virginis  qni  celebrate 
respirit  festam  suse,  conceptions/  signifying,  *  He  is  no  true 
lover  of  the  Virgin  who  refuses  to  recognise  the  festival  of  Her 
conception,'  said  by  some  Roman  Catholic  writers  to  be  a 
quotation  from  a  sermon  by  St.  Anselm,  but  by  others  to  have 
been  given  to  the  Archbishop  in  consequence  of  the  erroneous 
attribution  to  him  of  a  manuscript,  relating  the  legend  of  a 
certain  Abbot  who  was  saved  in  a  storm  at  sea  by  the  inter- 
vention of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

The  life-story  of  St.  Wolstan  or  Wulstan,  the  last  Saint  of 
the  Anglo-Saxon  Church,  reflects  in  a  remarkable  degree  the 
history  of  the  time  at  which  he  lived.  Of  aristocratic  birth,  he 
was  a  native  of  Icentun  in  Warwickshire,  and  was  from  the 
first  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  by  his  parents,  who  with- 
drew, when  he  was  still  a  child,  one  to  a  monastery,  the  other 
to  a  nunnery.  The  future  Saint  was  brought  up  by  Brithege, 
Bishop  of  Worcester,  by  whom  he  was  ordained  priest,  and 
with  whose  consent  he  entered  the  important  monastery  in 
that  city,  where  he  soon  attained  great  renown  for  his  skill 
in  training  the  young.  He  eventually  became  Abbot,  and  in 
1062  he  was  chosen  Bishop  of  Worcester,  very  much  against  his 
own  will.  St.  Wolstan  spent  the  next  few  years  travelling  about 
his  diocese,  winning  all  hearts  by  his  gentle  courtesy,  and,  it  is 
said,  constantly  followed  about  by  children,  to  whom  he  always 
showed  especial  tenderness.  The  little  choristers  in  the  churches 
were  all  devoted  to  him,  and  a  touching  story  is  told  of  his 
having  one  day  laid  his  hands  upon  the  golden  curls  of  one  of 
them,  with  the  words  :  '  All  these  will  fall  off  some  day.'  The 
boy  looked  up  in  the  Bishop's  face,  crying  out  in  distress,  *  Oh, 
save  my  curls  for  me!'  and  the  holy  man  promised  that  he 
would.  The  boy  grew  up  to  man's  estate,  and  though  his 
hair  turned  white  the  Bishop's  promise  was  kept. 

The  death  of  St.  Edward  the  Confessor,  for  whom  St.  Wolstan 
had  a  great  veneration,  was  a  bitter  grief  to  the  Bishop,  but 
in  the  troubles  which  ensued  he  showed  unfailing  loyalty  to 
the  throne,  urging  the  people  of  his  diocese  to  look  upon  the 
change  from  the  Saxon  to  the  Norman  rule  as  a  just  punish- 
ment for  their  sins.  Soon  after  the  accession  of  William  the 
Conqueror,  St.  Wolstan  was  summoned  to  attend  a  synod  at 
Westminster,  presided  over  by  St.  Lanfranc,  to  answer  for 


204  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

neglect  of  duty,  and  after  a  trial  in  which  he  behaved  with 
great  dignity  and  composure,  he  was  ordered  to  give  up  his 
staff  and  ring,  the  emblems  of  his  office.  The  meeting  appears 
to  have  been  held  in  the  chapel  containing  the  tomb  of  the 
Confessor,  for  it  is  related  that,  in  reply  to  the  demand  for  his 
resignation,  St.  Wolstan  declared  that  he  would  yield  up  his 
office  to  none  but  to  him  who  had  given  it  to  him.  He  had, 
he  protested,  received  his  ring  and  staff  from  King  Edward, 
acting  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  Pope,  and,  turning 
to  the  tomb,  he  added :  *  Lord  Edward,  they  accuse  thee  of 
error,  and  me  of  presumption  in  obeying  thee.  In  life,  being 
mortal,  thou  mayst  perchance  have  erred,  but  now,  being  with 
God,  it  is  impossible  for  thee  to  judge  wrongly.'  Then,  thrusting 
his  crosier  into  the  tomb,  he  cried :  '  Take  it,  my  master,  and 
deliver  it  to  whom  thou  wilt!7  In  a  dead  silence  the  holy 
man,  having  first  divested  himself  of  his  episcopal  vestments, 
returned  to  his  seat  amongst  his  attendants,  and,  after  a 
pause,  St.  Lanfranc  bade  several  of  the  Norman  clergy  present 
withdraw  the  crosier.  They  tried,  one  after  the  other,  in  vain, 
and  at  last  the  Archbishop,  seeing  how  great  had  been  his 
error,  commanded  St.  Wolstan  to  take  back  the  symbol  of  his 
office.  The  Bishop  obeyed ;  the  crosier  at  once  yielded  to  his 
touch,  and,  amidst  the  congratulations  of  his  friends,  he  was 
reinstated  in  his  old  dignity. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  foundation  for  this  beautiful 
and  romantic  legend,  it  is  certain  that  after  the  synod  at  West- 
minster, Saints  Lanfranc  and  Wolstan  became  close  friends. 
Together  they  worked  for  the  good  of  the  Church,  often 
meeting  for  consultation,  and  it  was  to  their  united  efforts 
that  the  trade  in  slaves,  which  in  the  early  years  of  William 
Rufus  had  attained  to  formidable  proportions,  was  suppressed. 
St.  Wolstan  died  in  1095,  having  done  much  to  promote  peace 
between  the  Saxons  and  Normans,  and  his  memory  is  still  held 
sacred,  not  only  in  what  was  once  his  see,  but  in  the  whole  of 
England.  The  special  emblem  in  art  of  St.  Wolstan  is  a 
goose,  because  it  is  said  that,  having  on  one  occasion  allowed 
the  smell  of  roast  goose  to  distract  him  at  his  devotions,  he 
vowed  never  again  to  taste  that  food.  The  beloved  Bishop, 
wearing  his  episcopal  robes,  is  often  introduced  in  ecclesiastical 
decoration,  notably  in  a  modern  window  in  Lichfield  Cathedral, 
and  before  the  Reformation  there  were  many  representations  in 


ST.  STANISLAS  OF  CRACOW  205 

old  English  churches  of  the  Incident  of  the  crosier.  In  Ashby 
Church,  Suffolk,  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Wolstan  were  dis- 
covered beneath  a  coating  of  whitewash  on  one  of  the  walls, 
and  there  is  a  mural  painting  in  Norwich  Cathedral  in  which 
he  is  associated  with  St.  Edward  the  Confessor.  In  some  icon- 
ographies St.  Wolstan  is  represented  restoring  sight  to  a  blind 
nun,  by  making  the  sign  of  the  cross  over  her  eyes,  and  else- 
where he  is  seen  giving  a  richly-dressed  lady  a  box  on  the  ears,; 
in  allusion  to  his  having,  it  is  said,  on  one  occasion  lost  his 
temper  with  a  visitor  who  was  wasting  his  time  and  her  own. 

Of  St.  Stanislas  of  Cracow — whose  emblem  in  art  is  an  eagle, 
because  his  dead  body  is  said  to  have  been  protected  by  one — 
little  is  known,  except  that  he  was  assassinated  when  performing 
Mass  by  King  Boleslas  II.  of  Poland,  because  he  had  ventured 
to  reprove  that  fierce  monarch  for  his  crimes.  The  Bishop  is 
credited  in  his  native  land  with  having  performed  many  wonder- 
ful works,  including  the  summoning  of  a  dead  man,  who  duly 
appeared  at  his  command,  to  bear  witness  against  the  King, 
who  had  denied  having  made  a  grant  of  land  to  the  Church. 
On  account  of  his  treatment  of  St.  Stanislas,  King  Boleslas 
was  excommunicated  by  the  Pope,  and  his  subjects  rose  against 
him,  compelling  him  to  flee  to  Hungary,  for  which  reason  the 
Bishop  is  credited  with  having  been  the  saviour  of  his  country. 

St.  Siegfrid,  to  whom  the  proud  title  of  the  Apostle  of 
Sweden  has  been  given,  is  said  to  have  been  of  English  birth, 
and  to  have  gone  as  a  missionary  to  Gothland  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  tenth  century.  He  won  over  King  Olas  and  many  of  his 
subjects  to  the  true  faith,  founded  several  churches,  and  died 
early  in  the  eleventh  century,  leaving  behind  him  a  great 
reputation  for  zeal  and  holiness.  Many  wonderful  works  are 
said  to  have  been  performed  by  him  in  his  life,  and  his  tomb  in 
the  cathedral  at  Wexio  was  for  many  years  visited  by  crowds 
of  pilgrims.  He  is  generally  represented  wearing  the  robes  of 
a  Bishop,  and  holding  three  heads,  either  in  his  hands  or  in  a 
bucket.  More  rarely  the  heads  are  placed  on  a  tomb  beside 
him,  and  appear  to  be  speaking  to  him.  In  either  case  the 
gruesome  emblem  has  reference  to  the  following  incident. 
Three  of  St.  Siegfrid's  nephews  had  gone  with  him  to  Sweden, 
but  during  a  temporary  absence  of  their  leader  they  were  killed 
by  the  heathen,  who  cut  off  their  heads,  put  them  in  a  box,  and 
sunk  them  in  a  pond,  but  buried  the  bodies  in  the  forest.  The 


206  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Bishop,  aided  by  an  angel,  recovered  the  scattered  remains  and 
had  them  burled  in  his  church  at  Wexio,  where  they  were 
much  honoured,  until  they  were  dispersed  by  the  iconoclasts  in 
the  sixteenth  century.  In  old  Swedish  calendars,  February  15, 
the  fete-day  of  St.  Siegfrid  is  marked  by  a  cross  and  a  hatchet, 
the  former  the  emblem  of  a  missionary,  the  latter  an  allusion 
to  the  instrument  of  the  martyrdom  of  the  three  nephews. 

St.  Benno,  who  is  invoked  against  rain  in  Germany — why 
is  unknown — was  Bishop  of  Meissen  in  Saxony  at  a  most 
critical  time  in  the  history  of  the  Church,  when  the  struggle 
was  going  on  between  the  Emperor  Henry  IV.  and  Pope 
Gregory  VII.  He  espoused  the  cause  of  the  latter,  and 
when  Henry  IV.  endeavoured  to  enter  the  cathedral  after  his 
excommunication  by  the  Pope,  the  Bishop  closed  the  doors 
against  him,  flung  the  keys  into  the  Elbe,  and  withdrew  to 
Rome.  The  cathedral  remained  locked  during  his  absence, 
and  on  his  return  after  the  temporary  reconciliation  between 
the  Emperor  and  the  Pope,  the  Bishop  himself  was  unable 
to  enter  until  the  keys  were  recovered.  It  is  related  that 
St.  Benno  ordered  a  net  to  be  cast  into  the  river,  and  when  it 
was  drawn  up  it  was  found  to  contain  a  huge  fish,  in  the  body 
of  which  were  the  keys  of  the  cathedral.  St.  Benno  died  in 
1106,  the  same  year  as  the  Emperor  he  had  defied,  and  was 
buried  in  the  cathedral  he  had  so  eagerly  defended,  but  his 
relics  were  translated  to  Munich  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
His  special  emblem  in  art  is  a  fish  with  two  keys  in  its  mouth 
or  hanging  from  its  neck,  either  held  in  his  hand  or  on  an  open 
book.  The  finding  of  the  keys  is  the  subject  of  an  altar-piece 
by  Carlo  Saraceni  in  S.  Maria  delP  Anima,  Rome,  and  before 
the  Reformation  there  were  many  representations  in  German 
churches  of  the  intrepid  Bishop. 

St.  Gerhard,  the  friend  and  counsellor  of  St.  Stephen  of 
Hungary,  was  by  him  made  Bishop  of  Czanad,  and  did  much 
to  aid  in  the  conversion  of  the  Magyars.  On  the  accession  of 
King  Andrew,  who  was  a  bitter  enemy  of  the  Christians,  he 
and  three  other  clergy  were  assassinated  by  order  of  that 
monarch.  They  were  stoned  to  death,  and  when  St.  Gerhard 
fell  to  the  ground  in  a  dying  condition,  one  of  the  murderers 
pierced  his  body  with  a  lance.  The  body  of  the  Bishop  was 
reverently  interred  at  Czanad  by  some  of  his  converts,  but  it 
was  later  translated  to  Murano.  St.  Gerhard  is  still  greatly 


ST.  HUGO  OF  GRENOBLE  207 

honoured  in  Hungary7,  and  also  in  northern  Italy,  where  he  is 
often  represented  in  his  episcopal  vestments,  holding  a  lance  in 
his  hand,  or  stones  in  a  fold  of  his  robes,  in  memory  of  the 
manner  of  his  death.  Sometimes  the  Bishop,  with  a  censer 
in  his  hand,  kneels  at  the  foot  of  an  altar  bearing  an  image  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  because  he  left  a  silver  censer  and  a  sum  of 
money,  to  be  given  in  perpetuity  to  two  old  men,  to  keep  incense 
burning  before  an  image  of  the  Mother  of  the  Lord  in  a  church 
in  Hungary. 

St.  Hugo  of  Grenoble,  who  has  long  been  greatly  honoured 
in  France  as  joint  founder  with  St.  Bruno  of  the  famous 
Grande  Chartreuse  Monastery,  belonged  to  a  noble  French 
family,  and  was  born  in  1053.  He  early  resolved  to  dedicate 
his  life  to  God,  and  having  been  ordained  priest,  his  eloquent 
preaching  and  zealous  devotion  won  him  rapid  preferment. 
He  was  Bishop  of  Grenoble  when,  as  related  above,  St.  Bruno 
and  his  six  companions  came  to  that  city  to  ask  his  advice.  St. 
Hugo  had  been  warned  in  a  dream  of  the  approach  of  the  monks, 
and  welcomed  them  gladly,  giving  them  the  land  they  needed 
for  their  monastery  and  aiding  them  in  every  possible  way. 
Indeed,  he  visited  them  so  constantly  in  their  mountain  retreat, 
and  lingered  with  them  so  long,  that  St.  Bruno  had  great 
difficulty  in  persuading  him  to  return  to  his  own  work.  St. 
Hugo  died  at  Grenoble  in  1132,  and  was  buried  in  his  own 
cathedral. 

The  special  emblem  in  art  of  St.  Hugo,  who  sometimes 
wears  the  episcopal  robes  and  sometimes  those  of  a  Carthusian 
monk,  is  a  swan,  the  emblem  of  silence,  in  memory  of  his 
love  of  retirement.  His  dream  of  the  seven  stars  has  been 
a  favourite  subject  with  French  artists,  including  Jacques 
Callot,  and  he  is  also  sometimes  represented  listening  to 
penitents,  because  he  is  said  to  have  revived  the  custom  of 
confessing,  which  had  fallen  into  disuse  in  his  diocese ;  looking 
at  a  plan  of  some  buildings,  in  memory  of  his  aid  in  founding 
the  Grande  Chartreuse ;  or  he  is  kneeling  in  prayer  with  tears 
pouring  down  his  face,  because  he  mourned  perpetually  over 
the  sins  of  his  people.  In  an  old  German  engraving  St.  Hugo 
is  represented  being  rescued  in  a  storm  by  an  angel;  in  a 
French  print  he  is  seen  restoring  to  life  a  man  who  has  been 
executed;  and  in  some  old  iconographies,  he  holds  three  flowers 
or  a  lantern,  the  former  possibly  in  allusion  to  his  love  of  the 


208  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

country,  the  latter  to  his  eager  spreading  of  the  light  of  the 
faith.  In  France  the  famous  Bishop  of  Grenoble  is  sometimes 
associated  with  St.  Hugh  of  Lincoln  and  St.  Bruno,  because 
he  is  said  to  have  appeared  with  them  in  the  fourteenth  century 
in  answer  to  an  appeal  from  a  blind  Carthusian  nun. 

St.  Fulbert — who  is  looked  upon  as  the  true  founder  of 
the  beautiful  Cathedral  of  Chartres,  and  whose  emblem  in  art 
is  a  model  of  that  building — .is  much  honoured  by  Roman 
Catholics  on  account  of  his  having  introduced  into  his  diocese 
the  celebration  of  the  F£te  of  the  Nativity  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  who  is  said  to  have  cured  him  of  quinsy  with  milk 
from  her  breast.  The  date  of  the  birth  of  St.  Fulbert  is  unknown, 
but  he  became  Bishop  of  Chartres  in  1007.  After  the  disas- 
trous fire  of  1 020,  in  which  the  cathedral,  with  the  exception 
of  the  transept  walls,  was  completely  destroyed,  he  worked 
without  intermission  at  rebuilding  it  until  his  death  in  1028, 
aided  by  King  Canute  of  England,  Robert  the  Pious  of  France, 
and  many  of  the  great  French  nobles.  St.  Fulbert  was  buried 
in  the  Church  of  St.  Pierre  at  Chartres,  but  neither  there  nor 
in  his  own  cathedral  is  there  any  representation  of  him.  His 
portrait  is,  however,  preserved  in  a  twelfth-century  manuscript 
in  the  sacristy  of  the  latter,  together  with  a  drawing  of  the 
building  as  it  was  at  his  death. 

Of  St.  Bernward  of  Hildesheim  very  little  is  known,  except 
that  before  he  became  Bishop  he  was  chaplain  to  the  Emperor 
Otto  III.  He  won  a  great  reputation  for  holiness,  spending 
many  hours  of  the  night  in  prayer,  and  employing  much  of  his 
time  in  the  day  in  making  chalices  and  crosses  for  use  in  his 
diocese.  St.  Bernward  is  generally  represented  wearing 
episcopal  robes  and  holding  a  church  in  one  hand,  as  on  his 
crosier  preserved  in  the  Cathedral  of  Hildesheim;  or,  as  in 
certain  old  iconographies,  at  work  upon  a  chalice,  or  com- 
pleting a  jewelled  cross  with  the  aid  of  an  angel. 

St.  Arnould  was  of  noble  birth,  and  began  his  career  as 
an  officer  in  the  French  army.  Later  he  became  a  monk, 
and,  very  much  against  his  own  will,  was  made  Bishop  of 
Soissons  by  St.  Gregory  VII.  Ater  ruling  his  diocese  with 
great  rigour  for  a  few  years  he  obtained  leave  to  retire  from  it 
to  found  a  monastery  near  Bruges,  in  which  he  died  in  1087. 
St.  Arnould  is  supposed  to  be  the  special  protector  of  expectant 
mothers,  and  he  is  the  chosen  patron  of  the  brewers  of  France 


ST.  GEOFFROY  OF  AMIENS  209 

and  Flanders,  possibly  in  memory  of  his  having,  it  is  said, 
multiplied  the  supply  of  bread  and  beer  at  the  consecration 
of  a  church.  For  the  same  reason  he  is  sometimes  represented 
holding  a  bunch  of  hops  or  a  rake  in  one  hand,  or  with 
a  kind  of  vat  beside  him.  He  wears  the  robes  of  a  Bishop 
over  the  armour  of  an  officer,  and  now  and  then  a  wolf  is 
associated  with  him,  in  allusion  to  a  tradition  to  the  effect  that 
when  he  tried  to  evade  being  consecrated  Bishop,  he  took  a 
wolf  for  his  guide  in  the  forest,  but  the  animal  led  him  back  by 
devious  ways  to  the  gates  of  Soissons.  A  raven  is  also  occa- 
sionally introduced  beside  St.  Arnould,  because  he  is  said  to 
have  been  saved  from  death  by  a  bird  he  had  tamed,  which 
flew  away  with  a  poisoned  fish  sent  to  him  by  an  enemy,  and 
he  is  also  sometimes  represented  digging  his  own  grave  on  the 
eve  of  his  death. 

St.  Geoifroy,  of  whom  there  is  a  statue  in  St.  Firmin's  Porch 
at  Amiens,  was  Bishop  of  that  city  from  1104  to  1115,  but 
was  compelled  to  withdraw  from  his  see  at  the  latter  date, 
on  account  of  the  violent  resistance  of  his  people  to  the  reforms 
he  endeavoured  to  introduce.  He  is  generally  represented  with 
a  dead  dog  at  his  feet,  in  memory  of  his  life  having  been  saved 
through  his  giving  to  a  pet  hound  a  piece  of  poisoned  bread  in- 
tended for  himself;  but  occasionally,  as  in  an  engraving  by 
Jacques  Callot,  he  is  seen  nursing  the  sick  or  praying  at  an 
altar,  whilst  above  his  head  appears  a  vision  of  the  conflict 
between  good  and  evil  spirits.  St.  Geoffroy  died  in  1118  in  the 
Abbey  of  St.  Crispin  at  Soissons,  and  was  buried  in  its  church. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

ST.   THOMAS   OF  CANTERBURY,   ST.    HUGH    OF   LINCOLN,   AND 
OTHER  TWELFTH-CENTURY  CHURCHMEN 

IN  the  deeply  interesting  history  of  the  long  struggle  for 
supremacy  between  Church  and  State  which  was  waged  in 
England  with  varying  success  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
twelfth  century,  no  figure  stands  out  with  greater  distinctness 
than  does  that  of  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury,  whose  complex 
VOL.  in.  14 


2io  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

character  and  chequered  career,  have  given  rise  to  a  bewildering 
diversity  of  criticism. 

The  son  of  a  wealthy  Norman  merchant,  the  future  Arch- 
bishop was  born  in  London  in  mS,  but,  unfortunately  for  the 
lovers  of  romance,  it  is  necessary  finally  to  abandon  the  charm- 
ing tradition  that  his  mother  was  a  beautiful  Syrian  girl,  who 
had  rescued  his  father  from  slavery  in  the  Holy  Land,  following 
him  to  England  after  his  escape,  and  knowing  no  words  of  his 
language  but  his  name  *  Gilbert '  and  '  London.'  That  she  found 
her  lover,  was  baptized  by  him  before  their  wedding,  which  took 
place  in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  and  that  their  son,  who  was 
named  Thomas  after  the  Apostle,  was  born  whilst  Gilbert  was 
away  at  the  Crusades,  is  all  circumstantially  told  in  various 
*  Lives  of  the  Saints '  accepted  by  Roman  Catholics,  and  the 
quest  of  the  dark-haired  maiden  for  her  Gilbert's  home,  has 
been  the  subject  of  more  than  one  work  of  art,  including  a  fine 
painting  by  Edward  Armitage  and  one  by  G.  J.  Pinwell ;  but  in 
histories  based  on  carefully-sifted  evidence  the  whole  legend  is 
wisely  omitted. 

Educated  by  the  monks  of  Merton  Abbey,  the  young  Thomas 
won  all  their  hearts  by  his  frank  and  noble  bearing  and  his 
eager  love  of  study.  It  has  been  asserted  that  whilst  he  was 
still  with  them  he  vowed  to  serve  God  before  all  others,  in 
gratitude  for  what  he  looked  upon  as  a  miraculous  escape  from 
drowning.  A  favourite  hawk  had  dashed  into  a  mill-race  after 
its  quarry,  and  the  boy,  fearing  it  would  be  dragged  down, 
plunged  in  to  the  rescue,  and  both  were  being  swept  to  de- 
struction, when  the  mill  suddenly  stopped  and  Thomas  was 
able  to  swim  to  the  shore. 

Whether  this  incident  be  true  or  not,  it  is  certain  that  the 
future  Saint  was  no  mere  bookworm,  but  excelled  in  all  manly 
exercises,  spending  much  of  his  time  at  Pevensey  Castle  with 
the  young  nobles  of  the  Court,  an  incidental  proof  of  his  own 
gentle  birth.  Owing  to  the  failure  of  his  father  in  business, 
however,  his  career  received  rather  a  severe  check  at  a  critical 
time,  and  for  three  years  he  had  to  work  as  secretary  at  a 
lawyer's  office  in  London.  He  fortunately  attracted  the  notice 
of  Theobald,  his  predecessor  in  the  See  of  Canterbury,  who 
adopted  him  as*  a  son,  aiding  him  to  complete  his  education,  and 
taking  him  to  Rome,  when  he  himself  went  there  with  the  Pope 
to  further  the  cause  of  Henry  of  Anjou.  In  1154  Theobald 


ST.  THOMAS  OF  CANTERBURY  211 

made  his  favourite  Archdeacon  of  Canterbury,  and  a  year  later 
obtained  for  him  the  important  appointment  of  Chancellor 
to  Henry  II.,  who  quickly  conceived  a  deep  affection  for 
his  new  minister,  consulting  him  at  every  turn  and  entrusting 
him  with  many  missions  to  foreign  Courts,  As  Chancellor, 
St.  Thomas  took  a  vigorous  personal  share  not  only  in  every 
political  measure  of  the  day,  but  also  in  the  various  foreign 
campaigns  in  which  his  royal  master  was  engaged,  winning 
throughout  Europe  a  great  reputation  for  his  magnificence  and 
liberality,  his  chivalric  courage  and  courtly  manners.  The 
death  in  1161  of  his  old  friend  Theobald  was  a  great  grief  to 
the  Chancellor,  and  the  idea  that  he  might  himself  be  chosen  to 
succeed  him  does  not  appear  to  have  occurred  to  him.  He  felt 
himself  to  be  in  his  right  place  as  Chancellor,  able  to  do  good 
service  to  his  King  and  country,  and  when  Henry  broke  the 
news  to  him  that  he  was  to  be  the  new  Archbishop,  he  remon- 
strated eagerly  against  the  appointment,  declaring  that  if  he 
accepted  it  it  would  lead  to  a  rupture  between  him  and  the 
King.  St.  Thomas  is  even  said  to  have  pointed  to  his  gorgeous 
robes  of  office  with  the  laughing  words,  '  You  are  choosing  a 
fine  costume  for  the  leader  of  your  Canterbury  monks/  and 
when  Henry  declared  that  his  mind  was  made  up  on  the 
subject,  the  Chancellor  gravely  replied :  '  I  foresee,  then,  that 
I  shall  soon  lose  your  favour,  and  the  affection  you  feel  for 
me  now  will  be  changed  into  hatred.' 

It  is  supposed  that  in  making  Becket  Archbishop — an  office 
which,  by  the  way,  included  that  of  Abbot  of  the  cathedral 
monastery — Henry  hoped  to  have  secured  a  prelate  who  would 
further  his  own  schemes  with  regard  to  the  supremacy  of  the 
State.  If  so,  he  was  quickly  undeceived,  for  no  transformation 
could  have  been  more  complete  than  that  which  now  took 
place  in  the  attitude  of  the  man,  who  had  hitherto  made  the 
carrying  out  of  the  King's  policy  the  supreme  aim  of  his  life. 
Recognising  at  once  that  the  positions  of  Chancellor  and 
Archbishop  were  incompatible,  St.  Thomas  lost  no  time  in 
resigning  the  former,  and  throwing  himself  heart  and  soul  into 
the  duties,  as  he  understood  them,  of  his  new  office.  The 
history  of  the  next  eight  years  is  that  of  one  long  struggle  for 
mastery  between  the  King  and  the  prelate,  St.  Thomas  stand- 
ing forth  as  the  champion  of  the  Church,  with  all  its  privileges, 
Henry  as  the  defender  of  the  rights  of  the  State  against  all 

14 — 2 


212  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

encroachments  from  Pope  or  clergy.  The  contest  may  be  said 
to  have  culminated  at  the  famous  Council  of  Clarendon,  at 
which  the  King  appears  for  the  first  time  to  have  fully  realized 
how  utterly  antagonistic  with  his  own  views  were  those  of  his 
old  friend. 

Only  under  very  great  pressure  was  Becket  induced  to  con- 
sent to  sign  the  famous  ordinances  known  as  the  Constitutions 
of  Clarendon,  which,  if  they  had  been  carried  out,  would  have 
anticipated  the  final  breaking  of  the  power  of  the  Pope  in 
England  by  several  centuries,  and  have  greatly  modified  the 
future  history  alike  of  Church  and  State.  The  deed  was 
scarcely  done  before  the  Archbishop  repented  of  having  yielded, 
and  resolved  to  obtain  from  Rome  absolution  from  his  oath. 
In  so  doing  he  brought  about  his  own  downfall,  for  what  looked 
like  his  double-dealing,  lost  him  the  support  of  many  of  his 
most  influential  friends.  Disappointed,  and  disgusted  at  the 
results  of  his  hasty  action  in  raising  Becket  to  the  primacy, 
the  King  now  resolved  to  break  with  him  finally,  and  sum- 
moned him  to  answer  a  number  of  unjust  charges  at  a 
Council  at  Northampton,  at  which  the  Archbishop  pleaded 
his  own  cause  with  remarkable  eloquence.  Seeing,  however, 
that  his  condemnation  had  already  been  decided  upon,  St. 
Thomas  slipped  away  in  disguise  before  the  conclusion  of  the 
Council,  escaping  to  France,  where  he  was  hospitably  wel- 
comed by  King  Louis  VII.,  and  from  the  safe  refuge  of  the 
French  capital  he  vigorously  carried  on  by  correspondence 
his  controversy  with  King  Henry.  Later  the  exiled  prelate 
withdrew  to  the  Cistercian  Abbey  of  Pontigny,  where  he  soon 
gathered  a  little  court  about  him,  winning  many  fresh  adherents 
to  his  cause,  which  in  the  sight  of  manv  Churchmen  appeared 
to  be  that  of  God  Himself. 

Meanwhile  the  English  monarch  began  to  realize  in  the  aliena- 
tion of  some  of  his  most  powerful  subjects,  that  he  had  gone  too 
far  in  his  persecution  of  Becket,  and  in  1170  a  meeting  was  ar- 
ranged between  him  and  the  Archbishop  at  Freteval,  on  the 
frontier  of  Touraine,  at  which  they  were  apparently  reconciled. 
St.  Thomas  returned  to  England,  and  on  his  landing  at  Sand- 
wich was  welcomed  with  immense  enthusiasm.  He  was  no 
sooner  back  at  Canterbury,  however,  before  he  again  aroused 
the  anger  of  the  King  by  his  high-handed  proceedings.  He 
excommunicated  the  Archbishop  of  York,  who  during  his 


ST.  THOMAS  OF  CANTERBURY  213 

absence  had  espoused  the  cause  of  his  enemies,  and  when  the 
report  of  this  bold  measure  reached  King  Henry,  that  monarch 
fell  into  a  violent  passion,  and  gave  vent  to  the  famous  words  that 
led  four  of  the  knights  who  were  standing  by  to  believe  that 
they  would  be  doing  him  good  service  if  they  put  the  Arch- 
bishop to  death.  They  started  at  once  on  their  terrible 
errand,  and  although  St.  Thomas  had  been  warned  of  their 
approach,  and  might  easily  have  made  his  escape,  they  found 
him  at  his  post  in  his  cathedral  at  Canterbury,  and  slew  him 
in  the  north  transept  before  the  altar  of  St.  Benedict.  All  but 
one  faithful  priest,  who  endeavoured  to  save  the  victim  at  the 
risk  of  his  own  life,  deserted  him  at  the  last ;  but  the  Archbishop 
met  his  fate  without  flinching ;  declaring  himself  ready  to  die 
for  his  Lord,  and  to  purchase  peace  for  the  Church  with  his 
blood.  He  fell  covered  with  wounds,  and,  with  a  barbarity 
horribly  significant  of  the  time  at  which  the  sacrilegious  deed 
was  perpetrated,  one  of  his  murderers  scattered  his  brains  upon 
the  pavement  with  the  point  of  his  sword,  exclaiming,  6  This 
traitor  will  never  rise  again  1* 

The  body  of  the  martyr,  for  such  St.  Thomas  was  from  the 
first  considered,  was  hastily  buried  by  his  terrified  clergy  in  ^the 
crypt  of  the  cathedral,  a  choir  of  angels,  it  is  said,  joining  audibly 
in  the  service.  Fifty  years  later  the  remains  were  translated 
with  great  pomp  to  a  richly-decorated  shrine  in  a  chapel  on  the 
site  of  that  dedicated  to  the  Holy  Trinity,  destroyed  by  fire  in 
1174,  in  which  the  Archbishop  had  solemnized  his  first  Mass 
after  his  election  to  the  primacy.  The  ceremony  was  presided 
over  by  Archbishop  Stephen  Langton,  assisted  by  the  Papal 
nuncio  and  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims,  and  there  were  present 
besides  the  young  King  Henry  III.,  such  great  crowds  of  political 
and  ecclesiastical  notabilities  that  the  vast  cathedral  was  full 
to  overflowing;  a  noteworthy  proof  that  the  murdered  prelate 
had  not  lain  down  his  life  in  vain. 

Until  its  destruction  in  1538,  by  order  of  Henry  VIIL^  the 
shrine  of  St.  Thomas  was  the  goal  of  thousands  of  pilgrims, 
who,  in  the  quaint  words  of  Chaucer, 

'  to  Canterbury  did  wende, 
The  holy  blissful  martyr  for  to  seke, 
That  them  hath  holpen  when  that  they  were  seke.' 

Truly  marvellous  were  the  miracles  supposed  to  have  been 
wrought  on  behalf  of  the  suffering  and  to  impress  the  imagina- 


214  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

tion  of  the  mighty  ones  of  the  earth  who  came  to  pay  their 
devoirs  to  the  Saint,  not  only  "from  every  shores  ende  of 
Englelonde/  but  from  the  continent  of  Europe.  Amongst  the 
costly  treasures  of  the  shrine  when  it  was  confiscated  by 
Henry  VIII.  was  a  carbuncle  known  as  the  '  Regale  of  France/ 
which  is  said  to  have  been  somewhat  reluctantly  given  by  King 
Louis  VII.  of  France  in  1179,  the  stone  having,  as  he  knelt  in 
adoration  at  the  tomb,  leapt  of  its  own  free  will  from  the 
ring  on  his  finger  and  embedded  itself  in  the  wall.  The  crown 
of  Scotland  was  laid  upon  the  tomb  of  St.  Thomas  in  1299  by 
Edward  Longshanks,  and  before  Henry  VIII.  conceived  his 
fanatical  hatred  of  the  martyred  Archbishop,  that  King  was^  a 
constant  worshipper  at  his  shrine,  bringing  to  it,  on  Whit- 
sunday, 1520,  his  guest,  the  Emperor  Charles  V. 

After  the  strange  trial  at  Westminster  in  which  St.  Thomas 
was  the  defendant,  represented  by  an  advocate  nominated 
by  Henry  VIIL,  and  Henry  II.  was  the  plaintiff,  with  the 
Attorney-General  to  plead  for  him,  the  shrine  was  completely 
destroyed.  The  exact  spot  on  which  it  stood  can,  however,  still  be 
seen,  with  the  stones  surrounding  it  worn  by  the  knees  of  count- 
less pilgrims,  and,  fortunately,  three  of  the  windows  in  the  chapel 
escaped  in  the  ruthless  destruction  of  all  that  could  recall  the 
memory  of  the  'contumacious  rebel/  as  it  became  the  fashion 
after  the  Reformation  to  call  the  once  revered  Archbishop.  In 
one  of  these  windows  is  depicted  a  whole  series  of  wonders 
wrought  on  behalf  of  the  family  of  a  man  named  Jordan,  and 
in  the  other  two,  various  typical  incidents  of  the  legend  of 
St.  Thomas  are  given.  These  include  one  of  very  great  interest, 
it  being  the  only  extant  representation  of  the  famous  shrine,  from 
which  the  martyr  appears  to  be  issuing  in  full  archiepiscopal 
robes,  as  if  he  were  about  to  celebrate  Mass. 

In  memory  of  the  manner  of  his  death,  a  sword  has  become 
the  distinctive  emblem  in  art  of  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury, 
and  sometimes,  as  in  an  engraving  by  Lucas  Vostermann,  the 
blade  is  embedded  in  the  skull.  A  crimson  chasuble,  said  to 
have  been  given  to  the  martyr  on  the  eve  of  his  death  by  the 
Blessed  Virgin  herself,  is  also  mentioned  as  specially  character- 
istic of  him,  although,  of  course,  such  a  vestment  was  an 
essential  part  of  his  robes  of  office. 

On  a  seal  still  preserved  at  Canterbury,  the  Archbishop 
appears  as  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  holding  his  crosier  in  the 


ST.  THOMAS  OF  CANTERBURY  215 

left  hand,  and  raising  the  right  in  benediction ;  and  in  a  manu- 
script preserved  in  Trinity  College,  Cambridge,  is  a  quaint 
representation  of  him  giving  directions  to  his  secretary,  Her- 
bert of  Bosham.  In  the  College  of  Corpus  Christi  in  the  same 
city  is  a  drawing  of  the  martyrdom,  by  Matthew  Paris,  and 
in  a  French  manuscript  reproduced  by  the  Societ6  des  Anciens 
Textes  Frangais,  said  to  have  been  penned  in  England  between 
1230  and  1260,  occurs  a  series  of  very  realistic  scenes  from  the 
life  of  the  Saint,  including  the  excommunication  of  his  enemies ; 
his  dispute  with  Kings  Henry  and  Louis;  his  embarkation 
for  England,  and  the  coronation  of  the  young  son  of  Henry  II. 
Representations  of  the  martyrdom  of  St.  Thomas  were  at  one 
time  numerous  in  English  churches,  notably  on  a  panel  of  the 
Monument  of  Henry  IV.  in  Canterbury  Cathedral,  on  a  wall  in 
St.  Edmund's  Church,  Burlingham,  and  on  one  in  Eaton 
Church,  Norfolk.  Occasionally,  too,  in  old  stained-glass  windows 
and  mural  paintings  the  subject  known  as  the  *  Penance  of 
Henry  II.'  can  also  be  made  out,  in  which  the  remorseful 
monarch  is  represented  wearing  nothing  but  his  crown,  kneel- 
ing at  the  tomb  of  his  victim,  ready  to  be  scourged  by  two 
Benedictine  monks,  whilst  three  others  are  looking  on. 

The  figure  of  the  great  Archbishop  constantly  appears  in  eccle- 
siastical sculpture,  as  on  one  of  the  Norrnan  piers  in  St.  Albans 
Cathedral,  and  on  the  pulpit  of  St.  Faith's  Church,  Horsham. 
St.  Thomas  is  also  introduced  in  the  twelfth-century  mosaics 
of  the  Cathedral  of  Monreale;  his  martyrdom  is  amongst  the 
subjects  embroidered  on  the  celebrated  cope  given  by  Pope 
Innocent  III.  to  the  Church  of  Aquam;  in  the  'Assumption  of 
the  Virgin  *  by  Pietro  Pannachi,  he  appears  amongst  the 
worshippers  below,  and  in  S.  Silvestro,  Venice,  is  an  altar-piece 
ascribed  to  Girolamo  Santa  Croce,  in  which  the  English  Arch- 
bishop is  represented  enthroned  between  St.  John  the  Baptist 
and  St.  Thomas  the  Apostle.  In  St.  Nicholas  Hospital  at 
Harbledown,  near  Canterbury,  is  preserved  a  curious  relic  of  the 
martyred  Archbishop,  consisting  of  a  large  crystal,  at  one  time 
set  in  his  shoe-buckle,  and  enclosed  within  a  silver  ring  worked 
into  a  quaint  wooden  bowl.  In  his  '  Peregrinatio  Religionis 
Ergo '  Erasmus  relates  that  this  crystal  was  offered  to  him  to 
be  kissed  by  the  old  bedesman  then  in  charge  of  the  hospital. 

By  a  strange  irony  of  fate,  Archbishop  William  of  York, 
who  was  excommunicated  by  his  contemporary  of  Canterbury, 


2i6  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

was  canonized  by  the  same  Pope,  Alexander  II L,  as  was 
St.  Thomas.  Except  for  his  conflict  with  his  rival,  however, 
St.  William  made  little  mark  upon  his  time,  and  representations 
of  him  are  extremely  rare.  He  appears,  however,  as  the 
officiating  prelate  in  the  coronation  of  the  young  King  Henry 
referred  to  above,  and  is  introduced  in  one  of  the  windows  of  a 
church  at  North  Tuddenham,  Norfolk,  as  well  as  in  one  of  the 
mural  paintings  in  St.  Albans  Cathedral,  holding  his  archi- 
episcopal  cross. 

A  man  of  a  very  different  type  to  either  of  the  Archbishops  just 
noticed  was  the  high-minded,  unselfish  and  ascetic  St.  Hugh  of 
Lincoln,  to  whom  was  due  the  rebuilding  of  the  beautiful  cathedral 
in  the  city,  with  which  his  memory  is  inseparably  connected. 
The  son  of  noble  French  parents,  the  future  Bishop  was  born  at 
Avalon  in  Burgundy,  about  1135,  and  on  his  mother's  death, 
when  he  was  still  a  child,  he  was  taken  by  his  father  to  a 
monastery  at  Villarbenoit,  where  he  remained  until  he  was 
twenty  years  old,  when  he  joined  St.  Bruno  at  the  Grande 
Chartreuse.  The  fame  of  the  sanctity  and  eloquence  of  the 
young  monk  reached  England,  and  he  was  invited  to  come  to 
that  country  by  Henry  II.,  who  entrusted  him  with  the  care 
of  a  Carthusian  monastery  at  Witham  in  Somersetshire,  and 
ten  years  later  made  him  Bishop  of  Lincoln,  in  spite  of  his  own 
earnest  desire  to  escape  that  dignity. 

As  had  been  the  case  with  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury  in  his 
promotion  to  the  primacy,  the  immediate  result  of  the  consecra- 
tion of  the  new  Bishop  was  the  straining  of  the  relations  between 
him  and  the  King,  but  the  tact  and  humour  of  St.  Hugh  tided  him 
over  many  a  difficult  interview,  and  his  friendship  with  Henry 
remained  unbroken  to  the  end.  Richard  Cceur  de  Lion  was,  if 
possible,  more  devoted  to  St.  Hugh  than  his  father  had  been, 
and  many  stories  are  told  illustrative  of  their  frank  camaraderie. 
On  one  occasion  Richard  had  left  England  for  Normandy  with- 
out complying  with  a  just  demand  made  on  him  by  the  Bishop, 
and  the  latter  followed  him  across  the  Channel  to  get  the  matter 
settled.  He  found  the  King  at  Mass,  and,  going  straight  up  to 
him,  greeted  him  respectfully,  but  Richard  took  no  notice  of  him. 
*  Kiss  me,  my  lord !'  said  St.  Hugh,  and,  when  there  was  no 
reply,  he  shook  the  monarch  by  the  shoulders,  much  to  the 
dismay  of  the  Bishop's  chaplain,  the  chronicler  Adam,  to 
whom  the  account  of  the  interview  is  due.  'Thou  hast  not 


ST.  HUGH  OF  LINCOLN  217 

deserved  my  kiss/  said  the  King  at  last,  no  whit  annoyed  at  the 
boldness  of  the  prelate.  *I  have  deserved  it/  replied  the 
Bishop,  and  the  kiss  was  given.  In  the  end  St.  Hugh  won  his 
cause,  and  later,  when  he  dared  to  reprove  his  Sovereign  for  his 
treatment  of  the  Queen,  he  was  again  successful,  Richard  remark- 
ing to  one  of  his  courtiers  :  *  If  all  Bishops  were  like  my  Lord 
of  Lincoln,  not  one  of  us  rulers  could  lift  his  head  against 
them.' 

The  untimely  fate  of  the  lion-hearted  monarch  was  a  bitter 
grief  to  St.  Hugh,  and  many  were  the  severe  reproofs  ad- 
ministered by  him  to  the  feeble,  vacillating  King  John,  to  whom 
he  is  reported  to  have  said,  when  that  monarch  showed  him  a 
charm  he  was  wearing,  *  Do  you  trust  in  a  senseless  stone  ? 
rather  trust  in  the  living  rock,  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.' 

The  primacy  of  St.  Hugh  is  looked  upon  as  marking  an 
epoch,  not  only  in  the  history  of  the  Church  in  England,  but 
also  in  that  of  Gothic  architecture.  In  the  work  in  the  cathedral 
executed  by  the  architect,  Geoffroy  de  Noyers,  under  the  great 
prelate's  superintendence,  the  most  distinctive  feature  of  the 
style,  the  pointed  arch,  was  first  allowed  full  prominence,  and 
combined  with  appropriate  decorative  detail.  The  Bishop's 
interest  in  the  building  was  intense  ;  he  was  constantly  on  the 
spot  encouraging  the  masons,  sometimes,  it  is  said,  aiding 
them  with  his  own  hands.  He  lived  to  see  the  choir  and  the 
eastern  transepts  completed,  and  on  his  death-bed  his  last 
care  was  for  his  beloved  cathedral.  St.  Hugh  died  in  London 
on  November  17,  1200,  on  his  way  back  from  a  visit  to  his  old 
home,  the  Grande  Chartreuse,  for  which  he  ever  retained  a  great 
affection,  and,  in  accordance  with  his  own  request,  he  was  buried 
in  the  Church  of  St.  John  the  Baptist  at  Lincoln,  the  Kings  of 
England  and  of  Scotland  attending  the  funeral. 

The  memory  of  St.  Hugh  of  Lincoln,  to  whom  many  churches 
are  dedicated  in  England,  is  still  greatly  revered,  not  only  in  the 
country  of  his  adoption,  but  in  his  native  land.  The  very  Jews  are 
said  to  have  mourned  his  loss,  for  even  to  that  despised  and  hated 
race  did  the  liberal-minded  prelate  extend  his  loving  charity.  His 
special  emblems  in  art  are  a  chalice  held  in  his  left  hand,  from 
which  a  figure  of  the  infant  Saviour  is  issuing,  in  memory  of  a 
vision  said  to  have  been  vouchsafed  to  him  one  day  when  he  was 
performing  Mass ;  and  a  swan ;  according  to  some,  in  token 
merely  of  his  great  love  of  solitude,  whilst  others  see  in  it 


2i8  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

an  allusion  to  a  tame  bird  that  was  the  holy  man's  constant 
companion  at  Lincoln,  and  is  said  to  have  considered  itself  its 
master's  special  protector,  guarding  him  whilst  he  slept,  and 
keeping  off  intruders. 

Unfortunately,  only  a  few  actual  memorials  of  the  great  Bishop 
of  Lincoln  have  escaped  destruction.  The  beautiful  shrine,  long 
one  of  the  treasures  of  the  cathedral,  to  which  his  remains  were 
translated  after  his  canonization,  was  melted  down  by  order  of 
Henry  VIII.,  and  many  effigies  of  the  Saint  shared  its  fate. 
On  the  throne  in  Peterborough  Cathedral,  however,  is  a  good 
carving  of  St.  Hugh  and  his  swan ;  in  the  famous  thirteenth- 
century  window  known  as  'the  Dean's  Eye/  in  the  western 
transept  of  Lincoln  Cathedral,  the  translation  of  the  body  of  St. 
Hugh  is  represented,  and  in  the  southern  transept  are  relics  of 
stained  glass  supposed  to  give  incidents  from  his  life  and  that  of 
St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury ;  but  they  are  extremely  difficult  to 
decipher.  Before  their  ruthless  destruction  after  the  Reforma- 
tion, there  used,  however,  to  be  a  good  many  representations  of 
scenes  from  the  legend  of  St.  Hugh,  including  his  protection  by 
an  angel  in  a  storm,  in  memory  of  his  having,  it  is  supposed, 
saved  King  Henry  II.  from  death  by  lightning  through  his 
invocation  of  divine  aid ;  the  interview  between  King  Richard 
and  the  Bishop,  when  the  kiss  of  peace  was  refused ;  and  the 
interment  by  St.  Hugh  of  a  man  belonging  to  his  diocese,  in 
spite  of  an  urgent  summons  to  Court. 

Other  famous  clergy  of  the  twelfth  century  who  are  repre- 
sented with  more  or  less  frequency  in  art  were  Archbishop 
William  of  Bourges,  and  Bishops  Ubaldus  of  Gubbio,  Ives  of 
Chartres,  Albert  of  Liege,  and  Julian  of  Cuen9a. 

St.  William,  who  was  the  chosen  patron  of  the  old  University 
of  Paris,  began  his  career  as  a  Cistercian  monk,  and  was  already 
an  old  man  when  he  was  made  Archbishop  in  1200.  He  is 
chiefly  celebrated  for  his  devotion  to  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  for 
which  reason  a  monstrance  is  his  special  emblem,  and  he  is 
said  to  have  spen|  much  of  his  time  weeping  before  the  altar. 
He  died  in  1209,  and  was  buried  in  his  own  cathedral,  but  his 
relics  were  destroyed  by  the  Huguenots  in  the  sixteenth  century. 

St.  Ubaldus  was  made  Bishop  of  Perugia  in  1126,  and  of 
Gubbio  in  1129.  He  won  great  renown  by  saving  the  latter  city 
when  it  was  about  to  be  sacked  by  the  Emperor  Frederick 
Barbarossa,  going  forth  to  meet  the  invader  bearing  a  banner 
embroidered  with  a  cross,  which  has  therefore  become  his  dis- 


SS.  ALBERT  AND  JULIAN  219 

tinctive  emblem  In  art.  The  holy  prelate  is  also  famed  for  many 
miracles  of  healing,  and  for  having  saved  the  life  of  a  man 
who  had  pushed  him  into  a  ditch,  and  who  would  have  been 
torn  to  pieces  by  the  populace  but  for  the  intervention  of  the 
Bishop,  who  rescued  him  at  the  risk  of  his  own  life,  taking  him 
home  to  his  palace.  St.  Ubaldus  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral 
of  Gubbio,  which  owns  a  fine  representation  of  him  in  a 
*  Madonna  with  Saints  '  by  Sinibaldi  Ibi. 

St.  Ives  or  Yvo  began  life  as  a  monk  of  the  Order  of  Canons 
Regular  of  St.  Augustine,  and  is  chiefly  noted  for  having 
endeavoured,  during  his  tenancy  of  the  see  of  Chartres,  to  make 
his  clergy  conform  to  the  monastic  rule,  for  which  reason  he  is 
generally  represented  preaching  from  a  pulpit,  and  holding  in 
his  hand  a  book  supposed  to  be  his  own  famous  work,  known  as 
the  '  Decree.'  He  died  in  1116,  after  ruling  his  diocese  with 
great  ability  for  twenty-three  years. 

St.  Albert  of  Li<£ge,  whose  art  emblems  are  a  sword  in  his  hand 
or  plunged  into  his  breast,  or  three  swords  lying  on  the  ground 
at  his  feet,  in  memory  of  the  manner  of  his  death,  was 
assassinated  at  Rheimsin  1192,  at  the  instigation,  it  is  supposed, 
of  the  Emperor  of  Germany,  on  account  of  his  devotion  to  the 
interests  of  the  Holy  See.  In  any  case,  St.  Albert  is  honoured 
as  a  martyr  in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church,  and  the  martyrs' 
palm  has  been  given  to  him  by  Hans  Burgkmair  and  other 
German  artists. 

Of  St.  Julian,  who  was  Bishop  of  Cuen^a  at  the  latter  end  of 
the  twelfth  century,  and  who  is  still  greatly  honoured  in  Spain, 
the  touching  story  is  told,  that  in  a  famine  which  devastated  his 
diocese,  he  gave  all  his  revenues  to  the  poor,  supporting  himself 
by  making  baskets,  for  which  reason  a  basket  has  become  his 
chief  emblem  in  art.  He  is  also  sometimes  represented  with  a 
lamp  in  his  hand,  because  he  is  said  to  have  received  one  from 
the  hands  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  as  a  reward  for  his  unselfish  devo- 
tion to  his  people.  It  is  related  that  when  all  the  supplies  of  food 
in  Cuen^a  were  exhausted  a  convoy  of  provisions  was  ,brought 
into  the  town  by  oxen,  unguided  by  any  human  hand,  which 
disappeared  mysteriously  as  soon  as  their  task  was  done.  On 
another  occasion,  when  the  holy  Bishop  was  giving  a  supper  to 
a  number  of  poor  people,  Christ  Himself  is  said  to  have  appeared 
amongst  them  and  multiplied  the  food,  and  when  at  last  the 
holy  Bishop  was  called  to  his  rest,  angels  gathered  about  his  bed 
and  carried  his  soul  to  heaven. 


220  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

CHAPTER  XVII 

ST.  NORBERT  OF  MAGDEBURG  AND   ST.  BERNARD  OF  CLAIRVAULX 

A  VERY  noteworthy  figure  of  the  twelfth  century,  so  prolific 
in  great  clergy  and  monks,  was  St.  Norbert,  Archbishop  of 
Magdeburg,  and  founder  of  the  Order  of  Premonstratensians, 
which  was,  however,  practically  merely  a  branch  of  the  already 
established  Augustinian  Canons  Regular.  Born  at  Santen  in  the 
Duchy  of  Cleves  in  1080,  St.  Norbert  was  the  son  of  a  German 
count,  and  a  distant  connection  of  the  Emperor  Henry  IV.,  at 
whose  Court  he  was  brought  up.  His  father  early  resolved  that 
Norbert  should  become  a  priest,  not  from  any  unworldly  motive, 
but  because  he  knew  he  could  secure  for  his  son  high  preferment 
in  the  Church.  It  is  said  that  the  young  courtier  led  a  very 
dissipated  life  until  he  was  converted  by  a  miracle  very  similar 
to  that  which  opened  the  eyes  of  St.  Paul  to  the  error  of 
his  ways.  He  was  riding,  attended  by  one  servant  only,  to 
an  assignation  in  a  village  of  Westphalia,  when  a  violent  storm 
suddenly  came  on,  and  a  ball  of  fire  fell  just  in  front  of  his  horse, 
making  the  animal  rear  in  terror.  Norbert  was  thrown  to  the 
ground,  and  lay  unconscious  for  a  long  time,  all  his  servant's 
efforts  to  restore  him  being  in  vain.  When  at  last  he  came  to 
his  senses,  his  first  words  were,  *  Lord,  what  wouldst  Thou  have 
me  do  ?'  and  a  voice  replied,  *  Turn  away  from  evil,  and  do  good ; 
seek  peace,  and  pursue  it.' 

Henceforth  Norbert  was  a  changed  man ;  he  sold  all  his  great 
possessions,  gave  the  money  to  the  poor,  and  spent  two  years  in 
preparing  for  ordination.  After  his  consecration  as  priest,  he  went 
forth  to  preach  the  Gospel  as  a  missionary,  wandering  through 
Hainault,  Brabant,  and  eastern  France  with  a  little  band  of 
chosen  companions,  and  carrying  with  him  only  what  was 
absolutely  necessary  for  the  performance  of  his  sacred  duties. 
After  winning  many  thousands  to  a  holy  life,  it  was,  it  is  said, 
revealed  to  St.  Norbert  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself,  that  it  was 
the  will  of  her  Son  that  he  should  found  a  monastery  in  a  lonely 
spot  in  the  valley  of  Coucy.  Thither  he  and  his  followers  at 
once  repaired,  and,  having  obtained  a  grant  of  land  from  the 
Bishop  of  Leon,  St.  Norbert,  making  a  deserted  chapel  the 
nucleus  of  the  new  settlement,  lost  no  time  in  organizing  his 


ST.  NORBERT  221 

Order  of  Canons,  which  he  called  that  of  Premontre,  in  memory 
of  the  premonition  he  had  received.  It  has  been  further 
claimed  that  the  quaint  costume  adopted  by  the  Premonstra* 
tensians  :  a  coarse  black  tunic  and  a  long  white  woollen  cloak 
with  a  square  white  cap,  was  also  chosen  for  them  by  the 
Mother  of  the  Lord,  and  it  became  the  fashion  amongst  those 
who  were  hostile  to  the  monks  to  call  them  the  '  white  dogs.* 

St.  Norbert  lived  to  found  many  branches  of  his  Order, 
which  spread  with  great  rapidity  in  France  and  Belgium.  In 
1127,  very  much  against  his  own  will,  he  was  elected  Archbishop 
of  Magdeburg ;  but  he  still  retained  the  position  of  General  of 
the  Premonstratensian  Canons,  ruling  his  monks  and  his  clergy 
with  equal  strictness.  So  high,  indeed,  was  his  ideal  of  the  re- 
ligious life,  and  so  terrible  were  the  austerities  he  enforced,  that 
many  attempts  were  made  to  assassinate  him  by  those  whose 
weakness  or  wickedness  he  reproved.  They  were,  however,  all 
frustrated  by  the  holy  man's  extraordinary  prescience  of  the 
plots  against  him.  On  one  occasion,  for  instance,  a  pretended 
penitent  had  resolved  to  stab  the  Archbishop  in  the  confessional, 
but  St.  Norbert's  first  words  to  him  were,  *  Give  me  your 
dagger ';  and  at  another  time  an  arrow  was  shot  at  him  in  church, 
but  it  glanced  aside  and  wounded  a  bystander  who  had  also 
cherished  evil  designs  against  the  Saint. 

St.  Norbert  died  in  1134,  and  was  buried  at  Magdeburg; 
but  his  remains  were  translated  in  the  seventeenth  century  to 
Prague,  where  they  are  still  greatly  honoured. 

The  chief  art  emblems  of  the  Archbishop,  who  is  a  very 
favourite  Saint  in  Belgium  and  Germany,  are  a  monstrance  or  a 
chalice,  in  memory  of  his  great  reverence  for  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment ;  a  branch  of  olive,  typifying  his  earnest  efforts  to  maintain 
the  peace  of  the  Church,  in  spite  of  all  the  controversies  and 
schisms  of  his  time ;  a  devil  or  dragon  at  his  feet,  in  allusion 
to  his  victory  over  evil,  sometimes  replaced  by  a  figure  of  a 
noted  heretic  named  Tankelin,  who  was  a  continual  thorn  in 
the  flesh  to  the  Saint.  Other  occasional  attributes  given  to 
St.  Norbert  are  a  town  in  flames  behind  him,  possibly  a  metaphor 
of  his  purification  of  his  diocese,  for  it  is  explained  by  no  inci- 
dent of  his  life ;  a  lily,  on  account  of  his  purity ;  and  a  wolf, 
because  he  is  said  to  have  compelled  one  which  had  stolen  a 
lamb  to  restore  it,  and  act  as  guardian  of  the  flock.  Now  and 
then  St.  Norbert  holds  a  chalice  into  which  a  spider  is  about 


222  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

to  fall,  for,  like  St.  Conrad  of  Constance,  he  is  said  to  have 
swallowed  a  spider  lest  it  should  desecrate  the  consecrated 
wine,  a  brave  action  at  a  time  when  that  insect  was  supposed 
to  be  poisonous.  In  certain  old  engravings  an  angel  holds 
up  the  monstrance,  at  which  St.  Norbert  gazes  with  eager 
devotion ;  and  in  a  painting  in  a  convent  at  St.  Leonards-on- 
Sea  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  also  an  eager  devotee  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  aids  St.  Norbert  to  sustain  the  pyx.  In  Antwerp 
Cathedral  is  a  painting  by  Didron  of  St.  Norbert  preaching 
against  Tankelin,  who  is  in  the  congregation,  and  the  ^  same 
subject  has  been  treated  by  Bernard  van  Orley  in  a  picture 
now  in  the  Munich  Gallery,  where  there  is  also  a  fine  composition 
by  Poussin,  representing  the  founder  of  the  Premonstratensians 
receiving  the  habit  of  his  Order  from  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

Far  more  celebrated  than  St.  Norbert  was  his  contemporary, 
St.  Bernard  of  Clairvaulx,  the  author  of  many  important  theo- 
logical works,  and  of  a  great  Latin  poem  from  which  have  been 
extracted  several  beautiful  hymns  still  in  use  in  the  Church, 
including  '  Jerusalem  the  golden/  St.  Bernard  is  accounted 
one  of  the  greatest  Saints  of  mediaeval  times,  and  his  burning 
eloquence  won  for  him  the  name  of  the  Oracle  of  Christendom 
in  his  lifetime,  and  of  one  of  the  Fathers  of  the  Church  after  his 
death.  The  son  of  a  French  nobleman,  the  future  Saint,  who 
was  one  of  a  large  family,  was  born  in  the  Castle  of  Fontaine, 
near  Dijon,  and  was,  it  is  said,  dedicated  to  'God  before  he  was 
born,  his  mother  having  dreamt  that  she  would  give  birth  to  a 
white  dog  with  russet  spots,  which  would  bark  furiously  as  soon 
as  it  saw  the  light ;  a  vision  interpreted  to  mean  that  the  expected 
little  one  would  be  a  great  preacher,  and  which  is  referred  to  in 
the  following  terms  in  a  hymn  of  the  Cistercian  Breviary : 

*  Rufum  dorso  per  catulum 
Prsefigurasti  puerum 
Fore  doctorem  sedulum.'* 

Whatever  truth  there  may  be  in  this  quaint  story,  St.  Bernard 
appears  to  have  been  from  the  first  remarkable  for  the  beauty  of 
his  character,  and  to  have  won  the  affection  of  all  with  whom 
he  was  brought  in  contact.  At  school  he  was  worshipped  by 

*  By  a  dog  with  russet  back 
Was  foreshadowed  the  birth 
Of  thy  son,  the  zealous  doctor. 


ST.  BERNARD  OF  CLAIRVAULX  223 

his  companions,  and  at  the  University  of  Paris,  to  which  he 
was  sent  to  complete  his  education,  he  exercised  a  remarkable 
influence  over  his  fellow-students.  On  his  return  home  at  the 
age  of  nineteen,  he  fell  in  love  with  a  beautiful  young  girl  who 
returned  his  affection,  but  he  had  already  resolved  to  crush 
down  all  earthly  feelings,  and  is  said  to  have  spent  several 
nights  standing  in  a  frozen  pond  with  a  view  to  cooling  his 
ardour.  This  severe  discipline  nearly  cost  him  his  life,  but  it 
was  thoroughly  effectual,  and  he  was  never  again  tempted  in 
a  similar  manner.  At  the  age  of  twenty  the  young  ascetic 
resolved  to  withdraw  to  the  Monastery  of  Citeaux,  and,  much 
to  the  grief  of  his  father,  he  persuaded  three  of  his  brothers 
to  go  with  him.  A  pathetic  story  is  told  of  the  parting  between 
the  four  young  men  and  their  little  brother  Nivard,  who  was 
playing  in  the  courtyard  of  their  beautiful  home  as  they  were 
riding  forth.  St.  Bernard  turned  back  to  embrace  him  once 
more,  and  said  to  him  as  he  pointed  to  the  castle,  *  All  this  will 
one  day  be  yours  *;  to  which  the  child  naively  replied,  '  So  you 
take  heaven,  and  leave  me  earth ;  I  don't  call  that  a  fair  division.' 
Later  Nivard,  too,  joined  the  Cistercians,  and  in  the  end  the 
old  father,  deserted  by  all  his  sons,  followed  his  example. 

On  their  way  to  Citeaux,  St.  Bernard  and  his  brothers  were 
joined  by  a  number  of  other  enthusiasts,  all  of  whom  were 
eagerly  welcomed  by  the  Abbot  St.  Stephen,  who,  however, 
quickly  recognised  the  exceptional  qualities  of  their  leader,  and 
from  the  first  chose  him  as  a  counsellor,  in  what  were  then 
the  difficult  circumstances  of  the  little  community.  St.  Bernard 
had  entered  the  monastery  with  a  view  to  renouncing  the 
world,  and  crushing  down  all  the  ambition  which  his  great 
gifts  made  it  impossible  for  him  not  to  feel,  yet  which  he  felt 
it  his  duty  to  relinquish!  St.  Stephen  took  an  entirely  different 
view  of  the  matter,  and,  though  he  encouraged  the  novice  in  his 
secret  mortifications  of  the  flesh,  he  was  fortunately  successful 
in  convincing  him  that  the  gift  of  eloquence  was  a  sacred  charge, 
to  be  turned  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  spread  of  religion. 
The  immediate  result  of  this  wise  advice  was  that  St.  Bernard 
gave  full  scope  to  his  natural  bent,  and  having  been  ordained 
priest,  his  earnest  preaching  became  the  means  of  winning  so 
many  to  follow  his  example,  that  ere  long  the  monastery,  almost 
empty,  on  his  arrival,  could  no  longer  hold  those  who  flocked 
to  it,  eager  to  be  received  into  the  Order. 


224  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

St.  Stephen  now  resolved  to  send  forth  St.  Bernard  and  twelve 
carefully  selected  monks  to  found  a  new  community ;  and  they 
started  with  eager  enthusiasm,  trusting  to  divine  guidance  in 
their  selection  of  a  suitable  site.  Their  leader  going  before 
bearing  the  uplifted  cross,  the  chosen  twelve  walked  bravely 
forth  from  what  had  long  been  their  home ;  and,  after  many 
days' journey,  halted  in  a  dreary  wilderness  of  Champagne,  then 
known  by  the  forbidding  name  of  the  Valley  of  Wormwood, 
soon  to  be  changed  into  that  of  Clara  Vallis,  or  the  Vale  of  Light, 
now  corrupted  into  Clairvaulx.  This,  St.  Bernard  assured 
his  followers,  was  the  spot  chosen  for  them  by  God,  and  with 
unquestioning  faith  the  little  band  set  to  work  at  once  to  clear 
a  space,  cut  down  trees,  and  build  with  their  own  hands  the 
nucleus  of  what  was  eventually  to  become  one  of  the  greatest 
religious  houses  of  Europe. 

In  a  very  few  years  the  fame  of  St.  Bernard  of  Clairvaulx 
as  a  preacher  had  spread  throughout  the  Christian  world, 
and  so  resistless  was  the  spell  of  his  eloquence,  that  wives  are 
said  to  have  hid  their  husbands,  and  mothers  their  sons,  lest 
they  should  be  enticed  into  the  cloister  by  the  all-prevailing 
monk.  Crowds  flocked  daily  to  Clairvaulx  to  consult  the 
Abbot;  feudal  lords  asked  him  to  settle  their  disputes ;  vexed 
questions  of  theology  were  submitted  to  him ;  the  newly- 
founded  Knights  Templar  appealed  to  him  to  draw  up  their 
statutes.  It  was  due  to  his  influence  that  Pope  Innocent  II. 
was  finally  triumphant  over  his  rival,  the  Antipope  Ana- 
cletus,  and  the  successor  of  the  former,  Pope  Eugenius  IIL, 
turned  to  the  famous  Abbot  for  advice  in  every  difficulty.  It 
was  St.  Bernard  who  aroused  the  enthusiasm  of  France  and 
Germany  for  the  fatal  Crusade  that  had  such  tragic  results  for 
Europe;  and  so  great  was  the  enthralling  force  of  his  personality, 
that  he  was  able  to  convince  the  shattered  remnant  of  the  great 
army,  which  had  gone  forth  with  such  eager  hope,  that  failure 
was  the  result,  not  of  the  mistaken  advice  he  had  given,  but  of 
the  unworthiness  of  the  soldiers  of  the  Cross.  It  was  also,  alas  ! 
St.  Bernard  who,  by  his  bitter  animosity,  finally  broke  the 
spirit  and  crushed  the  hopes  of  the  hapless  poet  and  theologian 
Abelard,  whose  tragic  love-story  is  one  of  the  most  pathetic 
romances  of  Mediaeval  times.  Yet,  with  all  his  faults,  which 
were  the  outcome  rather  of  the  period  at  which  he  lived  than 
of  his  own  character,  the  Abbot  of  Clairvaulx  was  truly,  as  even 


^ 

§3. 


2? 


ST.  BERNARD  OF  CLAIRVAULX  225 

Luther  admitted,  'a  God-fearing  and  holy  monk,*  luminously 
sincere,  absolutely  unselfish,  a  typical  theologian,  a  true  leader 
of  thought.  Under  his  stern  discipline  the  Order  founded  by 
St.  Robert  of  Molesme  became  so  modified  and  transformed 
that  it  was  looked  upon  as  practically  a  new  institution,  and  it 
was  often  spoken  of  as  the  Bernardine  instead  of  the  Cistercian. 
Before  his  death  in  1153,  at  the  comparatively  early  age  of 
sixty-five,  St.  Bernard  had  founded  no  less  than  seventy  new 
monasteries,  and  it  was  his  only  sister,  St.  Humbeline,  who, 
fired  by  his  example,  instituted  the  French  sisterhood  of  the 
Bernardine  nuns. 

St.  Bernard  breathed  his  last  in  his  monastery  at  Clair- 
vaulx,  and  was  buried  in  its  chapel,  but  little  now  remains  to 
recall  the  memory  of  the  great  ascetic,  in  the  valley  he  loved 
so  well.  The  simple  cells  occupied  by  his  monks  were  replaced 
in  the  thirteenth  century  by  a  luxurious  house,  and  out  of  the 
humble  oratory  in  which  the  ascetic  founder  had  so  often 
worshipped,  grew  a  stately  church,  which  was,  however, 
destroyed  after  the  Reformation.  The  abbey  buildings  were  later 
converted  into  a  prison,  so  that  the  beautiful  name  of  the  Vale 
of  Light  has  long  ceased  to  be  appropriate. 

The  special  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Bernard — who  is  often 
associated  with  his  fellow-Cistercians,  Saints  Robert,  Alberic 
and  Stephen,  or  with  St.  Norbert — are  a  white  dog  with  russet 
spots,  in  allusion  to  the  tradition  referred  to  above  in  connec- 
tion with  his  birth ;  a  bee-hive,  the  symbol  of  his  eloquence  ; 
and  a  cross,  on  which  is  hung  the  crown  of  thorns.  The  various 
instruments  of  the  Passion,  including  the  spear,  the  sponge  upon 
its  reed,  the  scourge,  the  nails,  and  the  ladder,  are  sometimes  all 
held  together  in  the  arms  of  St.  Bernard,  in  memory  of  his  great 
devotion  to  our  Lord,  and  of  the  words  of  one  of  his  own  sermons, 
to  the  effect  that  he  ever  *  bore  upon  his  breast  the  sufferings  of 
the  Master,  that  he  might  perpetually  inhale  fresh  courage 
from  their  aroma  as  from  a  bouquet  of  flowers.'  Sometimes 
this  quaint  and  significant  symbol  is  replaced  by  a  paten 
bearing  the  Host,  which  St.  Bernard  appears  about  to  offer  to  a 
kneeling  noble,  in  memory,  it  is  said,  of  his  having  on  one 
occasion  compelled  a  certain  duke  to  yield  to  his  wishes,  by 
bringing  to  him  the  body  of  the  Lord,  and  asking  him  whether, 
having  defied  the  servants  of  God,  he  dared  to  disobey  the 
Master  Himself  present  in  the  Blessed  Sacrament  The  effect 

VOL.  in.  15 


226  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

was  immediate  ;  the  culprit  fainted  away,  and  when  he  recovered 
consciousness  he  meekly  consented  to  all  the  stern  monk 
required  of  him. 

Occasionally,  as  in  a  painting  by  Benvenuto  Tisio,  the 
emblem  of  the  instruments  of  the  Passion  is  replaced  by  a  book, 
on  which  rest  three  mitres,  because  St.  Bernard  is  said  to  have 
refused  three  bishoprics ;  and  now  and  then,  as  in  the  so-called 
'  Isabella  Breviary '  in  the  British  Museum,  a  chained  devil 
supplants  the  symbolic  dog,  probably  in  memory  of  the  Saint's 
successful  conflict  with  evil. 

St.  Bernard  is  very  constantly  introduced  in  devotional  pic- 
tures, notably  in  Fra  Angelico's  *  Great  Crucifixion'  in  S.  Marco  ; 
in  Perugino's  *  Crucifixion '  in  S.  Maria  Maddalena  dei  Pazzi, 
Florence ;  Raphael's  *  Madonna  del  Baldacchino '  and  Andrea 
del  Sarto's  'Madonna  in  Glory,'  the  two  last  in  the  Pitti 
Gallery,  Florence;  and  scenes  from  his  life  were  favourite 
subjects  with  many  of  the  great  Italian  masters.  Of  these,  the 
most  frequently  rendered  is  St.  Bernard's  vision  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  for  whom  he  is  said  to  have  had  a  very  deep  venera- 
tion, and  of  whose  special  love  for  him  many  touching  legends 
are  told.  Once,  when  worn  out  with  his  long  vigils  and 
fasting,  he  had  fallen  prostrate  before  her  image  and  cried 
*  Ave  Maria  !'  he  received  the  audible  response,  e  Ave  Bernarde !' 
On  another  occasion,  when  he  was  consumed  with  thirst,  the 
Holy  Mother  bent  down  to  him  and  gave  him  milk  from  her 
sacred  breast,  and  again  and  again,  when  he  was  alone  in  his 
cell  praying  or  writing,  she  came  to  cheer  him  with  her 
presence,  sometimes  alone,  sometimes  attended  by  angels. 

Of  the  many  beautiful  representations  of  these  visions,  the 
most  celebrated  are,  perhaps,  the  fresco  in  S.  Maria  Maddalena, 
Florence,  by  Perugino ;  the  painting  by  Fra  Filippo  Lippi  in 
the  National  Gallery,  London;  and  that  by  Fra  Bartolommeo 
in  the  Academy,  Florence.  The  vision  of  St.  Bernard  is  also 
one  of  the  subjects  of  the  sixteenth-century  windows  now  in 
the  choir  of  Lincoln  Cathedral,  from  the  Cistercian  Abbey  of 
Herkenrode,  which,  after  being  hidden  for  many  years,  were 
brought  to  England  in  1802. 

St.  Bernard  preaching  to  his  monks  is  the  subject  of  a  quaint 
composition  by  Benedetto  Montagna ;  in  the  Berlin  Gallery  are 
two  small  paintings  by  Masaccio,  one  representing  the  future 
Abbot  as  a  child  being  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God  by 


ST.  WILLIAM  OF  MONTE  VERGINE  227 

his  mother,  whilst  In  the  other  he  appears  as  a  young  monk, 
snatching  his  robes  uninjured  from  a  fire.  In  the  Munich 
Gallery  is  a  fine  composition  by  an  unknown  hand,  inscribed, 
'  Der  heilige  Bernhard  im  Dom  zn  Speier,'  commemorating 
a  visit  paid  by  the  great  Abbot  and  the  Emperor  Conrad  to 
the  Cathedral  of  Spires,  when  the  former  thrice  prostrated 
himself  on  the  way  to  the  altar,  exclaiming  the  first  time, 
<O  Clemens!5  the  second,  (O  Pia!'  and  the  third,  <O 
dulcis  Virgo  Maria  !*  (Oh  merciful,  holy  and  sweet  Virgin 
Mary !). 

Other  monks  of  the  twelfth  century  who  have  distinctive 
emblems,  and  are  represented  with  more  or  less  frequency  in  art, 
were  Saints  William  of  Monte  Vergine,  John  of  Matha,  Felix 
of  Valois,  Bernardo  degli  Uberti,  William  of  Roskild,  Benezet 
of  Avignon,  Anthelm  of  Bellay,  Bertold  of  Garsten,  Waltheof 
of  Melrose,  and  Bernard  of  Tiron. 

St.  William  of  Monte  Vergine,  whose  special  emblems  in  art 
are  a  wolf,  because  he  is  said  to  have  compelled  one  which  had 
killed  his  donkey  to  do  the  work  of  its  victim,  and  an  image  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  probably  in  memory  of  the  name  of  his 
retreat,  was  of  noble  French  birth.  Having  lost  his  parents 
at  an  early  age,  he  resolved  to  dedicate  his  life  to  God,  and  he 
withdrew  to  a  lonely  spot  on  Monte  Vergine,  between  the  Italian 
cities  of  Nola  and  Benevento,  where  he  was  soon  joined  by 
a  number  of  kindred  spirits.  In  course  of  time  the  little 
community  developed  into  a  new  branch  of  the  Benedictine 
Order,  still  known  as  the  Congregation  of  Monte  Vergine. 

Saints  John  of  Matha  and  Felix  of  Valois,  joint  founders  of 
the  Order  for  the  Redemption  of  Captives,  known  as  that  of 
the  Trinitarians,  were  both  of  noble,  the  latter,  it  is  said,  of 
royal,  French  birth.  St.  John  was  born  in  1154  at  Faucon  in 
Provence,  and  was  educated  at  the  University  of  Paris.  With 
the  consent  of  his  parents,  he  became  a  priest,  and  it  is  related 
that  when  he  was  celebrating  Mass  for  the  first  time,  a  vision 
was  vouchsafed  to  him  of  an  angel  robed  in  white,  wearing  on 
his  breast  a  cross  in  red  and  blue,  who  was  bending  over  two 
kneeling  slaves,  his  crossed  hands  resting  lovingly  on  their  heads. 
The  incident  made  a  deep  impression  upon  the  young  celebrant, 
and  he  saw  in  it  a  divine  order  to  give  up  his  life  to  aid 
prisoners  and  captives.  He  at  once  resigned  his  position  in  the 
church,  and  it  having  been  further  revealed  to  him  that  he  was 

15—2 


228  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

to  seek  counsel  of  a  holy  hermit  at  a  certain  spot  in  the  Forest  of 
Meaux,  he  lost  no  time  in  repairing  to  it. 

The  hermit  turned  out  to  be  St.  Felix  of  Valois,  a  man  much 
older  than  St.  John  of  Matha,  who  had  long  dwelt  alone  beside 
a  spring  called  the  Cervus  Frigidus  or  Cerfroi,  on  account  of 
the  intense  coldness  of  its  water  and  in  memory  of  a  white 
hart,  which  had  become  attached  to  the  recluse,  and  daily  came 
to  visit  him.  St.  Felix,  who  had  intended  to  live  and  die  in 
his  beloved  retreat,  was  at  first  anything  but  willing  to  receive 
his  uninvited  guest;  but  when  the  vision  related  above  had 
been  described  to  him,  he,  too,  recognised  its  deep  significance, 
and  consented  to  work  cordially  with  St.  John.  After  several 
days  of  earnest  discussion  and  many  hours  of  fervent  prayer, 
the  two  enthusiasts  resolved  to  go  to  Rome  to  win  the  con- 
sent of  the  Pope  for  the  foundation  of  a  new  Order,  the  aim 
of  which  was  to  be  the  redemption  of  captives.  Arrived  in 
the  holy  city  after  a  terrible  journey  in  mid-winter,  they 
were  eagerly  welcomed  by  Innocent  III.,  who,  it  turned  out, 
had  recently  seen  a  vision  exactly  similar  to  that  granted  to 
the  young  priest.  The  Papal  ratification  of  the  scheme  was 
readily  given ;  and  it  was  decided  that  in  memory  of  the 
visit  of  the  angel  the  robes  of  the  monks  should  be  white, 
bearing  on  the  right  breast  a  cross  of  blue  and  red,  and  as 
these  colours  are  emblematical  of  the  Holy  Trinity — white  of 
God  the  Father,  blue  of  God  the  Son,  and  red  of  God  the  Holy 
Ghost — the  name  of  the  Trinitarians  was  chosen  for  the  new 
Order,  a  title  sometimes  replaced  in  England  by  that  of  the 
Fratres  Santas  Crucis,  or  Crutched  Friars,  the  lattet  on  account 
of  the  cross  being  worn  on  one  side  of  the  robes. 

Full  of  eager  ardour  for  the  cause  they  had  espoused,  Saints 
John  and  Felix  returned  to  France,  where  a  large  grant  of  land 
was  given  to  them  by  Margaret  of  Valois  in  the  forest  contain- 
ing the  little  hermitage  of  Cerfroi.  Here  the  first  monastery 
was  built,  whence  were  sent  forth  many  expeditions  for  the 
ransom  of  those  in  captivity.  St.  John  himself  made  several 
journeys  to  Spain  and  North  Africa,  redeeming  hundreds  of 
slaves,  whilst  St.  Felix  remained  at  Cerfroi  to  superintend  the 
affairs  of  the  Order.  It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion,  when 
St.  John  was  starting  on  his  homeward  voyage  with,  a  great 
number  of  those  whom  he  had  rescued,  the  heathen,  enraged  at 
his  success,  broke  the  rudder  and  cut  up  the  sails  of  his  vessel,  so 


SS.  JOHN  AND  FELIX  229 

that  It  was  left  at  the  mercy  of  the  winds  and  waves*  Nothing 
daunted,  however,  the  leader  replaced  the  sails  with  his  own 
robes  and  those  of  his  brethren,  and,  throwing  himself  on  his 
knees,  prayed  the  Lord  Himself  to  be  their  pilot.  His  request 
was  granted,  for  the  ship  arrived  safely  at  Ostia  without  any 
human  guidance,  and  the  story  of  the  wonderful  voyage  did 
much  to  promote  the  interests  of  the  Trinitarians,  one  ruler 
after  another  giving  the  devoted  brethren  property  in  his 
dominions.  The  Pope  granted  St.  John  the  church  and 
convent  in  Rome  now  known  as  S.  Maria  della  Navicella,  and 
the  King  of  France  gave  St.  Felix  a  group  of  buildings  dedicated 
to  St.  Mathurin  in  Paris,  for  which  reason  the  French  some- 
times call  the  Trinitarians  the  Mathurins.  St.  Felix  died  at 
Cerfroi  in  1212,  and  St.  John  at  Rome  a  year  later,  having 
founded  several  hundred  branches  of  their  Order. 

The  originators  of  the  Trinitarian  Order  placed  it  under  the 
special  protection  of  St.  Radegund,*  to  whom  a  convent  of 
Crutched  Friars  was  dedicated  at  Guildford,  Surrey,  and  Saints 
John  and  Felix  are  often  associated  in  art  with  the  persecuted 
Queen  of  Clotaire  I.  The  arms  of  the  Order  are  a  red  and 
blue  cross  on  a  white  ground  studded  with  fleurs-de-lys,  the 
latter  in  memory  of  the  supposed  royal  origin  of  St.  Felix. 
The  two  founders  are  generally  represented  together,  accom- 
panied by  an  angel,  who  wears  robes  similar  to  their  own,  and 
a  number  of  captives  are  kneeling  at  their  feet  or  grouped 
behind  them.  When  represented  alone,  the  distinctive  emblem 
of  St.  John  is  a  chain,  held  in  his  hands  or  lying  at  his  feet, 
whilst  that  of  St.  Felix  is  a  stag  drinking  from  a  spring,  near 
which  the  hermit  is  seated.  The  Spanish  artist  Giacinto 
Calendruccio  represented  St.  Felix  holding  a  standard  bearing 
the  royal  arms  of  France,  and  on  one  side  of  a  medal  struck 
in  Rome  in  the  eighteenth  century,  the  two  Saints  are  grouped 
together,  on  one  side  surrounded  by  captives,  and  on  the  other 
by  a  choir  of  angels,  in  whose  songs  they  are  joining.  The 
most  important  representations  of  Saints  John  and  Felix  are, 
however,  a  series  of  twenty-four  etchings  by  Theodore  van 
Thulden,  and  in  the  Mazarin  Library,  Paris,  are  several  fine 
representations  of  St.  John,  including  a  half-length  portrait  by 
Erasmus  Quellin. 

*  For  account  of  St.  Radegund,  see  vol.  ii.,  pp.  265-269. 


230  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Of  St.  Bernardo  degli  Uberti,  to  whom  no  special  art 
emblems  have  been  given,  and  about  whose  memory  no  legends 
have  gathered,  very  little  is  known,  except  that  he  was  a  scion 
of  the  important  Ghibelline  family  which  exercised  so  great  an 
influence  over  the  political  history  of  Florence;  that  he  belonged 
to  the  College  of  Cardinals;  and  was  Abbot  of  Vallombrosa 
for  several  years  in  the  twelfth  century.  Yet  to  him  has 
been  granted  the  exceptional  honour  of  being  introduced  in 
many  of  the  greatest  masterpieces  of  the  golden  age  of  painting 
in  Italy,  including  the  frescoes  of  Correggio  in  the  cathedral  of 
Parma;  the  'Four  Saints'  of  Andrea  del  Sarto,  and  the 
'  Assumption  of  the  Virgin  '  by  Perugino,  both  in  the  Florence 
Academy,  in  all  of  which  he  appears  as  a  noble-looking  man  in 
the  prime  of  life.  St.  Bernardo  died  in  1153,  and  was  buried  in 
the  church  of  his  abbey. 

St.  William  of  Roskild — whose  special  emblems  are  a  crucifix, 
because  of  his  great  devotion  to  the  Saviour ;  an  image  of  St. 
Genevi£ve,  in  memory  of  his  veneration  for  her ;  and  a  torch, 
because  a  flame  is  said  to  have  descended  from  heaven  upon  his 
grave  in  attestation  of  his  sanctity — was  born  in  Paris  in  1105. 
He  was  ordained  priest  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough,  and  made 
Canon  of  St.  Genevieve  du  Mont.  He  became  a  devoted 
votary  of  the  celebrated  maiden  patron  of  his  native  city,*  who 
rewarded  him  by  appearing  to  him  when  he  was  dangerously 
ill  and  restoring  him  to  health.  The  fame  of  the  holiness  of 
St.  William  reached  the  Danish  Bishop  Absalon,  who  invited 
him  to  Denmark  and  made  him  Abbot  of  an  important 
monastery.  He  died  in  1203  at  the  great  age  of  ninety-eight, 
having  done  much  to  reform,  not  only  his  own  abbey,  but  all 
the  monastic  institutions  of  his  adopted  country. 

Of  St.  Benezet  of  Avignon,  whose  emblem  in  art  is  a  stone 
carried  on  his  shoulder,  a  very  beautiful  legend  is  told.  Of 
humble  birth,  he  began  life  as  a  shepherd,  and  one  night  when 
he  was  minding  his  flock  on  the  hillside,  an  angel  appeared  to 
him,  who  told  him  he  was  to  go  and  build  a  bridge  over  the 
Rhone  at  Avignon,  for  the  old  one  had  given  way,  causing  the 
death  of  many  passengers.  Without  the  slightest  hesitation, 
St.  Benezet  left  his  sheep  and  walked  to  the  city,  where  he 
boldly  presented  himself  to  the  Provost  and  told  him  he  had 

*  For  account  of  St.  Genevieve,  see  vol.  ii.,  pp.  216-226. 


Alinari  photd\  \_Accademia,  Florence 

SS.    GIOVANNI    GUALBERTO,     BERNARDO    DEGO    UBERTI    AND    OTHER 

SAINTS    WITH    THE    ASSUMPTION    OF    THE    VIRGIN 

By  Perugino 

To  face  p.  230 


SS.  BENEZET  AND  ANTHELM  231 

come  to  construct  a  new  bridge.  The  latter  laughed  at  him, 
and,  pointing  to  a  huge  stone  lying  in  the  road,  said :  *  All 
right ;  there  is  a  stone  to  begin  with.'  The  shepherd  stooped 
down,  picked  up  the  stone,  and  walked  with  it  to  the  river; 
crowds  collecting  by  the  way  to  gaze  at  his  strange  proceedings. 
Now  convinced  that  the  shepherd  had  been  sent  by  God  Himself 
to  the  aid  of  the  town,  the  Provost  ordered  the  bystanders 
to  help  him,  and  in  an  incredibly  short  time  a  bridge  was 
built,  which  defied  the  strongest  floods,  remaining  Intact  until 
1602,  when  it  was  again  broken  down.  His  work  at  Avignon 
over,  St.  Benezet  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  superintending  the 
building  of  bridges  in  dangerous  places,  and  founded  what 
was  known  as  the  Congregation  des  Freres  pontives,  or  the 
Fraternity  of  the  Bridge-builders,  which  was  later  taken  under 
the  protection  of  the  more  important  Order  of  the  Knights 
Templar.  On  his  death  in  1184  the  holy  man  was  buried  in 
a  little  chapel  on  his  own  bridge,  and  when  that  was  destroyed, 
his  remains  were  fortunately  saved  and  re-interred  in  the  Church 
of  the  Celestines.  St.  Benezet  is  still  greatly  honoured  in  France, 
and  before  the  Revolution  there  were  many  representations  in 
old  churches  of  scenes  from  his  life  and  legend,  including 
several  wonderful  miracles  said  to  have  been  performed  by 
him. 

St.  Anthelm,  a  man  of  noble  French  birth,  who,  after  being 
Abbot  for  several  years  of  a  Carthusian  monastery,  was  made 
Bishop  of  Belley,  is  chiefly  celebrated  for  two  remarkable 
visions  said  to  have  been  vouchsafed  to  him:  the  apparition 
of  St.  Peter,  who  came  to  instruct  him  as  to  the  order  to  be 
followed  in  reciting  the  office  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  that  of 
a  hand  outstretched  in  benediction  above  his  head  as  he  was 
performing  Mass,  the  latter  incident,  though  now  almost  for- 
gotten, commemorated  by  a  hand  engraved  on  the  seal  of  the 
Chapter  of  Belley.  St.  Anthelm  exercised  a  great  influence 
during  his  lifetime,  and  won  over  to  repentance  Count  Humbert 
of  Savoy,  who  had  infringed  the  privileges  of  the  Church, 
for  which  reason  the  latter  is  sometimes  represented  prostrate 
at  the  feet  of  the  Saint.  On  the  death  of  St.  Anthelm  he  was 
buried  in  the  Cathedral  of  Belley,  and  it  is  related  that  at  his 
funeral  three  lamps  were  suddenly  lit  by  an  unseen  hand,  which 
has  led  to  a  lamp  being  accepted  as  one  of  the  emblems  of  the 
Bishop,  whom  it  is,  however,  usual  to  represent  in  the  robes  of 


232  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

a  Carthusian  monk,  with  the  mitre  at  his  feet  and  the  divine 
hand  above  his  head. 

St.  Bertold,  Abbot  for  some  years  of  a  monastery  at  Garsten, 
in  Upper  Austria — whose  emblems  are  a  fish  swimming  towards 
him,  or  an  angel  offering  him  a  fish  on  a  plate,  sometimes  re- 
placed by  a  fish  and  a  loaf  held  in  his  hands — is  chiefly 
celebrated  for  having  obtained  a  miraculous  supply  of  fish  for 
his  monks  in  a  time  of  famine,  by  making  the  sign  of  the  cross 
over  their  scanty  fare,  which  at  once  became  sufficient  for  their 
needs.  St.  Bertold  died  in  1130,  and  is  still  honoured  in  his 
native  land,  though  little  known  elsewhere. 

St.  Waltheof  or  Waltheu — whose  emblem  in  art  is  the  Infant 
Redeemer  taking  the  place  of  the  consecrated  Host  as  the  holy 
man  is  in  the  act  of  elevating  It,  in  memory  of  a  miracle  said 
to  have  been  performed  on  his  behalf — was  the  second  son  of 
Simon,  Earl  of  Huntingdon.  He  early  resolved  to  dedicate  his 
life  to  God,  but,  in  deference  to  the  wishes  of  his  father,  he  did 
not  make  his  religious  profession  until  somewhat  late  in  life, 
when  he  entered  a  Cistercian  monastery.  It  is  related  that  a 
noble  lady  who  was  in  love  with  St.  Waltheof  sent  him  a 
diamond  ring,  and  he  put  it  on  his  finger  without  realizing  its 
significance,  but  that  when  its  meaning  was  pointed  out  to  him 
he  flung  the  valuable  gift  into  the  fire.  Four  years  after  he 
became  a  monk  St.  Waltheof  was  made  Abbot  of  the  beautiful 
Monastery  of  Melrose,  and  in  1154  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews. 
He  died  in  1163,  and  was  buried  in  the  church  of  his  own  abbey. 

St.  Bernard  of  Tiron,  who  is  the  patron  Saint  of  turners, 
because  he  used  to  spend  much  of  his  leisure  time  working  at 
the  lathe,  founded  an  important  Benedictine  monastery  near 
his  native  town,  in  the  diocese  of  Chartres,  in  the  early  part  of 
the  twelfth  century,  and  is  occasionally  represented  falling 
asleep  with  a  lighted  candle  slipping  from  his  hands,  in 
memory  of  his  having  been  one  day  overcome  with  slumber 
at  Mass.  The  fact  that  no  accident  occurred,  in  spite  of  the 
untoward  incident,  was  looked  upon  as  a  mark  of  divine  favour, 
and  added  greatly  to  the  veneration  in  which  the  Abbot  was 
held.  A  wolf  with  a  Iamb  or  calf  in  its  mouth  is  sometimes 
introduced  beside  St.  Bernard  of  Tiron,  because  it  is  said  that, 
one  of  the  animals  belonging  to  his  monastery  having  strayed, 
it  was  brought  home  and  laid  at  the  feet  of  the  holy  man  by  a 
wolf* 


ST.  ERIC  OF  SWEDEN  233 

CHAPTER  XVIII 

ROYAL   SAINTS   AND   LAYMEN   OF   THE   TWELFTH    CENTURY 

THE  example  set  by  the  great  clergy  and  monks  of  the  twelfth 
century,  who  in  their  lives  and  in  their  deaths  glorified  the 
Master  of  their  loving  devotion,  was  eagerly  emulated  by  many 
highly-born  laymen,  who,  for  one  reason  or  another,  were  unable 
to  withdraw  from  the  world,  yet  served  God  so  nobly  in  the  state 
of  life  to  which  they  were  called,  that  they  have  been  considered 
worthy  of  canonization.  Amongst  these  shine  pre-eminent  the 
martyred  King  Eric  of  Sweden,  King  William  the  Lion  of 
Scotland,  Earl  Magnus  of  Orkney,  Count  Charles  the  Good  of 
Flanders,  and  the  Margrave  Leopold  of  Austria* 

Of  the  boyhood  of  St.  Eric  little  is  known,  but  in  early 
manhood  he  married  the  Princess  Christina,  and  on  the  death 
of  King  Smercher  in  1141  he  was  elected  to  succeed  him.  The 
eager  devotion  to  Christianity  of  the  young  monarch  brought 
him  into  conflict  with  his  heathen  subjects,  and  he  was  assassi- 
nated on  May  18,  1151,  whilst  hearing  Mass  in  the  principal 
church  of  Upsala.  It  is  related  that,  although  he  was  warned 
of  the  approach  of  his  murderers,  he  refused  to  attempt  to 
escape,  but  remained  kneeling  at  the  altar,  and  his  head  was 
struck  off  at  one  blow.  He  was  buried  in  the  church  in  which 
he  met  his  fate,  and  is  greatly  honoured  in  Sweden,  many 
miracles  having,  it  is  said,  been  performed  at  his  tomb.  The 
day  of  his  death  is  marked  in  old  Swedish  calendars  by  a 
crowned  head,  beneath  which  are  grouped  bunches  of  ears  of 
corn,  a  symbol,  it  is  supposed,  of  the  rich  harvest  reaped  for  the 
Church  through  the  eager  zeal  of  the  martyr.  A  spring  of 
water  is  also  occasionally  associated  with  St.  Eric,  in  memory 
of  a  tradition  to  the  effect  that  one  gushed  forth  from  the  spot 
on  which  his  blood  was  sprinkled,  and  it  is  usual  amongst 
Swedish  artists  to  place  in  his  hand  a  banner  or  a  shield  bearing 
three  crowns.  The  actual  banner  of  the  young  King  was  long 
preserved  at  Upsala,  and  is  said  to  have  insured  victory  to  the 
Swedes  whenever  it  was  taken  into  battle. 

Although  there  is  no  actual  record  of  the  canonization  of  the 
warlike  King  William  of  Scotland,  founder  of  the  famous 
Abbey  of  Arbroath,  he  was  long  accounted  a  Saint  by  his  fellow- 


234  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

countrymen  on  account  of  his  generosity  to  the  Church,  and 
in  certain  old  paintings  and  iconographies  a  halo  is  given  to 
him.  His  chief  emblem  in  art  is  a  lion,  and  he  is  supposed  by 
some  authorities  to  have  been  the  first  to  adopt  as  a  heraldic 
device  what  now  forms  an  essential  portion  of  the  arms  of 
Scotland,  though  the  reason  of  his  choice  of  the  emblem  has 
never  yet  been  ascertained.  Chains  are  also  occasionally  given 
to  St.  William,  in  allusion,  probably,  to  his  imprisonment  in 
Normandy,  to  escape  from  which  he  was  compelled  to  do 
homage  to  King  Henry  of  England. 

Earl  Magnus  of  Orkney,  whose  emblem  in  art  is  an  axe,  in 
allusion  to  the  manner  of  his  death,  and  who  is  much  honoured 
in  the  North  of  Scotland,  where  he  is  supposed  to  look  after 
the  interests  of  fishermen,  is  considered  a  martyr  because  he 
might  possibly  have  escaped  his  cruel  fate  if  he  had  abjured  his 
faith.  He  was  murdered  by  order  of  his  cousin  and  rival  Haco, 
and  it  is  said  that  he  was  so  much  beloved  by  his  people  that  it 
was  not  until  he  himself  laid  his  commands  on  one  of  his  own 
servants,  that  an  executioner  could  be  found.  _  St.  Magnus 
had  offered  to  go  into  exile  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  or  to 
consent  to  imprisonment  in  a  Scotch  dungeon ;  but  Haco  knew 
that  as  long  as  his  rival  lived  his  possession  of  the  Orkney 
Islands  would  not  be  secure,  and  the  Earl  declared  himself 
ready  to  die.  He  was  beheaded,  and  It  is  said  that  flowers 
never  cease  to  bloom  upon  the  spot  where  his  head  fell.  He 
was  at  first  buried  in  a  humble  grave  not  far  from  the  scene  of 
his  death,  but  many  years  later  the  remains  were  translated  to 
the  church,  now  the  cathedral,  of  St.  Magnus  at  Kirkwall, 
specially  built  to  receive  them.  The  memory  of  the  martyr  is 
also  preserved  in  the  dedication  of  several  churches  in  his  native 
land,  and  in  that  of  one  in  London  not  far  from  that  of 
St.  Olaf. 

St.  Charles  the  Good — whose  emblems  in  art  are  loaves  of 
bread,  because  of  his  generosity  to  the  poor,  in  whose  behalf  he 
resolutely  kept  down  the  price  of  corn,  or  an  axe,  in  allusion  to 
the  manner  of  his  death — is  still  greatly  honoured  in  Flanders, 
where  he  is  supposed  to  protect  his  votaries  from  fever.  After 
doing  much  for  the  good  of  his  country,  St.  Charles  was 
assassinated  by  order  of  the  chief  magistrates  of  Bruges,  in 
a  fit  of  indignation  against  his  unvarying  justice  to  the 
oppressed.  It  is  related  that  the  Earl  was  warned  of  the  plot 


ST.  LEOPOLD  OF  AUSTRIA  235 

against  him,  but  refused  to  take  measures  to  circumvent  It, 
calmly  remarking  that  he  could  not  die  In  a  better  cause 
than  that  of  justice  and  truth.  He  was  surprised  by  his 
enemies  as  he  knelt  at  his  devotions  In  the  church  of 
St.  Donatian,  now  destroyed,  at  Bruges,  and  made  no  attempt 
to  escape.  His  head  was  split  open  with  an  axe,  and  he  died 
without  a  groan.  Though  the  Instigators  of  the  crime  escaped, 
the  actual  perpetrators  were  terribly  punished,  one  being 
broken  on  the  wheel,  and  the  other  hung  on  a  rock  to  be  torn 
to  pieces  by  dogs. 

St.  Leopold,  fourth  Margrave  of  Austria,  surnamed  the  Pious 
in  early  boyhood,  on  account  of  his  devotion  to  the  service 
of  God,  is  a  favourite  figure  in  German  ecclesiastical  art,  and  is 
generally  represented  wearing  ducal  armour,  holding  a  church, 
in  memory  of  the  many  monasteries  founded  by  him,  and  a 
banner,  emblazoned  with  the  eaglets  which  were  the  arms  of  his 
house.  Married  in  1106  to  the  Princess  Alice,  daughter  of  the 
Emperor  Henry  IV.,  St.  Leopold  found  in  her  a  true  helpmeet 
In  his  efforts  to  further  the  best  interests  of  his  subjects,  and 
her  figure  is  occasionally  associated  with  his  in  stained-glass 
windows  and  elsewhere,  aiding  him  to  hold  up  a  church. 
Unlike  so  many  of  his  predecessors  and  contemporaries  amongst 
the  Saints,  the  Margrave  believed  in  the  sanctity  of  home  life, 
and  on  his  death  in  1136  he  left  a  large  family  behind  him, 
for  which  reason  he  sometimes  appears  in  German  pictures 
surrounded  by  children. 

Although  none  of  the  hermits  of  the  twelfth  century  attained 
to  anything  like  the  celebrity  of  those  who  were  the  first  to 
adopt  the  solitary  life,  some  few  are  specially  honoured  for  one 
reason  or  another,  notably  Saints  Ranieri  of  Pisa,  Dominic  de  la 
Calzada,  Gerlach  of  Maestricht,  Albert  of  Siena,  and  Adjutor 
of  Vernon,  with  whom  may  be  ranked  the  humble  citizens 
Saints  Isidore  of  Madrid,  Albert  of  Ogna,  Homobonus  of 
Cremona,  and  the  child-martyr  William  of  Norwich. 

St.  Ranieri  belonged  to  a  noble  Italian  family,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  led  to  abandon  his  gay  life  by  a  very  simple  incident. 
He  was  one  day  singing  and  dancing  in  the  open  air  with  a 
number  of  young  companions  as  careless  and  light-hearted  as 
himself,  when  a  hermit  passed  by.  Some  of  the  merry-makers 
laughed  at  the  holy  man ;  but  as  Ranieri  was  about  to  join  in 
with  their  mirth,  he  met  the  gaze  of  the  wanderer,  and  it 


236  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

seemed  to  penetrate  to  his  very  soul.  He  dropped  the  instru- 
ment he  was  playing,  and,  deaf  to  the  remonstrances  of  his 
comrades,  he  followed  the  hermit,  who  advised  him  to  make  a 
pilgrimage  to  the  Holy  Land.  Taking  no  farewell  of  his  family, 
he  obeyed,  and  for  twenty  years  nothing  more  was  seen  or 
heard  of  him  in  Europe.  He  spent  the  whole  time  in  a  lonely 
cell  in  a  desert  near  Jerusalem,  performing  many  miracles  on 
behalf  of  those  who  came  to  ask  his  aid,  and  seeing  many 
remarkable  visions. 

One  night,  when  St.  Ranieri  had  fallen  into  an  uneasy  sleep 
in  a  fasting  condition,  he  saw  a  beautiful  metal  vase  studded 
with  precious  stones,  in  which  were  burning  pitch  and  sulphur 
that  emitted  horrible  fumes.  As  he  gazed  at  the  strange  sight  a 
mysterious  hand  offered  him  a  little  vessel  full  of  water,  and 
with  two  or  three  drops  from  it  he  was  able  at  once  to  extinguish 
the  flames.  Then  he  knew  that  the  burning  vase  was  a  figure 
of  the  human  body  devoured  by  its  appetites  and  passions, 
whilst  the  water  with  which  to  subdue  them  was  the  virtue  of 
temperance.  He  therefore  resolved  never  again  to  touch  any 
food  but  bread  and  water,  and  the  greater  number  of  his 
miracles  were  performed  with  the  aid  of  the  latter,  hence  the 
name  sometimes  given  to  him  in  Italy  of  S.  Ranieri  delP  Acqua. 
His  love  of  water  did  not,  however,  prevent  the  Saint  from 
condemning  its  unfair  use,  and  it  is  related  of  him  that  he  cured 
an  innkeeper  of  the  habit  of  mixing  a  quantity  of  it  with  the 
wine  he  sold,  by  revealing  to  him  the  evil  one  seated  on  one  of 
his  casks. 

^At  the  end  of  his  twenty  years'  exile  St.  Ranieri  returned  to 
Pisa,  where,  on  account  of  his  ready  help  in  trouble,  he  soon 
became  the  idol  of  the  people,  for  no  matter  what  their  suffering, 
he  was  able  to  cure  it  by  his  prayers.  When  at  last  he  yielded 
up  his  pure  spirit  to  the  God  who  gave  it,  he  was  buried  in  the 
cathedral  in  a  chapel  bearing  his  name,  and  his  memory  is 
still  held  specially  sacred,  not  only  in  his  native  city,  but  in  the 
whole  of  northern  Italy. 

The  special  attributes  in  art  of  St.  Ranieri  are  an  angel 
bending  over  him  to  assure  him  of  the  pardon  of  his  sins,  or  a 
crucifix,  at  which  he  is  kneeling  to  return  thanks  for  the  re- 
storation of  his  sight,  for,  according  to  one  version  of  his  legend, 
his  conversion  was  due  to  sudden  blindness  and  equally  sudden 
recovery.  Sometimes  the  famous  Leaning  Tower  of  Pisa  is 


ST.  DOMINIC  DE  LA  CALZADA  237 

introduced  beside  the  hermit,  or  he  holds  a  model  of  it  in  his 
hand,  and  now  and  then  he  appears  upon  a  ship,  in  memory  of 
his  voyage  to  Palestine  and  of  his  having  saved  several  vessels 
from  shipwreck.  The  pilgrim's  staff  is  also,  of  course,  given  to 
St.  Ranieri,  and  instances  occur  of  two  hyenas  being  intro- 
duced near  him,  because  he  is  said  to  have  routed  two  of  those 
animals  which  attacked  him  in  Palestine,  by  calling  upon  the 
name  of  Christ,  at  which,  instead  of  harming  him,  they  bowed 
their  heads  in  salutation. 

In  the  Campo  Santo  at  Pisa  is  a  series  of  interesting 
fourteenth-century  frescoes  by  Andrea  da  Firenze  and  Antonio 
Veneziano  of  scenes  from  the  life  of  the  much-loved  hermit, 
including  his  conversion,  his  voyage  to  Palestine,  return  home, 
death  and  burial. 

Of  St.  Dominic  de  la  Calzada  very  little  is  really  known, 
except  that  he  was  of  Italian  birth,  and  accompanied  the 
Cardinal  Legate,  St.  Gregory,  Bishop  of  Ostia,  to  Spain  in  the 
early  part  of  the  twelfth  century.  There  he  devoted  all  his 
spare  time  to  the  making  or  mending  of  a  road  traversing  the 
district  of  Rioja,  for  the  convenience  of  pilgrims  on  their  way 
to  the  shrine  of  St.  James  of  Compostella  * — hence  the  name  of 
de  la  Calzada,  which  signifies  '  of  the  highway.'  Before  the 
arrival  of  St.  Dominic,  many  pilgrims  had  fallen  victims  to  the 
perils  of  the  way,  which  was  infested  by  highwaymen ;  but  after 
the  completion  of  the  road,  the  numbers  of  those  who  flocked 
to  do  homage  to  the  beloved  patron  Saint  of  Spain  was  greatly 
increased,  and  in  their  gratitude  to  their  benefactor  the  common 
people  endowed  St.  Dominic  with  all  manner  of  remarkable 
powers,  of  which  he  was  probably  quite  innocent.  It  was, 
indeed,  of  him  that  the  following  extraordinary  story,  long 
erroneously  connected  with  St.  James  the  Elder,  was  originally 
told  :t  One  day  a  young  German  pilgrim  who  had  come  to  do 
reverence  at  the  shrine  at  Compostella  was  sorely  tempted  to 
evil  by  the  lovely  daughter  of  the  innkeeper,  at  whose  house  he 
was  stopping  with  his  parents.  Angry  at  his  apparent  insensi- 
bility to  her  charms,  the  girl  determined  to  be  revenged  on  him, 
and  when  he  was  leaving  she  hid  a  valuable  cup  in  his  wallet. 
It  was  soon  missed ;  the  pilgrim  was  pursued,  found  guilty  of 
having  the  stolen  property  in  his  possession,  and  condemned  to 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  117-120. 
t  See  Preface,  vol.  ii.,  p.  vii. 


238  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

be  hanged  on  the  nearest  tree.  The  poor  young  fellow's  pro- 
testations of  innocence  were  disregarded,  and  the  beautiful  girl 
looked  on  unmoved  at  his  execution.  The  bereaved  parents 
went  on  their  way  sorrowing,  believing  that  they  would  never 
see  their  beloved  son  again,  but  St.  Dominic  de  la  Calzada 
appeared  to  them  and  told  them  that  the  victim  was  not  really 
dead.  Nay,  more,  the  holy  man  promised  that  he  would  remain 
with  him,  whilst  they  went  to  plead  with  the  judge  for  leave  to 
cut  him  down  from  the  fatal  tree.  Scarcely  able  to  believe  their 
ears,  the  father  and  mother  hastened  back,  but  were  at  first 
refused  admission  to  the  house  of  the  judge,  who  was  just 
sitting  down  to  dinner.  Their  tears,  however,  at  last  touched 
the  heart  of  the  porter,  who  let  them  in.  The  judge  was  very 
angry  at  being  disturbed,  and  when  they  intreated  him  to  order 
their  boy  to  be  cut  down  and  restored  to  them,  for  he  still 
lived,  the  man  of  law  laughed  aloud,  crying,  as  he  pointed  to  a 
pair  of  fowls  on  a  dish  before  him,  e  You  are  mad ;  if  your  son 
is  alive,  so  are  those  birds.'  At  that  up  rose  the  cock  and  hen, 
and  began  vigorously  to  crow  and  cackle.  The  judge  was  con- 
vinced of  his  error,  and,  calling  his  servants  to  come  with  him, 
he  hurried  to  the  scene  of  execution,  where  he  found  that  the 
parents  had  spoken  the  truth.  The  rope  was  immediately  cut 
and  the  son  restored  to  his  delighted  parents.  The  rescued 
victim  lived,  it  is  said,  to  a  good  old  age,  as  did  the  cock  and 
hen,  who  were  long  held  sacred  by  the  people  of  the  neighbour- 
hood. Their  plumage  grew  again,  and  they  reared  several 
families  after  their  remarkable  resuscitation. 

In  the  Cluny  Museum,  Paris,  is  preserved  a  very  quaint 
memorial  of  this  strange  tale,  in  the  form  of  a  leaden  medal 
found  in  the  Seine,  which  was  probably  brought  from  Spain 
by  one  of  the  followers  of  Du  Guesclin.  It  bears  an  effigy  of 
St.  Dominic  de  la  Calzada  with  a  cock  on  one  shoulder,  a  hen 
on  the  other,  and  a  man  with  a  rope  round  his  neck  kneeling 
beside  him,  whilst  at  his  feet  are  the  models  of  a  bridge  and 
castle,  in  memory  of  his  work  in  Spain.  St.  Dominic  de  la 
Calzada  is  occasionally  grouped  with  his  friend  and  patron 
St.  Gregory  of  Ostia,  whose  art  emblem  is  a  cloud  of  winged 
insects,  because  he  is  said  to  have  stayed  a  plague  of  locusts. 

St.  Gerlach,  who  is  still  much  honoured  in  Maestricht  and 
its  neighbourhood,  is  supposed  to  have  belonged  to  a  noble 
German  family,  and  to  have  led  a  very  dissipated  life  until 


SS.  GERLACH  AND  ALBERT  239 

he  was  suddenly  converted,  just  as  he  was  about  to  take 
part  in  a  tournament,  by  hearing  of  the  death  of  his  young 
wife.  He  is  said  to  have  turned  to  the  assembled  crowds, 
exclaiming  in  a  loud  voice,  *  Henceforth  I  give  my  life  to 
Jesus/  and,  dismounting  from  his  beautiful  horse,  to  have  re- 
turned home  on  a  donkey.  Having  buried  his  wife  and  set 
his  affairs  in  order,  he  walked  barefoot  to  Rome  to  ask  counsel 
of  the  Pope,  who  sent  him  to  Jerusalem  to  serve  the  poor  in 
a  hospital.  There  St.  Gerlach  remained  for  seven  years,  after 
which  he  returned  home,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  the 
hollow  of  a  tree  which  he  had  filled  with  sharp  flints.  In 
course  of  time  the  fame  of  his  sanctity  spread  far  and  wide,  so 
that  many  flocked  to  him  for  advice  and  aid — amongst  them, 
it  is  said,  St.  Hildegarde,  whose  story  is  related  below,  who 
told  him  she  had  seen  him,  in  a  vision,  seated  on  a  throne  in 
heaven. 

St.  Gerlach  died  in  1170,  and  on  his  death-bed  he  is  said 
to  have  received  the  last  Sacraments  from  St.  Servatius  of 
Tongres,*  who  lived  in  the  ninth  century,  at  whose  shrine  in 
Maestricht  he  had  often  worshipped.  A  spring  is  still  shown 
near  Maestricht,  said  to  have  been  that  at  which  the  holy  man 
used  to  quench  his  thirst,  and  he  is  often  represented  in  old 
iconographies,  sometimes  in  full  armour  riding  on  a  donkey, 
sometimes  in  the  robes  of  a  hermit  crouching  in  his  tree,  and 
sometimes  receiving  the  Holy  Communion  from  St.  Servatius. 
Now  and  then  he  is  looking  down  at  one  of  his  feet  pierced 
with  a  thorn,  in  memory  of  his  having  refrained  from  drawing 
out  one  on  which  he  had  trodden,  because  he  considered  the 
pain  a  just  punishment  for  having  kicked  his  mother  when  he 
was  a  boy  ;  or  he  is  kneeling  barefooted  at  a  shrine. 

St.  Albert  of  Siena — whose  emblem  in  art  is  a  hare  held  in 
his  arms,  or  peeping  forth  from  one  of  the  wide  sleeves  of  his 
hermit's  robes,  and  who  is  occasionally  represented  calming  a 
storm  by  his  prayers — was  a  holy  man  who,  on  account  of  -his 
great  austerity,  won  much  renown  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
town  after  which  he  is  named.  According  to  some,  St.  Albert  was 
a  monk  of  the  Camaldoli  Order,  but  others  are  of  opinion  that  he 
was  a  simple  hermit  who  lived  alone  in  a  mountain  cell.  The 
emblem  of  the  hare  is  given  to  him  because  he  saved  one  which 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp,  205,  206. 


240  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

had  run  to  him  for  shelter  from  the  hunters,  and  which  turned 
out  to  be  an  animal  with  whom  he  had  already  made  friends. 

Of  St.  Adjutor  of  Vernon,  whose  attribute  in  art  is  a  broken 
chain,  the  romantic  story  is  told  that  he  was  a  French  noble 
who,  when  serving  in  the  army  in  Spain,  was  taken  prisoner  by 
the  Saracens,  condemned  to  death  by  them  because  he  would 
not  abjure  his  faith,  but  rescued  at  the  last  moment  by  angels, 
who  broke  his  chains  and  transported  him  to  his  home 
in  France.  In  gratitude  for  his  remarkable  deliverance,  St. 
Adjutor  renounced  the  world,  and  spent  the  rest  of  his  life 
in  a  lonely  forest.  On  his  death  he  was,  in  accordance  with 
his  own  wishes,  secretly  buried  by  some  monks,  who  had  pro- 
mised never  to  betray  his  last  resting-place.  It  was,  however, 
revealed  by  numbers  of  birds  hovering  above  it,  singing  sweetly 
in  his  honour,  and  in  some  versions  of  the  legend  it  is  even 
said  that  they  chanted  the  actual  hymns  the  holy  man  had 
loved  in  life. 

St.  Isidore,  the  patron  Saint  of  Madrid — where  he  is  specially 
invoked  in  times  of  drought — and  of  agricultural  labourers  of 
every  nationality,  is  said  to  have  been  a  poor  ploughman  who 
could  neither  read  nor  write.  In  spite  of  his  ignorance  he  was 
filled  with  such  fervent  love  of  Christ,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and 
the  Saints,  that  he  never  went  to  work  in  the  morning  without 
first  praying  in  church,  and  often  paused  in  his  ploughing  to 
fall  on  his  knees  in  reverent  devotion.  He  had  taken  service 
with  a  rich  farmer  named  Juan  de  Vargas,  who,  angry  at  what 
he  considered  his  ploughman's  waste  of  time,  went  one  day  to 
the  field  in  which  the  latter  was  working,  intending  to  reprimand 
him  severely,  and  threaten  him  with  dismissal  if  he  did  not  give 
up  his  idle  ways.  From  a  distance  Juan  saw  St.  Isidore  on  his 
knees,  and,  delighted  at  having  actually  caught  the  culprit 
neglecting  his  duty,  the  angry  master  hastened  to  the  top  of  a 
little  hill,  and  began  to  curse  and  swear.  Suddenly,  however, 
the  words  were  arrested  on  his  lips,  for  he  beheld  the  wonderful 
sight  of  two  white-robed  angels  guiding  the  oxen  drawing  the 
plough,  and  from  the  amount  of  work  already  done  it  appeared 
that  they  had  been  on  duty  for  some  time.  Instead,  therefore, 
of  reproving  the  servant  who  was  thus  able  to  command  help 
from  on  high,  the  master  intreated  St.  Isidore  to  forgive  him 
and  share  with  him  the  secret  of  his  favour  with  Heaven. 
Henceforth  the  two  became  close  friends,  and  it  is  further 


ii 


ST.  ISIDORE  OF  MADRID  241 

related  that  one  hot  day,  when  Juan  complained  of  thirst,  the 
ploughman  struck  a  rock  with  his  spade  or  with  his  ox-goad, 
and  a  spring  of  water  immediately  gushed  forth.  On  another 
occasion,  when  St.  Isidore's  little  boy  fell  into  a  well  and  was 
drowned,  the  father  restored  him  to  life  by  his  prayers.  Other 
\vonderful  miracles  performed  by  the  holy  ploughman  were  the 
rescue  of  a  lamb  from  a  wolf,  the  latter  falling  down  dead 
when  St.  Isidore  ordered  him  to  drop  his  prey ;  the  feeding 
of  a  large  multitude  through  the  multiplication  of  food  the 
holy  man  had  blessed ;  and  the  preservation  intact  of  the  con- 
tents of  a  sack  of  corn  he  was  carrying  to  the  mill,  although 
he  had  fed  hundreds  of  birds  by  the  way. 

St.  Isidore  is  supposed  to  have  died  about  1130,  and  it  is 
said  that  an  angel  tolled  the  bell  at  his  funeral.  He  was 
canonized  in  the  sixteenth  century,  at  the  same  time  as  Saints 
Ignatius  Loyola,  Francis  Xavier,  and  Philip  Neri,  for  which 
reason  he  is  sometimes  grouped  with  them.  On  the  occasion 
of  the  fete  in  Spain  in  honour  of  the  canonization  of  the  beloved 
ploughman,  Lope  de  Vega  suggested  the  association  with  St. 
Isidore  of  the  emblem  of  an  ox  wearing  a  garland  of  ears  of 
corn,  and  a  collar  engraved  with  the  words  of  St.  Jerome,  *  Vox 
Domini  sustentat  jugum,'  which  may  be  roughly  rendered, 
'  The  word  of  God  upholds  the  yoke.5 

The  legend  of  St.  Isidore  is  the  subject  of  a  beautiful  painting 
by  the  French  master  Olivier  Merson,  in  which  the  figures  of 
the  ploughman  and  the  angel  are  remarkably  fine,  whilst  the 
astonishment  of  the  master  and  of  his  dog  at  the  vision  are  very 
dramatically  rendered.  The  character  of  the  humble  saint  is 
also  well  brought  out  in  a  picture,  now  in  the  Pitti  Gallery,  by 
Simone  Cantarino  of  Pesaro,  and  St.  Isidore  is  introduced  by 
Hippolyte  Flandrin,  with  a  sheaf  of  wheat  as  his  symbol,  in  the 
celebrated  frieze  in  the  Church  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul  in  Paris. 
In  his  native  country  representations  of  the  ploughman  also- 
abound,  in  which  he  is  seen  at  prayer,  with  an  angel  guiding 
his  plough  in  the  background,  kneeling  at  a  little  spring  of 
water  which  he  has  just  caused  to  gush  out  by  striking  the 
ground  with  his  spade,  or  grouped  with  his  wife,  St.  Maria 
de  la  Cabeza,  who  shared  his  religious  enthusiasm  and  sur- 
vived him  for  several  years. 

Of  St.  Albert  of  Ogna,  who  was  also  a  humble  field-labourer, 
the  story  is  told  that  he  worked  his  way  to  Rome  from  his  home. 

VOL.  in.  16 


242  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

at  Bergamo  by  helping  in  the  harvest,  getting  through  such  a 
quantity  of  mowing  that  he  aroused  the  jealousy  of  the  other 
men  employed.  On  one  occasion  some  of  them  laid  a  trap  for 
him  by  placing  an  anvil  amongst  the  standing  corn,  thinking 
it  would  blunt  his  scythe  and  so  delay  him,  but  the  blade  passed 
through  the  obstruction  as  if  it  had  been  the  stalk  of  a  flower,  and 
the  holy  man  continued  his  reaping  as  if  nothing  had  happened. 
When  he  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Po,  another  miracle  was 
wrought  on  his  behalf,  for,  having  no  money  to  pay  the  ferryman, 
he  flung  his  mantle  upon  the  water,  and  used  it  as  a  boat,  making 
the  transit  safely.  St.  Albert  is  supposed  to  have  died  in  Rome 
about  1190,  and  it  is  related  that  the  priest  who  was  bringing 
him  the  last  Sacraments  arrived  too  late,  but  his  place  was  taken 
by  a  dove,  which  flew  down  from  heaven  bearing  the  Blessed 
Sacrament  in  its  beak.  Although  his  death  took  place  some 
thirty  years  before  the  foundation  of  the  Order,  St.  Albert  of 
Ogna  is  generally  represented  in  the  robes  of  a  Dominican 
monk,  and  his  emblems  are  an  anvil,  which  he  is  cutting 
through  with  a  scythe,  and  a  dove  hovering  above  his  head. 

St.  Homobonus,  whose  name  signifies  'the  good  man,'  was 
the  son  of  a  master  tailor  of  Cremona,  and  was  born  in  that 
town  about  the  middle  of  the  twelfth  century.  He  was  brought 
up  to  his  father's  trade,  but  early  distinguished  himself  for  his 
devotion  to  the  poor,  to  whom  he  gave  away  all  his  earnings. 
He  married  young,  but  his  wife  turned  out  to  be  a  thorn  in  his 
side,  for  she  was  of  a  very  parsimonious  disposition,  and  he  was 
compelled  to  resort  to  stratagem  to  evade  her  interference  with 
his  charity.  On  one  occasion,  when  he  had  been  distributing 
wine  to  the  men  in  his  employ,  and  was  returning  home  with 
the  empty  cask  on  his  shoulders,  a  number  of  poor  people 
gathered  about  him,  clamouring  that  they,  too,  were  thirsty. 
The  holy  man  feared  his  wife  too  much  to  dare  to  fetch  wine 
for  them  from  his  home,  but  he  filled  his  cask  with  water, 
which  is  said  to  have  been  changed  into  wine  as  he  poured 
it  out. 

St.  Homobonus  died  suddenly  in  church  in  1197  during 
the  performance  of  Mass.  He  had  prostrated  himself,  as  was 
his  custom,  with  his  arms  stretched  out  as  though  upon  a 
cross,  as  the  chanting  of  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis  began,  and  when 
it  was  over  he  remained  motionless.  The  attendants  went  to 
ask  why  he  did  not  rise  for  the  reading  of  the  Gospel,  and  found 


ST.  WILLIAM  OF  NORWICH  243 

that  his  spirit  had  passed  away.     He  was  buried  at  Cremona, 
where  he  is  still  much  honoured. 

The  patron  Saint  of  his  native  city  of  Modena,  and  of  Lyons, 
which  formerly  traded  largely  with  Cremona ;  of  tailors,  drapers, 
and  dealers  in  old  clothes,  the  special  emblems  of  St.  Homobonus 
are  the  implements  of  his  trade,  such  as  scissors,  bobbins,  etc. 
He  is  generally  represented,  as  in  a  painting  by  one  of  the 
Bonifacio  in  the  Palazzo  Reale,  Venice,  distributing  money  and 
food  to  the  poor,  with  a  number  of  casks  of  wine  beside  him ;  or, 
as  in  certain  old  iconographies,  with  an  angel  helping  him  at 
his  tailoring,  to  give  him  leisure  for  his  devotions,"  or  lying 
dead  before  the  altar. 

The  more  or  less  apocryphal  story  of  St.  William  of  Norwich 
took  a  very  powerful  hold  upon  the  popular  imagination,  and 
before  the  Reformation  representations  of  him  abounded  in 
English  churches.  He  is  said  to  have  been  the  child  of  poor 
parents,  and  to  have  been  born  in  Norwich  about  1124.  At 
the  age  of  eleven  he  was  bound  apprentice  to  a  tanner  in  his 
native  town,  and  his  sweet  disposition  soon  endeared  him  to 
his  master  and  fellow- workers.  Just  before  Easter  in  1137  the 
poor  child  was,  it  is  supposed,  enticed  into  the  house  of  a 
wealthy  Jew,  and  there  crucified  in  exactly  the  same  manner  as 
Christ  Himself  had  been,  the  murderers  mocking  him  in  his 
agony,  and  when  life  was  extinct  piercing  his  side  with  a  spear. 
On  Easter  morning  the  body  of  the  little  victim  was  placed  in 
a  sack  and  carried  to  the  forest  outside  the  city  to  be  buried, 
but  just  as  it  was  being  laid  in  the  ground,  the  Jews  were 
surprised  by  a  citizen  of  Norwich,  named  Edward,  whom  they 
bribed  not  to  betray  them.  Afraid  of  their  vengeance  if  he 
broke  his  promise,  Edward  kept  it  till  he  was  dying,  when  he 
told  the  whole  truth  to  the  priest  who  came  to  give  him  the 
last  Sacraments.  Although  no  less  than  five  years  had  elapsed 
since  the  crime  was  committed,  the  body  of  the  victim  is  said 
to  have  been  found,  still  undecayed  and  with  two  ravens 
guarding  it  with  outspread  wings,  just  where  it  had  been  left 
by  the  Jews  when  they  were  discovered.  The  remains  were 
carried  with  all  due  honour  into  Norwich,  where  they  were 
interred  first  in  the  churchyard  of  the  cathedral,  and  later  in 
the  choir  of  that  building.  The  spot  where  they  were  discovered 
was  marked  by  a  little  chapel,  long  known  as  that  of  St.  William 
in  the  Wood,  all  trace  of  which  has  now  vanished,  but  which 

1 6 — 2 


244  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

was  long  the  goal  of  numerous  pilgrims,  and,  it  is  claimed,  the 
scene  of  many  miracles. 

The  special  emblems  of  the  child-martyr  are  a  cross  held  in 
his  right,  and  three  nails  in  his  left  hand.  On  a  rood-screen  in 
Worstead  Church,  Norfolk,  he  is  introduced  crowned  with 
thorns,  holding  two  nails  in  one  hand,  and  with  a  knife  piercing 
his  side;  on  one  in  Loddon  Church,  also  in  Norfolk,  he  appears 
bound  to  two  posts  with  cords,  and  several  Jews  standing  by 
mocking  him,  one  of  whom  is  stabbing  the  martyr's  left  side 
and  catching  the  blood  in  a  bowl.  On  a  panel  formerly  in 
St.  John's  Church,  Maddermarket,  Norwich,  the  little  sufferer 
is  represented  with  three  nails  piercing  his  head,  three  held  in 
his  right  hand,  and  a  hammer  in  his  left ;  and  in  the  Church  of 
Saints  Peter  and  Paul  at  Eye  in  Suffolk  he  holds  a  cross  and 
three  nails,  whilst  blood  is  flowing  from  wounds  in  his  feet. 
Some  of  these,  and  other  representations  of  the  crucified  child, 
are  reproduced  in  Goulburn's  *  Ancient  Sculptures  of  Norwich 
Cathedral '  and  elsewhere. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

HOLY  WOMEN   OF  THE  TWELFTH  AND  THIRTEENTH  CENTURIES 

THERE  was,  strange  to  say,  a  great  falling  off  in  the  twelfth 
century  in  the  number  of  women  to  whom  the  honour  of 
canonization  has  been  given ;  but  some  few,  including  the 
Abbess  St.  Hildegarda,  the  recluse  St.  Rosalia  of  Palermo,  and 
St.  Maria  de  la  Cabeza,  the  wife  of  St.  Isidore  the  Ploughman, 
are  occasionally  represented  in  art. 

St.  Hildegarda,  the  child  of  noble  parents,  was  born  at 
Spanheim  in  1098,  and,  having  been  brought  under  the  influence 
of  St.  Bernard  of  Clairvaulx,  she  early  renounced  the  world  to 
become  a  nun.  After  serving  her  novitiate,  she  was  elected 
Abbess  of  the  Convent  of  St.  Disibode,  which,  under  her  en- 
lightened management,  attracted  so  many  holy  women  that  it 
became  necessary  to  secure  larger  buildings.  St.  Hildegarda 
therefore  removed  to  Bingen,  where  she  founded  a  very  im- 
portant religious  community,  and,  after  ruling  it  with  great 
wisdom  for  many  years,  she  died  in  1179,  leaving  behind  her 


ST.  ROSALIA  OF  PALERMO  245 

a  great  reputation  for  sanctity.  Her  emblems  In  art  are  a 
gleaming  cross  above  her  head,  because  one  Is  said  to  have 
appeared  in  the  sky  at  the  moment  of  her  death ;  an  open  book, 
in  memory  of  her  studious  habits ;  and  a  church,  on  account 
of  her  having  founded  the  Convent  of  Bingen.  She  has  also 
been  represented  attended  by  an  angel,  who  is  driving  away  a 
number  of  evil  spirits,  and  surrounded  by  beggars,  to  whom 
she  is  distributing  alms. 

St.  Rosalia  of  Palermo  was  the  daughter  of  an  Italian  noble- 
man, and  on  account  of  her  great  beauty  and  wealth  she  was 
eagerly  courted  by  many  highly-born  suitors,  but  she  resolved 
In  early  girlhood  to  dedicate  her  life  to  Christ  alone.  To  the 
great  grief  of  her  parents,  she  withdrew  to  a  cave  on  Monte 
Pellegrino,  where  she  remained  until  her  death,  receiving,  it 
Is  said,  many  tokens  of  special  favour  from  on  high,  including 
a  beautiful  crown  of  roses  from  the  hands  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
St.  Rosalia  is  supposed  to  have  died  in  1160,  and  to  have  been 
secretly  interred  by  angels ;  but  her  remains  were  discovered  in 
1625,  and,  by  order  of  Pope  Urban  VIII.,  were  translated  with 
much  ceremony  to  the  Cathedral  of  Palermo,  wrhere  they  are 
said  still  to  rest. 

To  quote  the  well-known  words  of  Sir  Walter  Scott  in 
*  Marmion,' 

4  That  grot  where  olives  nod, 

Where,  darling  of  each  heart  and  eye, 

From  all  the  youth  of  Sicily, 
St.  Rosalie  retired  to  God,' 

is  now  enshrined  in  a  church,  and  shown  to  pilgrims  by  candle- 
light. The  Latin  inscription,  said  to  have  been  traced  by  the 
hand  of  the  saintly  maiden  herself,  can  still  be  made  out,  and 
may  be  roughly  translated:  *  I,  Rosalie  .  .  .  have  resolved  to  live 
in  this  cave  for  love  of  my  Lord  Jesus  Christ';  and  at  the 
entrance  to  the  grotto  is  a  recumbent  statue  of  the  recluse  by 
Gregorio  Tedeschi. 

The  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Rosalia  are  a  cross  and  skull  at 
her  feet,  in  memory  of  her  renunciation  of  the  joys  of  life ;  a 
crown  of  white  roses  on  her  head,  in  memory  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin's  gift;  and  a  distaff,  which  the  saint  is  embracing,  in 
token  of  her  humble  avocations.  In  a  beautiful  *  Madonna  and 
Saints'  by  Van  Dyck,  in  the  Vienna  Gallery,  St.  Rosalia  is 
grouped  with  Saints  Peter  and  Paul ;  Andrea  Sabbatini  has 


246  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

represented  her  with  a  book  and  palm,  emblems  to  which  she 
had,  however,  no  special  right ;  and  in  some  iconographies  she 
is  introduced  cutting  the  inscription  quoted  above,  on  the  rock 
outside  her  cave. 

St.  Maria  de  la  Cabeza,  whose  symbols  in  art  are  a  torch  or 
lantern  and  a  flask  of  oil,  for  reasons  explained  below,  is  little 
known  out  of  Spain,  but  is  there  greatly  revered.  The  wife  of 
St.  Isidore  the  Ploughman,  she  is  supposed  to  have  shared  his 
power  of  obtaining  miraculous  supplies  of  water,  and  her  head 
used  to  be  carried  in  procession  at  Madrid  when  rain  wras 
needed ;  hence  her  singular  name,  cabeza  being  the  Spanish 
for  head.  The  story  goes  that,  after  the  wonderful  vision 
vouchsafed  to  St.  Isidore,  related  above,  he  and  St.  Maria 
agreed  to  live  apart,  and,  although  they  had  hitherto  been  a 
most  devoted  couple,  they  never  again  exchanged  a  word. 
The  wife  used  to  spend  nearly  all  her  time  worshipping  in  a 
little  chapel  on  the  other  side  of  a  river,  and  made  a  vow  never 
to  let  a  lamp  burning  in  it  go  out ;  but  unkind  neighbours,  who 
noted  her  frequent  absences  from  home  at  night,  told  St.  Isidore 
that  she  was  consoling  herself  for  his  loss  with  a  lover.  Much 
distressed,  the  holy  man  determined  to  watch  her,  and  stationed 
himself  very  early  one  dark  morning  near  the  ferry  he  knew 
St.  Maria  must  cross.  In  due  time  his  wife  appeared,  plodding 
unconsciously  along  with  a  lantern  in  one  hand  and  a  bottle  of 
oil  in  the  other.  Just  as  she  reached  the  river-bank  a  mighty 
storm  arose,  lashing  the  water  into  huge  waves ;  but  this  did  not 
for  a  moment  disconcert  her :  she  merely  made  the  sign  of  the 
cross,  flung  her  cloak  upon  the  raging  stream,  seated  herself 
upon  it,  and  drifted  calmly  across  as  if  the  incident  were  a  matter 
of  eveiy-day  occurrence.  Needless  to  add  that  this  remarkable 
evidence  of  the  favour  in  which  St.  Maria  was  held  in  heaven 
silenced  her  calumniators,  and  she  was  allowed  henceforth  to 
perform  her  pious  task  unmolested.  She  survived  St.  Isidore 
for  many  years,  and  on  her  death  was  buried  beside  him. 

The  thirteenth  century,  which  witnessed  the  great  religious 
revival  under  the  Saints  Francis,  Dominic,  and  their  followers, 
was  also  remarkable  for  the  enthusiastic  renunciation  of  the 
world  by  many  women  of  every  rank,  amongst  whom  the 
most  celebrated  were  St.  Clara  of  Assisi— who  will  be  noticed 
in  connection  with  St.  Francis— Saints  Elizabeth  and  Margaret 
of  Hungary,  Hedwig  of  Poland,  the  sisters  Mechtilde  and 


ST.  ELIZABETH  OF  HUNGARY  247 

Gertrude  of  Saxony,  and  Margaret  of  Coitona,  with  whom 
may  be  associated  the  comparatively  little -known  Saints 
Sitha  of  Lucca,  Serafina  of  S.  Gemignano,  Rosa  of  Viterbo, 
Clara  of  Montefalco,  Juliana  Falconieri,  and  Agnes  of  Monte 
Pulciano. 

Amongst  the  many  quaint  and  wonderful  legends  of  the 
Saints  which  have  been  handed  down  from  generation  to 
generation,  gathering  fresh  details  by  the  way,  none  is  more 
pathetic  and  beautiful  than  that  of  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary, 
in  which,  moreover,  there  is  a  strong  leaven  of  historic  truth, 
adding  greatly  to  its  value. 

The  future  Saint  was  the  daughter  of  Andreas  II.,  King  of 
Hungary,  and  was  born  at  Presburg  in  1209.  In  the  same 
year  a  much-desired  heir,  to  whom  the  name  of  Louis  was 
given,  was  vouchsafed  to  the  Landgrave  Herman  of  Thuringia, 
whose  Court  was  the  resort  of  all  the  greatest  poets  and 
thinkers  of  the  day.  It  is  said  that  even  in  her  cradle  the 
little  Elizabeth  was  marked  out  as  the  special  favourite  of  God 
and  of  His  Son,  for  she  was  never  known  to  fret,  and  her  first 
words  were  a  prayer.  She  could  not  be  induced  to  keep  her 
toys  for  her  own  use,  but  gave  them  away  to  the  children  who 
were  allowed  to  play  with  her,  and  was  always  happier  when 
her  clothes  were  of  plain  and  simple  materials.  Rumours  of 
the  wonderful  beauty  and  charm  of  the  baby  Princess  reached 
the  ears  of  the  Landgrave  Herman,  who  said  to  his  wife, 
'  Would  to  God  that  we  could  secure  this  fair  child  as  bride 
for  our  Louis  !'  The  Landgravine  echoed  the  wish,  and  it  was 
resolved  to  send  an  embassy  to  Hungary  to  ask  the  hand  of 
the  Princess  Elizabeth  for  Prince  Louis.  Strange  to  say,  the 
parents  of  the  latter  not  only  consented  at  once,  but  allowed 
the  envoys  to  take  their  beloved  child — then  only  four  years 
old — back  with  them  to  Thuringia,  to  be  educated  with  her 
betrothed.  The  baby -bride  was  welcomed  with  immense 
enthusiasm,  and  the  day  after  her  arrival  she  was  solemnly 
affianced  to  Prince  Louis,  and  laid  beside  him  in  his  cradle, 
when,  to  the  delight  of  all  present,  the  little  ones  smiled  and 
held  out  their  arms  to  each  other. 

The  next  few  years  were  very  happy  ones,  for  the  affection 
between  Louis  and  Elizabeth  grew  with  their  growth ;  but  as 
time  went  on  the  exceptional  qualities  of  the  Princess  aroused 
the  suspicion  and  jealousy  of  those  about  her,  who  tried  to 

SBW 


248  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

persuade  her  future  father-in-law  that  she  was  unworthy  of  the 
position  for  which  she  had  been  set  apart.  It  was  not,  however, 
until  after  the  death  of  the  Landgrave  that  any  open  hostility 
was  shown  to  the  Princess ;  but  when  his  powerful^control  was 
removed,  his  widow  and  daughter  lost  no  opportunity  of  show- 
ing their  contempt  for  the  Hungarian  maiden.  They  even 
endeavoured  to  persuade  the  new  Landgrave  to  break  off  his 
engagement  and  send  Elizabeth  home  to  her  father,  and, 
although  they  did  not  succeed  in  that  attempt,  they  managed 
to  make  the  poor  girl's  life  a  burden  to  her. 

It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion,  when  the  Landgravine  and 
the  whole  Court  had  gone  in  state  to  worship  in  the  church  at 
Eisenach,  St.  Elizabeth,  as  she  knelt  at  the  foot  of  a  crucifix, 
was  so  overwhelmed  with  the  contrast  between  the  suffering  of 
the  Redeemer  and  her  own  luxurious  life,  that  in  an  access  of 
religious  enthusiasm,  she  took  off  her  crown  and  laid  it  at  the 
foot  of  the  cross.  Her  future  mother-in-law  was  very  angry, 
and,  in  a  loud  whisper,  ordered  her  to  replace  the  crown  upon 
her  head,  to  which  the  holy  maiden  meekly  replied,  as  the  tears 
gushed  from  her  eyes :  '  Dear  lady  mother,  reproach  me  not ! 
How  can  I  behold  the  merciful  Lord,  who  died  for  me,  wearing 
His  crown  of  thorns,  and  retain  mine  of  gold  and  gems  ?  Is 
not  my  crown  a  mockery  of  His  ?' 

It  is  significant  of  the  ascendancy  St.  Elizabeth^  exercised 
over  those  who  were  most  opposed  to  her,  that,  instead  of 
having  to  resume  her  own  crown,  the  incident  ended  in  her 
mother-  and  sister-in-law  taking  off  theirs,  although,  says 
the  chronicler,  they  greatly  misliked  doing  so,  and  were  more 
than  ever  bent  on  getting  rid  of  the  biguine,  as  they  con- 
temptuously called  their  monitor.  In  spite  of  every  attempt  to 
shake  his  allegiance,  however,  the  young  Margrave  remained 
true  to  his  first  love,  and  many  touching  anecdotes  are  told  of 
his  devotion  to  her.  Whenever  he  had  been  absent  for  a  short 
time,  he  brought  his  bride  some  little  gift  to  prove  to  her  that  she 
had  not  been  forgotten,  and  he  would  clasp  her  lovingly  in  his 
arms  when  she  ran  to  meet  him,  though  his  mother  mocked  at 
him  for  his  want  of  pride  and  dignity.  Once,  when  pressure  of 
business  prevented  Louis  from  seeing  Elizabeth  immediately  on 
his  return  home,  and  she,  terrified  lest  he  should  have  been 
won  over  to  his  mother's  views,  sent  her  old  servant  Walther 
de  Varila,  who  had  come  with  her  from  Hungary,  to  ask  the 


ST.  ELIZABETH  OF  HUNGARY  249 

meaning  of  his  coldness,  he  burst  out  with  an  eloquent  protest 
that  he  would  rather  give  up  his  patrimony  than  his  bride. 
f  If/  he  cried — pointing  to  the  Inselburg — 'that  high  mountain 
were  of  pure  gold,  and  were  offered  to  me  in  exchange  for  my 
Elizabeth,  I  would  not  give  it.  I  love  her  better  than  all  the 
world.9  Then,  drawing  forth  from  his  purse  a  tiny  silver  mirror 
with  an  image  of  the  Saviour  surmounting  it,  he  bade  Walther 
take  it  to  his  beloved  in  token  of  his  faithfulness,  and  she, 
receiving  it  joyfully,  placed  it  next  her  heart. 

The  wedding  was  solemnized  when  Elizabeth  was  only  four- 
teen ;  but  once  married  to  her  lover,  she  was  able  fully  to  hold 
her  own  position,  and  her  husband  allowed  her  perfect  liberty 
to  carry  out  her  views.  She  became  famed  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  Thuringia  for  her  generous  charity,  and, 
but  for  the  fact  that  she  fell  under  the  undue  influence  of  her 
spiritual  director,  the  stern  priest  Conrad  of  Marburg,  the  life 
of  the  young  couple  would  have  been  one  of  unclouded  happi- 
ness. As  it  was,  St.  Elizabeth  was  constantly  distracted  between 
what  she  thought  her  duty  to  God  and  that  to  her  husband,  and 
though  she  always  emerged  triumphant  from  every  difficulty, 
the  relations  of  the  wedded  pair  were  sometimes  strained.  To 
give  but  one  instance  in  point :  Conrad  had  forbidden  the 
Margravine  to  eat  of  any  food  served  at  table  except  what  had 
been  justly  paid  for,  and  she,  unable  to  distinguish  between 
what  was  permitted  and  interdicted,  fell  into  a  habit  of  making 
bread  and  water  suffice.  One  day,  annoyed  at  her  abstinence, 
her  husband  took  the  cup  from  which  she  was  about  to  drink 
and  drained  it  himself.  Instead  of  water,  it  contained  delicious 
wine,  and  the  Margrave  asked  the  cup-bearer  whence  he  had 
drawn  it.  The  man  replied  that  he  had  filled  the  cup  with 
water,  and  Louis,  silently  recognising  the  divine  intervention, 
said  no  more. 

Another  time,  when  Louis  had  bidden  St.  Elizabeth  appear  at 
a  great  Court  function  in  her  most  splendid  robes,  a  cripple  met 
her  at  the  door  of  the  reception  hall  and  asked  her  to  give  him 
her  cloak.  She  at  first  refused,  but  his  urgency  compelled  her 
to  yield,  and,  afraid  of  making  her  husband  angry,  she  hid 
herself  in  her  own  apartments.  Presently  Louis  came  to  seek 
her,  and  as  she  was  confessing  what  she  had  done,  one  of  her 
maidens  brought  her  the  cloak,  which  had  been  found  hanging 
in  her  wardrobe.  The  husband  and  wife  looked  at  each  other, 


250  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

and  together  thanked  God  for  His  mercy,  feeling  sure  that 
Christ  Himself  had  come  to  their  home  in  the  guise  of  a 
beggar.  Still  greater  was  the  trial  of  the  faith  and  love  of 
Louis  when  his  wife  one  day  carried  home  a  leper  boy  whom 
no  one  else  would  touch,  and  placed  him  in  her  own  bed.  Her 
mother-in-law,  delighted  to  have  at  last  a  real  cause  of  com- 
plaint against  her  hated  daughter-in-law,  hastened  to  meet 
Louis  on  his  return  from  hunting,  crying  aloud,  '  Come  hither, 
my  son,  and  see  writh  whom  thy  saintly  wife  shares  her  bed !' 
Shocked  and  grieved  at  such  an  extraordinary  greeting,  the 
Margrave  obeyed,  and  found  St.  Elizabeth  bending  over  the 
suffering  child.  Filled  with  angry  disgust,  the  husband  tore 
away  the  bed-clothes,  and,  lo  !  instead  of  the  leper  there  lay  the 
lovely  form  of  the  Infant  Saviour,  which  faded  away  as  the 
astonished  spectators  gazed  in  adoration  upon  it. 

Yet  another  convincing  proof  that  his  wife  was  indeed  in 
direct  touch  with  the  divine  was  given  to  Louis  when  he  met 
her  one  bitter  day,  far  away  from  home,  carrying  in  the  skirts  of 
her  robe  a  quantity  of  food  for  a  poor  family.  He  asked  her 
tenderly  what  she  was  doing,  and  ashamed  at  being  detected  in 
her  charity,  yet  too  proud  to  attempt  deceit,  the  Margravine 
replied  by  snowing  her  husband  what  her  burden  was  ;  but 
instead  of  bread  and  meat  he  saw  nothing  but  masses  of  red 
and  wrhite  roses.  Louis  knew  at  once  that  the  Lord  had 
intervened  lest  he  should  misjudge  his  wife,  and,  taking  one 
of  the  roses,  he  pressed  it  reverently  to  his  lips,  vowing  that  he 
would  keep  it  for  ever. 

A  son  and  three  daughters  were  born  to  the  Margrave  and 
his  wife,  and  the  little  ones  were  most  tenderly  cared  for  by  their 
mother,  who,  though  she  was  after  their  birth,  if  possible,  even 
more  tender  to  the  poor  and  suffering  than  she  had  been  before, 
never  allowed  them  to  suffer  for  her  generosity  to  others.  A  few 
months  before  the  arrival  of  her  last  child,  her  husband  was 
summoned  by  his  liege  lord,  Frederick  II.,  to  join  his  banner  in 
the  Holy  Land,  and  was  compelled  to  go  to  Hildesheim  to  receive 
the  cross  from  the  hands  of  the  Bishop.  It  is  very  significant  of 
the  deep  love  the  Margrave  had  for  his  wife,  that  before  he 
entered  her  presence  he  took  the  cross  of  tragic  meaning  off  his 
mantle  and  hid  it  in  his  purse,  meaning  to  watch  his  opportunity 
to  break  the  sad  news  to  her  of  his  approaching  departure.  Some 
days  later  St.  Elizabeth  asked  him  to  give  her  some  money  for 


ST.  ELIZABETH  OF  HUNGARY  251 

the  poor,  and  playfully  opening  his  purse,  she  drew  forth  the 
cross.  She  guessed  the  truth  at  once,  and  entreated  her  husband 
not  to  leave  her ;  but  when  he  spoke  of  his  vow  to  God,  she 
submitted  without  a  murmur. 

The  husband  and  wife  never  met  again,  for  Louis  died  of 
fever  at  Otranto,  and  his  brother  Henry,  ignoring  the  right 
of  his  nephew,  took  possession  of  his  heritage,  driving  the 
widow  and  her  children,  the  youngest  only  three  weeks  old,  from 
the  Wartburg.  For  some  little  time  St.  Elizabeth  supported 
herself  and  her  children  by  spinning  wool ;  but  on  the  return 
home  of  her  husband's  knights,  bringing  with  them  the  dead 
body  of  their  lord,  they  compelled  the  usurper  to  be  content 
with  the  regency  of  Thuringia  during  the  minority  of  the  true 
heir,  and  gave  to  the  widow  the  city  of  Marburg  as  her 
heritage.  She  therefore  retired  there  with  her  three  girls, 
taking  also  the  priest  Conrad,  who,  now  that  her  husband  was 
gone,  succeeded  in  getting  her  entirely  under  his  control,  and 
allowed  her  no  peace,  till  she  had  parted  with  all  her  children 
and  everything  dear  to  her. 

With  the  desire  to  devote  her  whole  life  to  religion,  the 
Saint  now  took  a  vow  of  utter  poverty,  living  in  a  cottage 
instead  of  in  her  castle,  giving  all  she  possessed  to  the  poor,  and 
living  herself  on  what  she  earned  by  her  spinning.  Her  father 
would  fain  have  had  her  return  to  him  in  Hungary,  her  children 
longed  for  her  to  be  with  them ;  but  she  remained  true  to  her 
terrible  resolve  to  the  last,  dying  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-four 
with  the  word  *  silence '  upon  her  lips.  Her  soul  was,  it  is 
said,  carried  up  to  heaven  by  angels,  chanting  as  they  went  the 
words,  *  Regnum  mundi  contempsi,'  and  her  emaciated  body 
was  buried  in  the  chapel  of  a  hospital  founded  by  her  at  Mar- 
burg, that  later  became  the  nucleus  of  the  noble  church  named 
after  her  in  the  same  city,  still  one  of  the  most  beautifu 
specimens  of  early  Gothic  architecture  in  Europe.  In  1230 
the  relics  of  the  Saint  were  translated  with  great  pomp  to 
a  beautiful  shrine  in  the  rising  building,  and  until  its  violation 
and  the  dispersion  of  a  part  of  its  contents  after  the  Reforma- 
tion, it  was  visited  every  year  by  thousands  of  pilgrims,  the 
stones  surrounding  it  becoming  worn  by  their  knees. 

St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary  is  generally  represented  in  royal 
robes  with  a  crown  upon  her  head,  *  as  in  a  fine  statue  in 
Marburg  Cathedral,  and  in  one  in  the  Basle  Museum,  in  which, 


252  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

however,  the  crown  is  omitted.  Sometimes,  however,  she 
wears  the  quaint  and  simple  dress  of  an  Hungarian  peasant 
woman,  as  in  a  beautiful  *  Madonna  and  Saints '  by  Ambrogio 
Lorenzetti  at  Siena,  in  which  she  appears  opposite  to  her 
namesake  of  Portugal,  and  in  a  fine  modern  painting  by 
Marianne  Stokes,  in  the  possession  of  Leopold  Hirsch,  Esq. 
More  rarely,  as  in  the  frescoes  of  Giotto  in  the  Bardi  Chapel  of 
S.  Croce,  Florence,  and  those  of  Paolo  Mirando  in  S.  Bernar- 
dino, Vienna,  she  wears  the  habit  of  a  Franciscan  nun  with 
the  rope  girdle,  distinctive  of  the  order. 

The  special  emblems  of  St.  Elizabeth,  in  whatever  char- 
acter she  appears,  are  roses  held  in  her  robes,  and  to  this 
day  quantities  of  roses  are  grown  in  memory  of  her  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  her  old  home  in  the  Wartburg,  where  her 
room  is  still  held  in  special  veneration.  Now  and  then  in  old 
iconographies  and  books  of  hours,  etc.,  the  roses  of  St.  Elizabeth 
are  replaced  by  a  double  crown  held  in  her  hand  or  on  a  book, 
or  by  a  basket  of  bread,  in  memory  of  her  kindness  to  the  poor. 
Hans  Burgkmair  has  represented  her  in  a  beautiful  room  seated 
at  her  spinning-wheel  with  her  maidens  around  her ;  Francesco 
Zurbaran  has  interpreted  her  character  well  in  a  fine  picture 
in  the  collection  of  Lord  Barrymore;  Jacques  Callot  has  painted 
her  receiving  alms,  and  in  a  beautiful  picture  by  Hans  Holbein 
she  is  ministering  to  diseased  cripples,  the  boy  leper  of  the 
legend  conspicuous  amongst  them.  St.  Elizabeth  is  introduced 
with  the  unusual  attributes  of  a  pennant  and  a  palm  in 
Carpaccio's  '  Meeting  of  Saints  Joachim  and  Anna,'  now  in  the 
Venice  Academy,  and  she  appears  with  her  roses  in  several  of 
Fra  Angelico's  altar-pieces  painted  for  Dominican  convents. 

Above  the  altar  of  the  chapel  which  once  contained  the 
remains  of  St.  Elizabeth,  are  some  much-injured  carvings  in  wood 
of  scenes  from  her  life,  and  on  the  shutters  protecting  them  are 
painted  other  incidents,  including  the  last  parting  between  the 
husband  and  wife,  and  the  expulsion  of  the  widow  from  her 
castle.  The  most  celebrated  work  of  art  in  which  St.  Elizabeth 
is  the  principal  figure  is,  however,  the  fine  composition  by 
Murillo,  one  of  eleven  subjects  painted  for  the  fraternity  of 
La  Caridad  at  Seville,  and  now  in  the  Academy  of  S.  Fernando, 
Madrid.  It  represents  the  much-loved  Saint  in  the  robes  of 
a  nun,  wearing  a  small  coronet  to  mark  her  high  rank, 
washing  the  head  of  a  beggar-boy,  two  attendant  ladies  waiting 


ST.  HEDWIG  OF  POLAND  253 

upon  her,  whilst  other  patients  are  grouped  around.  Their 
various  ailments  are  rendered  with  all  the  realism  for  which  the 
great  Spanish  master  is  celebrated,  the  suffering  forms  of  the 
patients,  distorted  by  pain,  contrasting  forcibly  with  the  calm 
beauty  of  the  noble  lady  ministering  to  them.  A  noteworthy 
modern  interpretation  of  the  incident  of  the  removal  of  St. 
Elizabeth's  crown  before  the  crucifix  is  that  by  James  Collinson 
in  illustration  of  Charles  Kingsley's  '  Saint's  Tragedy/  in  which 
the  characters  of  the  various  actors  in  the  remarkable  scene 
are  well  brought  out. 

St.  Margaret,  who  was  the  daughter  of  King  Bala  IV.  of 
Hungary,  is  said  to  have  dedicated  her  life  to  God  from  the  age 
of  twelve.  She  is  occasionally  represented  in  her  native  country 
as  a  beautiful  girl  wearing  the  robes  of  a  Dominican  nun, 
with  a  globe  of  fire  above  her  head,  some  of  the  sisters  in  her 
convent  having,  it  is  said,  seen  one  hovering  about  her  one  night 
when  she  was  praying  in  the  chapel.  A  lily,  a  book,  and  a 
cross  are  also  given  to  St.  Margaret  in  token  of  her  purity, 
love  of  seclusion,  and  devotion  to  the  crucified  Redeemer.  At 
Presburg,  where  her  relics  are  preserved,  St.  Margaret  is  in- 
voked against  fevers  and  for  protection  in  storms,  the  latter 
because  she  is  said  to  have  calmed  the  waters  of  the  Danube 
in  a  tempest. 

Of  St.  Hedwig  of  Poland,  whose  story  greatly  resembles  that 
of  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  many  quaint  and  wonderful 
legends  are  told.  The  daughter  of  a  Count  of  Austria,  she  was 
married  at  the  early  age  of  twelve  to  Duke  Henry  of  Silesia, 
to  whom  she  bore  six  children.  Although  she  never  neglected 
her  duties  as  wife  and  mother,  St.  Hedwig  gave  up  all  her 
spare  time  to  tending  the  poor  with  the  full  consent  of  her 
husband,  on  whose  death  she  withdrew  to  a  Cistercian 
nunnery,  founded  by  her  at  Trebnitz  some  years  before,  in 
which  she  died  in  1243.  It  is  related  that  on  one  occasion, 
when  St.  Hedwig  had  fallen  into  an  ecstasy  at  the  foot  of 
a  crucifix,  the  figure  of  the  Redeemer  stretched  out  one 
hand  in  blessing  over  her  prostrate  form,  an  incident  repre- 
sented in  a  beautiful  painting  by  Olivier  Merson,  now  in  the 
museum  at  Lille.  The  remarkable  vision  was  seen  by  several 
of  the  Saint's  sister  nuns,  and  it  is  said  that  after  the  signal 
favour  shown  to  her,  she  avoided  treading  on  blades  of  grass 
accidentally  crossed,  removing  them  carefully  lest  a  passing  foot- 


254  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

step  should  desecrate  the  symbol  of  her  faith.  On  her  death- 
bed St.  Hedwig  is  credited  with  having  clasped  an  image  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin  so  tightly  in  the  three  first  fingers  of  her  right 
hand  that  it  was  impossible  to  unloose  them,  and  she  was 
buried,  holding  the  treasure  she  loved  so  well.  It  is  further 
claimed  that  when  her  tomb  was  opened  thirty  years  later,  the 
three  fingers  were  found  to  be  still  undecayed,  and  for  this 
reason  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  held  in  one  hand  is  the 
most  distinctive  attribute  of  St.  Hedwig,  who  is,  however,  also 
sometimes  represented  holding  a  crucifix  or  a  church,  the 
former  in  memory  of  the  benediction  received  by  her  from  the 
Saviour,  the  latter  of  her  foundation  of  a  monastery.  It  is 
usual  to  give  to  St.  Hedwig  the  robes  of  a  Dominican  nun, 
though  she  certainly  did  not  enter  that  Order,  and  now  and 
then  a  royal  mantle  and  crown  are  placed  beside  her  in  in- 
dication of  her  royal  rank.  In  some  old  iconographies  she 
appears  washing  the  feet  of  the  poor,  or  walking  barefoot  with 
her  shoes  in  her  hand ;  for  she  is  said  to  have  constantly  walked 
to  church  in  the  bitterest  weather,  carrying  her  shoes,  which 
she  slipped  on  when  she  met  anyone,  her  humility  being  equal 
to  her  self-denial. 

The  sisters  Saints  Mechtilde  and  Gertrude  were  of  noble 
Saxon  birth,  and  entered  a  Benedictine  abbey  at  Diessen  at  a 
very  early  age.  In  course  of  time  St.  Mechtilde  became  Abbess, 
and  on  her  transference  to  the  more  important  community  at 
Edelsteten  in  Swabia,  her  place  was  taken  by  St.  Gertrude. 
It  is  related  that  Christ  appeared  in  a  vision  to  St.  Mechtilde, 
and  gave  to  her  His  heart  in  visible  form,  for  which  reason  a 
heart  is  the  Saint's  chief  emblem  ;  and  on  her  death-bed  angels 
came  to  administer  the  Blessed  Sacrament  to  her,  an  incident 
occasionally  represented  in  German  art.  St.  Mechtilde  is  also 
sometimes  seen  seated  at  a  banquet  given  in  her  honour  by  her 
cousin,  the  Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa,  on  which  occasion 
the  water  she  insisted  on  drinking  is  said  to  have  been  changed 
into  wine;  or  she  is  healing  a  blind  nun  by  touching  her 
eyes.  She  died  in  1300,  some  years  before  St.  Gertrude,  who 
is  chiefly  remembered  on  account  of  her  devotion  to  her  more 
celebrated  sister,  with  whom  she  is  occasionally  grouped. 

St.  Margaret  of  Cortona,  who  has  been  called  the  Magdalene 
of  the  city  after  which  she  is  named,  was  born  at  Alviano,  near 
Chiusi  in  Tuscany.  Her  mother  died  when  she  was  a  baby, 


Photo  by  Jules  Fat  ran] 


/#,  Lille 


CHRIST    CRUCIFIED    BLESSING    ST.    HEDWIG 
By  Olivier  Merson 


To  face  p.  254 


ST.  MARGARET  OF  CORTONA  255 

and  her  father  married  again.  She  was  neglected  by  her  step- 
mother, and  when  she  grew  up  her  remarkable  beauty  attracted 
many  suitors.  Left  entirely  to  her  own  devices,  the  poor  girl  fell 
into  evil  ways,  but  she  \vas  suddenly  converted  by  the  tragic  fate 
of  one  of  her  lovers,  who  was  assassinated  on  his  way  home  after 
a  visit  to  her.  His  little  dog  ran  back  to  her  whining,  and  she, 
guessing  that  something  was  amiss,  followed  it  to  the  scene  of 
the  tragedy,  \vhere  she  found  the  man  who  had  left  her  in  the 
full  vigour  of  health,  lying  terribly  mutilated  beneath  a  tree.  Full 
of  anguish,  St.  Margaret  hastened  home ;  but  she  was  refused 
admittance  by  her  stepmother,  who  was,  not  unnaturally, 
sceptical  as  to  the  reality  of  her  repentance.  For  some  little 
time  the  poor  girl  wandered  aimlessly  about,  until  it  was  revealed 
to  her  that  she  would  find  peace  at  Cortona.  Thither  she 
repaired,  and  entering  the  church  of  a  Franciscan  convent  bare- 
foot, with  a  rope  round  her  neck,  she  fell  on  her  knees  before  the 
altar.  Here  she  was  found  by  some  of  the  brethren,  whom  she 
entreated  to  receive  her  into  the  Order  as  a  penitent.  At  first 
her  petition  was  refused,  on  account  of  the  greatness  of  her 
wrong-doing ;  but  in  the  end  she  was  permitted  to  enter  the 
third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  and  it  is  related  that  the  first  time 
she  knelt  before  the  crucifix,  after  her  admission  the  Saviour 
bent  His  head  in  token  of  His  full  forgiveness.  St.  Margaret 
lived  for  twenty  years  after  her  conversion,  and  won  the  loving 
respect  of  the  nuns  in  her  community  by  her  unwearying 
devotion  and  self-denial.  She  died  in  1297,  an(i  was  buried 
at  Cortona,  where  later  a  beautiful  church,  designed  by  the 
Pisani,  was  erected  in  her  honour.  On  her  canonization  in 
1728,  her  remains  were  translated  to  an  ornate  shrine ;  but  the 
tomb  in  which  her  body  was  first  laid  is  still  preserved  in  a 
lateral  chapel,  and  is  adorned  with  a  recumbent  figure  of  the 
Saint  and  appropriate  bas-reliefs,  including  one  of  St.  Mary 
Magdalene  anointing  the  feet  of  the  Saviour. 

It  is  customary  to  represent  St.  Margaret  of  Cortona  as  a 
beautiful  young  girl  either  in  the  robes  of  a  Franciscan  nun  or 
the  dress  of  an  Italian  woman  of  the  lower  class.  A  skull  and 
a  dog  are  generally  introduced  at  her  feet,  the  latter  pulling  at 
the  hem  of  her  skirt,  in  memory  of  the  incident  related  above, 
and  she  usually  clasps  a  cross,  with  or  without  the  other  in- 
struments of  the  Passion.  In  a  painting  now  in  the  Pitti 
Gallery,  Florence,  Lanfranco  has  represented  the  Italian 


256  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Magdalene  in  an  ecstasy  of  devotion,  upheld  by  two  angels, 
whilst  Christ  appears  above  in  glory,  and  she  is  also  ^  intro- 
duced in  Andrea  del  Sarto's  'Assumption  of  the  Virgin/  in 
the  same  collection,  kneeling  opposite  to  St.  Nicolas  of  Bari 
before  the  empty  tomb  of  the  Mother  of  the  Lord. 

St.  Sitha  or  Zita,  the  patron  Saint  of  Italian  domestic  servants, 
was  a  lowly  maiden  of  Lucca,  who  won  a  great  reputation  for 
sanctity,  and  was  credited  with  performing  various  miracles  on 
behalf  of  her  fellow-citizens.  At  the  age  of  twelve  she  entered 
the  service  of  the  Fatinelli  family,  with  whom  she  remained 
until  her  death  in  1272.  It  is  related  that  she  was  at  first  very 
harshly  treated,  but  gradually  won  the  love  and  confidence  of 
her  master  and  mistress,  who  in  the  end  gave  her  the  manage- 
ment of  the  whole  household.  The  special  emblems  in  art  of 
St*  Sitha  are  a  pitcher,  which  she  holds  in  her  hands  or  is 
offering  to  the  lips  of  a  beggar,  in  memory,  it  is  supposed, 
of  water  having  been  more  than  once  turned  into  wine  for  the 
benefit  of  those  to  whom  she  ministered ;  a  key,  in  token  of 
the  trust  reposed  in  her,  or,  according  to  some,  in  allusion  to 
a  legend  that  one  night  when  she  was  returning  home  very  late 
from  "some  errand  of  mercy,  she  found  the  city  gates  closed 
against  her,  and  was  let  in  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  ;  and  roses 
held  in  her  apron,  because  one  day  the  provisions  she  was 
taking  to  the  poor  are  said  to  have  been  changed  into  roses  to 
save  her  from  reproof. 

St.  Serafina,  or  St.  Fina,  as  she  is  generally  called,  was  also 
of  very  lowly  birth,  and  would  probably  have  been  forgotten 
long  ago  but  that  her  legend  is  the  subject  of  the  frescoes, 
considered  the  masterpieces  of  Ghirlandajo,  on  the  walls  of  the 
chapel  in  which  she  is  buried  in  the  cathedral  of  S.  Gimig- 
nano,  her  native  town.  St.  Fina  devoted  her  whole  life  to 
working  for  others.  On  her  death-bed  St.  Gregory  the  Great 
is  said  to  have  appeared  to  her  to  tell  her  that  her  home  in 
heaven  awaited  her,  and  as  she  was  borne  to  the  grave  she  is 
credited  with  having  raised  her  dead  hand  to  bless  her  old  nurse, 
who  was  walking,  sobbing,  beside  the  bier.  The  fresco  of  the 
burial  of  the  Saint  is  a  remarkable  picture  of  contemporary  life, 
the  artist  having  introduced  in  it  portraits  of  himself,  and  of  the 
dignitaries  of  the  Church  with  other  notables  of  the  town  at  the 
time  at  which  he  lived,  at  the  same  time  preserving  the  quaint 
medievalism  of  St.  Fina's  own  day,  the  whole  composition 


ST§  CLARA  OF  MONTEFALCO  257 

being  full  of  religious  feeling.  In  the  apparition  of  St.  Gregory 
the  figure  of  the  sleeping  maiden  is  remarkably  beautiful,  recall- 
ing that  of  St.  Ursula  in  Carpaccio's  well-known  painting  in 
the  Venice  Academy. 

St.  Rosa  of  Viterbo  is  chiefly  famous  for  having  incited 
the  people  of  her  native  town  to  rise  against  the  Emperor 
Frederick  II.,  for  which  reason  she  is  sometimes  represented, 
as  in  a  painting  by  Sebastian  Gomez,  haranguing  a  crowd. 
She  was  born  about  1220,  and  led  a  solitary  life  in  a  cell 
adjoining  a  Franciscan  convent.  She  died  in  1261,  and  was 
buried  in  a  church  named  after  her  at  Viterbo.  Her  special 
emblem  in  art  is  a  chaplet  of  roses,  or  roses  held  in  her  hand 
or  apron,  probably  merely  in  allusion  to  her  name.  Effigies  of 
St.  Rosa  are  numerous  in  central  Italy ;  there  is  a  fine  statue, 
for  instance,  in  S.  Spirito,  Siena,  and  she  is  introduced  in  an 
'  Assumption  of  the  Virgin/  now  in  the  Florence  Academy, 
by  Paolino  da  Pistoja. 

St.  Clara  of  Montefalco,  who  is  claimed  as  a  member  of 
their  Order  alike  by  the  Augustinians  and  the  Franciscans,  was 
born  in  1275,  and,  after  winning  a  great  reputation  for  holiness 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  her  birthplace,  died  in  1308.  She 
is  generally  represented,  as  in  a  painting  in  S.  Spirito,  Florence, 
in  the  dress  of  a  Franciscan  nun,  and  her  emblems  in  art  are 
three  balls  held  in  one  hand  or  a  pair  of  scales,  in  one  of  which 
are  two  balls,  whilst  in  the  other  is  only  one,  all  having  refer- 
ence to  a  tradition  that  on  the  death  of  the  Saint  three  globules 
were  found  in  her  heart,  two  of  which  when  weighed  were 
found  equal  to  the  third,  a  phenomenon  taken  to  symbolize  the 
Holy  Trinity.  Sometimes  these  strange  emblems  are  replaced 
by  one  of  yet  more  extraordinary  significance :  a  heart  split  open, 
on  which  are  engraved  the  instruments  of  the  Passion,  on  one 
side  the  Saviour  on  the  cross,  the  nails  and  the  spear ;  on  the 
other,  the  crown  of  thorns  and  the  scourge,  all  of  which, 
according  to  one  version  of  the  legend  of  St.  Clara,  were  found 
imprinted  on  her  breast  when  her  body  was  prepared  for  burial. 

St.  Juliana  Falconieri  is  greatly  revered  on  account  of  a 
remarkable  miracle  said  to  have  taken  place  on  her  death-bed, 
when  the  consecrated  Host,  which  was  about  to  be  administered 
to  her  by  the  priest  in  attendance,  disappeared.  It  was  found 
afterwards  resting  on  her  heart,  and  for  this  reason  the  Saint  is 
generally  represented,  either  lying  in  bed  with  the  sacred  food 

VOL.  in.  17 


258  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN.ART 

upon  her  breast,  or  kneeling  in  rapt  devotion,  a  slit  in  her  robe 
above  her  heart  revealing  the  Host.  Little  is  known  of  the  life  of 
St.  Juliana,  except  that  she  belonged  to  a  noble  Italian^  family, 
was  bom  about  1270,  and  died  in  a  convent  at  Florence  in  1340. 
She  was,  however,  one  of  the  first  nuns  of  the  Order  of  the 
Servites,  founded  by  St.  Filippo  Benozzi,  and  is  generally  repre- 
sented in  the  robes  worn  by  them.  A  death's  head  at  the  feet 
of  St.  Juliana  symbolizes  her  contempt  for  the  joys  of  life, 
a  lily  her  purity,  and  a  rosary  her  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin. 

Of  St.  Agnes  of  Monte  Pulciano  many  wonderful  legends  are 
told.  A  native  of  Tuscany,  of  noble  birth,  she  early  showed 
such  devotion  to  the  Saviour  that  at  the  early  age  of  nine 
years,  her  parents  allowed  her  to  enter  a  Franciscan  convent,  of 
which  in  course  of  time  she  became  Abbess,  dying  in  it  in  1317, 
when  she  was  only  forty-three  years  old.  One  day,  when  St. 
Agnes  was  praying  before  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  the 
Divine  Child  is  said  to  have  come  down  from  His  Mother's  arms 
to  embrace  her,  and  before  He  left  her,  He  gave  her  a  cross  He 
was  wearing  round  His  neck.  For  this  reason  the  Saint  is 
generally  represented  wearing  a  veil  and  mantle  covered  with 
tiny  white  crosses,  whilst  above  her  appear  the  Holy  Mother  and 
Child.  Sometimes  crosses  are  seen  falling  like  snow  around 
the  kneeling  Saint,  for  it  is  further  related  that  when  she  took 
the  veil,  the  floor  of  the  church  was  found  to  be  covered  with 
crosses  when  the  ceremony  began.  More  rarely  the  much- 
favoured  Saint  is  receiving  the  Blessed  Sacrament  from  an 
angel,  or  lying  in  an  open  tomb  surrounded  by  her  votaries,  and 
occasionally  she  is  seen  lying  dead  on  her  bier,  yet  raising  one 
foot  as  St.  Catherine  of  Siena  bends  down  to  kiss  it,  for  it  is 
said  that  just  before  her  burial  the  celebrated  nun  came  to  do  her 
homage,  and  St.  Agnes  raised  her  dead  foot  to  meet  the  caress. 
St.  Agnes  was  interred  in  her  own  chapel  at  Monte  Pulciano, 
but  her  remains  were  translated  in  1475  to  S.  Domenico  at 
Orvieto,  which  owns  a  good  representation  of  her,  with  the 
emblems  of  a  lamb,  in  allusion  to  her  name,  a  lily  in  memory 
of  her  purity,  and  a  book  in  token  of  her  love  of  meditation. 


ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  259 

CHAPTER  XX 

SAINTS   FRANCIS  AND   CLARA   OF  ASSISI 

PERHAPS  no  personality  of  mediaeval  times  has  exercised  a 
greater  immediate  influence  over  those  with  whom  he  was 
brought  in  contact,  or  a  greater  fascination  over  the  imagination 
of  others,  than  has  the  simple-minded,  loving-hearted,  unselfish, 
but,  it  must  be  admitted,  somewhat  self-willed  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi.  As  a  child  so  fond  of  gaiety  and  fine  clothes  that  he 
was  likened  to  a  prince  by  his  playfellows,  as  a  man  so  hostile 
to  all  enjoyment  or__comfort..that  he  grudged  himself  a  crust  of 
bread;JpiaeYeywas  yetnothing  complex  aB™6ut^his~™chara*cterr  his 
torf^vas  a  single  one :  to  merge  his  own  individuality  entirely 
in  that  of  the  Master  he  served,  and  if,  as  many  cannot  fail  to 
think,  he  was  mistaken  in  his  view  of  what  would  please  that 
Master,  none  who  read  the  pathetic  story  of  his  life  can  with- 
hold from  him  their  sympathy  and  admiration. 
/l5t.  Francis  was  born  in  1182  in  the  little  mountain  town  of 
Assisi,  and  was  the  only  child  of  Pietro  Bernandine,  a  wealthy 
Silk  mergjiast^and  his  wife  Pica.  \  The  former  was  absent 
onBusiness  when  the  little  one  arrived,  and  the  child  received 
the  name  of  Giovanni,  but  his  father  altered  it  to  Francesco 
on  his  return,  because  he  hoped  that  his  own  love  of  France 
would  be  shared  by  his  heir. 

Ng--spec^g|nncidents  marked  the  early  years  of  the  future 
_.""""*  len  he  was  about  fifteen  a  long  smouldering  feud 

Setween  his  native  town  and  Perugia  broke  into  open  warfare, 
and  in  the  struggle  which  ensued,  the  young  Francis  was  taken 
prisoner.  For  a  whole  year  he  was  shut  up  in  a  dungeon,  and 
during  this  lonely  time  he  had  the  first  of  the  many  visions 
which  had  so  much  to  dowith  his  finajjresolution _tojrenounce 
yhejvork^^ 

DfeautifuT  palace  surrounded  with  all  manner  of  costly  jewels, 
suits  of  armour,  weapons,  etc.,  but  each  object  was  marked 
with  a  cross,  and  as  the  dreamer  gazed  at  them  in  astonish- 
ment, Christ  Himself  rose  up  amongst  them,  whilst  from  His 
lips  fell  the  significant  words :  *  These  are  the  riches  I  reserve 
for  My  followers,  and  the  weapons  they  are  to  use  in  My 
service.' 

17 — 2 


260  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

On  his  return  home  the  young  man  seemed  graver  and  more 
reserved  than  before,  but  this  was  attributed  to  the  suffering  he 
had  undergone.  As  time  went  on  he  became  the  idol  of  his 
fellow-citizens,  who  called  him  Felix  Mercator,  and  he  did 
indeed  appear  to  be  a  most  happy  merchant,  for  his  parents 
grudged  him  nothing,  and  his  father  looked  forward  to  his 
becoming  his  partner  in  an  ever-increasing  business.  When  St. 
Francis  was  about  twenty-five  years  old,  however,  a  serious  illness 
overtook  him,  and  on  his  recovery  he  announced  his  intention 
of  joining  the  army.  His  parents  were  at  first  rather  dis- 
appointed, but  soon  gave  their  consent,  for  as  his  mother 
pathetically  said,  '  He  is  more  like  the  son  of  a  prince  than 
ours,'  and  when  later  she  was  reminded  of  these  words  she  is 
said  to  have  remarked,  '  If  he  lives  like  the  son  of  a  prince  now, 
he  shall  hereafter  be  the  child  of  God/  a  prophecy  fulfilled  only 
too  soon  for  her  happiness. 

Delighted  at  getting  away  from  the  monotonous  business  of 
buying  and  selling,  the  young  soldier  started  with  a  number  of 
kindred  spirits  to  aid  the  cause  oLCount  Gauthier  de  Brienne 
jjiJiia^^  rode  through  the  gates  of 

^Assisi,  he  met  an  old  friend,  once  an  officer  of  great  renown, 
but  now  through  his  own  imprudence  a  beggar  vilely  clad,  who 
asked  alms  of  him.  Touched  with  compassion,  St.  Francis 
1  took  off  his  richly-decorated  cloak,  and  gave  it  to  the  man  in 
exchange  for  his  tattered  garment,  continuing  his  journey  un- 
mindful of  the  laughing  comments  of  his  comrades.  A  little 
further  on  this  very  impressionable  warrior  sold  his  horse,  to 
give  the  price  to  a  priest,  who  had  asked  for  aid  in  building  a 
church,  and  then  tramped  gaily  on  on  foot  until  he  was  able  to 
rocure  another  stee"cu  Incidents  such  as  these  were  now  of 

liave  been  often  quoted  as  significant 


vgrocure 
frefog!Tt' 


signs  of  the  approaching  change  in  St.  Francis'  views  of  life  ;  but 
the  real  awakening  appears  to  have  occurred  at  Spoleto,  where  a 
sudden  illness  overtook  him,  compelling  him  to  remain  behind 
alone.  The  little  troop  of  Italian  soldiers  went  on  without 
him,  and  he  was  left  to  struggle  as  best  he  could  through  the 
suffering  and  depression  of  a  severe  attack  of  fever.  Kind 
friends,  however,  rose  up  around  him.  He  was  tenderly  nursed 
back  to  health,  and  he  was  hoping  to  be  able  to  rejoin  the 
army,  when  a  second  vision  was  vouchsafed  to  him,  which 
threw  a  vivid  light  upon  the  meaning  of  the  first,  in  which  he 


Nay  a  photd\ 


[S,  Antonio,  Padua 


ST,    FRANCIS    OF   ASS  I  SI 
By  Donatella 


To  face  p.  260 


ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  261 

had,  it  seemed,  overlooked  the  significance  of  the  sign  of  the 
Cross.  This  time  he  thought  he  heard  his  Saviour  say  :  *  Can 
the  Master  or  the  servant  do  the  greater  service  ?'  and  with 
trembling  lips  he  replied,  '  The  Master.'  Yet  again  the  Divine 
Voice  fell  upon  his  ear  :  '  Why  dost  thou,  then,  forsake  Him 
for  His  servant  ?'  In  an  ecstasy  of  eager  devotion,  the  young 
man  cried  :  '  Lord,  what  wouldst  Thou  have  me  do  ?'  and 
quickly  came  the  solemn  response  :  *  Return  home,  for  as  yet 
thou  hast  not  understood  My  will.' 

As  soon  as  his  strength  returned  to  him,  St.  Francis,  not 
without  strange  misgivings,  retraced  his  steps  to  Assisi,  and, 
riding  up  to  his  father's  house,  astonished  his  parents  by  telling 
them  that  he  had.  l$ft  the  army,  and  come  home  to  await  orders 
r^They  thought  the  strange  change  in  him,  which 
fail  to  notice,  the  result  of  .his  illness,  and  at 


first  let  him  go  his  own  way,  trusting  to  time  to  restore  to  him 
his  old  light-heartedness.  Now  and  then  an  apparent  return 
of  his  high  spirits  cheered  them,  for  Francis  would  don  his  gay 
clothes  and  join  his  friends  in  their  revels  ;  but  even  then  he 
was  subject  to  strange  fits  of  abstraction,  and  it  is  related  that 
one  night  after  a  merry  supper,  when  the  young  revellers  were 
singing  in  the  streets  of  Assisi,  his  silence  made  one  of  them 
laughingly  charge  him  with  being  in  love.  To  this  accusation 
he  replied  with  a  fervour  that  astonished  his  hearers  :  *  Yes, 
indeed,  I  am,  with  a  bride  more  noble,  more  fascinating,  more 
pure  than  any  one  your  imagination  can  conceive.'  Wondering 
at  this  strange  answer,  and  overawed  by  a  look  in  the  face  of 
their  friend  such  as  they  had  never  seen  before,  a  sudden 
silence  fell  upon  the  party,  but  in  after  years  each  knew  that 
the  unknown  bride  must  have  been  the  '  Lady  Poverty/  with 
whom  their  beloved  Felix  Mercator  was  even  then  becoming 
miamoured. 

it  seems  to  have  been  soon  after  this  significant  incident  that 
the  final  orders  for  which  St.  Francis  was  waiting  came  to  him. 
He  was  kneeling  at  prayer  in  the  ruined  Church  of  S.  Damiano, 
when  he  heard  again  the  voice  of  Christ,  now  become  so  familiar  to 
him,  saying,  *  Francis,  it  is  My  will  that  thou  repair  My  church.' 
Taking  the  words,  as  was  his  wont,  literally,  and  delighted  to 
have  at  last  a  definite  task  to  do,  the  young  man  lost  no  time 
in  obeying.  Rushing  home,  he  proceeded  to  appropriate  and 
sell  some  of  his  father's  merchandise,  and  hastening  back  with 


262  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

the  price  he  offered  it  to  the  priest  of  S.  Damiano  for  the 
restoration  of  his  church.  The  holy  man,  astonished  at  the 
sudden  offer,  asked  where  the  money  came  from,  and  on  St. 
Francis  telling  him  the  truth  he  refused  to  accept  it.  More- 
over, Bernandine  was  not  unnaturally  incensed  at  his  son's 
arbitrary  action,  and  took  him  very  severely  to  task.  The 
young  man  eagerly  justified  himself,  and  in  the  end  the  matter 
was  referred  to  the  Bishop,  who,  though  he  condemned  the 
theft  and  ordered  restitution  of  the  money,  tried  to  encourage 
the  culprit  by  telling  him  that  God  would  doubtless  show  him 
fcQme  other  way  of  fulfilling  His  will. 

Unfortunately,  these  kind  words  did  but  add  fuel  to  the  fire, 
for  St.  Francis,  in  despair  at  the  result  of  what  he  had  looked 
upon  as  an  act  of  obedience  to  a  divine  command,  tore  off  his 
upper  garments,  and  flung  them  with  the  money  at  his  father's 
feet,  with  the  bitter  words :  '  Henceforth  I  recognise  no  father 
but  Him  who  is  in  heaven.'  He  then  rushed  out  of  Assisi, 
and  hid  himself  in  a  cave  in  the  mountains  near  by.  There 
he  was  sought  out  by  the  priest  of  S.  Damiano,  who  persuaded 
him  to  return  home  with  him,  and  endeavoured  without  success 
to  reconcile  him  with  his  father. 

The  die  was  now  cast,  and  henceforth  St.  Francis  knew 
indeed  no  parents  but  God,  He  resolved  to  rebuild  with  his 
own  hands  the  church  in  which  he  had  received  what  he 
considered  his  marching  orders,  begging  from  door  to  door 
the  money  to  buy  the  materials,  and  content  with  such 
broken  food  as  was  bestowed  upon  him  as  alms  by  the 
charitable.  That  he  might,  had  he  conciliated  his  father, 
have  secured  his  help  in  his  pious  purpose,  does  not  appear  to 
have  occurred  to  him,  and  he  welcomed  every  obstacle  in  his 
path  as  a  trial  of  his  patience  and  faith,  to  be  overcome  by 
prayer  and  fasting,  not  by  the  solicitation  of  earthly  help. 

Tor  the  next  few  years  St.  Francis  remained  at  Assisi 
working  unceasingly  at  his  self-imposed  task,  and  by  his  un- 
complaining resolution  living  down  the  scorn  with  which  his 
strange  behaviour  was  at  first  regarded.  Soon  he  had  a  band 
of  willing  helpers,  so  that  in  a  comparatively  short  time  the 
church  was  fully  restored.  It  is  painful  to  think,  however,  of 
what  the  parents  of  this  much  loved  only  son  must  have  felt 
when  they  saw  him,  as  they  must  continually  have  done,  pass 
their  door,  his  once  sturdy  frame  emaciated  by  privation,  his 


ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  263 

handsome  features  worn  with  fasting,  yet  lit  up  with  the  ^  fire  of 
a  martyr's  zeal  for  renunciation.  Many  a  time,  it  is  said,  did 
his  mother  endeavour  to  obtain  an  interview  with  the  young 
ascetic,  but  he  looked  upon  all  natural  affection  as  a  temptation 
to  weakness,  and  at  last  the  poor  woman  accepted  the  situation, 
making  no  further  efforts  to  get  speech  with  the  son  who  had 
once  turned  to  her  in  every  need.  Of  the  father,  who  no  doubt 
also  yearned  after  the  child  of  so  many  hopes,  no  more  is  told  ; 
but  he  is  supposed  never  to  have  betrayed  any  signs  of  relenting 
in  his  harsh  judgment,  and  If  he  regretted  that  he  had  not 
shown  more  forbearance  at  a  critical  time,  he  kept  that  regret 
to  himself. 

What  time  he  could  spare  from  his  church -building,  St. 
Francis  devoted  to  the  care  of  lepers,  and  he  is  said  to  have 
constantly  walked  over  from  Assisi  to  visit  a  hospital  at 
Gubbio,  singing  happily  to  himself  by  the  way,  and,  says  an  old 
chronicler,  'praising  God  for  all  things — for  the  sun  ^  shining 
above ;  for  the  earth,  whom  he  called  his  mother ;  his  sister^  the 
moon ;  the  winds  which  blew  in  his  face ;  the  pure,  precious 
water ;  the  merry  fire  with  its  crackling  flames ;  and  the  stars 
above  his  head — saluting  and  blessing  all  creatures,  whether 
animate  or  inanimate,  as  his  brethren  and  sisters  in  the  Lord/ 
Waylaid  one  day  by  robbers,  he  greeted  them  with  the  words, 
*  I  am  the  herald  of  the  Great  King' ;  and  when,  angry  that  the 
herald  owned  nothing  worth  taking,  they  flung  him  into  a 
ditch,  he  did  but  rejoice  the  more  that  his  King  counted  him 
worthy  to  suffer  for  Him.  If  he  came  across  a  leper  in  the 
street  from  whom  all  passers-by  were  shrinking  away  in  disgust, 
he  would  stop  and  embrace  him,  no  harm  ever  resulting  to  him 
from  the  contact,  for  from  first  to  last  the  young  enthusiast 
appears  to  have  borne  a  charmed  life. 

When  the  church  of  S.  Damiano  was  completed,  St.  Francis 
turned  his  attention  first  to  that  of  St.  Peter  and  then  to  that  of 
S.  Maria  degli  Angeli,  both  of  which  he  restored.  He  then  took 
up  his  residence  in  a  little  cell  adjoining  the  latter,  on  a  slip  of 
ground  known  as  the  Porziuncola,  or  *  little  portion,'  then  be- 
longing to  a  Benedictine  convent,  which  was  later  given  to  the 
Brotherhood  of  St.  Francis.  There  the  recluse  humbly  awaited 
instructions  as  to  his  further  course  of  action,  and  once  more  a 
message  came  to  him,  this  time,  as  it  were,  accidentally,  for  one 
day  when  in  church  the  following  words  of  the  Gospel  fell  on 


264  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

his  ears  with  a  fresh  significance :  '  Provide  neither  gold,  nor 
silver,  nor  brass  in  your  purses,  nor  scrip  for  your  journey, 
neither  two  coats,  neither  shoes  nor  yet  staves,  and  as  ye  go 
preach,  saying,  The  kingdom  of  God  is  at  hand.'  Could  any- 
thing be  clearer  ?  '  Here/  cried  St.  Francis  on  leaving  the 
sacred  building,  '  is  what  I  wanted ;  here  is  what  I  have  sought/ 
and  tearing  off  his  shoes  with  eager  haste,  he  flung  them  from 
him,  threw  aside  his  staff,  replaced  the  girdle  confining  the 
coarse  brown  woollen  tunic,  which  was  already  his  only 
garment,  with  a  piece  of  rope,  and  set  forth  to  preach  the 
Gospel  in  the  towns  and  villages  near  his  native  place. 

Thus  quietly  and  unostentatiously,  on  St.  Barnabas'  Day,  1208, 
when  St.  Francis  wras  in  his  twenty-seventh  year,  was  inaugurated 
the  first  of  the  great  Mendicant  Orders,  which  were  in  the 
course  of  the  next  few  centuries  to  revolutionize  society,  and  to 
attract  to  their  ranks  many  of  the  noblest  men  and  women 
of  every  country  of  Europe.  The  burning  eloquence  of  the 
missionary,  for  such  he  had  now  become,  quickly  won  ^  him 
many  disciples,  amongst  whom  three:  Bernardo  di  Quinta- 
valle,  Pietro  di  Cattano,  and  Egidio,  a  simple  citizen  of  Assisi, 
became  his  devoted  companions  and  friends,  whilst  a  fourth, 
the  noble  maiden  Clara  of  Assisi,  whose  story  is  related  below, 
fired  by  his  example,  herself  became  the  foundress  of  a  society 
on  lines  similar  to  that  of  her  great  teacher. 

Very  soon  St.  Francis  recognised  the  necessity,  if  his  work 
were  to  become  of  permanent  value,  of  binding  his  followers 
together  by  a  definite  rule  of  life,  and  of  obtaining  for  that  rule 
"  the  sanction  of  the  Pope.  He  had  already  finally  made  up  his 
mind  that  absolute  poverty  alike  of  the  individual  and  of  the 
community  must  be  the  most  essential  principle  of  all,  and 
it  was  this  decision,  so  hostile  to  every  natural  instinct  of 
humanity,  that  first  caused  the  little  rift  within  the  lute  of 
perfect  harmony  between  him  and  his  adherents,  which,  as  it 
widened,  saddened  the  last  years  of  his  life.  At  the  outset, 
however,  so  great  was  the  personal  fascination  exercised  by  St. 
Francis,  that  no  objection  was  raised  by  any  of  those  whose 
friendship  he  had  already  won,  and  he  set  off  happily  for  Rome 
to  lay  his  cause  before  Pope  Innocent  III.,  who,  though  he  re- 
ceived the  enthusiast  courteously,  at  first  absolutely  declined 
to  have  anything  to  do  with  the  proposed  institution.  A  dream 
in  which  he  saw  the  Lateran  tottering  as  if  about  to  fall,  whilst 


,4  linari  photo\ 


[Upper  Church,  Assist 


THE    RENUNCIATION   OF   ST.    FRANCIS 
By  Giotto 


To  face  p.  264 


ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  265 

his  brown -frocked  visitor  upheld  it  on  his  shoulders,  is  said, 
however,  to  have  convinced  His  Holiness  of  his  mistake,  and 
he  sent  for  St.  Francis  the  next  morning  to  inquire  further  into 
the  matter.  After  a  long  Interview,  Innocent  confirmed  the 
rule  submitted  to  him,  gave  St.  Francis  full  permission  to 
preach,  and  dismissed  him  with  his  blessing. 

Back  again  at  Assisi,  St.  Francis  lost  not  a  moment  in 
beginning  the  work  to  which  the  rest  of  his  life  was  to  be 
devoted.  He  took  up  his  residence  in  the  little  cell  already 
hallowed  by  so  many  prayers,  and  with  the  aid  of  his  disciples 
built  a  number  of  similar  huts  around  it  for  their  accommoda- 
tion. The  name  of  Frati  Minori,  or  the^Lesser  Brethren,  given 
to  the  new  Order,  was  in  accordance  with  the  humility  which 
was  to  be  the  distinctive  characteristic  of  its  members,  who 
were  sent  forth  two  by  two  to  preach  the  Gospel,  not  only  in 
Europe,  but  in  North  Africa,  owning  absolutely  nothing  but 
the  coarse  robes  they  wore,  and  the  rough  hempen  girdles, 
to  which  they  owed  the  name  of  Cordeliers  sometimes  given 
to  them. 

Ten  years  after  his  return  to  Assisi,  St.  Francis  held  the 
first  Chapter  of  his  Order,  at  which  no  less  than  five  thousand 
of  the  brethren  assembled,  whose  wants  were  eagerly  ministered 
to  by  the  people  of  the  neighbourhood.  At  this  great  gather- 
ing— called  in  the  history  of  the  Franciscans  the  Chapter  of 
Storearum,  in  memory  of  the  straw  booths  in  which  the 
brethren  slept — St.  Francis  told  his  disciples  that  he  proposed 
to  go  to  the  Holy  Land  and  Egypt,  in  the  hope  of  winning 
over  the  Sultan  to  the  true  faith,  and  perhaps  being  himself 
counted  worthy  to  suffer  martyrdom  in  the  land  where  his 
Master  had  died.  Many  who  listened  to  his  thrilling  words  on 
this  occasion  thought  that  they  should  look  upon  the  face  of 
their  leader  no  more  ;  but  they  were  mistaken,  for  much  to  his 
own  disappointment  St.  Francis  lived  to  return  home,  having 
been  treated  by  the  Turks  as  a  harmless  fanatic,  whom  it  was 
their  duty  to  protect  from  injury,  but  whose  most  eloquent 
orations  made  absolutely  no  impression  upon  them. 

St.  Francis  returned  to  Italy  with  a  feeling  of  deep  Rejection 
at  the  ill  success  of  his  mission,  and  his  spirits  were  still  further 
depressed  on  his  journey  through  his  native  country  by  finding 
that  innovations  had  been  introduced  in  the  Order  that  were 
altogether  hostile  to  the  principle  of  poverty  on  which  he  set  such 


256  THE  SAINTS  IX  CHRISTIAN  ART 

store.  The  story  goes  that  he  appeared  suddenly ^at  Bologna,  and 
as  he  was  about  to  preach,  as  was  his  wont,  in  the  principal 
square,  he  noticed  a  beautiful  building,  and  asked  whatsit  was. 
&  The  Convent  of  the  Frati  Minori,'  was  the  reply,  and  horror- 
struck  at  what  he  heard,  the  angry  monk  proceeded  at  once 
to  have  all  the  brethren  in  the  house,  the  sick  and  suffering  as 
well  as  the  hale,  turned  into  the  street;  a  proceeding  which 
was  considered  perfectly  justified  under  the  circumstances, 
and  met  with  no  opposition.  After  this  stormy  incident  St. 
Francis  resumed  his  journey  to  preside  at  a  great  Chapter  of 
his  Order  held  at  Assisi,  at  which  St.  Dominic  and  St.  Antony 
of  Padua  are  both  said  to  have  been  present,  and  at  which  the 
founder  legislated  anew  for  what  had  now  become  a  vast  and 
widely-scattered  Order.  At  this  important  meeting  the  way  was 
also  prepared  for  the  foundation  of  yet  another  branch  of  it, 
that  known  as  the  Tertiary  or  Third  Order  (the  second  being 
that  founded  by  St.  Clara),  which  was  to  gather  into  the  all- 
embracing  organization  those  who  were  unable  to  leave  the 
world,  but  would  gladly  serve  God  in  the  state  of  life  to  which 
He  had  called  them. 

In  1223  St.  Francis  went  to  R.ome  to  obtain  from  the  Pope 
full  recognition  for  the  great  institution  in  its  new  development, 
and  having  won  all  he  sought,  he  returned  to  Assisi  with  a 
feeling  that  the  work  of  his  life  was  done.  Henceforth  he  with- 
drew more  and  more  from  active  interference  in  the  affairs  of  the 
Order,  spending  much  of  his  time  in  prayer  upon  the  mountains 
near  his  cell,  and  a  year  later  he  resigned  his  position  of 
Superior  to  take  up  his  abode  in  a  lonely  cave  on  Monte  Alverno, 
paying  only  occasional  visits  to  his  convent.  His  last  public  act 
was  to  go  to  Rieti  for  an  interview  with  the  Pope,  and  whilst 
there  began  the  illness  which  ended  in  death.  It  was  only  with 
great  difficulty  that  St.  Francis  was  able  to  return  to  Assisi,  but 
his  journey  home,  painful  though  it  was,  resembled  rather  the 
triumphal  march  of  a  conqueror  than  that  of  a  humble  monk  ; 
crowds  falling  on  their  knees  to  ask  his  blessing  as  he  passed, 
and  hundreds  following  in  his  train.  Towards  the  end  St. 
Francis  became  too  weak  to  walk,  and  was  carried  in  a  litter 
to  his  old  cell  in  the  Porauncola,  where  he  dictated  his  last 
instructions  to  his  monks,  ordering  that  his  body  should  be 
buried  in  the  common  place  of  execution  outside  the  city  walls. 
Just  before  the  end  the  dying  Saint  asked  to  be  placed  upon 


ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  267 

the  ground,  and  to  have  the  passage  in  the  Gospel  read  to  him, 
beginning  with  the  words,  '  Before  the  feast  of  the  passover/ 
and  when  his  request  had  been  complied  with,  he  recited 
himself  part  of  Psalm  cxlii.,  his  voice  sinking  into  silence  with 
the  words,  *  Thou  hast  dealt  bountifully  with  me.1 

Thus,  on  October  4,  1226,  passed  away  one  of  the  greatest 
men  of  the  century,  and  the  breath  had  hardly  left  the  suffering 
body  before  it  became  the  object  of  the  intense  veneration  of 
all  who  had  learnt  to  love  St.  Francis  during  his  remarkable 
career.  Ignoring  his  desire  that  he  should  be  laid  in  a  lowly 
and  nameless  grave,  the  body  was  taken  the  day  after  the 
end,  attended  by  all  the  clergy  of  the  neighbourhood  and 
a  vast  concourse  of  monks  and  lay  mourners,  to  be  buried  in 
the  very  heart  of  Assisi,  in  the  Church  of  St.  George ;  the 
procession  pausing  for  a  few  minutes  on  its  way  at  the  gate 
of  the  Convent  of  St.  Clara,  that  she  and  her  nuns  might  bid 
their  spiritual  father  a  last  farewell.  Two  years  later  the  founder 
of  the  Franciscan  Order  was  canonized  by  Pope  Gregory  IX., 
and  the  building  of  the  great  church  dedicated  to  him  was  begun, 
to  the  expense  of  which  nearly  all  the  rulers  of  Christendom  con- 
tributed. In  1230  the  remains  of  the  Saint  were  translated  to 
the  new  church  with  extraordinary  pomp,  and  they  are  supposed 
still  to  rest  beneath  the  high  altar,  although  none  know  the  exact 
spot,  it  having  been  kept  secret,  lest  so  great  a  treasure  should 
be  stolen. 

These,  the  uncontested  facts  of  the  life,  death,  and  interment 
of  St.  Francis,  have  been  supplemented  by  many  quaint  and 
poetic  legends,  reflecting  not  only  the  unique  character  of  the 
man  whose  strange  experiences  suggested  them,  but  also  the 
spirit  of  an  age  when  all  things  seemed  possible,  to  the  simple 
faith  of  those  who  felt  themselves  to  be  still  in  direct  touch 
with  the  unseen  world. 

First  in  order  of  importance,  though  not  in  date,  was  the 
remarkable  vision  said  to  have  been  vouchsafed  to  St.  Francis 
on  Monte  Alverno,  when,  after  he  had  fasted  for  forty  days  in 
his  solitary  cave,  and  the  flesh  was  altogether  subdued  to  the 
spirit,  there  appeared  to  him  a  gleaming  six-winged  seraph, 
having  the  hands  and  feet  stretched  out  as  on  a  cross,  two  wings 
raised  above  the  head,  two  stretched  out  in  flight,  and  two 
folded  about  the  body.  As  the  kneeling  Saint  gazed  in  wonder- 
ing awe  at  his  celestial  visitor,  his  heart  was  pierced  with  a 


268  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

realization  of  the  suffering  of  the  crucified  Redeemer,  whilst 
on  his  brain  was  impressed  the  conviction  that  he,  humblest  of 
the  humble  though  he  was,  should  henceforth  in  his  own  body 
bear  the  tokens  of  that  suffering.  In  his  great  ecstasy  St. 
Francis  seems  to  have  swooned  away,  and  when  he  recovered 
consciousness  he  found,  to  his  wondering  awe,  that  in  his  hands 
and  feet  were  wounds,  such  as  those  of  Christ  Himself.  The 
recipient  of  this  marvellous  favour  would  fain,  it  is  said,  have 
hidden  the  remarkable  proofs  of  the  reality  of  his  vision,  but 
the  rumour  of  the  great  event  soon  spread  throughout  the 
length  and  breadth  of  Italy,  where  St.  Francis  became  known 
as  the  Seraphic  Brother.  Moreover,  the  incident  is  said  to  have 
had  much  to  do  with  the  extraordinary  veneration  in  which  the 
subject  of  the  strange  experience  was  held,  although,  as  a  matter 
of  fact,  it  did  not  take  place  until  his  Order  already  numbered 
many  thousands. 

On  another  occasion  St.  Francis  is  said  to  have  had  a  long 
interview  with  Christ,  the  Blessed  Virgin,  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
and  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  and  the  stone  on  which  the  Lord 
Himself  is  supposed  to  have  rested  was  long  held  sacred.  Still 
more  wonderful  was  an  interview  with  the  Mother  of  the  Divine 
Child,  when  one  night,  as  St.  Francis  knelt  in  prayer,  a  glory 
shone  around  him,  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  placed  her  precious 
little  One  in  his  arms.  Yet  again,  when  the  holy  man  and  one 
of  his  comrades  were  overtaken  by  a  storm  on  the  borders  of 
the  Po,  a  heavenly  light  dispelled  the  gloom,  enabling  them  to 
pass  safely  over  the  troubled  waters ;  when,  after  a  long  journey, 
St.  Francis  had  sunk  exhausted  on  the  road,  the  water  brought 
to  him  was  turned  into  wine ;  when,  weary  and  worn,  he  cried 
aloud, '  Oh,  to  hear  once  more  the  heavenly  music  of  my  home !' 
angelic  voices  at  once  broke  upon  the  stillness.  In  a  word,  the 
self-denying  visionary  appeared  at  all  times  to  be  in  such  direct 
communion  with  the  denizens  of  heaven,  that  his  lightest  wish 
was  granted  almost  before  it  was  spoken. 

Equally  beautiful  are  the  stories  told  of  the  wonderful 
sympathy  between  St.  Francis  and  the  animal  creation :  a  wolf 
which  had  long  devastated  the  countryside  became  his  devoted 
servant  when  he  called  him  by  the  loving  name  of  Brother 
Wolf,  and  never  again  dared  to  touch  a  lamb  of  the  flock ;  the 
birds  obeyed  him  at  once,  when,  addressing  them  as  'little 
brothers,  little  sisters,'  he  bid  them  cease  from  interrupting 


Moreno,  Madrid,  photo]  [Sacristy  of  the  Escorial 

ST.    FRANCIS    OF    ASSISI    RECEIVING    THE    STIGMATA 
By  El  Greco 


To  face  p.  268 


ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  269 

his  preaching.  Indeed,  it  is  even  claimed  that  he  made  up 
to  them  for  this  enforced  silence  by  holding  special  services  for 
them,  in  which  teacher  and  taught  all  sang  the  praises  of  God 
together.  One  day  when  he  was  praying  in  a  little  boat  on 
a  lake  a  fisherman  brought  him  a  big  fish  fresh  from  the  water  ; 
but  St.  Francis  restored  it  to  its  native  element,  and  instead  of 
swimming  away  the  grateful  creature  remained  beside  the  Saint, 
as  if  joining  in  his  devotions,  until  it  was  dismissed  with  a 
blessing. 

St.  Francis  is  also  said  to  have  been  constantly  attended  by 
two  pet  lambs  he  had  rescued  from  a  butcher,  and  those 
who  went  to  take  food  to  him  when  he  was  on  Monte  Alverno, 
reported  that  they  often  found  him  surrounded  by  wild  creatures, 
with  whom  he  appeared  to  be  conversing  familiarly. 

On  one  of  his  journeys  in  Italy  the  holy  man  is  said  to  have 
planted  his  staff  outside  the  gates  of  Siena,  where  it  took  root 
and  became  a  mighty  tree,  which  was  still  flourishing  in  the 
seventeenth  century ;  when  some  workmen  in  his  employ  were 
suffering  terribly  from  exhaustion,  he  is  credited  with  having 
changed  the  water  of  a  spring  into  wine  for  one  hour  for  their 
benefit;  he  restored  one  of  his  monks,  who  was  apparently 
dying,  by  giving  him  bread  which  had  been  dipped  in  the  oil 
of  one  of  the  lamps  in  his  chapel ;  in  a  word,  all  who  came  to 
him  for  help  were  healed  of  their  sufferings,  whether  mental  or 
bodily. 

After  the  death  of  the  greatly  revered  Saint,  miracles  multiplied 
at  his  tomb,  and  a  tradition  is  still  current  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Assisi  that  decay  has  never  touched  his  body,  but  that  at 
the  last  day  he  will  issue  from  the  secret  place  of  his  interment, 
where  he  now  stands  erect,  awaiting  the  summons  to  judgment. 

St.  Francis  has  nearly  as  many  emblems  in  art  as  have  the 
Evangelists  or  Apostles,  and  his  figure  in  the  long  brown  robe 
with  the  heavy  hood,  loose  sleeves,  and  knotted  rope  girdle,  is 
of  as  constant  occurrence  in  devotional  pictures  as  is  that  of 
St.  Peter  or  of  St.  Mary  Magdalene.  He  is  generally  repre- 
sented as  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  worn  and  emaciated 
features,  the  tonsured  head  encircled  by  a  more  or  less  elaborate 
halo,  the  short,  straight  hair  and  forked  beard  of  a  dusky 
brown  colour.  His  most  distinctive  emblems  are,  of  course,  the 
stigmata  on  his  hands  and  feet,  and  other  attributes  are :  a 
short  cross  held  in  one  hand,  in  token  of  his  intense  devotion 


270  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

to  the  crucified  Redeemer,  and  a  lamb  at  his  feet,  or  kneeling 
at  a  cross  upon  an  altar,  in  either  case  symbolic  of  his  love 
of  the  Lamb  of  God.  Occasionally,  as  on  a  rood-screen  in 
Stalham  Church,  and  on  one  in  St.  Mary's  Church,  Hemp- 
stead,  both  in  Norfolk,  a  wreath  of  roses  is  given  to  St. 
Francis,  and  the  following  emblems  are  also  now  and  then 
associated  with  him :  a  lily,  in  token  of  his  chastity ;  an 
open  book,  in  allusion  to  the  rule  given  by  him  to  his 
Order ;  a  scroll  bearing  the  words  '  Deus  meus  et  omnia,' 
which  were  often  on  his  lips ;  a  skull,  because  of  his  triumph 
over  death;  a  globe  at  his  feet  on  which  he  is  trampling, 
figuring  his  renunciation  of  the  world;  a  centaur  crouching 
near  him,  that  fabulous  beast  being  an  emblem  of  the  brute 
force  which  St.  Francis  so  often  subdued  to  his  will ;  a  crescent, 
in  memory  of  his  missionary  journey  to  the  east;  and  a  church, 
on  account  of  the  many  places  of  worship  he  built  or  restored. 
The  Holy  Child  in  a  manger  is  sometimes  introduced  behind 
St.  Francis,  some  say  because  the  Saint  was  himself  born  in 
a  stable,  his  mother  having,  as  was  the  custom  with  devout 
women  in  mediaeval  times,  withdrawn  to  one  just  before  his 
birth,  whilst  others  assert  that  the  Infant  Saviour  lying  on  His 
lowly  couch,  appeared  one  day  to  the  holy  man,  when  he  was 
praying  in  a  wood.  A  star  above  the  head  of  St.  Francis  recalls 
a  tradition  that  at  his  death  a  meteor  flashed  across  the  sky,  in 
token  of  the  entrance  of  his  soul  to  bliss ;  angels  above  his  head 
playing  on  instruments  of  music,  commemorate  the  miracle 
related  above ;  snow  beside  him,  a  tradition  that  he  used  to 
roll  in  it  in  the  winter  to  mortify  the  flesh ;  and  birds  flying 
about  his  head,  recall  the  sermon  he  is  supposed  to  have 
preached  to  his  feathered  friends. 

To  note  but  the  most  important  of  the  masterpieces  of  art  in 
which  St.  Francis  appears  as  an  accessory  figure  would  require 
a  volume.  Scarcely^  painter  or  sculptor,  of  whatever  nation- 
ality, of  the  early  revival,  the  golden  age,  or  the  late  renaissance 
of  art,  has  failed  to  introduce  the  much-loved  ascetic  of  Assisi ; 
even  Fra  Angelico,  in  spite  of  his  bitter  hostility  to  the 
Franciscans  as  a  body,  succumbing  to  the  charm  of  the 
personality  of  the  famous  monk.  St.  Francis  has  an  honoured 
place  in  the  saintly  friar's  'Great  Crucifixion  of  San  Marco';* 

*  See  vol.  I,  p.  174. 


ST.  FRANCIS  OF  ASSISI  271 

and  his  '  Meeting  with  St.  Dominic '  is  a  wonderful  realization  of 
the  characters  of  the  two  strangely  contrasted  ascetics.  Andrea 
del  Sarto  introduced  St.  Francis  in  his  '  Disputa,'  now  in  the  Pitti 
Gallery ;  the  great  ascetic  appears  in  Correggio's  *  Marriage  of 
St.  Catherine ' — now  owned  by  Dr.  Frizzoni  of  Milan — and  also 
in  the  same  master's  '  Madonna  of  St.  Francis/  in  the  Dresden 
Gallery.  Francia,  who  is  said,  however,  to  have  given  his 
own  features  to  St.  Francis,  introduced  him  in  his  *  Nativity ' 
and  '  Annunciation/  both  in  the  Bologna  Gallery ;  and  in 
Titian's  famous  'Pesaro  Madonna'  at  Venice  St.  Francis  kneels 
beside  the  donor. 

In  the  sacristy  of  the  church  of  S,  Francesco  at  Assisi  is  pre- 
served what  is  considered  an  authentic  portrait  of  St.  Francis. 
In  a  painting  by  Stefano  di  Giovanni  Sarsetti  at  Siena  he  is  repre- 
sented as  the  Seraphic  Brother  in  a  glory  of  winged  cherubs ; 
whilst  beneath  is  a  very  quaint  collection  of  emblems  of  worldly 
vices,  including  a  warrior,  on  whom  the  Saint  presses  one  of 
his  pierced  feet,  and  a  scholar  seated  beside  a  printing-press. 
In  the  series  of  medallions  by  one  of  the  Delia  Robbia  on  the 
Piazza  di  S.  Maria  Novella  at  Florence,  the  heads  of  Saints 
Francis  and  DCminic  are  of  remarkable  beauty ;  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Siena  there  is  a  fine  statue  of  St.  Francis,  begun 
by  Torrigiano,  and  said  to  have  been  completed  by  Michael 
Angelo ;  and  on  the  wall  of  the  Seminale  Patricale,  Venice,  is 
a  painting  by  Rubens,  which  gives  the  impression  of  being 
founded  on  an  actual  portrait  of  St.  Francis,  as  does  also  one 
by  Ribera  in  the  Pitti  Gallery,  Florence. 

It  is,  however,  of  course,  in  the  numerous  series  of  scenes 
from  the  life  and  legend  of  St.  Francis  in  Italian  churches  and 
elsewhere,  that  the  unique  character  of  the  devoted  lover  of 
poverty  is  most  clearly  brought  out.  Of  these  the  earliest  in 
date,  and  also,  perhaps,  still  the  most  complete,  in  spite  of  the 
faded  condition  of  many  of  them,  are  the  frescoes  in  the  Upper 
and  Lower  Churches  at  Assisi,  executed  during  the  first  half  of 
the  thirteenth  century,  when  the  honour  in  which  St.  Francis 
had  come  to  be  held  was  almost  as  great  as  that  given  to 
our  Lord  Himself.  The  fact  that  the  building  of  this  double 
church  coincided  with  the  dawn  of  the  art  revival  that  two 
centuries  later  was  to  culminate  in  the  golden  age  of  painting 
in  Italy,  gives  a  yet  greater  interest  to  the  decorations  on  its 
walls,  for  they  illustrate  in  a  very  remarkable  manner  the  pro- 


272  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

gress  of  the  movement,  and  form  something  like  an  epitome  of 
the  history  of  art  in  Italy  between  1200  and  1400.  The  frescoes 
in  the  Lower  Church  are  supposed  to  have  been  begun  by 
Giunta  Pisano,  and  continued  by  Cimabue,  but  it  is  only  those 
by  Giotto  which  are  still  decipherable.  These  consist  of  four 
scenes  on  the  groined  ceiling:  'St.  Francis  wedding  Poverty/ 
'  The  Triumph  of  Chastity,'  '  The  Taking  of  the  Vow  of  Obedi- 
ence,' and  *  The  Glorification  of  St.  Francis.'  In  the  Upper 
Church  are  given  twenty-eight  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Francis, 
some  by  Giotto,  some  by  his  pupils  and  other  contemporaries, 
which  include  all  the  incidents  related  above,  with  several 
others,  such  as  'St.  Francis  stepping  on  a  cloak'  flung^on  the 
ground  for  him  to  walk  over,  by  a  man  who  prophesied  his 
future  greatness  whilst  he  was  still  in  his  father's  home;  St. 
Francis  carried  up  to  heaven  in  a  chariot  of  fire,  in  memory 
of  a  tradition  that  his  soul  was  one  day  taken  to  the  presence 
of  the  Lord  whilst  his  body  lay  rigid  upon  the  ground ;  St. 
Francis  driving  out  of  Siena  a  number  of  evil  spirits,  which 
are  said  to  have  plagued  the  city  greatly  till  he  came  to  its  aid ; 
the  Infant  Saviour  awaking  in  the  arms  of  St.  Francis  whilst 
the  latter  is  constructing  a  creche  on  Christmas  Eve ;  the 
death  at  a  banquet  of  a  young  nobleman  whose  end  had  been 
predicted  by  St.  Francis ;  the  apparition  of  the  great  friar  at 
the  Council  of 'Aries  when  St.  Antony  of  Padua  was  preaching; 
St.  Francis  appearing  to  Gregory  IX.,  and  showing  to  him  the 
wound  in  his  own  side  to  convince  the  Pontiff  of  his  worthiness 
to  receive  canonization — with  various  other  after-death  miracles. 
Very  interesting  also  are  the  frescoes  by  Giotto  in  S.  Croce 
at  Florence,  and  the  bas-reliefs  by  Benedetto  da  Majano  on 
a  pulpit  in  the  same  church.  Beautiful  representations  of 
separate  subjects  from  the  wonderful  story  of  St.  Francis  are 
his  '  Vision '  by  Murillo  in  the  Prado  Gallery,  Madrid,  in  which 
the  crucified  Saviour  bends  from  the  cross  to  place  one  hand 
lovingly  upon  the  shoulder  of  the  kneeling  monk ;  the  *  Christ 
and  St.  Francis'  in  the  Museo  Poldi,  Pezzoli,  by  Crivelli,  in 
which  St.  Francis  kneels  at  the  feet  of  the  Saviour,  who  clasps 
His  cross  with  His  right  arm  and  gives  His  kneeling  worshipper 
blood  from  His  wounded  side;  and  the  two  scenes  of  the  Altar- 
piece  by  Domenichino  in  S.  Maria  della  Vittoria,  Rome,  '  The 
Blessed  Virgin  placing  the  Holy  Child  in  the  arms  of  the  Saint,' 
and  the  '  Reception  of  the  Stigmata.' 


ST.  CLARA  OF  ASSISI  273 

The  story  of  St.  Clara  of  Asslsi  is  inseparably  bound  up  with 
that  of  St.  Francis,  and  reflects  in  an  even  more  remarkable 
degree  than  does  that  of  her  spiritual  guide,  the  state  of  public 
opinion  with  regard  to  the  peculiar  sanctity  of  a  monastic  life 
at  the  time  at  which  she  lived. 

St.  Clara  was  the  eldest  daughter  of  Favorino  Sciffo,  a  noble 
knight  of  Assisi,  and  was  born  in  1193.  She  early  became  cele- 
brated for  her  beauty  and  charm,  but  when  she  was  still  quite  a 
girl  she  was  converted  by  a  sermon  of  St.  Francis,  in  which  the 
famous  ascetic  dwelt  with  his  usual  fervent  eloquence  on  the 
beauty  of  a  life  devoted  entirely  to  God.  The  young  girl  sought 
out  the  preacher,  and  consulted  him  as  to  what  she  should  do, 
and  he  advised  her  to  leave  home  to  become  a  nun,  appointing 
the  following  Palm  Sunday  for  the  reception  of  her  vows. 
Apparently  without  a  word  of  warning  to  her  parents,  who 
were  devoted  to  her,  St.  Clara  went  with  them  and  her  sisters 
to  the  usual  service  on  that  day.  When  the  rest  of  the  con- 
gregation went  up  to  the  altar,  as  was  the  custom,  to  receive  the 
blessed  palms,  she  remained  kneeling  in  her  place,  absorbed  in 
prayer.  The  officiating  Bishop,  struck  with  the  rapt  expression 
of  her  beautiful  face,  left  the  altar  and  himself  brought  the  palm 
to  her.  She  accepted  it,  as  it  were,  unconsciously,  and  still 
knelt  on,  till  her  mother  roused  her  by  telling  her  it  was  time  to 
return  home.  Late  that  same  evening  St.  Clara  slipped  away 
from  her  parents'  house,  and  presented  herself  at  the  door  of 
the  Franciscan  chapel,  humbly  craving  admission  as  a  poor 
penitent.  She  was  expected,  and  St.  Francis,  at  the  head  of 
his  little  body  of  monks,  received  her  joyfully,  and  led  her  to 
the  altar,  where  she  put  off  her  gay  apparel  to  don  a  coarse 
robe,  such  as  that  worn  by  the  Frati  Minori.  Then,  as  she  knelt 
in  a  feverish  ecstasy  of  devotion  at  the  feet  of  St.  Francis,  he 
cut  off  her  beautiful  hair  with  his  own  hands.  *  Do  with  me  as 
thou  wilt/  she  is  said  to  have  cried  to  him,  '  I  am  thine !  My 
will  is  consecrated  to  God ;  it  is  no  longer  my  own !'  a  sentence, 
if  it  were  really  uttered,  singularly  significant  of  the  confusion 
of  issues,  which  could  thus  hope  to  combine  adoration  of  the 
minister  with  the  worship  due  to  the  divine  Master  alone ! 

To  these  passionate  words  St.  Francis  replied  by  telling 
St.  Clara  to  withdraw  to  the  Benedictine  Convent  of  S.  Paolo, 
as  he  had  not  yet  founded  a  nunnery  of  his  own  Order.  She 
obeyed,  and  there  she  remained,  in  spite  of  every  effort  on  the 

VOL.  ni.  18 


274  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

part  of  her  bereaved  parents  to  win  her  back  to  them.  Once 
some  of  her  kinsfolk  even  broke  into  the  chapel  where  she  and 
the  other  nuns  were  at  prayer,  but  St.  Clara  clung  to  the  altar, 
calling  on  God  to  help  her,  and,  fearing  to  commit  sacrilege, 
her  friends  left  her  to  her  self-chosen  fate.  Soon  after  this  she 
was  joined  by  her  sister  Agnes,  a  child  of  fourteen,  and  later 
by  her  mother,  who  could  no  longer  bear  to  be  separated  from 
her  children.  Several  other  highly-born  ladies  of  the  neighbour- 
hood followed  their  example,  and  St.  Francis  set  apart  for  the 
use  of  the  new  community  a  little  house  near  the  Porauncola, 
appointing  St.  Clara  to  rule  over  it. 

Thus  was  founded  the  second  branch  of  the  great  Franciscan 
Order,  to  which  the  name  of  the  Povere  Donne  or  Poor  Clares 
was  given.  The  rule  was  as  austere  as  that  of  the  parent  insti- 
tution, St.  Clara  insisting  from  the  first  upon  the  literal  fulfil- 
ment of  the  vow  of  poverty,  refusing  to  allow  any  of  her  nuns 
to  own  any  property  whatever.  On  the  death  of  her  father, 
who,  with  a  generosity  which  could  scarcely  have  been  expected 
from  him,  left  her  all  his  wealth,  St.  Clara  at  once  gave  every- 
thing away  to  the  poor,  retaining  nothing  for  her  community. 
The  sisters  begged  their  daily  bread  from  door  to  door,  and 
when  supplies  ran  short,  as  they  sometimes  did,  they  fasted. 

The  fame  of  the  extraordinary  sanctity  and  austerity  of  the 
Povere  Donne  spread  far  and  near,  and,  in  spite  of  all  the 
suffering  the  nuns  had  to  endure,  the  Order  increased  in 
numbers  with  extraordinary  rapidity.  Branch  houses  were 
opened  at  Perugia,  Arezzo,  Padua,  Venice,  Mantua,  and  other 
cities,  and  so  long  as  St.  Clara  lived  the  original  rule  was 
rigorously  observed,  but  it  was  considerably  relaxed  after  her 
restraining  influence  had  passed  away. 

The  most  important  incident  which  broke  the  calm  mono- 
tony of  life  in  the  little  convent  at  Assisi,  in  which  St.  Clara 
remained  to  the  last,  was  the  death  of  St.  Francis,  that  nearly 
broke  the  brave  spirit  of  the  Abbess,  so  utterly  was  her  life 
bound  up  with  his.  It  is  related  that  when  the  funeral  proces- 
sion halted  on  its  way  to  the  grave,  and  the  little  window 
through  which  the  Blessed  Sacrament  was  administered  to 
the  nuns  was  opened  that  they  might  gaze  once  more  on 
their  beloved  leader,  St.  Clara  cried  in  an  agony  of  grief: 
'  Father,  Father,  what  will  become  of  us  ?'  and,  leaning  out, 
she  passionately  kissed  the  emaciated  hands,  blind  even  to  the 


ST.     CLARA    OF    ASSIST 


To  face  p,  274 


ST.  CLARA  OF  ASSIST  275 

sacred  wounds  upon  them.  Then,  with  a  pathetic  effort  to 
rejoice  at  the  release  from  the  painful  burden  of  the  flesh,  of 
the  spirit  of  the  loved  one,  she  hurried  to  the  sisters,  and  with , 
trembling  lips  tried  to  speak  to  them  of  the  heavenly  happiness 
of  him  to  whom  they  owed  so  much.  The  window  was  closed, 
the  procession  passed  on,  and  St.  Clara  took  up  the  burden  of 
life  once  more ;  but  though  she  survived  her  friend  for  twenty- 
seven  years,  she  was  never  quite  the  same  again.  Grief  and 
privation  wasted  her  strength,  and  she  gradually  lost  the  use  of 
her  limbs ;  but  from  the  bed  she  was  unable  to  leave,  she  con- 
tinued to  rule  with  stern  wisdom  the  many  religious  houses 
under  her  care,  spending  the  time  she  could  spare  from  prayer, 
in  spinning  material  for  garments  for  the  poor. 

It  is  related  that  one  day,  when  the  Madre  Serafica,  as  St. 
Clara  was  lovingly  called,  was  lying  on  her  couch,  her  nuns 
all  came  rushing  in,  crying  that  a  band  of  Saracens  was  at 
the  gates  of  the  convent,  and  would  soon  burst  in  upon 
them.  Nothing  daunted,  the  Abbess  bid  the  terrified  women 
have  no  fear,  and  to  their  intense  astonishment  she,  who  had 
not  walked  for  many  months,  rose  up,  went  to  the  chapel, 
took  from  it  the  sacred  pyx,  and,  followed  by  all  the  sisters, 
carried  it  with  her  own  hands  to  the  gates.  These  were 
opened  at  her  command,  and  as  the  rough  warriors  drew  back 
in  astonishment,  she  placed  the  holy  burden  upon  the  ground, 
fell  on  her  knees,  and  began  to  sing  the  words,  *  Thou  hast 
rebuked  the  heathen,  Thou  hast  destroyed  the  wicked,'  at  which 
the  Saracens  turned  and  fled,  jostling  each  other  in  their  haste 
to  get  away  from  what  they  looked  upon  as  a  most  potent 
curse. 

St.  Clara  died  peacefully  in  1253,  an^  was  at  first  buried  in 
the  chapel  of  her  own  convent,  but  her  remains  were  translated 
later  to  a  new  monastery  bearing  her  name,  where  they  still 
rest.  The  patron  saint  of  gilders,  goldsmiths,  embroiderers, 
and  washer-women,  possibly  because  there  were  many  of  these 
near  the  first  home  of  the  Poor  Clares  in  London,  St.  Clara 
is  also  supposed  to  be  the  special  protector  of  those  who  suffer 
with  their  eyes,  her  own  having  been  weakened  by  much 
weeping.  Strange  to  say,  in  spite  of  the  very  great  veneration 
in  which  she  has  ever  been  held,  not  only  in  her  native  land,  but 
throughout  Europe,  the  Order  of  the  Poor  Clares  having  spread 
even  to  England,  very  few  legends  have  gathered  about  the 

18— 2 


276  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

memory  of  St.  Clara,  and  the  only  miracle  said  to  have  been- 
performed  on  her  behalf  during  her  life-time  was  a  somewhat 
barren  one,  when  she  and  St.  Francis  were  together  lifted  from 
earth  in  an  ecstasy  of  religious  enthusiasm.     It  is  related  that 
St.  Clara  was  visited  in  her  seclusion  by  Pope  Innocent  IV.  and 
many^of  the  great  dignitaries  of  the  Church,  but  she  could  never 
be  quite  content,  because  St.  Francis,  whom  she  esteemed  and 
loved  above  all  others,  seemed  to  avoid  her  society.     In  the 
quaint  collection  of  stories  from  the  life  of  the  great  ascetic 
known  as   II  Fioretti,  or  the  Little  Flowers  of  St.  Francis, 
St.  Clara  is  represented  as  longing  greatly  to  be  allowed  to 
share  just  one  meal  with  her  hero,  and  some  of  his  companions^ 
touched  by  her  importunity,  are  said  to  have  urged  him  to  yield 
in  '  such  a  little  matter,'  declaring  that  his  stiffness  seemed  to 
them  not  in  accordance  with  Divine  charity.     Unable  to  resist 
this  plea,  the  ascetic  invited  St.  Clara  to  meet  him  in  the  Church 
of  S.  Maria  degli  Angeli,  whither  she  joyfully  repaired.    A  meal 
was  prepared  in  the  open  air  on  the  bare  ground  outside  the 
sacred  building,  and  as  the  two  pure  spirits  conversed  together 
of  divine  things,  they  were  both  suddenly  ravished  from  earth 
to  heaven,  the  glory  that  shone  about  them  illuminating  the 
whole  town  like  a  conflagration;  an  experience  which  is  not, 
strange  to  say,  commemorated  in  any  work  of  art  of  importance. 
It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Clara  as  a  careworn,  middle-aged 
woman,  with  few  traces  of  the  beauty  said  to  have  distinguished 
her,B  wearing  the  gray  tunic  and  black  hood,  which  form  the 
distinctive  dress  of  the  Poor  Clares,  with  the  knotted  rope  of  the 
Franciscan  Order.     Her  most  constant  emblem  is  a  pyx  held 
as  it  always  is,  in  both  hands,  in  memory  of  the  part  the 
sacred  Host  played  in  her  discomfiture  of  the  Saracens ;  but 
occasionally,  as  in  an  old  painting,  supposed  to  be  a  portrait, 
in   the  sacristy  of  her  church   at  Assisi,  she  holds   a   lomr- 
hilted  four-armed  cross,  with  what  resemble  two  small  holy- 
water  sprinklers  between  the  two  pairs  of  arms,  the  meaning 
of  which  has  not  yet  been  explained.      A  lily,  in   token   of 
her  purity,  is  also  often  given  to  St.  Clara,  as  in  the  beautiful 
wing  of  an  altar-piece  by  Luca  Signorelli,  now  in  the  Berlin 
Gallery    in  which  she  is   grouped  with   Saints  Jerome  and 
Mary  Magdalene,*  and  in  a  quaint  painting  by  an  unknowa 

*  For  reproduction  of  this  group,  see  vol.  ii.,  p.  150. 


ST.  CLARA  OF  ASSISI  277 

hand  in  the  Lyons  Gallery  she  is  offering  her  own  heart 
to  the  Blessed  Virgin.  In  many  altar-pieces  painted  for 
Franciscan  convents,  St.  Clara  stands  on  one  side  of  the 
Madonna  and  Child,  and  St.  Francis  on  the  other,  or,  as  in  the 
now  defaced  frescoes  of  her  church  at  Assisi,  St.  Margaret  or 
St.  Agnes  is  opposite  to  her;  whilst  in  a  well-known  painting 
ty  Moretto  St.  Catherine  of  Alexandria  is  her  companion.  The 
first  nun  of  the  Franciscan  Order  was  also  now  and  then  in- 
troduced in  English  churches,  notably  on  a  rood-screen  at  Trim- 
mingham,  Norfolk,  and  on  a  rood-loft  at  Collompton,  Devon. 

Zurbaran  has  painted  St.  Clara  taking  her  vows  at  the  feet 
of  St.  Francis,  Lucio  Massari  her  '  Defiance  of  the  Saracens,' 
and  Murillo  a  'Vision  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  Saints/  said  to 
have  been  vouchsafed  to  her  on  her  death-bed ;  but  the  most 
•celebrated  representations  of  the  foundress  of  the  Poor  Clares 
are  those  included  in  the  series  of  scenes  from  the  life  of 
St.  Francis  at  Assisi  and  Florence,  already  described. 

The  three  branches  of  the  newly-founded  Franciscan  Order 
spread  with  extraordinary  rapidity  in  Europe,  and  many  traces 
of  their  presence  still  remain  in  England,  where  at  one  time 
there  were  no  less  than  sixty-five  houses  belonging  to  them, 
of  which  Christ's  Hospital  was  one  of  the  most  important. 
The  name  of  Grey  Friars  preserves  the  memory  of  the  monks 
in  London,  whilst  that  of  the  Minories  is  really  a  corruption  of 
the  Minoresses,  as  the  Povere  Donne  were  sometimes  called. 
The  ruined  Abbey  of  St.  Francis  at  Ennis  in  Ireland,  and  the 
modern  church  dedicated  to  the  great  monk  at  Ashton  Gate, 
near  Bristol,  are  further  cases  in  point,  and  many  old  engravings 
-exist  in  the  public  libraries  of  Great  Britain  in  which  are 
representations  of  Franciscan  monasteries,  that  have  been 
destroyed  leaving  no  trace,  in  districts  that  were  once  dominated 
by  them. 

CHAPTER  XXI 

SAINTS  ANTONY   OF   PADUA   AND   BONAVENTURA 

AMONGST  the  many  followers  of  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  who  rose 
up  in  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  centuries,  none  was  more 
thoroughly  in  touch  with  his  spirit  than  was  St.  Antony  of 
Padua,  who  combined  with  a  deep  insight  into  spiritual  things, 


278  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

an  intellectual  acumen,  rare  indeed  amongst  those  who  despised 
all  learning  but  that  which  they  considered  necessary  to  salva- 
tion. In  any  rank  of  life  St.  Antony  would  undoubtedly  have 
won  distinction,  yet  it  was  his  own  free  choice  to  subordinate 
everything  to  winning  the  knowledge  which  is  promised  to 
those  who  do  the  will  of  God. 

The  original  name  of  St.  Antony  was  Fernand  Martins  de 
Bulhom,  and  although  his  memory  is  inseparably  connected 
with  Padua,  he  was  born  at  Lisbon  in  1195.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  descended  from  the  famous  Godfrey  de  Bouillon,  and 
whether  this  be  true  or  not,  there  was  certainly  much  in  his 
character  akin  to  that  of  the  man  who,  when  proclaimed  King 
of  Jerusalem,  refused  to  wear  a  crown  of  gold  where  his  Saviour 
had  worn  one  of  thorns.  The  son  of  noble  parents,  the  young 
Fernand  was  sent  as  a  day-scholar  to  the  cathedral  school  of 
his  native  city,  winning  great  esteem  from  his  masters  and 
fellow-students  by  his  facility  in  learning  foreign  languages,  a 
fact  that  led  his  father  to  wish  him  to  become  a  diplomatist. 
At  the  age  of  fifteen,  however,  the  boy  declared  his  intention  of 
becoming  a  monk,  and  he  was  allowed  to  withdraw  to  the 
Monastery  of  St.  Vincent,  to  which  only  those  of  high  rank 
were  admitted.  Finding  the  discipline  not  sufficiently  severe,, 
however,  Fernand  soon  decided  to  go  to  the  Convent  of  Santa 
Cruz  at  Coimbra,  where  it  is  said  the  first  tokens  of  the  special 
favour  in  which  he  was  held  in  heaven  were  vouchsafed  to  him.. 
One  day  when  he  was  engaged  in  some  lowly  task,  he  heard 
the  bell  ring  for  the  elevation  of  the  Host,  and  as  he  fell  on  his 
knees  he  saw  through  a  gap  in  the  wall,  which  closed  again 
immediately  afterwards,  the  priest  in  the  act  of  raising  the 
Holy  Sacrifice.  Another  day  Fernand  rescued  the  soul  of  a 
monk  who  was  sorely  persecuted  by  the  Evil  One,  by  merely 
throwing  his  cloak  over  the  distorted  form  of  the  sufferer, 
crying  upon  God  to  help  him,  at  which  the  devil  withdrew  dis- 
comfited. By  degrees,  in  spite  of  the  love  he  had  won  at  Santa 
Cruz,  Fernand  became  anxious  to  find  a  wider  scope  for  his 
energies,  and  some  Franciscan  friars  who  had  taken  up  their 
abode  near  his  convent  suggested  that  he  should  join  their 
Order,  He  was  still  hesitating  what  to  do,  when  the  news  reached 
Coimbra  of  the  martyrdom  of  five  Franciscan  monks  in  Morocco,, 
whose  mutilated  bodies  were  even  then  being  brought  to 
Portugal  by  a  troop  of  noble  knights  under  the  orders  of  the 


ST.  ANTONY  OF  PADUA  279 

exiled  Dom  Pedro.  According  to  tradition,  the  mule  bearing 
the  caskets  containing  the  sacred  relics  refused  to  go  to  the 
great  church  for  which  their  escort  was  bound,  but  made 
straight  for  the  gates  of  the  Convent  of  Santa  Cruz,  a  miracle 
which  greatly  impressed  all  who  witnessed  it,  and  may  possibly 
have  had  something  to  do  with  Fernand's  final  resolve  to  be- 
come a  Franciscan  monk.  He  is  reported  to  have  exclaimed  as 
he  watched  the  solemn  ceremonies  in  honour  of  the  martyrs, 
'  Oh,  if  only  the  Most  High  would  deign  to  accept  me  also  V 
and  as  soon  as  the  last  rites  were  performed,  he  went  to  his 
Franciscan  friends  and  told  them  he  would  join  them  if  they 
would  promise  to  send  him  to  win  the  martyr's  crown  in  Africa. 
The  condition  was  accepted,  and  Fernand  was  solemnly  re- 
ceived into  the  Mendicant  Order,  the  name  of  Antony  being 
given  to  him  in  memory  of  the  first  Abbot  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church. 

A  year  later  Fra  Antonio  and  one  companion  were  sent 
forth  on  a  mission  to  Morocco,  but  after  being  shipwrecked 
off  the  coast  of  Messina  and  struck  down  by  serious  illness 
when  about  to  make  another  attempt  to  reach  his  destination, 
the  would-be  martyr  was  compelled  to  recognise  that  it  was  not 
God's  will  that  he  should  go  to  Africa,  and  he  resolved  to  attend 
instead  the  chapter  of  his  Order  about  to  be  held  at  Assisi. 
This  was  the  real  turning-point  of  St.  Antony's  life,  for  whether 
it  be  true  or  not  that  he  was  brought  into  direct  personal  inter- 
course with  St.  Francis  himself,  he  certainly  attracted  the  notice 
of  the  influential  Father  Gratian,  who,  after  testing  his  powers 
by  giving  him  charge  of  a  little  community  at  Monte  Pulciano, 
summoned  him  to  attend  a  chapter  at  Forli,  at  which  he  was 
suddenly  called  upon  by  Father  Gratian  to  say  a  few  words 
before  the  gathering  dispersed.  Unable  to  disobey  a  direct 
order  such  as  this,  the  young  monk,  with  an  earnest  prayer  for 
help,  began  in  a  low,  hesitating  voice ;  but  suddenly  it  seemed  to 
him  as  if  the  Lord  Himself  took  full  possession  of  his  soul,  and 
from  His  servant's  unconscious  lips  poured  forth  an  appeal  so 
eloquent  that  all  who  heard  it  were  touched  to  the  very  heart. 

None,  not  even  St.  Antony  himself,  had  hitherto  suspected  the 
great  gift  bestowed  upon  him,  and  all  present  were  convinced 
that  in  the  person  of  the  hitherto  unknown  monk,  had  arisen 
one  full  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  power,  who  combined  in  an 
extraordinary  degree  the  simple  faith  which  could  remove  moun- 


280  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

tains,  with  the  intellectual  grasp  of  the  arguments  likely  to  win 
new  converts  to  the  Master's  cause.  St.  Francis  recognised  at 
once  how  great  would  be  the  value  of  such  a  coadjutor,  and 
appointed  St.  Antony  first  to  teach  divinity  in  various  towns  of 
Italy,  and  later  to  preach  the  Gospel  throughout  the  length  and 
breadth  of  the  land.  Henceforth  the  young  monk  had  no  further 
misgivings  :  he  had  found  his  true  work,  and  the  rest  of  his  life 
was  spent  in  constant  journeying  to  and  fro,  crowds  everywhere 
gathering  to  listen  to  his  marvellous  sermons,  which  appealed 
with  equal  force  to  hearers  of  every  rank.  Some  of  St. 
Antony's  biographers,  indeed,  claim  for  him  the  gift  of 
tongues,  for  even  in  Rome,  where  pretty  well  every  nationality 
was  represented  in  his  audience,  no  difficulty  in  understanding 
him  ever  arose.  The  courageous  impartiality  of  the  eloquent 
preacher  won  for  him  the  name  of  the  ( Friend  of  the  Poor '  ; 
his  vigorous  denunciations  of  doctrinal  error,  that  of  the 
*  Hammer  of  the  Heretics ' ;  and  his  fearless  defence  of  the 
rights  of  the  oppressed,  that  of  the  ( Thunder  of  God.'  So  great 
was  often  the  press  of  those  who  flocked  to  hear  him,  that 
he  would  preach  out  of  doors  from  a  tree  or  a  rock,  arid  it  became 
necessary  towards  the  end  of  his  ministry,  to  protect  him  from 
the  loving  violence  of  his  hearers,  eager  to  touch  his  robes,  or 
even  to  carry  off  small  portions  of  them  as  relics. 

As  a  matter  of  course,  many  miracles  are  said  to  have  marked 
the  career  of  the  '  Friend  of  the  Poor '  and  the  '  Thunder  of  God.' 
At  Rimini,  where  the  obstinate  heretics  refused  to  listen  to  him 
when  he  was  preaching  on  the  sea-shore,  the  fishes  of  the 
deep,  great  and  small,  came  crowding  up  the  harbour,  and 
he  addressed  his  sermon  to  them,  dismissing  them  with  his 
blessing  when  it  was  over.  In  the  same  city  he  put  to  shame 
an  unbeliever  named  Bonvillo,  who  declared  he  would  believe 
in  the  doctrine  of  Transubstantiation  if  a  starving  mule  should 
turn  away  from  food  offered  to  her,  to  do  homage  to  the  Host. 
St.  Antony  accepted  the  extraordinary  challenge;  the  hungry 
animal  was  led  into  the  public  square,  and  as  the  preacher, 
followed  by  a  long  train  of  monks  and  clergy,  marched  past, 
bearing  aloft  the  Monstrance,  Bonvillo  offered  her  some  oats, 
but  she,  refusing  them,  fell  on  her  knees  before  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  retaining  her  reverent  attitude  until  the  procession 
had  passed  out  of  sight. 

Angry  at  the  popularity  of  their  stern  critic,  the  heretics  of 


ST.  ANTONY  OF  PADUA  281 

Rimini  determined  to  poison  him,  and  invited  him  to  a  banquet ; 
but  St.  Antony,  knowing  their  evil  design,  after  asking  a  blessing 
on  the  food  before  him,  discomfited  his  hosts  by  saying,  c  And  if 
I  eat  of  this  unharmed  will  you  accept  my  doctrine  ?'  Amazed, 
they  answered  '  Yes/  and  no  evil  result  ensuing  when  the  friar 
had  eaten  the  poison,  they  kept  their  word,  becoming  his 
devoted  adherents. 

The  great  success  of  St.  Antony  in  Italy  led  to  his  being 
sent  to  preach  in  France,  where  equally  wonderful  results  were 
achieved,  and  many  miracles  are  said  to  have  been  wrought. 
One  day,  when  he  was  preaching  in  the  Cathedral  of  Mont- 
pellier,  he  suddenly  remembered  that  he  should  at  that  moment 
have  been  singing  in  the  monastic  choir.  He  paused  in  his 
sermon,  and,  though  he  remained  in  the  pulpit,  he  was  seen 
amongst  the  choristers,  and  his  voice  was  heard  to  ring  out 
with  theirs.  At  Puy  the  holy  friar  won  over  a  certain  notary 
who  was  leading  an  evil  life  by  treating  him  always  with 
great  respect,  bowing  low  to  him  whenever  he  met  him  in 
the  streets.  One  day  the  lawyer  angrily  asked  for  an  ex- 
planation, and  St.  Antony  replied,  that  it  had  been  revealed 
to  him  that  the  questioner  would  one  day  win  the  crown  of 
martyrdom,  he  had  himself  desired  in  vain.  The  prophecy 
was  fulfilled,  and  years  later  a  message  was  brought  to  the 
preacher  that  the  notary  had  sealed  his  faith  with  his  blood 
in  Africa. 

In  1226  St.  Antony  attended  a  chapter  of  his  Order  at  Aries, 
and  as  he  was  preaching  to  a  large  congregation  of  monks  on 
the  subject  of  the  Passion  of  the  Lord  he  suddenly  paused  and 
pointed  to  the  great  western  door  of  the  cathedral,  where,  to 
the  astonishment  of  the  few  to  whom  the  vision  was  revealed, 
stood  the  radiant  form  of  St.  Francis,  his  arms  outstretched  as 
if  upon  a  cross,  the  marks  of  the  nails  in  his  hands  distinctly 
visible.  Not  long  after  this  came  the  news  of  the  death  of 
the  great  founder  of  the  Franciscan  Order,  and  St.  Antony 
knew  that  the  strange  visit  from  him  had  been  to  bid  his 
beloved  follower  farewell. 

From  France  St.  Antony  went  to  Sicily,  and  whilst  at 
Messina  he  wrought  the  miracle  of  the  cup,  so  variously  told. 
A  lady,  anxious  to  do  the  great  preacher  honour,  invited  him 
to  dinner,  and  borrowed  a  very  valuable  cup  for  him  to  drink 
out  of.  The  cup  was  broken,  but  St.  Antony  restored  it  to  its 


282  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

owner  whole,  having  prayed  earnestly  to  God  to  remedy  the 
mischief;  or,  according  to  another  account,  in  which  the  scene 
is  laid  at  Padua,  the  cup  was  dropped  intentionally  from  a 
balcony  into  the  street,  a  heretic  having  promised  St.  Antony 
that  if  it  remained  uninjured  he  would  renounce  his  errors, 
a  pledge  he  duly  kept  after  the  miracle. 

St.  Antony  returned  to  Italy  in  1227  to  be  present  at  the  first 
chapter  of  the  Order  held  at  Assisi  after  the  death  of  St.  Francis, 
at  which  he  was  made  Provincial  of  Romagna.  On  his  way 
to  the  mountain  city  many  miracles  are  supposed  to  have 
been  performed  by  him,  including  the  restoration  to  life  of 
a  labourer,  who  having  pretended  to  be  dead,  that  he  and  his 
comrade  might  shirk  some  work  the  preacher  had  asked  them 
to  do,  was  found  to  have  really  died  as  a  punishment  for  the 
needless  lie. 

St.  Antony  decided  to  make  Padua  the  headquarters  of  his 
new  campaign  in  Italy,  and  he  at  first  lived  in  the  house  of 
a  certain  Count  Tiso,  where,  according  to  some  authorities, 
took  place  the  wonderful  interview  with  the  Infant  Saviour, 
which  has  been  the  subject  of  so  much  comment  and  of 
so  many  beautiful  representations  in  art.  The  host  of  the 
privileged  friar  claims  to  have  himself  witnessed  the  miracle, 
declaring  that  late  one  night  as  he  was  passing  the  room  of  his 
guest,  he  saw  a  brilliant  light  issuing  from  beneath  the  door, 
and,  unable  to  resist  his  curiosity,  peeped  through  the  key- 
hole. The  Saint  was  kneeling  at  a  table,  and  on  the  book  he 
had  been  reading  stood  an  exquisitely  lovely  Boy,  His  arms 
round  the  neck  of  the  monk,  His  cheek  pressed  against  the 
emaciated  face.  Count  Tiso  also  added  the  realistic  detail 
that,  as  he  gazed  in  awestruck  wonder  at  the  strange  sight,  the 
Divine  Child  pointed  to  the  door,  as  if  to  warn  St.  Antony  that 
he  was  being  watched. 

Another  touching  legend  relates  how  the  sins  of  a  man,  who 
came  to  St.  Antony  to  confess,  were  literally  wiped  out.  The 
penitent  could  not  speak  for  weeping,  so  the  friar  told  him  to 
write  down  what  he  was  unable  to  say.  The  culprit  obeyed, 
but  when  he  handed  the  paper  to  the  confessor  the  writing  had 
faded  away. 

More  remarkable  still  was  the  so-called  miracle  of  the  leg, 
when  St.  Antony  so  worked  on  the  feelings  of  a  young  man 
who  had  kicked  his  mother  that  the  undutiful  son  cut  the 


^   ^ 


Q    2 


ST.  ANTONY  OF  PADUA  283 

offending  limb  off.  The  mother  rushed  to  the  friar,  crying  that 
her  boy  was  bleeding  to  death ;  he  must  come  at  once  to  undo 
the  mischief  he  had  caused.  St.  Antony  hastened  to  the  rescue, 
and  with  a  word  restored  the  foot  to  its  place,  making  over  the 
wound  the  sign  of  the  cross. 

Equally  successful  was  the  celebrated  preacher  in  dealing 
with  the  tyrant  Ezzelino  da  Romano,  who  attacked  the  city 
of  Padua  during  St.  Antony's  residence  there.  The  monk,  at 
the  head  of  a  few  of  the  brethren  of  his  Order,  went  out  to  meet 
the  invader,  and  so  worked  upon  his  feelings  that,  falling  on 
his  knees  before  the  humble  friar,  Ezzelino  besought  forgive- 
ness for  the  past,  promising  amendment  for  the  future. 

Soon  after  this  rescue  of  Padua,  St.  Antony  is  said  to  have 
paid  a  mysterious  visit  to  Lisbon  to  save  his  father  from  punish- 
ment for  a  crime  he  had  not  committed.  A  man  had  been 
murdered,  and  some  enemies  of  Don  Martino  had  accused  him 
of  being  the  culprit.  The  trial  was  proceeding,  when  suddenly 
a  new  witness  claimed  to  be  heard,  who,  when  asked  who  he 
was,  pushed  back  his,  cowl,  revealing  the  well-known  face  of 
St.  Antony.  Asked  why  he  had  come,  he  took  no  notice,  but 
bid  the  judge  follow  him  to  the  grave  of  the  victim,  which  he 
caused  to  be  opened.  Then  in  a  loud  voice  he  ordered  its  tenant 
arise,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  all  present,  the  dead  man 
sat  up  and  gazed  about  him.  e  Did  Don  Martino  slay  thee  ?' 
asked  St.  Antony.  '  No,'  was  the  clear  reply,  and  this  one 
word  uttered,  the  body  fell  back  lifeless.  The  judge  would 
fain  have  learnt  from  St.  Antony  who  was  the  guilty  man, 
but  he  received  the  stern  reply,  *  I  have  come  to  save  the 
innocent,  but  I  accuse  none,'  and  with  these  words  the  visitor 
disappeared  as  suddenly  as  he  had  arrived. 

Yet  more  remarkable  was  the  extraordinary  miracle  said  to 
have  been  performed  by  Father  Antony  at  Florence,  when  on 
the  death  of  a  wealthy  miser  he  was  asked  to  preach  the  funeral 
sermon.  He  consented,  and  having  taken  for  his  text  the 
words,  '  Where  your  treasure  is,  there  will  your  heart  be  also/ 
he  gave  utterance  to  the  remarkable  words  :  '  The  departed 
having  preferred  his  money  to  God,  his  heart  will  be  found,  not 
in  his  body,  but  in  his  cash-box.  Go  to  his  house/  he  added, 
6  and  see  if  my  words  be  not  true/  The  strange  assertion  is 
said  to  have  been  verified  at  once ;  the  heart  was  not  in  its 
place,  but  lying  amongst  the  beloved  treasures  of  the  miser, 


284  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

and  the  gruesome  legend  concludes  with  a  description  of  the 
anger  of  the  people,  who  dragged  the  heartless  body  outside  the 
gates  of  the  city  and  burnt  it  to  ashes. 

On  another  occasion  St.  Antony  interfered  on  behalf  of  a 
woman  so  cruelly  beaten  by  her  husband  that  she  was  taken 
up  for  dead,  restoring  her  to  life  and  converting  the  offender. 
He  proved  the  innocence  of  a  wife  falsely  accused  of  unfaithful- 
ness, making  her  two-months-old  infant  declare  who  his  father 
was,  and  he  terrified  a  band  of  robbers,  who  saw  flames  issuing 
from  his  mouth  when  he  was  preaching,  and  rushed  to  him  to 
confess  their  crimes.  In  a  word,  he  carried  all  before  him 
wherever  he  went.  At  Rome,  whither  he  was  sent  in  1230, 
after  attending  an  important  chapter  at  Assisi  to  submit  certain 
questions  to  the  Pope,  he  so  astonished  him  with  his  eloquence 
that  His  Holiness  exclaimed,  *  Truly  this  man  is  the  ark  of 
both  Testaments/  and  was  ready  to  grant  him  anything  he 
chose  to  ask. 

St.  Antony's  constant  journeys,  his  excessive  fasting,  his  relent- 
less self-discipline,  and  the  great  strain  his  preaching  put  upon 
him,  were,  however,  unfortunately  already  sapping  the  strength  of 
the  devoted  monk,  and  on  his  return  to  Padua  his  friends  were 
shocked  and  alarmed  at  his  suffering  appearance.  Count  Tiso 
begged  him  to  take  refuge  in  his  old  quarters  in  his  house,  but 
St.  Antony  replied  that  he  knew  his  end  was  near,  and  he 
wished  to  spend  his  last  days  in  lonely  communing  with  God. 
For  this  purpose  he  had  a  little  hut  built  in  a  walnut-tree,  near 
Campo  Sampiero,  not  far  from  Padua,  where  dwelt  a  few 
brethren  of  his  Order,  and  but  for  a  painful  and  fruitless 
journey  to  Verona  to  try  to  touch  anew  the  heart  of  his  old 
acquaintance,  Ezzelino,  the  rest  of  his  life  was  spent  in  this 
strange  refuge.  Now  and  then  when  numbers'  collected  about 
his  tree,  St,  Antony  would  rouse  himself  to  say  a  few  words  to 
them,  and  when  he  felt  death  approaching  he  resolved,  with  his 
usual  unselfishness,  to  get  his  monks  to  take  him  to  Padua,  that 
the  city  of  his  adoption  might  not  be  defrauded  of  his  relics. 
On  his  way  thither,  however,  he  became  so  rapidly  weaker 
that  he  was  obliged  to  halt  at  the  Franciscan  convent  of 
Arcella,  and  there  he  peacefully  breathed  his  last  with  the 
beautiful  words  'I  see  my  God'  upon  his  lips.  It  is  related 
that  just  before  the  end  St.  Antony  appeared  to  Fra  Tomasso, 
Abbot  of  S.  Andrea  at  Vercelli,  and  said  to  him  in  a  clear  voice, 


THK    VISION    OF    .ST.    ANTONY    OF    PADUA 
Bv  .\  fur  Ufa 


To  face  p.  284 


ST.  ANTONY  OF  PADUA  285 

*  See,  Father,  I  have  left  my  little  ass  near  Padua,  and  am 
going  in  haste  to  my  own  country.'     The  Abbot  looked  up? 
and  as  his  visitor  passed  a  gentle  hand  over  his  throat  he  knew 
that  a  painful  disease  in  it  was  gone,  but  the  words  of  grati- 
tude were  arrested  on  his  lips,  for  he  found   himself  alone. 
Hastening  to  Padua,  he  heard  the  voices  of  the  children  in 
the  streets  crying,  '  II  Santo  e  morte!'  and  he  knew  that  by 
the  '  little  ass  left  near  Padua '  St.  Antony  had  meant  his  own 
body. 

In  spite  of  the  rigorous  resistance  of  the  people  of  Arcella, 
who  of  course  wished  St.  Antony  to  be  buried  there,  the  body 
was  brought  into  Padua,  the  whole  city  going  forth  to  meet 
it,  and  interred  in  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  where  it  remained 
until  1236,  when  it  was  translated  with  great  pomp  to  the 
beautiful  basilica  erected  to  receive  it.  It  is  related  that, 
when  the  coffin  was  opened  on  that  solemn  occasion,  the 
tongue  was  found  to  be  undecayed,  and  it  was  on  that  account 
separately  enshrined  in  a  reliquary,  still  in  the  sanctuary  of 
S.  Antonio. 

St.  Antony  of  Padua  is  supposed  to  be  the  special  protector 
of  beasts  of  burden,  in  allusion  to  the  miracle  of  the  mule  and 
the  reference  to  his  own  body  as  'a  little  ass,'  and  he  is  appealed 
to  by  his  votaries  to  recover  anything  they  have  lost,  probably 
because  of  the  great  influence  he  exercised  over  robbers  during 
his  lifetime.  His  special  attributes  in  art  are  a  lily,  on  account 
of  his  chastity ;  an  image  of  the  Holy  Child  upon  an  open 
book,  a  mule  or  donkey  kneeling  at  his  feet,  both  in  allusion 
to  miracles  already  related ;  flames  held  in  one  hand,  in  memory 
of  his  eloquence ;  a  reliquary,  possibly  because  he  assisted  at 
the  reception  of  the  remains  of  the  martyrs  of  Morocco;  a 
heart,  recalling  the  condemnation  of  the  miser ;  a  frog,  be- 
cause he  is  said  to  have  ordered  the  frogs  to  be  silent  when 
he  was  preaching;  a  cross,  which  sometimes  ends  in  lilies, 
testifying  alike  to  his  devotion  to  Christ  and  to  his  purity; 
masses  of  cloud  above  his  head,  in  memory  of  a  tradition 
that  when  he  was  preaching  in  the  open  air  and  a  shower  of 
rain  came  on,  he  and  his  congregation  remained  dry;  a  fish, 
commemorating  his  famous  sermon  at  Rimini;  and  a  scroll, 
bearing  the  words  '  Si  quseris  miraculae,'  from  the  famous 

*  Responsary  of  St.  Antony/  written  by  his  friend  and  admirer, 
St.   Bonaventura,  in  which   are  graphically   summed   up   all 


286  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

the  miracles  with  which   the   patron    Saint    of   Padua   was 
credited.* 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Antony — who  is  often  grouped 
with  his  fellow-Franciscan  Saints,  Bonaventura,  Bernardino  of 
Siena,  and  Louis  of  Toulouse — as  a  young  man  with  a  thoughful, 
intellectual  face.  At  P6rouse  is  an  interesting  painting  by  an 
unknown  contemporary  of  the  Saint,  which  is  by  some  thought 
to  be  a  portrait,  in  which  St.  Antony  holds  a  book  open  at  the 
words,  '  Invocavi  et  venit  in  me  spiritus  sapientiae  et  intel- 
lectus'  (I  called  upon  God,  and  He  gave  me  the  spirit  of 
wisdom  and  knowledge),  from  the  old  Franciscan  Breviary  in 
the  collection  of  the  Marquis  Visconti-Venosta,  and  at  Milan  is 
another  fine  interpretation  of  the  character  of  the  great  preacher 
by  Giovanni  Battista  Ortolano.  St.  Antony  is  introduced  in  the 
beautiful  '  Madonna  arid  Saints '  of  Alvise  Vivarini  in  the  Venice 
Academy;  and  in  the  same  collection  is  a  quaint  painting  by 
Lazzaro  Sebastiani,  of  the  holy  monk  in  his  tree  at  Campo 
Sampiero,  with  two  of  his  brethren  seated  beneath  as  if  on  guard, 
one  reading,  the  other  apparently  listening  to  what  II  Santo  is 
saying.  In  the  Layard  Gallery,  Venice,  is  a  '  Madonna  and 
Child'  by  Moretto,  with  St.  Antony  and  St.  Nicolas  of  Tolentino 
in  attendance  on  the  Blessed  Virgin  ;  in  an  '  Apotheosis  of  the 
Madonna '  by  Benvenuto  Tiso,  Saints  Antony  and  Francis  are 
in  eager  conversation;  in  the  charming  landscape  below,  the 
second  of  the  two  celebrated  wings  of  an  altar-piece  by  Luca 
Signorelli,  in  the  Berlin  Gallery,  one  of  which  has  already  been 
several  times  referred  to,  St.  Antony  kneels  at  the  feet  of  Saints 
Augustine  and  Catherine;  and  in  the  fine  '  Madonna  and  Saints ' 

*  The  following  translation    of  this   quaint  old   hymn   is  taken  from 
*  St.  Antony  of  Padua/  by  the  present  writer  (Sands) : 

*  If  for  miracles  ye  ask, 

See  how  death  and  error  flee, 
Devils  fail  their  noisome  task, 

Powerless  all  calamity. 
The  sick  are  raised  to  health  ;  in  vain 

Waters  rage  and  fetters  bind  ; 
Vanished  limbs  and  goods  again 

Old  and  young  do  seek  and  find. 
Perils  no  longer  work  their  harm, 

Poverty  doth  pass  away. 
Let  them  tell  who  feel  the  charm — 

Let  the  men  of  Padua  say.J 


ST.  ANTONY  OF  PADUA  287 

by  Melanzio  in  S.  Illuminata  at  Montefalco  St.  Antony  stands 
opposite  to  St.  Louis  of  Toulouse,  whilst  St.  Francis  and 
St.  Jerome  kneel  at  the  foot  of  the  throne. 

In  the  Capella  di  S.  Antonio  in  the  famous  Church  of 
S.  Francesco  at  Assisi  is  an  extremely  interesting,  but  much- 
restored  thirteenth-century  window,  retaining  several  scenes 
from  the  life  of  St.  Antony,  including  the  vision  of  St.  Francis 
at  Aries,  the  interview  with  Ezzelino  da  Romano,  and  the 
sermon  to  the  fishes.  One  of  the  most  beautiful  frescoes  by 
Giotto  in  S.  Croce,  Florence,  is  that  in  which  St.  Antony  is 
represented  pausing  in  his  address  to  the  monks  to  gaze  at  St. 
Francis,  who  has  suddenly  appeared  among  the  audience.  In 
the  Museum  of  Christian  Antiquities  in  the  Vatican  is  pre- 
served a  very  beautiful  painting  on  panel  by  Pietro  Lorenzetti, 
of  St.  Antony  receiving  the  Franciscan  habit.  In  S.  Francesco, 
Montefalco,  are  frescoes  by  Lorenzo  di  Viterbo  of  the  miracle 
of  the  leg  and  the  exorcism  of  an  evil  spirit ;  in  the  Florence 
Academy  is  a  dramatic  rendering  of  the  miracle  of  the  heart,  by 
Francesco  Pesellino  ;  whilst  in  S.  Francesco,  Matelica,  are  fine 
representations  of  the  miracle  of  the  leg  and  of  the  sermon  to 
the  fishes,  both  by  Eusebio  di  S.  Giorgio.  The  latter  subject 
has  also  been  treated  by  Paolo  Veronese  in  a  dramatic  com- 
position now  in  the  Borghese  Gallery ;  and  in  the  Oratory  of 
S.  Antonio  at  Campo  Sampiero  is  a  very  beautiful  fresco  by 
Bonifazio  II.  of  Verona,  in  which  St.  Antony  is  seen  preaching 
from  a  tree  to  a  large  audience,  who  listen  in  rapt  attention, 
whilst  above  his  head  St.  Francis  appears  to  be  calling  the 
attention  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Holy  Child  to  what  is 
going  on  below. 

The  most  complete  series  of  representations  of  St.  Antony, 
and  of  episodes  from  his  life  and  legend,  are,  however,  those  in 
the  great  basilica  at  Padua  which  was  designed  by  Niccola 
Pisano  soon  after  the  death  of  the  Saint,  but  not  begun  until 
1256.  A  fine  statue  of  St.  Antony  stands  above  the  chief 
entrance  of  the  west  front ;  in  the  presbytery  is  preserved  one 
of  the  very  earliest  extant  portraits,  said  to  have  been  copied 
from  one,  now  lost,  taken  in  his  lifetime  ;  and  in  the  ambulatory 
between  the  sacristy  and  the  main  building  is  a  much-restored 
fresco  of  the  Madonna  and  Child  with  Saints  Antony  and 
Francis,  in  which  the  artist  has  made  the  strange  mistake  of 
giving  the  stigmata  to  the  wrong  monk.  In  the  principal 


288  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

chapel  of  the  right  aisle  rises  the  grand  altar,  with  statues  and 
bas-reliefs  by  Donatello,  which,  though  unfortunately  dispersed, 
not  long  after  their  completion,  were  collected  and  replaced  as 
far  as  possible  in  their  original  positions  by  Signor  Camilla 
Boito  in  1895.  The  statues  include  fine  interpretations  of  the 
characters  of  Saints  Francis  and  Antony,  whilst  the  bas-reliefs 
realize  with  much  dramatic  force  the  miracles  of  the  mule 
kneeling  to  the  Host,  the  finding  of  the  miser's  heart,  the 
healing  of  the  young  man's  leg,  and  the  testimony  of  the 
infant  in  arms  to  his  mother's  innocence.  The  walls  of  the 
Cappella  del  Santo,  dating  from  a  century  later  than  the  altar 
of  Donatello,  are  enriched  with  bas-reliefs  by  the  great  masters 
of  sculpture,  Antonio  Minelli,  Giovanni  da  Padua,  Jacopo 
Sansovino,  II  Dentone,  and  Antonio  Lombardo,  whilst  in  the 
scuola,  or  chapter-house,  adjoining  the  basilica,  are  seventeen 
frescoes  by  Montagna,  Titian,  Campagnola,  and  others  less 
celebrated,  which  include,  in  addition  to  the  usual  miracles,  a 
fine  *  death  of  St.  Antony,'  '  translation  of  his  relics,'  and  '  the 
apparition  to  Luca  Belludi,'  a  friend  who  had  been  the  friar's 
constant  companion  during  his  lifetime,  to  whom  he  is  said  to 
have  appeared  some  years  after  death  to  assure  him  that  Padua, 
then  besieged  by  Ezzelino  da  Romano,  would  be  saved. 

The  bas-reliefs  on  the  pulpit  at  S.  Croce,  referred  to  in 
connection  with  St.  Francis,  give  the  'massacre  of  the  five 
Franciscan  monks  in  Morocco/  and  the  '  entry  of  St.  Antony 
into  their  Order,'  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  result 
of  the  arrival  of  their  relics  at  Coimbra;  in  the  Casanatese 
Library  at  Rome  is  preserved  a  quaint  engraving  illustrating 
in  a  very  remarkable  manner  the  whole  *  Responsary  of  miracles y 
quoted  above,  St.  Antony  in  his  tree  in  the  centre,  framed  in 
thirteen  scenes  from  his  life;  and  in  the  Biblioth&que  Nationale 
at  Paris  is  an  engraving  by  Antonio  Tempesta  giving  twenty 
scenes  from  the  same  popular  legend,  including  the  rescue  of 
St.  Antony  from  the  devil  by  the  Blessed  Virgin,  an  incident 
of  comparatively  rare  occurrence. 

Strange  to  say,  the  vision  of  the  Holy  Child  is  seldom  in- 
cluded in  the  series  of  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Antony,  but 
to  make  up  for  this  it  has  been  made  the  subject  of  master- 
pieces by  Van  Dyck,  Ribera,  and  Murillo,  who,  though  they 
have  all  to  a  certain  extent  subordinated  the  divine  to  the 
human,  have  yet  treated  the  inspiring  theme  with  deep  poetic 


Alinari photo\  \Acadcmy ^  Florence 

ST.    LOUIS    OF    TOULOUSE    AND    OTHER    SAINTS    WITH    THE    MADONNA    OF 

S.    BONAVKNTURA    AL    BOSCO 

liy  J^m  Angelica 

To  face  p.  288 


ST.  BONAVENTURA  289 

and  religious  feeling.  In  a  painting  in  the  Brera  Gallery, 
Milan,  Van  Dyck  has  represented  the  Infant  Saviour  bending 
down  from  His  mother's  knee  to  caress  the  kneeling  Saint ; 
and  in  one  in  the  Brussels  Gallery  St.  Antony  holds  his 
heavenly  Visitor  in  his  arms.  In  a  painting  in  the  Prado, 
Madrid,  Ribera  has  chosen  the  moment  when  Jesus  turns  away 
from  His  adorer,  who  clings  to  Him  with  one  hand,  whilst 
with  the  other  he  points  to  the  ground,  as  if  to  express  his 
sorrow  that  he  is  compelled  to  remain  on  earth.  Murillo  also 
painted  the  subject  several  times,  two  renderings,  one  in  the 
Seville  Gallery,  the  other  in  the  cathedral  of  the  same  city, 
being  considered  the  most  beautiful.  In  the  former  St.  Antony 
embraces  the  lovely  Boy,  who  stands  upon  an  open  book ;  in 
the  latter  the  friar  kneels  in  his  cell,  stretching  up  his  arms 
towards  a  vision  above  his  head,  the  Infant  Saviour,  who  is 
surrounded  by  angels,  blessing  him  with  one  hand,  and  beckon- 
ing him  with  the  other. 

Another  very  celebrated  contemporary  and  follower  of  St. 
Francis  was  the  so-called  St.  Bonaventura,  whose  original 
name  was  Giovanni  da  Fidenza,  but  who  received  that  by  which 
he  is  generally  known  in  memory  of  his  having  recovered  from 
a  serious  illness  when  a  child  through  the  prayers  of  St.  Francis, 
to  whom  his  mother  appealed  for  aid.  In  gratitude  for  this 
deliverance  the  child  was  dedicated  to  the  service  of  God,  and 
in  1243,  when  he  was  twenty-two,  he  entered  the  Franciscan 
Order.  He  very  soon  became  celebrated  for  his  combined 
eloquence  and  austerity.  He  was  the  trusted  friend  of  Pope 
Clement  IX.  and  his  successor,  Gregory  X.,  as  well  as  of 
St.  Louis  of  France,  whose  story  is  related  below,  and  was 
made  General  of  his  Order  in  1256,  doing  much  to  restore 
peace  between  the  two  parties  into  which  the  Franciscans  had 
then  become  divided,  some  striving  for  the  maintenance  of  the 
original  rule,  others  for  its  relaxation.  Pope  Clement  IV. 
would  fain  have  made  St.  Bonaventura  Archbishop  of  York, 
but  he  preferred  to  remain  in  his  native  land,  and  it  was  only 
with  great  reluctance  that  he  accepted  the  dignity  of  Cardinal 
and  Bishop  of  Albano  in  1273. 

It  is  related  that  when  the  Papal  Nuncios  brought  St.  Bona- 
ventura the  Cardinal's  hat  and  episcopalian  insignia  they  found 
him  in  the  garden  of  a  convent  near  Florence  washing  up 
the  plates  and  dishes  he  had  just  used  for  his  dinner.  He 

VOL.  in.  19 


2go  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

received  his  visitors  courteously,  and  asked  them  just  to  hang 
up  the  hat  on  a  tree  till  he  had  dried  his  hands.  Soon 
after  this  characteristic  incident  the  new  dignitary  of  the 
Church  was  summoned  to  attend  the  great  Council  of  Lyons 
and  to  give  the  opening  address.  He  did  so,  astonishing  all 
who  heard  him  by  the  force  of  his  arguments  and  the  great 
learning  they  betrayed;  but  the  effort  was  too  great  for  his 
strength,  exhausted  as  it  was  by  his  self-inflicted  privations. 
He  was  taken  ill  before  the  Council  was  over,  and  died  at  Lyons 
at  the  early  age  of  fifty-three.  He  was  buried  in  the  chapel  of 
the  Franciscan  convent  in  the  town  in  which  he  breathed  his 
last,  but  his  tomb  was  rifled  by  the  Huguenots  and  his  remains 
were  thrown  into  the  Saone  during  the  civil  war  of  the  six- 
teenth century.  St.  Bonaventura  was  canonized  in  1482,  and 
in  1587  he  was  accorded  the  rank  of  one  of  the  Fathers  of  the 
Church.  He  is  lovingly  called  by  his  admirers  the  Seraphic 
Doctor,  on  account  of  the  heavenly  fervour  of  his  style,  and  is 
accounted,  even  by  those  who  differ  from  his  views,  one  of  the 
greatest  theologians  of  the  Roman  Catholic  Church. 

The  special  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Bonaventura — who  is  the 
patron  of  Lyons  and  of  the  porters  of  Liege,  why  it  is  difficult 
to  say — are  a  Cardinal's  hat,  generally  hung  upon  a  tree  beside 
him ;  a  pyx  or  monstrance,  either  held  In  his  hands  or  being 
offered  to  him  by  an  angel,  the  latter  in  memory  of  a  tradition 
to  the  effect  that  before  he  was  ordained  priest  his  humility 
was  so  great  that  he  dared  not  approach  the  altar  to  receive 
the  Blessed  Sacrament,  which  was,  however,  brought  to  him 
by  an  angel.  According  to  some  authorities,  the  pyx  is  held  by 
St.  Bonaventura  because,  when  he  was  dying  and  constant 
sickness  prevented  him  from  being  able  to  receive  the  Holy 
Communion,  he  asked  to  have  the  Host  placed  upon  his  breast. 
He  was  obeyed,  and,  to  the  astonishment  of  the  watchers,  a 
miraculous  opening  appeared  through  which  the  sacred  food 
was  absorbed,  closing  again  immediately  afterwards. 

As  a  general  rule,  St.  Bonaventura  wears  the  simple  robes  of 
a  Franciscan  monk,  but  occasionally  the  Bishop's  cope  and 
crosier  are  given  to  him,  or  he  is  in  the  ornate  costume  of  a 
Cardinal^  Now^and  then  the  crucifix  replaces  the  pyx,  in 
memory,  it  is  claimed,  of  the  Seraphic  Doctor  having  pointed 
to  the  cross  with  the  words,  *  There  are  all  my  books/  when 
St.  Thomas  Aquinas  asked  him  whence  came  all  his  learning. 


ST.  BONAVENTURA  291 

In  a  painting  by  an  unknown  Spanish  master  in  the  Louvre 
St.  Bonaventura  is  represented  seated,  with  an  open  book  in 
his  hand,  in  which  he  is  about  to  write,  his  face,  in  spite  of 
its  look  of  earnest  thought,  that  of  a  dead  man,  for  it  is  asserted 
that  some  time  after  his  death,  he  returned  to  earth  for  three 
days  to  finish  his  life  of  St.  Francis. 

St.  Bonaventura  is  sometimes  associated  with  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas,  whose  life  is  related  below,  the  two  great  theologians 
having  been  fellow-students  in  Paris,  or,  as  in  a  celebrated 
painting  by  Moretto  in  the  Louvre,  with  St.  Antony  of  Padua, 
whose  devoted  admirer  he  was.  His  '  Reception  of  the  Blessed 
Sacrament '  from  the  hands  of  an  angel  was  painted  by  Van  Dyck 
for  the  Franciscan  convent  at  Antwerp.  He  appears  in  certain 
of  the  series  of  scenes  from  the  life  and  legend  of  St.  Antony  of 
Padua,  notably  in  the  translation  of  the  relics,  holding  the 
tongue  of  his  lost  friend  in  his  hand,  and  he  figures  in  many 
celebrated  devotional  pictures,  including  a  '  Coronation  of  the 
Virgin'  by  Crevelli  in  the  Brera  Gallery,  Milan,  and  in  one 
by  Pinturicchio  in  the  Vatican  Gallery ;  and  he  is  represented 
as  present  with  Saints  Jerome,  Catherine,  Louis  of  France, 
and  others,  in  Francesco  Beccaiuzsi's  *  St.  Francis  receiving 
the  Stigmata,'  in  the  Venice  Academy. 

Truly  worthy  to  be  ranked  with  Saints  Antony  of  Padua  and 
St.  Bonaventura,  on  account  of  the  great  austerity  and  earnest 
sincerity  of  his  life,  St.  Louis,  King  of  France,  was  the  son  of 
Louis  VIII.,  who  died  in  1226,  when  the  future  Saint,  who 
was  born  at  Poissy  in  1215,  was  only  eleven  years  old.  The 
widowed  Queen  Blanche  of  Castille  was  appointed  regent 
during  the  minority  of  the  boy- King,  and  she  brought  him 
up  to  consider  the  service  of  God  his  first  duty,  to  which 
everything,  even  the  interests  of  his  country,  must  be  sub- 
ordinated. Louis  proved  an  apt  pupil,  and  as  time  went  on 
his  generous  unselfishness,  eager  chivalry,  and  political  wisdom, 
won  for  him  the  love  of  his  people  and  the  respect  of  his 
enemies.  Even,  however,  whilst  he  was  carrying  on  the  contest 
with  ^Henry  III.  with  such  good  results  for  France,  and  was 
fulfilling  admirably  all  the  responsibilities  of  a  husband  and 
father,  he  was  longing  to  be  free  to  join  the  Crusade  in  the 
Holy  Land,  which  was  then  absorbing  so  much  of  the  chivalry 
of  Europe.  He  granted  many  men  and  much  money  to  the 
Emperor  Baldwin  II.,  to  aid  him  in  Palestine,  and  was 

19 — 2 


292  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

rewarded  by  him  with  what  he  looked  upon  as  the  priceless 
treasures  of  the  Saviour's  crown  of  thorns  and  a  small  portion 
of  the  true  cross.  The  King,  walking  barefoot  and  followed 
by  his  whole  Court,  went  forth  in  person  to  meet  the  precious 
relics,  bringing  them  in  triumph  into  Paris,  and  causing  to  be 
built  for  their  reception  the  famous  Sainte  Chapelle,  still  one 
of  the  finest  examples  of  Gothic  art  in  France,  though  the 
sacred  treasures  it  once  enshrined  are  now  in  the  Cathedral  of 
Notre  Dame. 

In  1247  a  dangerous  illness  gave  the  young  King  the  excuse  he 
longed  for  to  go  himself  to  the  scene  of  his  Master's  Passion.  He 
vowed  that  if  he  recovered  he  would  lead  an  army  to  the  Holy 
Land,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  able  to  leave  his  bed,  he  set  out  at 
the  head  of  40,000  men,  in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  his 
ministers  and  clergy ;  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  it  is  said,  shed- 
ding tears  when  he  was  reluctantly  compelled  to  give  the  royal 
enthusiast  the  cross  of  the  Crusader.  After  an  absence  of  two 
years,  much  of  which  was  spent  in  a  Mohammedan  prison,  the 
loss  of  more  than  half  his  army,  and  the  payment  of  a  large 
ransom,  St.  Louis  was  compelled  to  return  to  France  owing 
to  the  death  of  his  mother.  For  the  next  eighteen  years  he 
worked  loyally  for  the  good  of  his  subjects,  founding  the  famous 
college  of  the  Sorbonne  in  Paris,  issuing  a  new  and  admirable 
code  of  laws  still  bearing  his  name,  and  greatly  strengthening 
the  Legitimist  loyalty  to  the  throne.  In  1270,  however,  the 
crusading  fever  again  seized  him,  and  he  set  forth  on  a  new 
expedition ;  but  he  got  no  further  than  Tunis,  where  he,  with 
the  flower  of  his  followers,  fell  victims  to  a  pestilence.  He 
died,  it  is  said,  on  the  bare  ground,  and  his  last  words  were : 
'  Into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit.'  His  brother,  Prince 
Charles  of  Anjou,  took  part  of  his  body  to  his  own  city  of 
Palermo,  to  inter  it  in  the  Cathedral  of  Monreale,  but  the 
remainder  was  brought  home  to  Paris,  and  placed  in  a  costly 
tornb  in  St.  Denis.  Unfortunately,  the  relics  of  the  saintly 
King  were  destroyed  in  the  French  Revolution,  but  his  memory 
is  still  enshrined  in  the  hearts  of  the  French,  who  look  upon 
him  as  the  very  model  of  a  true  King  and  Catholic.  He  was 
canonized  in  1297  by  Pope  Boniface  VIII.,  and  the  Franciscans 
claim  that  before  his  death  he  had  joined  their  third  Order, 
replacing  his  royal  robes  by  the  brown  habit  and  hempen  cord, 
which  he  was  wearing  when  he  breathed  his  last. 


uiTt',  Paris 


CHARLEMAGNE,    ST.    LOUIS   OF    FRANCE,    ST.    DOMINIC    AND   OTHER    SAINTS 

WITH   THE   CORONATION   OF  THE   VIRGIN 

fly  .Fm  Angdico 


To  fact  p.  292 


ST.  LOUIS  293 

St.  Louis  is  supposed  to  have  the  whole  of  France  under  his 
protection,  and  to  give  special  attention  to  Blois,  La  Rochelle, 
and  Versailles.  He  was  the  patron  of  the  now  extinct  military 
Order  named  after  him,  and  is  still  that  of  the  French 
academies  of  art  and  science,  of  barbers,  hairdressers,  em- 
broiderers, stonecutters,  builders,  and  brewers,  his  votaries 
crediting  him  with  the  power  of  preventing  beer  from  turning 
sour.  His  special  emblem  in  art  is  a  crown  of  thorns,  held  in 
his  hands  sometimes,  as  on  the  old  seal  of  the  Order  of  St.  Louis, 
combined  with  three  nails,  certain  authorities  claiming  that  the 
nails  used  at  the  Crucifixion  were  given  to  the  royal  Saint  as 
well  as  the  crown  of  thorns. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Louis  in  royal  robes,  his  mantle 
embroidered  with  fleurs-de-lis,  wearing  a  crown,  and  holding  a 
sceptre,  occasionally  replaced  by  a  pilgrim's  staff.  In  an  old 
window  in  Chartres  Cathedral  he  is  introduced  on  horseback, 
with  shield  and  standard,  bearing  the  royal  arms.  There  is 
a  fine  portrait  statue  of  him  on  the  west  front  of  the  same 
building ;  on  a  rood-screen  in  Foxley  Church  he  appears  with 
a  dove  hovering  above  his  head ;  and  on  an  old  font  in  Stalham 
Church,  in  the  same  county,  he  is  represented  holding  the  crown 
of  thorns  and  a  cross.  In  Fra  Angelico's  beautiful  *  Coronation 
of  the  Virgin,'  now  in  the  Louvre,  St.  Louis  kneels,  with  other 
great  Saints,  on  the  right  of  the  throne ;  he  is  introduced  in 
Giotto's  famous  frescoes  in  S.  Croce,  Florence,  opposite  to  his 
namesake  of  Toulouse ;  Bonifazio  II.  has  grouped  him  with  King 
David  and  St.  Dominic  in  his  *  Saviour  Enthroned/  now  in  the 
Venice  Academy ;  and  he  looks  on  at  the  '  Meeting  between 
Saints  Joachim  and  Anna,'  by  Carpaccio,  in  the  same  collection. 

Scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Louis  of  France  are  rare,  but  in 
the  Pantheon,  Paris,  are  three  paintings  by  Cabanel  of  him  as 
a  child,  a  King,  and  a  prisoner  in  the  hands  of  the  Saracens. 
There  used  also  to  be  a  complete  series  of  scenes  from  his  life 
in  the  stained-glass  windows  of  his  chapel  in  the  Cathedral  of 
St.  Denis,  beginning  with  his  departure  on  his  first  Crusade, 
and  including  certain  after-death  miracles  with  which  he  is 
credited,  Hans  Burgkmair  has  represented  the  King  enter- 
taining a  number  of  poor  people  at  dinner,  and  in  an  old 
German  Iconography  St.  Louis  is  seen  washing  the  feet  of  a 
number  of  beggars. 

Akin  to  the  saintly  King  of  France,  not  only  in  blood,  but 


294  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

in  unselfish  devotion  to  what  he  considered  his  duty,  was  his 
nephew,  St.  Louis  of  Toulouse,  the  son  of  Charles  of  Anjou,  King 
of  Naples  and  Sicily.  Born  at  Brignoles  in  Provence  in  1274, 
Louis  remained  at  home  until  he  was  fourteen,  when,  his  father 
having  been  taken  prisoner  by  the  King  of  Arragon,  he  and  his 
two  younger  brothers  were  sent  to  Spain  as  hostages.  There 
they  remained,  suffering  considerable  hardship,  until  1294,  when, 
his  father  having  died  during  his  absence,  Louis  was  proclaimed 
King^.  He  had,  however,  no  taste  for  reigning,  and,  resigning 
all  his  rights  to  his  brother  Robert,  he  withdrew  to  a  Franciscan 
convent  at  Naples,  where  he  would  gladly  have  remained  for 
the  rest  of  his  life.  The  rumour  of  his  great  holiness  had,  how- 
ever reached  the  ears  of  the  Pope,  who  nominated  him  Arch- 
bishop of  Toulouse,  and,  in  spite  of  all  his  protestations,  insisted 
on  his  accepting  the  dignity.  The  young  prelate  is  said  to  have 
walked  barefoot  from  Naples  to  Toulouse,  arriving  there  in  a 
state  of  great  exhaustion.  In  spite  of  his  suffering,  however^ he 
took  up  his  new  duties  with  zealous  vigour,  but  on  a  pastoral  visit 
to  the  neighbourhood  of  his  home  he  broke  down,  and  died  in 
his  father's  castle  in  1297,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-three. 
He  was  at  first  buried  in  a  Franciscan  chapel  at  Marseilles,  but 
his  remains  were  translated  later  to  Valencia,  where  they  are 
supposed  still  to  rest. 

The  Franciscans  greatly  pride  themselves  on  the  withdrawal 
to  their  Order  of  so  illustrious  a  man  as  St.  Louis  of  Toulouse, 
and  for  this  reason  he  is  very  constantly  introduced  in  the  now 
widely- scattered  masterpieces  painted  for  their  churches  and 
convents.  In  them,  however,  he  appears,  not  as  the  humble 
monk  he  longed  to  remain,  but  as  the  princely  ruler  of  a 
kingdom  and  an  important  see,  the  ornate  robes  of  an  Arch- 
bishop being  combined  with  the  royal  mantle  embroidered  with 
fleurs-de-lis,  whilst  at  his  feet  lies  the  crown  he  had  resigned, 
In  some  old  iconographies  a  rose  is  placed  in  the  hand  of  the 
young  Bishop,  some  say  because  on  his  death-bed  one  grew  out 
of  his  mouth  ;  others,  that  it  recalls  an  incident  of  his  boyhood, 
when  some  food  he  was  carrying  to  the  poor  was  changed  into 
flowers  on  his  father's  inquiry  as  to  what  he  had  in  his  basket. 
Now  and  then,  as  in  an  engraving  by  Hans  Burgkmair,  St.  Louis 
holds  a  tablet  bearing  the  letters  I  N  R  I ;  and  Jacques  Callpt 
has  represented  him  in  the  robes  of  a  monk,  with  a  chasuble  in 
his  hands,  and  a  beggar  kneeling  at  his  feet.  • 


Alinari  photo}  {Oratory  of  S.  Bernardino,  Siena 

ST.    LOUIS    OF    TOULOUSE 


To  fa.ce  p.  294 


ST.  DOMINIC  295 

Of  the  many  fine  interpretations  of  the  character  of  St.  Louis 
of  Toulouse,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  occurs  in  the  group  by 
Moretto,  now  in  the  Louvre,  in  which  he  and  St.  Bernandino 
of  Siena  stand  opposite  to  Saints  Antony  of  Padua  and  Bona- 
ventura.  In  the  '  Infant  Christ  giving  the  keys  to  St.  Peter/ 
by  Carlo  Crevelli,  now  in  the  Berlin  Gallery,  St.  Louis  also 
appears,  holding  his  mitre  in  one  hand,  and  his  crosier  and 
a  book  in  the  other ;  and  in  the  '  Madonna  del  Bosco '  of  Fra 
Angelico  in  the  Florence  Academy,  the  rich  vestments  of  the 
young  Bishop  contrast  forcibly  with  the  simple  habits  of  Saints 
Francis  and  Antony,  between  whom  he  stands.  The  painting 
by  Simone  Martini  in  S.  Lorenzo  Maggiore,  Naples,  representing 
St.  Louis  crowning  his  young  brother,  is  also  very  interesting, 
bringing  out  the  highly-born  prelate's  deep  humility. 


CHAPTER  XXII 

SAINTS   DOMINIC,   PETER  MARTYR,   AND  THOMAS  AQUINAS 

WHILST  St.  Francis  of  Assisi  and  his  immediate  followers,  to 
whom  has  been  given  the  beautiful  name  of  the  *  Knights  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,'  were  eagerly  engaged  in  their  campaign  against 
luxury  and  vice,  counting  all  things  well  lost  if  they  could  win 
but  one  sinner  from  his  evil  ways,  courting  poverty  and  shame 
as  eagerly  as  others  sought  for  wealth  and  honour,  and  jealous 
only  of  those  whose  hardships  were  greater  than  their  own,  a 
leader  of  a  very  different  stamp  was  attracting  an  even  greater 
number  of  adherents,  and  founding  an  Order  which  was  erelong 
to  rival  even  that  of  the  Frati  Minori  in  its  members'  eager  zeal 
for  purity  of  life  and  doctrine. 

St.  Francis  was  a  man  of  no  learning  save  that  of  the  heart, 
an  eager  enthusiast  whose  zeal  was  not  always  tempered  by 
discretion;  his  contemporary  and  rival,  St.  Dominic,  was  a 
man  of  high  culture,  skilled  in  using  all  the  weapons  of  the 
intellect,  a  born  orator,  endowed  with  a  fascinating,  almost  a 
magnetic  personality,  able  to  compel  the  attention  of  the  most 
hostile  audience  and  to  win  the  respect  of  his  bitterest  enemies. 
He  recognised,  as  St.  Francis  certainly  did  not,  the  importance 
of  being  able  to  meet  argument  with  argument,  and  he  wasted 


296  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

no  strength  in  tilting  with  obstacles  from  which  it  was  easy  to 
turn  aside.  He  was,  moreover,  keenly  alive  to  the  ennobling 
influence  of  beauty  in  Art  as  well  as  in  Nature,  and  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  enlightened  policy  he  inaugurated  had  much  to 
do  with  the  important  part  taken  by  his  Order  in  the  great  art 
revival  of  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries.  It  is  indeed 
impossible  to  overestimate  the  debt  owed  by  the  whole  world  to 
the  Dominicans,  for  whose  convents  and  churches  were  produced 
the  masterpieces  of  Fra  Angelico  and  Fra  Bartolommeo,  with 
others  less  gifted,  yet  whose  works  one  and  all  bear  the  un- 
mistakable impress  of  their  belief  in  the  reality  of  the  scenes 
they  depicted,* and  of  their  faith  in  the  Divine  inspiration,  which 
alone  can  enable  the  finite  to  grasp  the  infinite.  To  Fra 
Angelico  every  composition  was,  it  has  been  justly  said,  an  act 
of  devotion,  an  expression  of  the  yearning  of  the  mortal  after 
immortality;  whilst  to  Fra  Bartolommeo  every  completed 
painting  was  an  anthem  of  praise,  lifting  the  soul  for  the  time 
being  into  a  higher  atmosphere,  where  could  be  heard  an  echo 
of  the  angels'  songs. 

St.  Dominic,  whose  life-work  was  to  have  such  complex  and 
far-reaching  results,  was  a  member  of  the  noble  Spanish  family 
of  Guzman,  and  was  born  in  1170  at  Calahorra  in  Old  Castile. 
Shortly  before  he  came  into  the  world  his  mother  dreamt  that 
she  gave  birth  to  a  black  and  white  dog,  with  a  flaming  torch 
in  its  mouth,  which  she  accepted  as  an  augury  that  her  child 
would  become  a  great  preacher.  It  is  further  related  that  at 
his  baptism  a  star  shone  forth  upon  his  forehead,  and  that  from 
his  very  infancy  he  exercised  a  strange  control  over  his  passions 
and  inclinations,  sleeping  on  the  bare  ground  instead  of  his 
bed,  and  giving  away  all  his  toys  to  the  poor  children  of  the 
town. 

As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough,  St.  Dominic  was  sent  to  study 
theology  at  Valencia,  and  after  finishing  his  course  there  he 
entered  an  Augustinian  convent  at  Osma,  where  he  soon 
attracted  the  notice  of  Bishop  Azebedo,  who  became  de- 
votedly attached  to  him,  taking  him  with  him  to  Denmark, 
where  he  went  to  arrange  a  marriage  between  the  daughter  of 
the  King  of  that  country  and  a  Prince  of  the  House  of  Castile. 
It  seems  to  have^  been  on  this  journey  that  St.  Dominic  first 
gave  proof  of  his  extraordinary  eloquence  as  a  preacher. 
Already  the  South  of  France  was  in  a  state  of  civil  war, 


ST.    DOMINIC 

By  Carlo  Crh'dli 


ST.  DOMINIC  297 

owing  to  the  stern  measures  taken  to  repress  the  heresy  of  the 
Albigenses,  and  the  young  monk  became  fired  with  an  ambition 
to  take  his  share  in  the  campaign,  against  what  he  looked  upon  as 
the  fatal  heresies  propagated  by  the  new  sect.  The  marriage 
between  the  royal  pair  having  been  satisfactorily  arranged  by  the 
Bishop,  he  and  St.  Dominic  returned  to  Spain,  preaching  and  ex- 
horting everywhere  on  their  way.  They  had  no  sooner  got  back 
before  they  were  sent  forth  again,  this  time  with  a  long  retinue 
of  attendants  to  fetch  home  the  bride ;  but  they  arrived  in 
Copenhagen  just  as  she  was  being  carried  to  the  grave,  a 
sudden  illness  having  cut  short  her  happy  life. 

The  tragedy  seems  to  have  made  a  deep  impression  upon 
Azebedo  and  Dominic,  and  instead  of  returning  to  their  native 
country  they  went  to  Rome,  to  obtain  permission  from  the  Pope 
to  preach  in  Languedoc.  It  was  readily  accorded,  for  the  Legates 
who  had  already  been  sent  to  restore  peace  to  the  distracted 
Church  had  but  added  fuel  to  the  fire  by  their  cruel  treatment 
of  the  Albigenses.  The  enemies  of  St.  Dominic  aver  that  he 
was  equally  ill-judged  in  his  mode  of  dealing  with  the  difficulty, 
and  gave  to  him  the  ill-omened  distinction  of  having  been  the 
first  member  of  the  hated  institution  of  the  Inquisition.  His 
friends,  on  the  other  hand,  are  equally  certain  that  he  never 
employed  any  weapons  but  persuasion  and  argument,  explain- 
ing away  even  the  undoubted  fact  that,  during  the  massacre 
by  the  troops  of  Simon  de  Montfort  of  20,000  heretics,  he 
did  not  interfere  to  save  them,  but  prayed  incessantly  for  the 
Church.  The  saintly  monk,  they  plead,  was  as  convinced  of 
the  justice  and  necessity  of  the  awful  punishment  inflicted  as 
was  Moses  of  the  necessity  of  destroying  the  Philistines. 
However  that  may  be,  there  is  no  doubt  that  the  eloquent 
remonstrances  of  St.  Dominic  did  much  to  win  back  many 
wanderers  from  what  he  considered  the  true  fold,  and  justified 
the  proud  title  given  to  him  of  the  Reconciler  of  the  Heretics. 
That  he  was  actuated  by  no  selfish  motives,  no  thought  of 
preferment  is,  moreover,  proved  by  his  having  refused  to  accept 
any  ecclesiastical  dignity,  and  also  by  his  having  on  two 
distinct  occasions  offered  to  take  the  place  of  a  slave  carried 
off  by  the  Moors. 

Gradually  a  little  band  of  preachers  as  enthusiastic  as  them- 
selves gathered  about  Ajzebedo  and  Dominic,  and  on  the  death 
of  the  former,  in  1207,  the  latter  became  their  leader.  This  was 


298  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

the  true  beginning  of  the  great  Order  of  Preaching  Friars, 
which  was  soon  to  rival  in  popularity  that  of  the  Mendicants 
of  St.  Francis;  but  it  was  not  until  1215,  when  the  numbers 
of  his  followers  had  increased  to  many  hundreds,  that  St. 
Dominic  obtained  the  sanction  of  the  Pope  for  his  rule.  The 
rest  of  his  life  was  -spent  in  organizing  the  new  institution,  and 
before  his  death,  which  took  place  at  Bologna  six  years  later, 
St.  Dominic's  Preaching  Friars  had  spread  throughout  the  whole 
of  Europe,  penetrating  even  as  far  North  as  Scotland,  whence 
they  were  introduced  later  to  the  rest  of  the  British  Isles.  ^ 

Although  he  himself  would  have  preferred  to  rest  in  his 
native  land,  St.  Dominic  was  buried  in  the  chapel  of  a  convent 
founded  by  him  at  Bologna,  and  in  1233  his  remains  were 
translated  to  a  beautiful  shrine  adorned  with  fine  bas-reliefs  by 
Niccola  Pisano  and  his  pupils. 

The  historical  facts  of  the  life  of  St.  Dominic  have  been 
supplemented  by  many  characteristic  legends,  crediting  him 
with  the  performance  of  several  remarkable  wonders.  Once, 
when  he  was  peaching  to  an  unsympathetic  audience  in 
Languedoc,  he  is  said  to  have  ordered  a  large  fire  to  be  made, 
into  which  he  flung  a  number  of  heretical  books  and  a  volume 
of  his  own  sermons ;  the  former  were  consumed,  the  latter  re- 
mained uninjured,  and,  convinced  of  the  error  of  their  ways  by 
this  very  dramatic  incident,  all  present  at  once  declared  them- 
selves converted  to  the  views  of  St.  Dominic.  At  Rome  the 
great  preacher  is  said  to  have  restored  to  life  a  young  nobleman 
who  had  been  killed  by  a  fall  from  his  horse,  a  mason  who  had 
been  crushed  to  death  by  the  fall  of  a  scaffolding,  and  a  little 
child  who  had  died  suddenly.  In  the  same  city  a  miraculous 
meal  was  provided  for  his  monks  when  they  had  returned  empty- 
handed  from  a  begging  expedition,  angels  appearing  to  minister 
to  their  wants  as  they  sat  patiently  waiting  at  table  in  obedience 
to  the  orders  of  their  Superior.  When  Toulouse  was  besieged 
by  Simon  de  Montfort,  a  party  of  pilgrims  from  Compostella, 
afraid  to  enter  the  town,  attempted  to  cross  the  Garonne  in  a 
boat,  but  were  overtaken  by  a  storm,  and  all  would  have 
perished  had  not  St.  Dominic  come  to  the  rescue  with  his 
prayers. 

Equally  ^great  was  the  favour  shown  to  St.  Dominic  when  he 
was  pleading,  not  for  the  cause  of  others,  but  for  his  own. 
When  he  was  anxiously  awaiting  the  sanction  of  the  Pope  for 


ST.  DOMINIC  299 

his  rule,  Saints  Peter  and  Paul  are  supposed  to  have  appeared, 
to  encourage  him,  the  former  giving  him  a  staff,  and  the 
latter  a  copy  of  the  Holy  Gospels,  with  the  words,  distinctly 
heard  by  him,  f  Go  and  preach  the  Word  of  God,  for  He 
hath  chosen  thee  to  be  His  minister.'  That  same  night  the 
Pope  was  warned  in  a  dream  to  hesitate  no  longer,  for  he  saw, 
as  did  his  predecessor  Leo  III.  when  he  refused  to  listen  to 
St.  Francis,  the  Lateran  being  saved  from  falling  by  the 
suppliant  for  his  favour. 

Among  the  special  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Dominic — who 
is  the  patron  Saint  of  theologians,  astronomers,  and  also  of  the 
charcoal  burners  of  Italy  and  Spain — are  a  star  on  his  forehead 
or  his  breast,  in  memory  of  the  incident  at  his  baptism 
already  related ;  a  lily,  in  token  of  his  chastity ;  and  a  cross, 
a  pilgrim's  staff,  or  a  rosary,  held  in  one  hand.  The  last  is 
probably  given  to  him  in  memory  of  his  enforcement  of  the 
already  instituted  Devotion  of  the  Rosary,  for  which  he 
obtained  the  special  sanction  of  the  Pope,  and  which 
consisted  of  a  number  of  prayers  grouped  about  the  Lord's 
Prayer  and  the  Angel's  Salutation  at  the  Annunciation, 
their  order  of  succession  being  marked  by  the  beads  of  the 
rosary. 

St.  Dominic  is  generally  represented  as  a  young  man  with 
an  earnest,  intellectual  face,  wearing  the  distinctive  dress  of  his 
Order ;  a  white  tunic  with  a  white  scapulary  and  a  long  black- 
hooded -cloak,  hence  the  name  of  Black  Friars  so  often  given 
to  his  monks.  As  a  general  rule,  a  dog  with  a  torch  in  its 
mouth,  with  which  it  is  setting  fire  to  a  globe,  in  allusion  to  the 
dream  related  above,  is  introduced  beside  St.  Dominic;  but 
now  and  then  the  dog  is  replaced  by  a  devil,  who  holds  a 
candle,  by  the  light  of  which  the  Saint  is  writing  a  sermon,  and 
the  cross  and  rosary  are  changed  for  an  open  book,  in  which 
can  be  read  the  words,  'Venite  filii,  audite  me;  timorem 
Domini  docebo  vos '  (Come,  my  children,  and  hearken  unto 
me ;  I  will  teach  you  the  fear  of  the  Lord),  or  for  a  scroll 
on  which  is  inscribed,  '  Time  Deum,  quia  veniet  hora  judicii 
ejus  '  (Fear  God,  for  His  judgment  is  at  hand).  The  arms  of 
the  Dominican  Order  consist  of  a  crown,  the  origin  of  which 
is  obscure ;  a  lily,  crossed  with  a  palm,  surmounted  by  a  star, 
and  a  dog  and  torch,  The  constant  association  of  the  dog 
with  St.  Dominic  led  in  course  of  time  to  his  monks  being 


300  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

known  as  the  'dogs  of  the  Lord/  and  in  the  celebrated  fresco 
by  Taddeo  Gaddi  in  S.  Maria  Novella,  Florence,  the  struggle 
with  the  heretics  is  symbolized  by  a  pack  of  black  and  white 
dogs  driving  away  wolves  from  the  fold,  St.  Dominic  urging  on 
the  defenders,  whilst  the  Pope,  his  Cardinals,  and  many  other 
illustrious  spectators,  look  down  upon  the  struggle. 

Occasionally  St.  Dominic  is  grouped  with  his  mother, 
Jeanne  d'Aza,  who  is,  however,  not  canonized,  but  more  often 
his  companion  is  St.  Francis  of  Assisi,  whom  he  is  said  to 
have  met  on  several  occasions,  and  for  whom  he  is  supposed  to 
have  had  a  very  great  veneration,  in  spite  of  the  difference  in 
their  characters  and  views.  In  a  quaint  old  painting  by  an 
unknown  Spanish  master,  the  two  great  monks  are  together 
in  a  church,  upholding  a  crucifix,  their  left  feet  resting  on  a 
globe,  the  dog  of  St.  Dominic  with  the  torch  in  its  mouth 
beside  him,  whilst  St.  Francis  has  his  lamb.  The  Meeting 
between  the  friends  and  rivals  was  a  favourite  subject  with 
Fra  Angelico,  the  most  noteworthy  examples  being  the  fresco 
now  in  the  Berlin  Gallery  and  that  still  in  situ  at  Montefalco, 
which  has,  however,  sometimes  been  attributed  to  Benozzo 
Gozzoli,  with  the  painting  known  as  '  The  Madonna  of  the 
Parma  Gallery,'  in  which  Saints  Francis  and  Dominic  stand 
at  the  foot  of  the  throne  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  clasping  hands 
and  gazing  affectionately  into  each  other's  eyes. 

According  to  a  legend  accepted  by  the  Dominicans,  a  true 
portrait  of  their  beloved  founder  was  brought  down  from  heaven 
by  Saints  Mary  Magdalene  and  Catherine,  and  by  them  given 
to  a  Dominican  nun  named  Cecilia.  It  is  claimed  that  the 
portrait  of  St.  Dominic  by  Francesco  Traini  now  in  the 
Academy  at  Pisa  was  painted  from  the  life,  and  that  it  was  on 
the  same  likeness  that  Fra  Angelico  founded  his  many  repre- 
sentations of  the  ascetic  young  preacher.  However  that  may 
be,  there  is  no  doubt  an  unusual  uniformity  in  the  various  pre- 
sentments of  the  man  whom  Dante  called  '  the  holy  wrestler, 
gentle  to  his  friends,  but  terrible  to  his  enemies';  making  it 
as  easy  to^  recognise  St.  Dominic  as  it  is  to  distinguish  his  rival, 
St.  Francis.  They  appear  together  in  a  place  of  honour  in  many 
devotional  pictures,  with  their  most  celebrated  followers  kneeling 
behind  them,  as  in  the  exquisite  'Coronation  of  the  Virgin/*  or 

*  See  Frontispiece. 


ST.    DOMINIC    AT    THE    FOOT    OF   THK    CROSS 
By  Fra  An^iico 


To  face  p, 


ST.  DOMINIC  301 

grouped  with  all  the  chief  heroes  of  the  faith  of  the  crucified 
Redeemer,  as  in  the  '  Great  Crucifixion '  of  Fra  Angelico,  both 
still  in  that  treasure-house  of  religious  art,  the  saintly  friar's 
own  monastery  of  S.  Marco  at  Florence. 

The  familiar  features  of  St.  Dominic  are  given  to  one  of  the 
monks  in  the  beautiful  'Christ  as  a  Pilgrim'*  in  the  cloisters  of  the 
same  building ;  the  great  Dominican  kneels  alone  at  the  foot  of 
the  cross,  clasping  it  in  an  agony  of  devotion,  in  the  grand  fresco 
opposite  the  entrance  to  the  convent ;  he  is  the  most  striking 
figure  in  the  '  Crucifixion '  in  one  of  the  cells,  that  said  to  have 
been  occupied  later  by  Fra  Bartolommeo  ;  to  him  Fra  Angelico 
has  accorded  the  honour  of  looking  on,  with  the  Blessed  Virgin,  at 
the  Transfiguration  ;t  he  is  introduced  as  a  young  man  reading 
in  the  '  Christ  in  the  Prastorium,5  and  even  appears  in  the  back- 
ground of  the  '  Annunciation  '  of  the  cloisters.  Above  the  door 
of  the  chapter-house  is  what  is  thought  to  be  an  actual  portrait 
by  Fra  Angelico  of  the  ascetic  Saint,  who  holds  the  unusual 
emblem  of  a  scourge  with  nine  thongs,  in  token  of  the  severe 
discipline  he  enforced  in  his  Order ;  and  on  one  of  the  walls  of 
the  great  refectory  is  a  beautiful  fresco,  ascribed  by  some  to 
Fra  Bartolommeo,  but  by  others  to  Giovanni  Sogliani,  of  the 
miraculous  supper  known  in  Italy  as  La  Provedenza. 

Other  celebrated  interpretations  of  the  character  of  St. 
Dominic  occur  in  the  'Madonna  del  Rosario  '  of  Sassoferrato,  in 
S.  Sabina,  Rome,  in  the  same  subject  by  Domenichino  in  the 
Bologna  Gallery,  and  in  the  '  Madonna  of  the  Rose  Garlands ' 
of  Albrecht  Diirer,  in  the  Strahow  monastery,  near  Prague,  all  of 
which  commemorate  the  institution  of  the  'Devotion  of  the 
Rosary '  referred  to  above.  The  famous  preacher  also  appears 
in  the  '  Agony  in  the  Garden '  of  Marco  Basaiti,  in  the  Venice 
Academy,  in  which  the  kneeling  figures  of  Saints  Dominic  and 
Francis  are  of  great  beauty ;  the  e  Piet£ '  of  Sodoma  in  S. 
Domenico  at  Siena  ;  the  *  Marriage  of  St.  Catherine '  by 
Correggio,  in  the  possession  of  Dr.  Frizzoni  at  Milan,  and 
the  '  Floriens  Madonna '  of  Memlinc,  in  the  Louvre. 

Amongst  the  finest  series  of  scenes  from  the  life  of  St. 
Dominic  are  the  bas-reliefs  on  his  tomb  in  S.  Domenico, 
Bologna,  by  the  pupils  of  Niccola  Pisano;  the  frescoes  by  different 
masters  in  the  same  church,  of  which  the  '  Restoration  to  Life 

*  For  reproduction  of  this  fresco  see  vol.  i.,  p.  46. 
f  Ibid.)  p.  1 1 6. 


302  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

of  a  Child/  by  Alessandro  Tiarini,  and  the  'Apotheosis  of  the 
Saint,'  by  Guido  Reni,  are  perhaps  the  best;  with  the  six  small 
compositions  forming  the  predella  of  the  Louvre  '  Coronation  of 
the  Virgin/  by  Fra  Angelico,  including  the  '  supper  with  the 
angels  in  attendance '  and  the  rescue  of  the  '  English  pilgrims/ 
all  full  of  devotional  feeling  and  spirituality  of  expression.  In 
the  Pitti  Gallery,  Florence,  is  a  representation  of  St.  Dominic 
kneeling  in  a  cavern,  with  a  scourge  in  his  hand,  and  the  con- 
firmation of  his  Order  by  the  Pope  was  the  subject  of  a  fine 
painting  by  Tintoretto,  now  lost,  for  which  there  is  a  sketch  in 
the  Sutherland  Collection. 

Amongst  the  most  celebrated  followers  of  St.  Dominic  were 
two  men  of  widely  different  characters :  St.  Peter  of  Verona, 
surnamed  the  Martyr,  and  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  who  ranks 
as  one  of  the  Doctors  of  the  Church.  The  former — who  is 
greatly  revered  by  all  who  are  in  sympathy  with  his  uncompro- 
mising attitude  towards  heresy,  while  the  less  bigoted  condemn 
him  for  his  undue  harshness — was  born  in  Verona  in  1205,  and 
was,  strange  to  say,  the  son ,  of  parents  who  had  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  hated  Albigenses,  or,  as  they  were  called  in  Italy, 
the  Cathari.  Their  boy  was,  however,  sent  to  an  orthodox 
school,  and  on  his  return  home  he  at  once  took  up  the  position 
from  which  he  never  again  deviated,  of  a  defender  of  the  orthodox 
faith.  At  the  age  of  fifteen  he  came  under  the  notice  of 
St.  Dominic,  who  at  once  recognised  his  exceptional  gifts  and 
received  him  into  his  Order.  As  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  the 
enthusiastic  young  monk  was  sent  to  preach  against  the  heretics, 
and  so  great  was  his  eloquence  that  he  was  at  first  remarkably 
successful  in  confirming  waverers  in  the  faith  and  checking  the 
spread  of  error ;  but  as  time  went  on  he  lost  much  of  his  influ- 
ence through  the  sternness  with  which  he  treated  those  who 
differed  from  him.  In  1232  he  was  made  Inquisitor-General 
by  Pope  Honorius  III.,  and  thus  armed  with  full  authority  to 
proceed  to  extremities  with  the  heretics.  He  soon  aroused  such 
bitter  hostility  that  a  plot  was  laid  against  his  life.  He  was 
surprised  by  a  party  of  hired  assassins  as  he  was  passing 
with  one  companion  through  a  lonely  wood  on  his  way  from 
Como  to  Milan.  He  was  first  struck  down  by  a  blow  on  the 
head  from  an  axe,  but  he  struggled  to  his  knees  and  began  to 
trace  the  first  words  of  the  Apostles'  Creed  on  the  ground  with 
his  finger  dipped  in  his  own  blood,  but  he  had  got  no  further 


Atinariphoto} 


\Bergamo ,  Caihedml  of  Afaano  Maggiore 


THE   MARTYRDOM   OF   ST.    PETER    MARTYR 
By  Lorenzo  Lotto 


To  face  p,  302 


ST.  PETER  MARTYR  3°3 

than  '  Credo/  when  he  was  despatched  by  one  of  his  murderers, 
who  pierced  his  heart  with  a  sword.  His  companion  shared  his 
fate,  and  the  bodies  were  left  where  they  fell,  till  they  were  found 
a  few  days  later,  when  that  of  St.  Peter  was  taken  to  Milan 
to  be  buried  with  great  pomp  in  the  Church  of  S.  Eustorgio, 
where  it  still  rests. 

The  special  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Peter  Martyr  are  an  axe 
embedded  in  his  skull  and  a  sword  piercing  his  heart,  as  in  the 
well-known  painting  by  Cima  da  Conegliano  in  the  Brera 
Gallery,  Milan,  a  lily  or  a  palm  in  his  hand,  and  three  crowns 
crossed  by  a  palm  at  his  feet,  the  last  complex  symbol  having 
reference  to  his  great  chastity,  his  eloquence  as  a  preacher,  and 
the  fact  that  he  was  the  first  martyr  of  the  Dominican  Order. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Peter  Martyr  in  the  robes  of 
his  Order,  as  a  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  a  stern  and 
somewhat  forbidding  countenance.  Occasionally,  as  in  one  of 
Fra  Angelico's  frescoes  in  S.  Marco,  he  holds  his  finger  on  his 
lips,  some  say  on  account  of  his  self-imposed  silence  when  he 
was  not  engaged  in  preaching,  whilst  others  claim  that  it  hints 
at  the  secret  proceedings  of  the  Inquisition,  of  which  he  was 
the  head.  Although  he  was  certainly  little  loved  in  his  lifetime, 
St,  Peter  became  greatly  venerated  after  his  death,  and  was 
introduced  in  many  of  the  most  celebrated  devotional  pictures 
of  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries,  including  the  *  Great 
Crucifixion/  the  Madonna  of  S.  Marco,  and  the  Madonna  of 
S.  Domenico  at  Fiesole,  all  by  Fra  Angelico ;  the  Madonna  of 
S.  Domenico,  Cortona,  by  Signorelli,  that  by  Correggio  in  the 
Dresden  Gallery,  in  which  he  is  grouped  with  St.  George,  and 
that  in  the  Brera  Gallery  by  Crivelli,  who  interpreted  admirably 
the  characters  of  the  martyr  and  of  his  leader,  St.  Dominic. 

One  of  the  figures  in  Andrea  del  Sarto's  celebrated  '  Disputa/ 
in  the  Pitti  Gallery,  is  supposed  by  some  to  be  meant  for  St. 
Peter  Martyr,  who  also  appears  in  Piero  della  Francesca's  frescoes 
of  the  'Invention  of  the  Cross'  at  Arezzo;  and  in  Bassano's 
'  Risen  Christ/  now  in  the  Venice  Academy.  Moreover,  Fra 
Bartolommeo  rarely  failed  to  include  him  in  the  beautiful 
altar-pieces  painted  by  him  for  his  Order,  giving  to  him  some- 
times the  features  of  Savonarola,  to  whom  the  artist  was  greatly 
attached. 

The  martyrdom  of  St.  Peter  of  Verona  was  the  subject  of  a 
very  celebrated  painting  (for  which  there  is  a  study  in  the 


304  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

British  Museum)  by  Titian,  long  the  greatest  treasure  of  the 
Church  of  St.  Giovanni  e  Paolo  at  Venice,  but  it  was  destroyed 
by  fire  in  1867.  In  the  National  Gallery,  London,  is  a  small 
but  dramatic  rendering  of  the  tragedy  by  Giovanni  Bellini,  and 
Ghirlandajo  introduced  the  same  subject  in  the  frescoes  of  the 
choir  of  S.  Maria  Novella,  Florence. 

A  member  of  a  noble  Italian  family  of  Calabria,  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas  was  born  at  Belcastro  in  1226,  and  educated  in  the 
Benedictine  monastery  of  Monte  Cassino  and  the  University  of 
Naples.  His  father,  the  Count  of  Aquino,  was  anxious  for 
him  to  enter  the  army,  but  the  boy  early  resolved  to  become 
a  monk,  and  was  received  into  the  Dominican  Order  in  1243. 
His  mother  did  her  best  to  dissuade  him  from  taking  the 
final  vows,  but  it  was  all  in  vain ;  and  although  he  was  waylaid 
and  taken  home  a  prisoner  by  his  soldier  brothers,  he  managed 
to  escape  from  the  castle  in  which  he  was  shut  up.  His  sisters, 
who  were  allowed  to  visit  him  in  the  hope  that  they  would 
make  him  change  his  mind,  were  converted  by  him,  and  they 
aided  him  to  get  away,  letting  him  down  from  the  window  in  a 
basket.  St.  Thomas  seems  never  to  have  seen  any  of  his  family 
again,  and  the  next  few  years  were  spent  by  him  in  earnest 
preparation  for  the  work  of  a  preacher.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  so  devoted  to  silent  meditation  that  he  was  nicknamed 
the  tf  Dumb  Ox '  by  the  brethren  of  his  monastery,  and  his 
humility  was  so  great  that  he  accepted  correction  from  his 
Superior  without  remonstrance,  even  when  he  was  in  the  right, 
pronouncing  a  Latin  word  wrongly  rather  than  assert  his  superior 
knowledge. 

In  spite  of  his  determined  self-depreciation,  St.  Thomas  soon 
became  noted  for  his  profound  knowledge,  and  the  learned 
Albertus  Magnus  is  reported  to  have  said  of  him  :  '  We  call  him 
the  Dumb  Ox,  but  ere  long  the  bellow  of  his  eloquence  will 
be  heard  all  over  the  world.'  The  prophecy  was  fulfilled,  for 
the  writings  of  St.  Thomas  are  still  ranked  as  masterpieces  of 
rhetoric,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  allowed  to  preach,  the  fame  of 
his  eloquence  spread  throughput  the  length  and  breadth  of  Italy. 
Pope  Clement  IV.  offered  him  the  archbishopric  of  Toulouse, 
which  he  refused,  and  St.  Louis  of  France  often  turned  to  him 
for  advice.  He  converted  his  brothers,  who  had  tried  so  hard 
to  deter  him  from  becoming  a  monk,  and  though  he  was  noted 
for  his  gentle  treatment  of  heretics,  he  won  over  hundreds  who 


ST.  THOMAS  AQUINAS  305 

would  never  have  yielded  to  the  persecutions  of  his  contemporary, 
St.  Peter  Martyr.  • 

It  is  related  that  one  day,  when  St.  was  praying 

before  a  crucifix,  the  Saviour  bent  His  head,  and  said  to  him : 
'Thou  hast  written  well  of  Me,  Thomas.  What  recompense  dost 
thou  desire  ?'  To  which  the  suppliant  made  the  beautiful  and 
characteristic  reply :  e  No  other  than  Thyself,  O  Lord.'  The 
very  crucifix  from  which  the  Master  spoke  is  said  to  be  still 
preserved  in  S.  Domenico  Maggiore  at  Naples. 

St.  Thomas  died  in  1274,  in  a  Cistercian  abbey  at  Fossa-Nova, 
where  he  had  halted  to  rest  on  his  way  to  Naples.  His  last 
hours  are  said  to  have  been  spent  in  dictating  a  commentary  on 
the  Song  of  Solomon,  and  when  he  felt  his  end  approaching  he 
asked  to  be  laid  upon  ashes  on  the  ground.  He  was  temporarily 
buried  in  the  monastery  in  which  he  breathed  his  last,  but  a 
few  years  later  his  remains  were  translated  to  Toulouse. 

St.  Thomas  Aquinas,  who,  on  account  of  his  love  of  theology, 
has  been  called  the  Angelic  Doctor,  represents  the  learning,  as 
St.  Peter  Martyr  does  the  ^eal  for  orthodoxy,  of  the  Dominican 
Order.  He  is  generally  represented  as  a  middle-aged  man  with 
a  somewhat  squat  figure  and  stern  features,  wearing  the  robes 
of  his  Order,  and  with  a  mitre  at  his  feet,  in  token  of  his  refusal 
of  the  archbishopric  of  Toulouse.  Occasionally,  in  allusion  to 
his  name  of  the  Angelic  Doctor,  wings  are  given  to  him,  and 
his  chief  art  emblem  is  a  star  or  sun  upon  his  robes,  also 
supposed  to  have  reference  to  his  luminous  interpretation 
of  things  Divine,  or,  according  to  some,  to  a  tradition  that 
after  his  death  a  circle  of  brilliant  light  appeared  upon  his 
breast.  Now  and  then  the  sun  or  star  seems  to  be  suspended 
to  a  kind  of  chain  or  collar  of  gold,  said  to  have  reference  to 
the  name  of  one  of  the  books  of  St.  Thomas  called  the  *  Catena 
Aurea.'  It  must  be  added,  however,  that  it  was  customary  in 
Spain  to  give  the  collar  of  the  Order  of  the  Golden  Fleece  to 
the  Generals  of  religious  Orders.  Sometimes,  as  in  a  painting 
by  Benozzo  Gozzoli,  now  in  the  Louvre,  rays  of  light  emanate 
from  a  book  held  by  St.  Thomas,  or  the  book  and  sun  are 
replaced  by  a  chalice,  in  memory  of  his  devotion  to  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  An  ox  is  also  now  and  then  introduced  beside 
him,  because  of  the  nickname  given  to  him  during  his  novitiate, 
and  in  some  old  iconographies  a  dove  whispers  in  his  ear,  in 
token  that  his  writings  were  inspired.  In  devotional  pictures 

VOL.  in.  20 


3o6  THE  SAINTS  IN   CHRISTIAN  ART 

Saints  Thomas  Aquinas  and  Bonaventura  are  constantly  seen 
together,  as  in  the  painting  by  Moretto  in  the  Louvre,  already 
referred  to ;  and  occasionally  the  two  great  Dominicans  uphold 
a  chalice  between  them,  for  it  is  related  that  both  compiled  a 
version  of  the  Office  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament,  but  when  St. 
Bonaventura  read  that  of  St.  Thomas,  he  tore  up  his  own 
manuscript  in  despair. 

In  S.  Domenico,  Bologna,  is  a  supposed  portrait  of  St.  Thomas 
Aquinas  by  an  unknown  hand,  and  in  the  Brera  Gallery,  Milan, 
is  one  by  Bernardino  Luini.  In  S.  Caterina,  Pisa,  is  a  very  fine 
interpretation  of  his  character  by  Francesco  Traini,  in  which 
he  is  enthroned  in  the  midst  of  a  glory,  with  Plato  standing 
beside  him,  a  group  of  prostrate  heretics  at  his  feet,  and  Christ 
with  the  Evangelists  and  St.  Paul  above  his  head.  Ghirlan- 
dajo  and  Taddeo  Gaddi  also  introduced  St.  Thomas  Aquinas 
surrounded  by  angels,  prophets,  and  Saints,  in  their  famous 
frescoes  in  S.  Maria  Novella,  Florence.  In  Andrea  Orcagna's 
*  Christ  Enthroned '  in  the  same  church,  the  Redeemer  is  giving 
the  Gospel  to  the  Angelic  Doctor,  and  the  keys  to  St.  Peter. 
St.  Thomas  Aquinas  stands  behind  the  kneeling  St.  Peter 
Martyr  in  Fra  Angelico's  *  Great  Crucifixion,'  and  is  one  of  the 
six  Saints  in  the  same  master's  *  Madonna  of  S.  Marco/  He  is 
grouped  with  Saints  Dominic,  Francis,  and  Bonaventura  in 
Raphael's  fresco  of  the  *  Disputa,'  and  appears  amongst  the 
Doctors  of  the  Church  in  the  decorations  from  the  same  great 
hand  of  the  Chapel  of  Nicolas  V.  in  the  Vatican.  The  '  Miracle 
of  the  Crucifix '  is  the  subject  of  one  of  the  frescoes  of  Filippo 
Lippi  in  S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva,  Rome,  and  also  of  one  by 
Francesco  Vanni  in  S.  Romano,  Pisa ;  and  in  the  Seville 
Gallery  is  a  very  celebrated  painting  by  Francisco  Zurbaran  of 
the  'Apotheosis  of  St.  Thomas  Aquinas,'  in  which  the  Angelic 
Doctor  is  being  received  into  heaven  by  the  Holy  Trinity,  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  St.  Paul,  and  St.  Dominic,  in  the  presence  of 
the  four  great  Latin  Fathers  and  of  a  crowd  of  notable  con- 
temporaries of  the  artist. 


ST.  ALBERT  307 

CHAPTER  XXIII 

A   GROUP   OF   THIRTEENTH-CENTURY   SAINTS 

ALTHOUGH  their  fame  has  been  to  a  great  extent  overshadowed 
by  that  of  the  founders  of  the  Franciscan  and  Dominican  Orders 
and  their  immediate  followers,  many  other  Saints  of  the  thir- 
teenth century  have  their  distinctive  emblems,  and  are  introduced 
with  more  or  less  frequency  in  works  of  art.  Of  these  the  most 
celebrated  were  St.  Albert,  Bishop  of  Vercelli  and  Patriarch  of 
Jerusalem ;  the  Carmelite  monks,  Saints  Angelus,  Simon  Stock, 
and  Albert  of  Sicily ;  the  Servite  Filippo  Benozzi,  the  Augustine 
St.  Nicholas  of  Tolentino,  Pope  Peter  Celestine,  St.  Peter  of 
Nolasco,  Cardinal  Raymond  Nonnatus,  St.  Raymond  de  Pena- 
forte,  Archbishop  Edmund  of  Canterbury,  and  Bishop  Richard 
of  Chichester. 

It  has  been  claimed  for  St.  Albert  of  Vercelli  that  he  was  the 
real  founder  of  the  Carmelite  Order,  though  the  monks  them- 
selves declare  that  they  are  the  direct  descendants  of  a  little 
body  of  anchorites  who  lived  upon  Mount  Carmel  after  the 
prophet  Elijah  made  it  his  retreat.  In  any  case,  the  anchorites 
had  no  written  rule  until  one  was  given  to  them  in  1209  by  the 
Patriarch  of  Jerusalem  at  the  request  of  their  leader  Berthold. 
This  rule  was  confirmed  in  1224  by  Pope  Honorius  III.,  who 
altered  the  red  and  white  mantle  hitherto  worn,  in  imitation  of 
that  with  which  the  prophet  worked  his  miracles,  to  a  white 
hooded  cloak,  retaining,  however,  the  old  brown  undergarment. 
The  Pope  ordered  further  that  the  monks  should  be  known  as 
the  '  Family  of  the  Most  Blessed  Virgin/  hence  the  many  repre- 
sentations in  Carmelite  convents  of  the  Mother  of  the  Lord 
wearing  a  wide-spreading  white  mantle,  beneath  which  are 
sheltered  groups  of  monks  and  nuns,  amongst  whom  the  two 
Saints  Albert,  with  Saints  Angelus,  Simon  Stock,  and  Theresa 
are  conspicuous. 

The  Carmelites,  or  White  Friars,  as  they  are  often  called, 
were  introduced  into  England  by  Sir  John  de  Vesci  on  his 
return  from  the  Crusades,  and  soon  became  numerous  in  the 
British  Isles,  their  name  being  still  retained  in  the  London 
district  of  White  Friars  and  elsewhere.  Few  of  their  number, 
however,  rose  to  any  special  distinction,  and  after  their  con- 

20 — 2 


3o8  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

version,  in  1247,  into  a  Mendicant  Order  they  gradually  became 
broken  up  into  numerous  branches  of  little  influence. 

St.  Albert  belonged  to  the  noble  house  of  Castro  di  Gualteri, 
and  had  won  a  great  reputation  for  wisdom  before  he  became 
Bishop  of  Vercelli  and  Patriarch  of  Jerusalem.  He  was  the 
trusted  friend  and  adviser  of  the  Emperor  Frederick  Barbarossa, 
and  often  acted  as  arbitrator  between  him  and  the  Pope  in  their 
constant  disputes.  He  was  on  his  way  to  attend  a  Council  at 
Rome,  when  he  was  assassinated  at  Acre  by  a  man  whose 
crimes  he  had  reproved.  As  he  fell  beneath  the  knife  of  his 
murderer,  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  said  to  have  appeared  beside 
him,  and  although  his  tragic  fate  was  the  result  of  private 
revenge,  he  has  been  accorded  the  martyr's  palm.  A  knife  or 
dagger  held  in  his  hand  is  his  special  art  emblem,  and  he  is 
represented  sometimes  in  Bishop's  robes,  sometimes  in  those  of 
a  Carmelite  monk. 

St.  Angelus  was  the  son  of  Jewish  parents,  who  were,  it 
is  said,  converted  to  the  Christian  faith  just  before  his 
birth,  by  a  vision  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  entreated  them 
to  have  their  child  baptized  in  the  name  of  her  beloved  Son. 
They  obeyed,  and  from  his  earliest  infancy  the  boy  was  singled 
out  for  special  favours  from  on  high.  As  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough  he  entered  the  Carmelite  Order,  and  it  is  related  that 
on  one  occasion,  when  he  and  a  number  of  his  brother  monks 
wished  to  cross  the  Jordan,  the  water  divided  and  they  passed 
over  dry-shod.  About  1217  St.  Angelus  was  sent  to  Italy  to 
preach,  and  is  said  to  have  met  Saints  Francis  and  Dominic  at 
Rome,  the  former  remarking  to  the  latter,  *  Here  is  an  angel 
from  Jerusalem.'  Later  the  young  Carmelite  went  to  Sicily, 
where  he  offended  a  powerful  nobleman  named  Berenger  by  his 
plain-speaking,  and  was  by  him  condemned  to  death.  Accord- 
ing to  some  he  was  stabbed,  whilst  others  assert  that  he  was 
bound  to  a  tree  and  shot  with  arrows,  meeting  his  fate  with  the 
utmost  heroism.  As  the  breath  left  his  body  a  white  dove  is 
said  to  have  issued  from  his  mouth,  and  his  last  words  were, 
(  Father,  into  Thy  hands  I  commend  my  spirit.' 

To  St.  Angelus,  as  to  St.  Dominic,  is  given  the  emblem  of 
the  three  crowns  crossed  by  a  palm,  symbolic  of  his  purity,  his 
eloquence,  and  his  martyrdom ;  and  occasionally  a  sword  is 
placed  in  his  hand,  or  red  and  white  roses,  typical  of  his  great 
eloquence,  are  falling  from  his  lips.  His  martyrdom,  in  which 


ST.  SIMON  STOCK  309 

he  is  represented  hanging  from  a  tree,  his  white  mantle  flutter- 
ing behind  him,  and  his  meeting  with  Saints  Francis  and 
Dominic,  are  the  subjects  of  paintings  by  Ludovico  Caracci. 

Very  little  is  known  of  St.  Simon  Stock,  but  he  is  said  to 
have  been  of  noble  English  birth,  and  to  have  received  the 
name  of  Stock  in  memory  of  his  having  withdrawn  at  the  early 
age  of  twelve  to  a  hollow  tree,  in  which  he  spent  all  his  time  in 
meditation  and  prayer.  He  was  one  of  the  first  Englishmen  to 
join  the  Carmelite  Order,  and,  after  winning  a  great  reputation 
for  his  zeal  and  sanctity,  he  was  elected  General  of  it  at  the 
chapter  held  at  Aylesford  in  1245.  Soon  after  this  he  insti- 
tuted the  so-called  '  Confraternity  of  the  Scapulary,'  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  it  is  said,  having  appeared  to  him  and  given  him  a 
scapulary  with  her  own  hands.  In  any  case,  it  was  St.  Simon 
Stock  who  added  to  the  habit  of  the  Order  the  long,  narrow 
strip  of  gray  cloth  which  distinguishes  the  Carmelites  from 
the  Premonstratensians  noticed  above,  who  also  wear  the 
brown  tunic  and  white  cloak.  St.  Simon  died  in  1265  at 
Bordeaux,  whither  he  had  gone  on  business  connected  with 
his  office,  and  was  buried  in  the  cathedral  of  that  city.  He 
may  be  recognised  amongst  other  monks  of  his  Order  by  the 
scapulary  he  holds  in  his  hands,  and  he  is  sometimes  repre- 
sented with  a  fire  beside  him,  because  he  is  said  to  have 
rescued  by  his  prayers  many  souls  from  purgatory. 

St.  Albert  of  Sicily  is  honoured  by  the  Carmelites  as  one  of 
the  most  illustrious  members  of  their  Order,  and  is  said  to  have 
been  mainly  instrumental  in  introducing  the  new  rule  to  Italy. 
He  is  credited  with  having  performed  many  miracles,  casting 
out  evil  spirits  and  healing  the  sick.  He  is  also  said  to  have 
put  to  rout  the  devil,  who  appeared  to  him  in  the  guise  of  a 
beautiful  woman  with  a  fish's  tail,  an  incident  commemorated 
by  Francia  in  his  celebrated  *  Annunciation/  now  at  Chantilly, 
in  which  he  has  introduced  St.  Albert  standing  on  the  prostrate 
demon.  The  Infant  Saviour  is  supposed  to  have  appeared  to 
St.  Albert  as  well  as  to  Saints  Francis  and  Dominic,  for  which 
reason  he  is  sometimes  represented  holding  the  Divine  Child 
in  his  arms.  According  to  some,  St.  Albert  died  in  1292,  but 
others  assert  that  he  lived  until  1309.  He  is  the  patron  Saint 
of  Sicily,  where  he  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  protect  his  votaries 
from  fever,  and  to  give  special  attention  to  the  interests  of 
coopers.  His  great  purity  and  devotion  to  the  cross  are 


3io  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

symbolized  by  a  crucifix,  terminating  in  a  bunch  of  lilies,  his 
eagerness  in  spreading  the  light  of  the  truth  by  a  lamp,  which 
sometimes  replaces  the  cross,  and  a  book  held  open  in  his 
hand,  supposed  to  be  an  allusion  to  his  spread  of  the  Carmelite 
rule. 

Whilst  the  Carmelite  Order  was  gradually  increasing  in 
importance,  yet  another  community,  that  of  the  Serviti,  or 
Servants  of  the  Blessed  Virgin — whose  general  art  emblem  is  a 
bunch  of  three  lilies  forming  a  letter  M — was  founded  at 
Florence  by  seven  wealthy  merchants,  to  only  one  of  whom, 
St.  Alessio  Falconieri,  has  the  honour  of  canonization  been 
given.  This  is,  however,  to  a  great  extent  atoned  for  by  the 
great  fame  of  St.  Filippo  Benizzi,  or  Beniti,  who  joined  the 
Order  in  1247,  fifteen  years  after  its  first  institution,  and  rapidly 
brought  it  into  high  repute,  by  the  eloquence  of  his  preaching 
and  the  extreme  austerity  of  his  life. 

Of  a  noble  Florentine  family,  Filippo  Benizzi  began  his 
career  as  a  doctor,  and,  after  studying  in  Paris  and  Padua, 
settled  down  in  his  native  city  to  practise  his  profession.  It  is 
related  that  one  day,  when  he  was  attending  Mass,  the  account  of 
the  interview  between  his  namesake  the  apostle  and  the  angel,  so 
wrought  upon  his  imagination  that  the  words '  Draw  near  and  join 
thyself  to  the  chariot '  seemed  to  be  addressed  to  him  personally, 
and  that,  looking  up,  he  saw  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself,  who 
bid  him  join  her  followers,  the  Serviti.  St.  Filippo  obeyed 
at  once,  and  was  received  as  a  novice  in  a  monastery  on  Monte 
Senario,  where  he  remained  unnoticed  for  several  months.  An 
accident,  however,  revealed  to  the  brethren  how  great  an  ad- 
herent they  had  won,  and  the  young  monk  was  sent  forth  to 
preach  in  Italy  and  France,  gaining  everywhere  a  vast  number 
of  new  members  for  his  Order.  He  obtained  the  confirmation 
of  the  Serviti  rule  from  Pope  Alexander  IV.,  and  did  much  to 
reconcile  the  conflicting  political  parties  then  causing  so  much 
trouble  in  Italy.  He  was  made  General  of  his  Order  in  1267, 
and  on  the  death  of  Clement  IV.,  in  1271,  he  narrowly  escaped 
being  chosen  to  succeed  him  as  Pope.  Hearing  of  what  he 
looked  upon  as  a  danger  to  his  peace  of  mind  and  usefulness,  he 
slipped  away  to  Monte  Montegnato  with  one  attendant  only, 
and  remained  hidden  in  a  cave  till  he  heard  of  the  accession 
of  Gregory  X.  Whilst  in  his  retreat,  St.  Filippo  is  said  to  have 
caused  the  hot  springs  to  gush  forth  from  the  rocks  which  are 


ST.  FILIPPO  BENIZZI 

still  known  as  the  Bagni  di  San  Filippo,  and  are  credited  with 
great  medicinal  value.  The  famous  preacher  died  at  Lodi  in 
1285,  and  has  ever  since  been  held  in  high  honour  in  Italy ; 
but  it  was  not  until  1516  that  he  was  beatified,  and  his  full 
canonization  was  delayed  until  1671. 

The  special  art  attributes  of  St.  Filippo  Benizzi  are  a  mitre 
and  tiara  at  his  feet,  in  memory  of  his  evasion  of  election  to  the 
Papacy,  and  a  lily  or  crucifix  held  in  one  hand.  He  is  generally 
represented  as  an  elderly  man,  with  a  noble,  but  worn  intel- 
lectual face,  wearing  the  black  habit  of  his  Order,  and  occa- 
sionally the  three  crowns  he  rejected  are  held  over  his  head  by 
two  angels,  each  with  a  lily  in  one  hand.  St.  Filippo  is  often 
grouped  with  Saints  Francis  Borgia,  Louis  Bertrand,  Gaetano, 
and  Rosa  of  Lima,  who  were  canonized  at  the  same  time  as 
himself,  and  in  devotional  pictures  painted  for  the  Serviti  he 
generally  appears  at  the  head  of  the  monks,  although  he  had 
nothing  to  do  with  the  actual  foundation  of  the  Order.  The  most 
celebrated  representations  of  St.  Filippo  Benizzi  are  the  frescoes 
in  S.  Annunziata,  Florence — in  which  he  is  supposed  to  have 
received  his  call  to  the  monastic  life — including  his  admission 
into  the  Order,  by  Cosimo  Roselli,  and  five  scenes  by  Andrea 
del  Sarto,  namely,  the  healing  of  a  leper,  to  whom  the  Saint 
is  said  to  have  given  his  own  garments ;  the  punishment  of  a 
gambler,  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  struck  by  lightning  when 
St.  Filippo  reproved  him ;  the  exorcism  of  an  evil  spirit  from  a 
beautiful  young  girl,  who  lies  back  exhausted  in  her  parents' 
arms,  as  the  saintly  physician  puts  out  all  his  power  to  save 
her;  the  death  of  the  Saint  in  the  presence  of  his  weeping 
brethren  ;  and  certain  of  his  after-death  miracles. 

St.  Nicholas  of  Tolentino,  who  takes  the  highest  rank 
amongst  the  later  Augustinians  on  account  of  the  many  miracles 
said  to  have  been  performed  by  him  or  on  his  behalf,  was  born 
in  1245  a^  St.  Angelo,  near  Fermo,  of  humble  parents,  who, 
believing  that  they  owed  the  answers  to  their  prayers  for  a  son 
to  the  intercession  of  St.  Nicholas  of  Myra,  named  him  after 
the  great  Bishop.*  The  boy  was  educated  in  an  Angustinian 
monastery,  and  became  a  monk  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough. 
Of  the  actual  facts  of  his  career  very  little  is  known,  except 
that  his  austerities  and  self-inflicted  discipline  were  so  great 

*  For  account  of  St.  Nicholas  of  Myra,  see  vol.  ii.,  pp.  179-188. 


THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

that  he  can  scarcely  be  said  to  have  lived,  that  he  spent  many 
years  in  the  city  after  which  he  is  named,  and  died  in  1309. 

The  special  emblems  in  art  of  the  much-loved  Saint  are  a 
star  upon  his  breast,  one  having,  it  is  said,  constantly  appeared 
above  his  head  when  he  was  preaching,  and  over  his  tomb 
after  his  death,  or,  for  a  similar  reason,  stars  scattered  all  over 
the  black  habit  of  his  Order,  or  arranged  in  a  kind  of  crown 
upon  his  brow;  and  a  plate  on  which  is  a  partridge  or  a  number 
of  small  birds,  in  memory  of  the  legend  that  on  one  occasion, 
when  St.  Nicholas  was  suffering  very  much,  and  his  Superior 
ordered  him  to  eat  a  partridge  cooked  for  him,  he  prayed 
earnestly  for  help  and  the  bird  flew  away  with  all  its  plumage 
restored.  Sometimes  the  holy  man  is  holding  the  end  of  his 
scarf  over  a  fire  at  his  feet,  supposed  to  be  in  allusion  to  the 
rescue  of  souls  from  purgatory  by  his  prayers ;  or  he  is  planting 
a  staff — sometimes  surmounted  by  a  star — in  the  ground,  for 
when  water  was  wanting  for  the  workmen  building  a  monastery 
at  Tolentino,  he  obtained  a  miraculous  supply  by  that  means. 
Now  and  then  St.  Nicholas  has  one  foot  upon  a  globe,  in  token 
of  his  renunciation  of  the  world,  and  holds  an  open  book  in  one 
hand,  and  a  crucifix  set  in  flowering  lilies  in  the  other,  or  the 
lilies  and  crucifix  are  held  one  in  each  hand.  Three  small 
loaves  of  bread  are  yet  another  of  his  emblems,  in  memory 
of  his  having  multiplied  the  flour  of  a  poor  family  of  Tolentino, 
who  had  given  him  food  from  their  humble  store ;  and  now  and 
then  he  seems  to  be  listening  in  rapt  attention  to  the  songs  of 
angels  hovering  above  his  head,  for  he  is  said  to  have  been 
constantly  cheered  by  heavenly  music.  Thirty  years  after  his 
death  the  arms  of  St.  Nicholas  are  said  to  have  bled  copiously 
when  his  relics  were  divided  for  distribution ;  and  in  1608,  when 
Cordova  was  being  devastated  by  a  plague,  and  his  image  was 
being  carried  through  the  city,  the  figure  of  the  Crucified 
Redeemer  is  said  to  have  bent  down  from  a  cross  to  embrace 
it,  an  incident  which  is  the  subject  of  a  painting  by  Giovanni 
Castiglione. 

One  of  the  most  noteworthy  representations  of  St.  Nicholas 
of  Tolentino  is  that  in  the  National  Gallery,  London,  by 
Mazzolino  da  Ferrara,  in  which  he  appears  with  many  of  his 
characteristic  emblems,  kneeling  in  adoration  before  the  divine 
Mother  and  Child,  and  there  is  a  fine  interpretation  of  his 
supposed  character  by  Carlo  Dolci  in  the  Pitti  Gallery,  Florence. 


ST.  PETER  OF  NOLASCO  3*3 

Pope  Peter  Celestine — who  is  occasionally  introduced  in 
Italian  devotional  pictures  wearing  the  habit  of  a  monk,  with 
a  dove  whispering  in  his  ear,  and  a  tiara  either  at  his  feet  or 
held  in  his  hand,  as  if  he  were  about  to  place  it  at  his  feet — is 
chiefly  celebrated  for  his  abdication  after  occupying  the  See  of 
Rome  for  four  months  only.  He  belonged  to  the  noble  family 
of  the  Morroni,  and,  after  leading  a  life  of  great  austerity  in  a 
mountain  cave,  he  was  elected  Pope  very  much  against  his  own 
will,  taking  the  name  of  Celestine  to  mark  his  love  of  heavenly 
things.  Not  long  afterwards  the  new  Pontiff  escaped  from 
Rome  and  hid  himself  in  a  monastery,  but  he  was  enticed  from 
his  retreat  and  imprisoned  for  some  months  by  order  of  his 
successor,  Pope  Boniface  VIIL,  who  feared  that  he  might  be 
induced  to  reclaim  the  dignity  he  had  undervalued.  St.  Peter 
Celestine  died  in  1296,  and  was  buried  with  great  pomp  at 
Tolentino,  but  his  body  was  later  translated  to  Aquila. 

St.  Peter  of  Nolasco,  who  belonged  to  a  noble  French  family, 
was  born  In  Languedoc  about  1189,  and  after  serving  for  some 
time  under  Simon  de  Montfort,  acting  as  tutor  to  the  latter's 
royal  captive,  the  son  of  King  Peter  of  Arragon,  he  fell  under  the 
influence  of  St.  Juan  de  Matha,  whose  story  is  related  above. 
Touched  to  the  heart  by  all  he  heard  of  the  sufferings  of  captives 
in  Africa,  St.  Peter  resolved  to  give  up  everything  for  the  sake 
of  helping  them,  and,  having  won  the  support  of  King  James, 
the  conqueror  of  Arragon,  he  succeeded  in  founding  a  Spanish 
Order  of  Mercy,  resembling  greatly  that  of  the  Trinitarians. 
From  Barcelona  the  new  community,  under  the  name  of  Our 
Lady  of  Mercy,  spread  rapidly  throughout  the  North  of  Spain. 
St.  Peter  Nolasco  became  its  first  General,  and  the  greater  part 
of  his  life  was  spent  in  its  thorough  organization.  After  re- 
leasing many  prisoners,  winning  over  to  the  true  faith  numerous 
Mohammedans,  and  himself  spending  several  months  in  a 
Moorish  prison,  St.  Peter  resigned  his  position  in  1249,  and 
died  in  1256,  his  last  words  being,  *  Our  Lord  has  sent  redemp- 
tion to  His  people ;  He  hath  commanded  His  covenant  for 
ever.'  It  is  related  that  when  the  holy  man  was  dying,  and 
was  too  weak  to  stand,  he  was  carried  by  angels  to  the  chapel 
where  Mass  was  being  performed,  and  that  St.  Peter  nailed 
head  downwards  to  the  cross,  appeared  to  him,  to  encourage 
him  to  bear  the  last  agony  patiently. 
The  special  emblems  in  art  of  St.  Peter  of  Nolasco,  who  is 


314  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

much  beloved  in  Spain,  are  a  branch  of  flowering  olive,  held  in 
one  hand,  that  being  the  symbol  in  Spain  of  the  mercy  and 
peace  he  brought  to  so  many ;  chains,  indicative  of  his  rescue 
of  captives ;  a  bell  suspended  sideways  on  a  luminous  band 
bearing  seven  stars,  its  clapper  consisting  of  an  image  of  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  in  memory  of  a  vision  said  to  have  been  vouch- 
safed to  him  to  enable  him  to  find  a  long-lost  and  much-treasured 
church  bell ;  a  banner  bearing  a  red  cross,  such  as  is  given  in 
Spain  to  all  founders  of  Orders;  and  a  scapulary,  which  the 
Saint  is  receiving  from  the  hands  of  the  Mother  of  the  Lord, 
who  is  supposed  to  have  thus  notified  her  approval  of  his 
work. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Peter  of  Nolasco  as  an  old  man 
wearing  the  white  habit  of  his  Order,  and  scenes  from  his  life 
and  legend  are  of  very  frequent  occurrence  in  Spanish  churches 
and  convents.  His  vision  of  St.  Peter  is  the  subject  of  a 
very  fine  painting  by  Francisco  Zurbaran,  now  in  the  Prado 
Museum,  Madrid ;  and  in  the  Louvre  is  a  representation  of  him 
with  St.  Raymond  de  Peftaforte  from  the  same  great  hand. 
The  incident  of  his  being  carried  by  angels  to  hear  Mass  is 
treated  in  one  of  Claude  Mellan's  most  beautiful  engravings, 
and  in  the  Cathedral  of  Granada  is  a  painting  by  Pedro 
Bocanegra  of  St.  Peter  of  Nolasco  finding  the  choir  of  his 
convent  chapel  occupied  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  a  group 
of  attendant  angels. 

Cardinal  Raymond  Nonnatus,  one  of  the  most  celebrated  of 
the  followers  of  St.  Peter  Nolasco,  was  of  noble  Spanish  origin, 
and  early  entered  the  Order  of  our  Lady  of  Mercy.  After 
working  zealously  in  the  cause  of  captives  for  many  years,  he 
gave  himself  up  as  a  hostage  for  the  ransom  of  certain  slaves  in 
Morocco,  who  promised  quickly  to  collect  the  money  for  his 
redemption.  During  the  interval  St.  Raymond  was  very  cruelly 
treated,  though  care  was  taken  to  preserve  his  life,  lest  his  death 
should  deprive  his  tormentors  of  his  ransom.  As  he  insisted 
upon  preaching  to  his  Mohammedan  gaolers,  his  lips  were  bored 
through  with  a  red-hot  iron,  and  kept  padlocked,  except  when 
food  was  given  to  him  once  a  day.  After  many  months  of  great 
suffering  the  money  was  at  last  sent  for  his  redemption,  and 
the  rumour  of  his  unselfish  zeal  having  reached  Rome,  he  was 
made  a  Cardinal  by  Pope  Gregory  IX.,  who  at  the  same  time 
summoned  him  to  Rome.  St.  Peter  started  at  once  for  Italy, 


ST.  RAYMOND  NONNATUS  315 

but,  worn  out  with  all  he  had  gone  through,  he  was  taken  ill  at 
Cortona,  near  Barcelona,  and  died  there  in  1240,  angels,  it  is 
said,  administering  the  Blessed  Sacrament  to  him  just  before 
the  end. 

St.  Raymond  Nonnatus  is  still  greatly  honoured  in  Spain, 
where  he  is  often  introduced  in  devotional  pictures  wearing  the 
robes  of  his  Order,  a  padlock  closing  his  lips,  and  with  chains 
or  a  monstrance  in  his  hands,  in  memory  of  his  kindness 
to  prisoners  and  the  favour  shown  to  him  on  his  death-bed. 
Occasionally  he  wears  or  holds  a  crown  of  thorns,  in  memory  of 
the  poetic  tradition  that  one  day,  when  he  had  given  his  own 
hat  to  a  beggar,  the  Saviour  suddenly  took  the  place  of  the 
poor  man,  and  offered  to  St.  Raymond  his  choice  between  a 
crown  of  thorns  and  one  of  flowers.  The  astonished  Saint 
fell  on  his  knees,  crying,  '  Thou,  O  Lord,  art  the  only  reward 
I  crave,'  at  which  the  Master  placed  the  crown  of  thorns  upon 
his  brow. 

A  noted  contemporary  of  St.  Raymond  Nonnatus  was  his 
namesake  of  Penaforte,  a  scion  of  an  illustrious  Spanish  family, 
who  was  born  in  1175,  entered  the  Church  as  soon  as  he  was 
aid  enough,  and  joined  the  Dominican  Order  a  few  months 
ofter  the  death  of  its  founder.  He  refused  the  archbishopric 
of  Tarragona,  but  became  General  of  his  Order  when  he  was  an 
old  man.  He  won  great  renown  as  a  preacher,  converting 
hundreds  of  Saracens  to  Christianity,  and  died  in  1275  at  the 
great  age  of  100.  He  is  credited  with  having  performed  many 
miracles,  including  the  crossing  of  the  sea  on  his  cloak,  an 
incident  which  is  the  subject  of  a  painting  now  at  Bologna  by 
Ludovico  Caracci,  and  is  said  to  have  taken  place  in  order 
to  induce  King  Jayme  to  turn  from  his  evil  ways.  That 
monarch  had  in  his  service  a  beautiful  girl  disguised  as  a  page, 
and  St.  Raymond,  as  his  confessor,  had  ordered  her  dismissal, 
threatening  to  leave  Spain  if  he  were  not  obeyed.  The  royal 
penitent  proved  obdurate,  and  forbade  anyone  to  supply  the 
Dominican  monk  with  a  boat ;  but  St.  Raymond,  full  of  confi- 
dence in  divine  help,  sprang  from  a  projecting  rock  on  to  his 
cloak,  which  he  had  spread  upon  the  waves,  and  started  upon 
his  voyage  undismayed.  The  King,  concludes  the  legend, 
repented,  sent  away  his  favourite,  and  never  again  ventured 
to  disregard  the  instructions  of  his  stern  director. 

St.   Raymond  de   Penaforte   is  occasionally  associated   in 


3i6  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN    ART 

Spanish  pictures  with  St.  Peter  of  Nolasco,  although  they 
belonged  to  different  Orders,  possibly  because  he  aided  the 
latter  in  his  work.  His  special  art  emblems  are  a  key,  in 
memory  of  his  having  held  for  a  short  time  the  offices  of 
Grand  Penitentiary  at  Rome  and  confessor  to  the  Pope ;  and  a 
book,  bearing  the  title  '  Decretales  Gregorii  IX.,5  because  by 
order  of  that  Pontiff  he  gathered  into  one  volume  all  the 
scattered  decrees  of  his  predecessor. 

Other  celebrated  monks  of  the  thirteenth  century  were  Saints 
Sylvester  Gozzalini,  Peter  Gonsalez,  and  Herman  Joseph  of 
Cologne. 

The  first  was  of  Italian  birth  and  began  life  as  a  lawyer, 
but  Is  said  to  have  been  led  to  become  a  monk  by  the  sudden 
death  in  his  presence  of  one  of  his  relations,  for  which  reason 
a  dead  body  lying  at  his  feet  is  his  principal  emblem  in  art. 
Occasionally  he  also  has  a  wolf  beside  him,  because  one  is  said 
to  have  lived  with  him  for  some  years  in  a  cave  to  which 
he  retired,  and  now  and  then  a  representation  of  the  Nativity 
is  introduced  above  his  head,  in  memory  of  a  vision  seen  by 
him  one  Christmas  Eve.  St.  Sylvester  died  in  1267  at  the  age 
of  ninety,  after  founding  no  less  than  twenty  monasteries  in 
his  native  land. 

St.  Peter  Gonsalez,  better  known  as  St.  Elmo,  who  is  some- 
times confounded  with  the  martyr  of  that  name  who  lived  in 
the  fourth  century,*  was  born  in  1190  at  Astorga,  and  entered 
the  Dominican  Order  at  an  early  age,  winning  later  great  renown 
as  a  preacher.  He  is  said  to  have  walked  on  the  sea  when  he 
was  unable  to  get  a  boat,  for  which  reason  he  has  supplanted 
his  namesake  of  Italy  as  patron  of  sailors,  and  to  have  twice 
escaped  unhurt  when  his  robes  were  on  fire,  which  accounts 
for  his  principal  emblem:  flames  rising  from  his  outspread  hand, 
and  also  explains  the  expression  '  St.  Elmo's  fire/  applied  to  the 
phosphorescent  light  so  often  seen  at  sea.  He  converted  many 
Moors  by  his  eloquent  sermons,  travelling  great  distances,  and 
having  bridges  built  over  rivers  to  enable  the  poor  to  come  to 
his  services.  Moreover,  he  provided  for  his  workmen  with 
supernatural  aid.  On  one  occasion,  for  instance,  he  is  reported 
to  have  called  the  fishes  in  the  Minho  to  come  ashore,  and 
they  responded  at  once,  jostling  each  other  in  their  eagerness 

*  See  vol.  ii.,  pp.  40,  41. 


ST.  EDMUND  OF  CANTERBURY  317 

to  sacrifice  themselves,  and  supplying  a  plentiful  meal  to  the 
bridge-builders,  for  which  reason  St.  Elmo  occasionally  appears 
standing  upon  a  huge  fish.  He  died  rather  suddenly  in  1246  at 
Tuy,  where  his  relics  are  still  preserved. 

St.  Herman  Joseph  was  the  son  of  poor  parents,  and  was 
born  at  Cologne  towards  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century.  He 
entered  the  Prsemonstratensian  Order  when  he  was  only  twelve 
years  old,  and  became  greatly  beloved  by  his  brother  monks, 
on  account  of  the  childlike  simplicity  of  his  nature.  He  is  said 
one  day  to  have  offered  an  apple  to  an  image  of  the  Holy 
Child,  who  closed  His  little  hand  upon  it,  an  incident  repre- 
sented in  the  sculptures  of  the  Church  of  S.  Maria  im  Capitol  in 
his  native  town.  On  another  occasion  Christ  is  reported  to  have 
appeared  to  St.  Herman  and  presented  him  with  an  axe,  for 
what  purpose  is  not  explained ;  and  the  Blessed  Virgin  came 
to  him  one  night  and  placed  a  ring  upon  his  finger,  for  which 
reason  the  name  of  Joseph  was  added  to  that  of  Herman.  St, 
Herman  died  in  1226  without  gaining  any  rank  or  distinction, 
but  he  is  still  much  revered  in  Germany,  and  has  been  repre- 
sented by  Quentin  Matsys  with  the  implements  of  illuminating 
and  painting,  which  would  seem  to  imply  that  he  practised 
those  arts.  In  the  Vienna  Gallery  is  a  painting  by  Van  Dyck 
in  which  St.  Herman  Joseph  kneels  in  rapt  devotion  gazing 
up  at  the  Blessed  Virgin,  to  whom  an  angel  is  presenting  him. 

Strange  to  say,  the  legends  which  have  gathered  about  the 
memory  of  St  Edmund,  the  great  Archbishop  of  Canterbury, 
much  resemble  those  told  of  the  humble  monk  of  Cologne. 
The  exact  date  of  his  birth  is  not  known,  but  he  was  the  son 
of  a  well-to-do  merchant  of  Abingdon  named  Rich,  and  was 
educated  at  Oxford.  From  his  childhood  he  had  a  great 
veneration  for  the  Blessed  Virgin,  who  is  said  to  have 
appeared  to  him  several  times,  on  one  occasion  allowing 
him  to  place  a  ring  upon  her  finger,  an  incident  the  Saint 
commemorated  by  having  two  rings  made,  each  inscribed  with 
the  words  '  Ave  Maria/  one  of  which  he  wore  himself,  whilst  the 
other  he  placed  on  the  finger  of  an  image  of  the  Holy  Mother. 
The  divine  Child  is  also  supposed  to  have  shown  special  favour 
to  St.  Edmund,  who  is  sometimes  represented  holding  Him  in 
his  arms.  St.  Thomas  of  Canterbury  is  said  to  have  come 
from  heaven  to  encourage  the  prelate  in  his  resistance  to 
King  Henry  III/s  encroachments  on  the  privileges  of  the 


3i8  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Church,  and  the  Saint's  dead  mother  is  reported  to  have  come 
from  the  grave  to  check  her  son's  ardour  for  mathematical 
studies,  and  to  have  traced  upon  his  hand  three  circles, 
emblematic  of  the  Holy  Trinity,  with  the  words,  *  Be  these  thy 
diagrams  henceforth.' 

St.  Edmund  was  ordained  priest  as  soon  as  he  was  old 
enough,  and  quickly  became  celebrated  for  the  eloquence  of  his 
preaching.  In  1227  he  was  commissioned  by  Pope  Gregory  IX. 
to  preach  the  sixth  Crusade  in  the  British  Isles,  and  in  1254 
he  was  made  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  a  position  he  held 
for  six  years  only.  He  vigorously  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
National  party,  arousing  the  intense  hostility  of  the  King,  who 
managed  to  make  his  tenure  of  his  see  impossible,  by  obtaining 
the  appointment  of  a  resident  Papal  Legate  who  was  devoted 
to  the  royal  interests.  St.  Edmund  withdrew  to  a  Cistercian 
abbey  at  Pontigny  in  Champagne,  and  died  a  few  months  later, 
on  November  16,  1242,  at  Soisy.  His  remains  were  taken  to 
Pontigny  to  be  buried  in  the  chapel  there,  and  it  is  related  that 
it  was  found  impossible  to  remove  the  ring  he  wore  in 
honour  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  until  he  was  asked  to  open 
his  dead  hand,  which  he  did  at  once,  the  fingers  becoming 
rigid  again  the  next  moment.  The  memory  of  the  saintly  Arch- 
bishop is  preserved  in  the  dedication  of  a  church  at  Sedge- 
field,  in  the  diocese  of  Durham,  and  in  Frindesbury  Church, 
near  Rochester,  is  a  quaint  mural  painting  with  his  name 
inscribed  above  it,  representing  him  as  a  man  of  dignified  appear- 
ance, wearing  the  archiepiscopal  robes  and  mitre,  and  holding 
the  cross  of  his  high  office.  The  incident  of  the  giving  of  the 
ring  to  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  the  subject  of  an  engraving  by 
Jacques  Callot,  and  the  figure  of  the  Archbishop  is  occasionally 
introduced  in  ecclesiastical  decoration,  with  a  child  lying  at  his 
feet,  possibly  'in  allusion  to  one  of  the  many  miracles  of  healing 
attributed  to  him. 

Another  famous  ecclesiastic  of  the  thirteenth  century  was 
St.  Richard  de  Wych,  whose  name  is  preserved  in  the  dedica- 
tions of  several  English  churches,  including  one  at  Aberford  in 
Yorkshire  and  one  at  Heathfield  in  Sussex,  and  who  occasion- 
ally appears  in  English  churches — notably  in  a  mural  painting 
in  Norwich  Cathedral  and  in  one  in  All  Saints'  Church, 
Maidstone — wearing  the  robes  of  a  Bishop  and  holding  a  long- 
hilted  cross.  Born  about  1200  in  the  little  village  in  Worcester- 


ST.  FERDINAND  319 

shire  after  which  he  is  named,  the  future  Saint  was  brought  up 
for  the  Church,  and  became  first  Chancellor  to  St.  Edmund  of 
Canterbury,  whose  devoted  friend  and  supporter  he  was,  and 
later  Bishop  of  Chichester.  St.  Richard  ruled  his  see  with 
combined  rigour  and  gentleness,  and  is  said  to  have  shown 
the  greatest  generosity  to  the  poor,  his  alms  having  been  often 
supplemented  in  a  miraculous  manner.  During  a  famine  he  is 
credited  with  having  fed  three  thousand  people  with  a  single 
loaf;  he  constantly  multiplied  the  supply  of  fish  landed  on  the 
coast  of  Sussex,  and  none  ever  appealed  to  him  for  help  in  vain. 
He  spent  the  last  year  of  his  life  in  earnestly  preaching  the 
Crusade,  which  he  made  the  opportunity  for  a  great  religious 
revival,  and  he  died  at  Dover  in  1253  clasping  the  cross  to 
his  heart,  and  with  the  words  *  Show  us  the  Father,  and  it 
sufficeth  us/  upon  his  lips.  He  was  buried  in  his  own 
cathedral,  which  was  long  called  by  his  name,  and  a  lane 
leading  to  it  is  still  known  as  St.  Richard's  Wynd. 

The  special  emblem  in  art  of  the  great  Bishop  is  a  chalice  at 
his  feet,  in  memory  of  a  tradition  that  one  day  when  he  was 
performing  Mass  he  fell  and  dropped  the  sacred  vessel,  but 
without  spilling  a  drop  of  the  consecrated  wine.  He  is  also 
sometimes  represented  driving  a  plough,  because  (before  he 
was  ordained)  he  is  said  to  have  helped  his  brother,  who  was 
a  farmer. 

With  Saints  Edmund  of  Canterbury  and  St.  Richard  of 
Chichester  may  be  justly  associated  their  royal  contemporary, 
St.  Ferdinand  III.  of  Castile,  the  Dominican,  St.  Hyacinth  of 
Poland,  and  the  comparatively  humble  Saints  Gerardo  dei 
Tintori  and  Gerardo  dei  Villamanca. 

St,  Ferdinand,  the  eldest  son  of  Alphonso  of  Leon  and 
Berengaria  of  Castile,  united  the  two  kingdoms  on  his  acces- 
sion to  the  throne  of  the  former  in  1230,  and  was  from  the  first 
a  model  of  chivalry  and  Christian  devotion.  He  looked  upon 
the  war  with  the  Moors  as  a  crusade  against  unbelievers,  and 
he  never  once  drew  his  sword  against  an  enemy  of  his  own  faith. 
After  a  long  career  of  success  St.  Ferdinand  was  taken  ill  on 
the  eve  of  an  expedition  to  Africa,  and  died  on  May  30,  1252, 
clasping  a  crucifix  and  with  a  cord  round  his  neck,  in  token  of 
his  penitence.  He  was  buried  in  the  Cathedral  of  Seville,  and 
was  canonized  in  1668, 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Ferdinand  III.  as  a  tall,  hand- 


320  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

some  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  in  a  complete  suit  of  armour, 
over  which  he  wears  a  royal  tunic  and  a  crown.  In  one  hand 
he  holds  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  Child,  in  the 
other  a  key,  the  latter  sometimes  replaced  by  a  sword  or  a 
globe.  The  image  recalls  the  tradition  that  the  King  always 
carried  a  statuette  of  the  Holy  Mother  and  the  Infant  Saviour 
on  the  pommel  of  his  saddle,  and  the  one  he  is  said  to  have 
used  is  still  shown  in  the  Cathedral  of  Seville.  In  the  same 
building  are  also  preserved  two  keys,  supposed  to  be  those 
yielded  up  in  1236  and  1248,  on  the  bit  of  one  of  which  the 
words  '  Dios  abrira  Rey  entrera '  (The  King  enters  protected 
by  God)  are  cut.  The  sword  symbolizes  the  royal  Saint's 
constant  wars  with  the  infidels  and  the  globe  his  widespread 
dominion. 

In  the  Convent  of  S.  Clemente,  Seville,  is  preserved  a  portrait 
of  King  Ferdinand,  and  in  the  Prado  Gallery,  Madrid,  is  a  fine 
painting,  said  to  be  founded  on  it,  by  Murillo,  who  several  times 
realized  with  great  success  the  noble  character  of  the  famous 
warrior  Saint.  St.  Ferdinand  is  very  constantly  introduced  in 
Spanish  churches ;  his  enthroned  figure  is  incorporated  in 
the  arms  of  Seville ;  there  is  a  good  statue  of  him  in  the  north 
porch  of  Chartres  Cathedral,  and  he  appears  in  one  of  the  win- 
dows of  the  clerestory  of  the  same  building. 

St.  Hyacinth  of  Poland,  who  is  still  greatly  revered  in 
his  native  land,  where  he  is  credited  with  having  performed 
many  remarkable  miracles,  was  born  in  1185,  and  was  educated 
at  Cracow,  Prague,  and  Bologna.  In  1218  he  went  to  Rome 
in  the  train  of  Bishop  Ivo,  where  he  heard  St.  Dominic  preach, 
and  resolved  to  enter  his  Order.  The  rest  of  the  life  of 
St.  Hyacinth  was  spent  in  arduous  missionary  journeys,  during 
which  he  preached  amongst  the  Danes,  Swedes,  Norwegians, 
and  the  wild  Tartars  of  Russia,  and  he  is  said  to  have  gone  as 
far  North  as  Scotland. 

St.  Hyacinth  is  credited  with  having  twice  crossed  a  swollen 
river  dry-shod,  once  bearing  with  him  an  image  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  a  pyx,  which  he  had  rescued  from  a  church 
threatened  by  the  savage  Tartar  hordes.  On  the  second 
occasion  he  narrowly  escaped  being  murdered,  for  it  is  related 
that  the  sacred  building  was  already  surrounded  when  he 
rushed  in  to  rescue  the  vessels  of  the  altar.  As  he  bent  his 
head  to  the  Blessed  Virgin,  her  image,  which  was  larger  than 


ST.  HYACINTH  321 

life  and  of  an  immense  weight,  is  reported  to  have  said  to  him : 
s  Wilt  thou  leave  me  to  the  mercy  of  these  barbarians  ?'  and 
St.  Hyacinth  took  up  the  additional  burden,  which  he  found 
to  weigh  lighter  than  a  feather,  though  when  he  put  it  down 
again  in  the  Cathedral  of  Cracow,  where  it  is  said  still  to 
be  preserved,  it  became  as  heavy  as  ever.  Another  time 
St.  Hyacinth  is  supposed  to  have  sailed  across  an  arm  of  the 
sea  upon  his  cloak ;  when  a  mother  brought  to  him  the  corpse 
of  her  son  who  had  been  drowned,  he  at  once  restored  the 
victim  to  life  by  making  the  sign  of  the  cross ;  and  he  was 
equally  successful  in  curing  a  man  who  was  dying  from  the  bite 
of  a  scorpion. 

St.  Hyacinth  died  in  1257  a*  Cracow,  and  was  buried  in  that 
city,  but  part  of  his  relics  were  taken  to  Paris  in  the  sixteenth 
century,  which  explains  the  number  of  representations  of  him 
in  that  city.  His  emblems  in  art  are  an  image  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  held  in  one  hand,  and  a  pyx  in  the  other,  in  memory  of  the 
legend  related  above.  Sometimes  the  image  is  replaced  by  a 
scroll,  bearing  the  words  *  Gaude  fili  Hyacinthe,  preces  tuse  gratse 
sunt  filio  meo,  et  quidquid  ab  eo  per  me  petieris  impetrabis  ;'* 
for  it  is  said  that  on  a  certain  fete  of  the  Assumption,  when 
St  Hyacinth  was  kneeling  in  rapt  devotion,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  appeared  to  him  and  gave  him  this  guarantee  of  her 
favour.  The  apparition  of  the  Holy  Mother  is  the  subject  of 
a  beautiful  picture  by  Ludovico  Caracci,  now  in  the  Louvre, 
and  in  the  same  collection  there  is  a  painting  of  the  holy 
man  crossing  the  swollen  river,  carrying  the  image  and  the 
pyx,  by  Leandro  da  Bassano;  and  in  the  Vatican  Gallery 
are  representations  of  some  of  St.  Hyacinth's  miracles  by 
Francesco  Cossa,  which  were  long  attributed  to  Benozzo 
GozzolL 

St.  Gerardo  dei  Tintori,  who  is  little  known  out  of  Italy,  was 
a  mason  who  built  with  his  own  hands  a  hospital  for  the  poor 
at  Monza,  carrying  the  sick  to  it  on  his  shoulders,  and  himself 
ministering  to  all  their  needs,  for  which  reason  a  porringer  and 
a  wooden  spoon  are  his  usual  attributes  in  art.  A  bunch  of 
cherries  is  also  sometimes  given  to  him,  but  this  is  the  result 
of  a  confusion  which  has  arisen  between  him  and  his  namesake 
of  Villamanca,  who  lived  some  half-century  later,  and  was 

*  Rejoice,  Hyacinth,  my  son,  for  thy  prayers  are  agreeable  to  my  Son,  and 
He  will  give  thee  all  thou  dost  ask  in  my  name. 

VOL.  III.  21 


322  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

a  lay-brother  of  the  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem.  He, 
too,  holds  a  bunch  of  cherries,  in  memory  of  a  legend  to  the 
effect  that  once,  when  he  was  very  ill  and  longed  for  some  fruit, 
four  ripe  cherries  were  found  on  the  leafless  branch  of  a  tree 
near  his  cell,  although  it  was  the  depth  of  winter. 


CHAPTER  XXIV 

SAINT  CATHERINE   OF  SIENA  AND   OTHER  HOLY  WOMEN   OF 
THE   FOURTEENTH   CENTURY 

OF  the  many  noble  women  who  in  the  fourteenth  century 
adopted  the  religious  life,  none  is  more  celebrated  than 
St.  Catherine  of  Siena,  who  combined  in  a  singular  degree 
intense  religious  enthusiasm,  with  a  political  wisdom  rare 
indeed  amongst  her  monastic  contemporaries.  Born  in  1347, 
the  future  Saint  was  the  daughter  of  a  dyer  of  Siena,  and  was 
the  youngest  of  a  large  family.  Whilst  she  was  still  a  mere 
child  she  showed  a  wonderful  appreciation  of  the  beauty  of  the 
story  of  the  cross,  and  is  said,  when  she  was  only "  seven,  to 
have  had  a  vision  of  Christ  Enthroned  with  Saints  John  the 
Evangelist,  Peter,  and  Paul.  As  soon  as  she  was  old  enough 
her  parents  wished  her  to  marry,  but  she  had  long  before  vowed 
to  have  no  bridegroom  but  the  Lord  Himself,  and  it  is  related 
that  one  day,  when  her  father  entered  her  room  suddenly,  he 
found  her  on  her  knees  before  a  crucifix,  with  a  snow-white 
dove  resting  upon  her  head.  This  convinced  him  that  it  would 
be  wrong  to  interfere  further  with  one  so  evidently  under 
the  special  protection  of  Heaven,  and  when  St.  Catherine 
announced  her  intention  of  entering  the  third  Order  of  St. 
Dominic  he  made  no  objection. 

Many  are  the  wonderful  stories  told  of  the  experiences 
of  the  enthusiastic  girl  after  she  had  renounced  the  world. 
She  was  at  first  assailed  by  horrible  temptations,  and 
only  after  she  had  again  and  again  scourged  herself  before 
the  altar  in  the  Church  of  S.  Domenico,  in  which  she 
constantly  took  refuge,  did  the  Master  she  loved  with  a  con- 
suming devotion  come  to  her  aid.  On  one  occasion  her 
heavenly  Bridegroom  is  said  to  have  offered  her  her  choice 


ST.  CATHERINE  OF  SIENA  323 

between  a  crown  of  gold  and  one  of  thorns.  She  chose  the 
latter,  pressing  it  upon  her  head  till  the  blood  poured  down 
her  face,  and  this  extraordinary  experience,  which  was 
witnessed  by  a  certain  nun  named  Palmerina,  who  had  before 
been  bitterly  jealous  of  the  novice,  brought  her  very  great 
renown  in  the  whole  Dominican  Order.  Palmerina  entreated 
forgiveness,  which  was  readily  granted,  and  henceforth  the 
two  became  close  friends.  The  supernatural  experiences  of 
St.  Catherine  of  Siena  are  supposed  to  have  culminated  in 
her  reception,  in  the  Chapel  of  St.  Christina  at  Pisa,  of  the 
stigmata,  a  miracle  she  tried  in  vain  to  conceal,  but  which 
soon  became  noised  abroad.  Eventually,  indeed,  it  led  to  its 
recipient  being  ranked  almost  as  highly  as  St.  Francis  of 
Assisi  himself,  although  the  Franciscans  did  all  they  could 
to  throw  doubt  upon  the  truth  of  the  story,  Pope  Sixtus  IV., 
who  was  himself  a  member  of  the  Order,  issuing  a  decree 
forbidding  the  representation  of  the  stigmata  in  pictures  of 
St.  Catherine. 

As  time  went  on  the  saintly  nun  became  deeply  beloved  by 
all  with  whom  she  was  brought  in  contact.  She  gave  up  much 
of  her  time  to  visiting  the  sick,  nursing  the  most  loathsome 
cases,  and,  it  is  said,  herself  taking  leprosy  from  a  poor  woman 
who  she  attended  to  the  last  and  buried  with  her  own  hands, 
the  disease,  however,  leaving  her  suddenly  when  the  funeral 
was  over.  One  beautiful  and  well-authenticated  incident 
stands  out  in  vivid  relief  from  the  mass  of  more  or  less  apoc- 
ryphal tales  which  have  gathered  about  the  memory  of  the 
Saint.  A  young  nobleman  named  Niccolo  Tuldo  had  rebelled 
against  the  Government,  and  was  condemned  to  be  beheaded. 
Bitterly  resenting  his  sentence,  he  blasphemed  God,  blaming 
Him  for  allowing  his  young  life  to  be  cut  short.  St.  Catherine 
obtained  permission  to  visit  the  prisoner,  and  won  him  to  such 
sincere  repentance  tKat  he  became  almost  eager  to  die,  to  prove 
how  great  his  love  for  his  Master  had  now  become.  His 
saintly  comforter  went  with  him  to  the  place  of  execution,  and 
standing  beside  him  as  he  knelt  to  receive  the  fatal  blow,  she 
made  the  sign  of  the  cross.  Just  before  the  end  he  turned  to 
her  with  a  smile  of  ineffable  content,  and  with  the  words 
*  Jesus,  Catherine/  on  his  lips  he  yielded  up  his  soul  to  God, 
St.  Catherine  receiving  his  head  in  her  hands  as  it  fell.  On 
another  occasion  the  Saint  is  said  to  have  met  two  impenitent 

21 — 2 


324  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

robbers  on  their  way  to  death,  and  to  have  asked  to  be  allowed 
to  go  with  them,  winning  them  also  to  see  the  error  of  their 
ways,  and  to  make  their  punishment  a  willing  sacrifice  to  the 
Lord  they  had  hitherto  set  at  nought. 

So  great  was  the  ascendancy  won  by  St.  Catherine  over  her 
fellow-citizens,  and  so  famous  did  she  become  throughout  Italy 
for  the  many  conversions  her  wisdom  had  brought  about,  that 
she  was  chosen  to  go  to  Avignon  to  plead  the  cause  of  the 
Florentines  with  Pope  Gregory  XL  She  was  unable  to  bring 
about  a  complete  reconciliation,  and  convinced  that  the 
Pontiffs  absence  from  Italy  had  much  to  do  with  the  dissen- 
sions by  which  the  whole  country  was  torn,  she  resolved  to 
endeavour  to  persuade  him  to  return.  In  this  she  was  pre- 
eminently successful,  winning  over  to  her  cause  prelates  and 
princes  by  her  eloquent  letters,  many  of  which  have  been  pre- 
served, and  achieving  by  the  sheer  weight  of  her  personal 
influence,  what  many  wise  politicians  had  striven  in  vain  to 
bring  about.  She  returned  to  Avignon,  made  her  way  into 
the  consistory,  and,  flinging  herself  at  the  feet  of  Gregory, 
pleaded  with  him  with  such  intense  earnestness  that,  weak  and 
vacillating  though  he  was,  he  granted  all  she  asked,  the  Car- 
dinals and  priests  looking  on  in  astonishment  at  the  extra- 
ordinary scene. 

The  Pope  returned  to  Rome  in  1377,  and  though  he  only 
lived  a  few  months  longer,  the  work  of  St.  Catherine  cannot 
be  said  to  have  been  in  vain.  All  through  the  fierce  struggle 
known  as  the  Great  Schism,  when  the  rival  Popes,  Urban  VI. 
and  Clement  VII.,  were  fighting  for  the  mastery,  the  Dominican 
nun  was  one  of  the  chief  advisers  of  the  former,  whose  cause 
she  looked  upon  as  that  of  God  and  of  the  Church.  She  did 
all  in  her  power  to  serve  the  interests  of  Pope  Urban,  and 
was  even  chosen  by  him  to  go  on  his  behalf  to  the  notorious 
Joanna  II.  of  Naples.  She  did  not,  however,  live  to  undertake 
this  new  mission,  for,  worn  out  by  her  superhuman  efforts  to 
win  peace  where  there  was  no  real  desire  for  it,  she  died 
suddenly  at  Rome  on  April  29,  1380,  with  the  words  '  Glory 
of  God,  not  vainglory,'  upon  her  lips,  angels,  it  is  said,  bring- 
ing her  the  Blessed  Sacrament  on  her  death-bed.  St.  Catherine 
was  buried  beneath  the  high  altar  of  S.  Maria  sopra  Minerva, 
Rome,  but^  later  her  head  and  one  finger  were  granted  to 
her  own  city,  where  they  are  preserved  in  the  Church  of 


A  tin  a  rl  photo~\  \San-  F>o  men  ico ,  Si  en  a 

ST.     CATHARINK    OF    SIENA 
By  Frartccsco   /  './///// 


To  face  p.  324 


ST.  CATHERINE  OF  SIENA  325 

S,  Domenico,  where  she  had  so  often  knelt  in  earnest  prayer, 
In  a  costly  shrine  enriched  with  frescoes  by  Sodoma. 

The  special  attributes  of  St.  Catherine  of  Siena,  who  is  still 
greatly  venerated  in  her  native  land,  are  a  crown  of  thorns,  in 
memory  of  the  vision  related  above ;  a  burning  heart  held  in 
one  hand,  typical  of  her  fervent  devotion  to  her  Lord,  or, 
according  to  some,  of  a  quaint  tradition  to  the  effect  that  the 
Saviour  gave  her  His  own  heart  in  exchange  for  hers,  in 
response  to  her  fervent  petition  for  greater  love ;  a  lily,  in 
allusion  to  her  purity;  a  ring,  in  memory  of  her  resolve  to  have 
no  spouse  but  the  crucified  Redeemer ;  and  a  crucifix  in  her 
left  hand.  Sometimes  the  crucifix  and  lily  are  held  together, 
or  the  crucifix  issues  from  the  heart.  Occasionally,  as  in  a 
book  of  hours  preserved  at  Woodchester,  the  maiden  Saint 
holds  a  crucifix,  lily,  palm,  and  open  book,  in  her  right  hand, 
and  a  flaming  heart  bearing  the  letters  I.H.S.  in  her  right, 
whilst  above  her  head  angels  hold  three  crowns  ;  or,  as  in  the 
famous  *  Isabella  Breviary '  in  the  British  Museum,  the  cross 
and  lily  are  in  one  hand,  and  the  heart  with  a  cross  impressed 
upon  it  in  the  other. 

One  of  the  most  beautiful  and  celebrated  representations  of 
St.  Catherine  of  Siena  is  a  portrait  by  her  contemporary  and 
friend,  Andrea  Vanni  still  preserved  in  S.  Domenico,  Siena,  in 
which  she  wears  the  robes  of  her  Order,  holds  a  lily  in  her  left 
hand,  and  offers  the  right  with  the  sacred  wound  clearly  visible 
upon  it,  to  be  kissed  by  a  kneeling  nun,  supposed  to  be  her 
reconciled  enemy,  Palmerina.  In  the  deeply  interesting  fresco 
by  Benvenuto  di  Giovanni  in  the  Hospital  of  S.  Maria  della 
Scala,  Rome,  of  the  '  Return  of  Pope  Gregory  XL  from 
Avignon,'  St.  Catherine,  with  one  of  her  nuns,  is  introduced 
close  to  the  Pontiff.  In  the  e  Madonna  del  Rosario '  of  Sasso- 
ferrato  in  S.  Sabina,  Rome,  she  kneels  on  one  side  of  the 
throne,  opposite  to  St.  Dominic,  and  the  Infant  Saviour  bends 
towards  her  to  place  a  crown  of  thorns  upon  her  head  ;  in  the 
Pitti  Gallery,  Florence,  is  a  fine  rendering  of  her  betrothal  to 
Christ,  by  Fra  Bartolomrneo,  from  his  Convent  of  S.  Marco,  in 
which  the  great  Dominican  artist  has  represented  her  receiving 
a  ring  from  the  Holy  Child  ;  in  the  so-called  Oratorio  del  Cro- 
cifisso  connected  with  the  House  of  St.  Catherine  at  Siena,  is 
preserved  what  is  said  to  be  the  very  crucifix  from  which  she 
received  the  mystic  stigmata,  and  in  the  church  below  are 


THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

several  interesting  frescoes  of  scenes  from  her  life  and  legend, 
including  certain  miracles  of  healing,  with  that  of  the  dead  nun, 
St.  Agnes  of  Monte  Pulciano,  offering  her  foot  to  be  kissed 
by  the  greater  Saint.  The  actual  reception  of  the  stigmata, 
the  conversion  of  St.  Catherine,  and  the  execution  of  Niccolo 
Tuldo,  are  the  subjects  of  frescoes  by  Sodoma  in  S.  Domenico. 
Other  very  famous  representations  of  St.  Catherine  of  Siena 
occur  in  the  Group  of  Saints  on  the  wing  of  an  altar-piece  from 
S.  Agustino,  Siena,  by  Luca  Signorelli,  now  in  the  Berlin 
Gallery ;  in  an  altarpiece  by  Ghirlandajo  from  S.  Maria 
Novella,  Florence,  now  in  the  Munich  Gallery ;  and  in  the 
bas-reliefs  of  Luca  della  Robbia  in  the  Church  of  the  Osser- 
vanza,  near  Siena.  The  canonization  of  St.  Catherine  of  Siena 
by  Pius  II.  is  the  subject  of  one  of  the  series  of  frescoes  by 
Pinturicchio,  in  the  Cathedral  Library  of  Siena,  illustrative  of 
the  career  of  that  Pope,  in  which  the  body  of  the  Saint  lies 
on  the  ground,  with  a  lily  clasped  in  one  hand,  surrounded  by 
the  dignitaries  of  the  Church. 

Other  noted  women  of  the  fourteenth  century  to  whom 
the  title  of  Saint  has  been  given  were  Saints  Bridget  and 
Catherine  of  Sweden,  St.  Elizabeth  of  Portugal,  and  the 
less  well-known  Saints  Nothburga  of  Rothenburg,  Rosalina 
of  Villanuova,  Agnela  of  Foligno,  and  Oringa  of  Lucca. 

St.  Bridget  belonged  to  the  Royal  Family  of  Sweden,  and  was 
born  about  1304.  At  sixteen  she  was  married  to  her  cousin, 
Prince  Ulpho,  and  became  in  course  of  time  the  mother  of 
eight  children,  whom  she  brought  up  in  the  fear  of  the  Lord. 
On  the  death  of  her  husband  in  1344,  St.  Bridget  withdrew 
from  the  world,  and  founded  a  branch  of  the  Augustinian  Order, 
to  which  she  herself  gave  the  name  of  the  Rule  of  the  Saviour, 
but  which  later  became  known  as  that  of  the  Brigittines.  She 
undertook  many  missionary  journeys,  made  pilgrimages  to 
Rome  and  Compostella,  and  died  in  1373  at  Rome.  She  was 
at  first  buried  in  that  city,  but  her  body  was  later  taken  back 
to  Sweden. 

Many  miracles  are  said  to  have  been  wrought  on  behalf  of 
St.  Bridget.  A  crucifix  is  preserved  in  S.  Paolo  fuori  le  Mura, 
Rome,  the  figure  on  which  is  supposed  to  have  turned  towards 
her  one  day,  when  she  was  praying  earnestly  for  some  sign 
of  the  divine  favour.  She  herself  declared  that  the  Blessed 
Virgin  appeared  to  her  several  times,  and  that  Christ,  though 


A I  hi  art  phota\ 


\S.  Do  Hi  en  i co,  Sieji 


THE    COMMUNION     OF    ST.    CATHARINB    OF     SIENA 
/>*>>  Sodonia 


To  face  p.  326 


ST.  CATHERINE  OF  SWEDEN  327 

He  did  not  give  to  her  the  supreme  honour  of  the  stigmata, 
showed  her  His  sacred  wounds,  for  which  reason  two  wounded 
hands  and  feet  with  a  bleeding  heart,  are  sometimes  indicated 
above  the  head  of  St.  Bridget,  or  a  heart  marked  or  surmounted 
by  a  cross  is  placed  in  her  hand.  It  is  usual  to  represent  the 
royal  widow  in  the  robes  of  an  Augustinian  nun,  with  the  black 
band  across  her  forehead,  which  was  the  distinctive  badge  of 
the  Brigittines.  She  holds  a  crosier  as  Abbess,  sometimes  re- 
placed by  the  pilgrim's  staff,  and  a  book,  in  memory  of  her 
written  revelations ;  occasionally  a  lighted  candle  or  taper  is 
also  given  to  her,  from  which  she  is  letting  the  wax  drop  on  her 
hand,  because  she  is  said  thus  to  have  reminded  herself  on 
Fridays  of  the  Passion  of  her  beloved  Master ;  and  a  dove,  in 
token  of  the  inspiration  of  her  writings,  is  sometimes  intro- 
duced above  her  head. 

Jacques  Callot  has  represented  St.  Bridget  kneeling  before 
a  crucifix  and  dropping  hot  wax  upon  her  hand  ;  in  a  cer- 
tain sixteenth-century  Primer  her  '  Vision  of  Christ '  is  repre- 
sented; her  figure  is  introduced  on  several  old  rood-screens 
in  English  churches,  notably  on  one  at  Westhall,  Suffolk  ;  and 
the  giving  of  the  rule  to  her  nuns  was  the  subject  of  a  fine 
composition  by  Fra  Bartolommeo,  which  is  now,  unfortunately, 
lost. 

St.  Catherine  of  Sweden  was  the  daughter  of  St.  Bridget, 
and  was  married  at  an  early  age  to  a  young  nobleman  named 
Egard,  whom  she  converted  to  her  own  stern  views  of  what 
constituted  the  religious  life.  The  two  devoted  their  whole 
lives  to  the  service  of  God  and  His  poor.  Egard  made  no 
objection  to  St.  Catherine  going  with  her  mother  on  her  various 
pilgrimages,  and  after  the  death  of  St.  Bridget  at  Rome  he 
allowed  his  wife  to  enter  a  nunnery,  of  which  she  became 
Abbess,  at  Vatzen  in  Sweden.  Whether  St.  Catherine  survived 
her  unselfish  husband  or  not  is  unknown,  for  he  disappears 
entirely  from  the  accounts  of  her  later  life.  She  died  in  1381, 
having,  it  is  said,  received  many  signal  proofs  of  the  favour  ot 
heaven,  the  Blessed  Virgin  appearing  to  her  several  times  to 
commend  her  for  her  religious  zeal.  It  is  further  related  that 
one  day,  when  she  was  visiting  a  lonely  shrine  near  Rome, 
and  was  annoyed  by  a  young  nobleman,  a  stag  appeared  beside 
her  and  defended  her  from  his  insulting  address;  and  on 
another  occasion,  when  her  husband  was  hunting  and  she 


328  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

was  walking  in  the  wood  near  by,  a  hind  pursued  by  the  dogs 
took  refuge  with  her,  the  hounds  not  daring  to  approach 
their  quarry. 

St.  Catherine  of  Sweden  is  generally  associated  with  her 
mother,  St.  Bridget,  and  her  special  emblems  in  art  are  a  lily, 
on  account  of  her  purity,  and  a  stag  or  hind,  in  memory  of  the 
incidents  just  related.  Jacques  Callot  has  represented  her 
dressing  the  wounds  of  a  poor  man,  and  in  certain  old  icono- 
graphies she  is  introduced  adoring  the  Sacred  Host  on  her 
death-bed,  for  it  is  said  that,  being  too  weak  to  receive  it,  she 
asked  the  priest  to  hold  it  up  before  her  dying  eyes. 

St.  Elizabeth  of  Portugal  was  the  daughter  of  King  Pedro  III. 
of  Arragon,  and  the  grand-niece  of  her  namesake  of  Hungary, 
whose  story  is  related  above.  She  was  born  in  1271,  and 
married  when  she  was  only  twelve  years  old  to  Dionysius, 
King  of  Portugal,  a  man  of  profligate  habits,  whom,  after  many 
years  of  unhappiness,  she  converted  from  his  evil  ways.  St. 
Elizabeth  became  the  mother  of  two  children — a  son,  who  suc- 
ceeded his  father  on  the  throne  of  Portugal,  and  a  daughter, 
who  married  Ferdinand  IV.,  King  of  Castile.  The  conversion 
of  Dionysius  is  said  to  have  been  the  result  of  an  extraordinary 
incident,  occasionally  represented  in  art,  when  a  jealous 
courtier,  who  had  accused  the  Queen  of  caring  too  much  for  a 
certain  page,  fell  into  a  trap  he  had  laid  for  her  supposed  lover. 
The  King  had  listened  to  the  slanderer,  and  arranged  that  the 
suspected  page  should  take  a  message  to  a  lime-burner,  who 
on  receiving  it  was  to  fling  him  into  his  kiln.  The  page  went 
to  perform  his  devotions  before  obeying  the  instructions  he  had 
received,  and  the  courtier,  eager  to  make  sure  of  his  revenge, 
went  to  ask  the  lime-burner  if  the  King's  orders  had  been 
obeyed.  The  man  took  the  courtier  for  the  messenger  he  was 
to  destroy,  and  flung  him  into  the  burning  lime,  whilst  the 
page  returned  to  report  the  tragic  occurrence  to  the  King, 
and  the  innocence  of  the  Queen  was  triumphantly  proved. 

After  many  years  of  married  life,  St.  Elizabeth  was  left  a 
widow  in  1326,  and  her  children  being  now  independent  of 
her,t  she  entered  the  third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  resolved  to 
dedicate  all  her  time  to  the  service  of  God.  Later  she 
joined  a  community  of  Poor  Clares  at  Coimbra,  where  she 
died  in  1336.  She  was  buried  with  great  pomp  in  the  chapel 
of  her  nunnery,  and  is  still  greatly  revered  in  Portugal  and 


ST.  NOTHBURGA  OF  ROTHENBURG    329 

Spain,  her  votaries  calling  her  Sant'  Isabel  de  Paz,  on 
account  of  her  efforts  to  reconcile  her  husband  and  son  in 
their  constant  quarrels.  She  is  generally  represented  as  a 
woman  of  advanced  age,  wearing  the  habit  of  a  Franciscan 
nun  and  a  crown,  the  latter  recalling  her  royal  dignity. 
Occasionally  she  holds  roses  in  a  fold  of  her  robe,  or  one  rose 
in  her  hand,  the  Portuguese  telling  a  similar  story  to  that 
related  of  her  famous  namesake,  of  the  provisions  she  was 
taking  to  the  poor  being  changed  into  flowers  when  her  hus- 
band asked  her  what  she  was  carrying.  The  most  distinctive 
emblem  of  St.  Elizabeth  of  Portugal  is,  however,  a  jug  or  jar 
held  in  one  hand,  as  in  the  beautiful  altar-piece  by  Ambrogio 
Lorenzetti,  now  in  the  Siena  Gallery,  in  which  she  is  opposite 
to  St.  Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  who  has  roses  in  her  hand  and  in 
her  tunic.  The  jug  or  jar  recalls  a  legend  to  the  effect  that 
the  physicians  of  St.  Elizabeth  of  Portugal  had  ordered  her  to 
drink  wine,  but  she  persisted  in  refusing  to  do  so  until  the 
water  she  had  ordered  to  be  brought  to  her  table  was  found  to 
be  changed  into  wine,  a  miracle  she  accepted  as  an  indication 
of  the  divine  will. 

St.  Nothburga  of  Rothenburg  was  a  humble  peasant  girl,  who, 
after  being  dismissed  from  the  castle  of  a  certain  Count  Henry, 
because  her  giving  all  her  own  food  to  the  poor  led  to  her  being 
suspected  of  dishonesty,  took  service  with  a  farmer.  One  day 
when  the  bell  rang  for  service,  as  she  was  helping  to  reap  a  field 
of  wheat,  her  master  ordered  her  to  go  on  working,  but  she  replied 
that  she  must  serve  God  first.  He  was  very  angry,  and  told 
her  if  she  left  then  she  need  not  return,  to  which  she  replied  : 
*  I  will  throw  my  sickle  in  the  air,  and  if  it  falls  I  will  obey  you ; 
if  not,  will  you  let  me  go  to  church  ?'  The  farmer  agreed,  and 
the  brave  girl  flung  up  her  reaping-hook,  which  remained 
hanging  on  a  sunbeam.  Later,  Count  Henry,  hearing  of  the 
marvel,  persuaded  St.  Nothburga  to  return  to  his  castle,  and 
she  remained  there  till  she  died,  becoming  a  trusted  house- 
keeper, deeply  beloved  by  her  master's  many  children.  When 
she  was  carried  to  her  last  resting-place,  the  river  Inn  is  said  to 
have  rolled  aside,  leaving  a  dry  passage  for  the  funeral  proces- 
sion ;  and  many  remarkable  miracles  are  supposed  to  have  been 
wrought  at  her  tomb.  The  humble  Saint  is  still  greatly  vener- 
ated in  Germany,  where  she  is  often  introduced  in  ecclesiastical 
decoration  in  her  simple  peasant's  garb,  carrying  bread  and  a 


330  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

reaping-hook,  or  with  the  latter  suspended  above  her  head,  a 
bunch  of  ke}'s  at  her  girdle,  and  her  master's  children  gathered 
about  her. 

St.  Rosalina  of  Villanuova  was  of  noble  birth,  and  her  unusual 
beauty  and  sanctity  are  said  to  have  been  predicted  before  her 
birth,  her  mother  having  dreamt  that  her  child  would  be  a  rose 
without  thorns.  She  early  showed  a  remarkable  love  for  holy 
things,  and  to  escape  marriage  she  withdrew  to  a  Carthusian 
monastery.  She  founded  several  new  communities,  and  when 
she  felt  death  approaching,  withdrew  with  one  companion  to 
a  lonely  cell,  where  she  died,  the  three  great  saints,  Bruno, 
Hugh  of  Grenoble,  and  Hugh  of  Lincoln,  appearing  to  her  at 
the  last  to  assure  her  of  her  welcome  in  heaven.  The  special 
emblems  of  St.  Rosalina  are  roses  held  in  her  robes,  a  story 
similar  to  that  already  related  in  connection  with  the  two 
Saints  Elizabeth  being  also  told  of  her ;  and  a  reliquary  con- 
taining two  eyes,  in  allusion  to  a  tradition  that  decay  never 
touched  her  own.  She  is  also  sometimes  seen  surrounded 
by  Mohammedan  troops,  because  she  is  said  to  have  come 
from  the  grave  to  the  aid  of  Helion  of  Villanuova,  Grand 
Master  of  the  Order  of  St.  John  of  Jerusalem,  in  his  struggle 
with  the  Moors. 

St.  Agnela  of  Foligno  was  a  nun  of  the  third  Order  of  St. 
Francis,  and  is  occasionally  represented  with  a  devil  in  chains 
at  her  feet,  or  with  Christ  appearing  to  her  and  inviting  her  to 
partake  of  the  Blessed  Sacrament.  She  is  chiefly  celebrated  for 
her  remarkable  victory  over  the  Evil  One,  who  tried  to  per- 
suade her  that  she  would  not  be  accepted  by  her  divine  Master, 
on  account  of  her  having  neglected  to  take  the  monastic 
vows  until  late  in  life ;  whilst  of  her  humble  contemporary, 
St.  Oringa  of  Lucca,  whose  emblem  in  art  is  a  hare,  the  pretty 
story  is  told  that  when  she  was  fleeing  to  a  convent  from  her 
brothers,  who  wished  to  force  her  to  marry,  she  was  guided 
in  the  right  direction  by  a  tame  leveret. 


',       ST.  VINCENZO  FERRERIS  331 

CHAPTER  XXV 

SOME  GREAT  SAINTS  OF  THE  FOURTEENTH  CENTURY 

THE  fourteenth  century  was  marked  by  a  considerable  falling 
off  in  the  number  of  clergy  and  monks  to  whom  the  honour 
of  canonization  has  been  granted,  and  of  the  few  who  are 
accounted  Saints  only  a  comparatively  small  number  are  dis- 
tinguished by  any  special  emblems.  Of  these,  the  most  noted 
are  the  Dominican  Vincenzo  Ferreris  ;  the  Benedictine  Ber- 
nardo deiTolomei;  Giovanni  Columbini,  founder  of  the  Jesuati 
Order ;  Cardinal  Peter  of  Luxembourg ;  Bishop  Andrea  Cor- 
sini  of  Fiesole ;  and  the  hermit  Conrad  of  Piacenza,  with  the 
humble  priests,  John  Nepomuk  and  Ives  of  Brittany,  none  of 
whom  have,  however,  attained  to  anything  like  the  popularity 
of  the  simple  citizen,  St.  Roch  of  Montpellier,  who  figures  in 
many  of  the  most  celebrated  paintings  of  the  great  Italian 
masters. 

St.  Vincenzo  Ferreris  belonged  to  a  middle-class  Spanish 
family,  and  was  born  at  Valencia  in  1357.  He  entered  the 
Dominican  Order  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  and  soon  became 
celebrated  for  his  eager  religious  zeal.  He  was  gifted  with 
extraordinary  eloquence,  and  was  sent  to  preach  throughout 
his  native  country  and  France,  winning  an  immense  number  of 
converts.  He  was  invited  to  Rome  by  the  Pope,  and  the  Car- 
dinal's hat  was  offered  to  him,  but  he  refused  to  accept  it,  or 
any  other  dignity,  and  he  is  said  to  have  gone  to  England  at 
the  special  request  of  King  Henry  IV.  He  died  at  Vannes  on 
one  of  his  missionary  journeys  in  1419,  and  so  highly  was  he 
esteemed  that  the  Princess  Jeanne,  daughter  of  King  CharlesVL, 
herself  prepared  his  body  for  the  grave.  St.  Vincent  was  at  first 
buried  where  he  breathed  his  last,  but  his  remains  were  later 
translated  to  the  Cathedral  of  Valencia,  where  they  are  still 
much  revered. 

St.  Vincenzo  is  credited  with  having  performed  many  miracles. 
Even  as  a  child  he  is  said  to  have  obtained  rain  in  a  time  of 
drought,  and  later  he  restored  to  life  a  boy  who  had  been 
killed  by  his  mother  in  a  fit  of  frenzy ;  he  healed  all  who  came 
to  him,  no  matter  what  their  suffering ;  but  when  he  did  not 
wish  to  be  troubled  by  visitors  a  mysterious  cloud  hid  him  from 


332  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

sight.  One  day  when  he  was  kneeling  before  a  crucifix,  and  cried 
aloud,  '  O  Lord,  how  great  must  Thy  suffering  have  been  !'  the 
image  of  Christ  is  said  to  have  bowed  its  head  in  reply ;  and 
again  and  again  the  Blessed  Virgin  came  to  cheer  the  preacher 
by  assurances  of  her  divine  Son's  approval.  St.  Vincenzo  is, 
moreover,  supposed  to  have  had  the  gift  of  tongues,  for  all  who 
came  to  listen  to  his  sermons,  of  whatever  nationality,  were 
able  to  understand  what  he  said.  On  his  death-bed  the  Saviour, 
with  Saints  Francis  and  Dominic  and  a  great  company  of 
angels,  came  to  comfort  him,  and  as  the  breath  left  his  body, 
the  windows  of  his  room  burst  open  to  admit  a  vast  number  of 
snow-white  birds  to  escort  his  soul  to  heaven. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Vincenzo,  who  is  the  chosen 
patron  of  brick  and  tile  makers,  as  a  very  handsome  young 
man  in  the  Dominican  robes,  and  wings  are  generally  given  to 
him,  his  fellow-countrymen  looking  upon  him  as  a  special 
messenger  from  God.  He  generally  holds  a  trumpet  or  a  scroll 
bearing  the  words,  in  Latin,  from  Rev.  xiv.  7 : '  Fear  the  Lord, 
and  give  Him  honour,  because  the  hour  of  His  judgment  is 
come/  both  in  memory  of  his  constant  preaching  upon  the 
terrors  of  the  Last  Day.  Now  and  then  the  monogram  of  Christ, 
the  special  emblem  of  those  who  preached  the  Gospel,  is  em- 
broidered on  his  robes  or  held  in  his  hands ;  a  dove,  the  token 
of  inspiration,  whispers  in  his  ear ;  a  flame  issues  from  his  fore- 
head, the  sign  alike  of  the  gift  of  prophecy  and  of  tongues ;  a 
lily  is  given  to  him  because  of  his  purity ;  a  Cardinal's  hat  lies 
rejected  at  his  feet,  and  he  clasps  a  crucifix,  the  sign  of  his 
devotion  to  the  Cross.  In  the  Florence  Academy  is  a  very 
beautiful  interpretation  of  the  character  of  the  great  preacher 
by  Fra  Bartolommeo,  which  is  supposed  to  be  founded  on  an 
authentic  portrait,  and  representations  of  him  abound  in 
Spanish  churches  and  galleries. 

St.  Bernardo  dei  Tolomei  was  born  at  Siena  in  1272,  and 
was  brought  up  as  a  lawyer,  but  he  lost  his  sight,  and  in  his 
grief  turned  to  religion  for  consolation.  He  is  said  to  have 
been  healed  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  herself,  and  to  have  with- 
drawn ^  to  Monte  Oliveto,  about  ten  miles  from  his  native  city, 
intending  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  in  lonely  meditation. 
One  night,  however,  he  saw  a  vision  of  a  ladder  between  earth 
and  heaven,  on  which  angels  and  monks  were  ascending ;  and 
he  interpreted  it  as  a  sign  that  he  must  try  to  bring  others  to 


ST.  GIOVANNI  COLUMBINI  333 

God.  He  therefore  founded  a  new  congregation  of  the  Order 
of  St.  Benedict,  to  which  the  name  was  given  of  the  Olivetans, 
adopting  as  arms  two  olive  branches  springing  from  three 
mounds,  and  surmounted  by  a  cross,  which  in  course  of  time 
became  his  own  special  emblem,  and  is  worked  into  the  handle 
of  the  crosier  he  used  as  first  Abbot  of  the  first  monastery  on 
Monte  Oliveto.  St.  Bernardo  died  in  1314,  and  was  buried 
in  the  chapel  of  his  own  convent.  Representations  of  him 
are  rare  ;  but  in  a  painting  by  Francesco  dei  Rossi  at  Cremona 
he  kneels  at  the  feet  of  the  Madonna  with  his  emblems  beside 
him,  and  in  some  inconographies  he  is  introduced  gazing  up 
at  the  vision  of  the  ladder. 

St.  Giovanni  Columbini  was  a  wealthy  merchant  of  Siena, 
who,  after  becoming  one  of  the  chief  magistrates  of  the  city, 
gave  up  everything  to  preach  the  Gospel,  and  founded  what  is 
known  as  the  Order  of  the  Poveri  Gesuati,  or  the  Poor  Knights 
of  Jesus.  He  died  almost  immediately  afterwards,  and  though 
many  zealous  friars  joined  the  new  community,  it  had  little 
permanent  influence.  The  founder — whose  emblems  in  art  are 
a  dove,  in  allusion,  probably,  to  his  name,  and  the  monogram 
of  Jesus,  in  memory  of  his  devotion  to  His  Lord — is  occasion- 
ally introduced  in  pictures  painted  for  the  convents  of  the  Frati 
Gesuati,  notably  in  the f  Crucifixion'  of  Perugino  in  the  Convent 
of  La  Scalza  at  Florence,  in  which  he  appears  opposite  to 
St.  Francis. 

St.  Peter  of  Luxembourg  was  born  in  1369  at  Ligny  in 
Lorraine,  and  became  Bishop  of  Metz  and  Cardinal  at  the 
early  age  of  sixteen,  but  died  at  Villeneuve,  near  Avignon,  two 
year^  later.  In  spite  of  his  short  life  he  won  a  great  reputa- 
tion for  sanctity  and  eloquence,  is  credited  with  having  restored 
a  child  to  life  who  had  been  killed  by  falling  from  a  tower,  and 
is  much  reverenced  in  France,  where  he  is  occasionally  intro- 
duced in  devotional  pictures  walking  barefoot  beside  the  ass 
brought  to  him  on  which  to  enter  Metz,  and  clasping  a  crucifix, 
the  latter  emblem  in  memory  of  the  crucified  Redeemer  having 
appeared  to  him  to  reward  him  for  his  devotion.  The  bridge 
of  Avignon  is  sometimes  introduced  behind  St.  Peter,  and  he  is 
one  of  the  patron  Saints  of  that  city. 

St.  Andrea  Corsini  belonged  to  a  noble  Florentine  family, 
was  born  in  1302,  and  is  said  to  have  led  a  very  evil  life  until 
he  was  past  twenty,  when  his  mother,  in  despair  at  his  wicked- 


334  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

ness,  told  him  that  before  his  birth  she  had  dreamt  that  she 
would  bring  a  wolf  into  the  world,  who  on  entering  a  church 
became  changed  into  a  lamb.  This  made  so  great  an  impres- 
sion upon  Andrea  that  he  entered  a  Carmelite  convent,  where 
he  became  so  renowned  for  his  austerity  and  sanctity  that  he 
was  chosen  Abbot  of  his  monastery,  and  was  later  made  Bishop 
of  Fiesole.  He  died  at  Florence  in  1373,  and  is  still  greatly 
honoured  in  Italy,  where  he  is  credited  with  having  come  from 
heaven  mounted  on  a  white  horse,  like  St.  James  of  Compo- 
stella*  to  save  the  Florentine  army  at  the  Battle  of  Anghian. 
His  emblem  in  art  is  a  wolf,  in  memory  of  his  mother's 
dream,  and  he  is  sometimes  represented,  as  in  a  painting  by 
Gessi  in  the  Corsini  Palace,  Florence,  which  also  owns  a  sup- 
posed portrait  of  the  Saint  by  Guercino  kneeling  at  the  altar, 
whilst  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  appearing  to  him ;  for  it  is  related 
that  she  came  to  St.  Andrew  as  he  was  performing  Mass  on 
the  Christmas  Eve  before  his  death,  to  tell  him  he  would  die 
on  the  Feast  of  the  Epiphany. 

Of  St.  Conrad  of  Piacenza — whose  emblems  in  art  are  a  boar- 
spear  and  a  fishing-net,  in  memory  of  his  love  of  sport,  and 
who  belonged  to  the  family  of  the  Gonfalonieri — the  story  is 
told  that  he  was  converted  from  a  dissipated  life  by  the  follow- 
ing incident.  When  hunting  near  his  native  town  he  was 
unable  to  secure  any  game,  and  ordered  the  woods  to  be  set  on 
fire.  A  terrible  conflagration  ensued,  destroying  much  valu- 
able property,  and  a  young  peasant  who  was  accused  of  being 
the  incendiary  was  condemned  to  death  for  the  crime.  St. 
Conrad  only  heard  of  this  at  the  last  moment,  and  had  the 
greatest  difficulty  in  saving  the  supposed  criminal.  He  suc- 
ceeded, however,  and  was  so  touched  by  his  own  escape  that 
he  renounced  the  world  to  withdraw  to  a  lonely  hermitage  in 
Sicily,  where  he  is  said  to  have  been  welcomed  by  numbers  of 
birds  that  hovered  about  him  as  if  glad  of  his  arrival.  He  died 
in  a  cave  near  Syracuse,  and  is  still  very  greatly  revered  in  the 
neighbourhood,  where  he  is  credited  with  being  able  to  heal  his 
votaries  of  rupture  and  other  internal  troubles.  The  Francis- 
cans claim  that  St.  Conrad  belonged  to  their  third  Order,  and 
in  some  of  ^their  menologies  the  emblem  of  a  cross  with  birds 
upon  it  is  given  to  him. 

*  See  vol.  L,  p,  120. 


ST.  JOHN  NEPOMUCEN  335 

St.   John   Nepomucen,  or   Nepomuk— who  is  still    greatly 
beloved  m  Bohemia,  where  he  is  credited  with  the  power  of 
preserving  his  votaries  from  calumny,  from  the  betrayal  of  con- 
fidence   and  from  death  by  drowning— was  born  at  Pomuk 
near  rtlsen,  about  1330.  His  parents  were  in  a  humble  position, 
but  he  was  brought  up  for  the   Church,  and  became  greatly 
celebrated  for  his  eloquent  preaching.     He  was  offered  many 
important  ecclesiastical  dignities,  but  he  refused  them  all,  pre- 
ferring to  remain  a  mere  Canon.    He  was,  however,  persuaded 
to  become  the  director  of  Queen  Sophia,  the  wife  of  King 
Wenceslas  IV.,  and  the  jealousy  of  the  latter  was  aroused  by  • 
the  friendship  which  ensued  between  the  priest  and  his  peni- 
tent.    The  story  goes  that  Wenceslas  asked  St.  John  to  betray 
to  him  what  the  Queen  had  confessed,  and  on  his  refusal  the 
priest  was  thrown  into  prison  and  put  to  the  torture.     He  re- 
mained steadfast,  the  only  words  which  escaped  his  lips  in  his 
agony  being  '  Jesus,  Mary,'  and  at  the  earnest  entreaty  of  the 
Queen  he  was  released ;  but  a  few  days  later  the  King  again 
tempted  him  to  betray  his  trust,  threatening  him  with  death  if 
ne  refused.     St.  John  merely  bowed  his  head  in  token  of  his 
!u    ™ef?  t0  die'  and  Wenceslas  ordered  him  to  be  drowned  in 
the  Moldau  at  night,  so  that  the  people  of  Prague  might  know 
nothing  of  the  fate  of  their  favourite.    The  barbarous  order 
was  obeyed.     St.  John  was  bound  hand  and  foot  and   flun^ 
into  the  river,  but  his  body  remained  floating  in  the  midst  of  a 
radiant  glory,  so  that  the  next  day  all  the  city  knew  of  his 
martyrdom,  and  a  great  tumult  of  indignation   arose.     The 
sacred  remains  were  carried  to  the  cathedral  and  buried  in  it 
with  great  pomp,  many  marvellous  miracles,  it  is  said,  taking 
place  at  the  funeral.  6 

The  special  attributes  of  the  martyred  Saint  are  a  padlock 
or  his  own  tongue  held  in  his  hand,  in  token  of  his  faithful 
keeping  of  the  secrets  of  the  confessional;  a  crucifix,  in 
memory  of  his  eloquent  preaching  of  the  faith  ;  and  an  aureole 
of  stars  or  rays  of  light  above  his  head,  in  allusion  to  the  glory 
that  indicated  his  floating  corpse,  which  is  occasionally  re- 
placed by  an  enormous  water-lily  laid  at  his  feet.  St.  John  is 
generally  represented  in  the  robes  of  a  Canon,  and  in  the 
countries  m  which  he  is  honoured,  it  is  usual  to  place  a  statue 
ot  him  on  bridges,  or  in  the  streets  leading  to  them. 

St.  Ives  of  Brittany,  who  is  still  lovingly  called  in  France  the 


336  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

'advocate  of  the  poor/  was  born  at  Tregnier  in  the  latter  part 
of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  brought  up  as  a  lawyer.  He 
became  famous  for  his  eloquent  pleading,  and  might  have 
amassed  a  large  fortune,  but  he  preferred  espousing  the  cause 
of  those  unable  to  pay  legal  expenses,  devoting  his  whole  life 
to  aid  the  oppressed.  He  is  said  to  have  taken  Holy  Orders,  to 
have  entered  the  third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  and  to  have  prac- 
tised many  secret  austerities.  He  died  at  the  early  age  of 
fifty,  worn  out  by  his  constant  exertions,  and  was  buried  in  the 
Cathedral  of  Tregnier,  where  his  remains  still  rest. 

The  patron  Saint  of  the  lawyers  of  France,  and  the  special 
protector  of  widows  and  orphans,  St.  Ives  is  generally  repre- 
sented as  a  young  man  with  a  beautiful  intellectual  face,  wear- 
ing the  robes  of  a  lawyer,  and  holding  a  roll  of  manuscript  in 
one  hand,  surrounded  by  poor  people,  who  seem  to  be  telling 
him  their  grievances.  Sometimes  a  dove  hovers  above  his 
head,  for  the  Bretons  assert  that  on  two  occasions  a  snow- 
white  bird  was  seen  flying  round  St.  Ives  in  church ;  or  a  cat  is 
introduced  beside  him,  some  say  because  that  astute  animal  is 
the  emblem  of  lawyers.  In  the  Uffizi  Gallery,  Florence,  is 
a  fine  interpretation  of  the  character  of  the  great  lawyer  by 
Jacopo  da  Empoli,  who  has  represented  him  seated  on  a 
throne,  with  a  crowd  of  clients  at  his  feet ;  and  in  the  Louvre 
is  another  painting  by  the  same  master,  in  which  St.  Ives 
kneels  near  St.  Luke,  who  is  presenting  him  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin  appearing  in  the  clouds  above.  In  Niccolo  GerinPs 
'  Coronation  of  the  Virgin '  in  the  Uffizi  Gallery,  St.  Ives  is 
grouped  with  St.  Dominic  opposite  to  Saints  Francis  and 
John  the  Evangelist,  and  on  the  wall  of  the  prison  chapel  at 
S.  Gemignano  is  a  celebrated  fresco  by  Sodoma,  of  the  lawyer 
standing  amidst  a  crowd  of  suppliants,  to  whom  he  is  evidently 
administering  justice. 

St.  Roch  was  born  at  Montpellier  some  time  in  the  last 
decade  of  the  thirteenth  century,  and  is  said  to  have  had  a 
small  red  cross  imprinted  on  his  breast,  a  sign  interpreted  to 
mean  that  his  life  was  to  be  dedicated  to  the  <"  "  ~  * 

His  parents  died  when  he  was  about  eif/.  .  ,  ...- ,vu*b  ^^  a 
large  fortune  ;  but  he  gave  it  all  to  the  poor,  and,  assuming  the 
robes  of  a  pilgrim,  set  out  for  Rome  to  pray  at  the  tombs  of 
the  Apostles.  On  reaching  Italy  he  found  the  plague  every- 
where raging,  and,  setting  aside  his  own  desire  to  reach 


A  Una ri  photo] 


ST.    ROCH    AND    OTHER    SAINTS    WITH    THE    MADONNA    IN    GLORY 
By  Sodoma 


To  face  p.  336 


ST.  ROCH  337 

Rome,  he  gave  himself  up  entirely  to  nursing  the  sick,  going 
from  place  to  place,  and  everywhere  restoring  hundreds  to 
health,  some  say  by  merely  making  over  them  the  sign  of  the 
cross.  At  Piacenza  he  was  himself  struck  down,  and  fearing 
to  infect  others,  he  crept  out  of  the  city  to  meet  his  fate  alone 
in  a  wood  near  by.  There  he  hourly  expected  his  end,  but  an 
angel  is  supposed  to  have  come  to  his  aid,  and  to  have 
dressed  a  terrible  wound  in  the  thigh,  which  was  causing 
the  victim  great  suffering.  Moreover,  a  loaf  was  brought  to 
St.  Roch  every  day  by  a  dog — hence  the  proverb,  '  Love  me, 
love  my  dog ' — which  was  one  of  a  pack  of  hounds  belonging 
to  a  nobleman,  who,  after  noticing  that  the  animal  stole 
bread  from  the  table,  followed  him  to  see  where  he  went. 
After  an  interview  with  St.  Roch  his  visitor  was  led  by  his 
example  to  aid  others  suffering  from  the  plague,  though,  strange 
to  say,  he  does  not  seem  to  have  done  anything  for  the  holy 
man  himself.  As  soon  as  St.  Roch  was  well  enough  to  travel, 
he  made  his  way  home  again,  but  he  was  so  altered  that  no 
one  knew  him,  and  was  thrown  into  prison  as  a  suspicious 
character.  He  accepted  this  discipline  as  the  will  of  God, 
making  no  effort  to  establish  his  identity.  He  remained  in 
confinement  until  his  death  five  years  later,  leaving  behind 
him  a  note  declaring  who  he  was,  with  the  bold  promise  that 
all  who  should  ask  to  be  healed  of  the  plague  in  his  name 
would  be  heard  of  God. 

The  body  of  St.  Roch  was  at  first  quietly  buried  at  Mont- 
pellier,  and  although  his  memory  was  from  the  first  greatly 
revered  in  his  native  country,  his  cult  would  scarcely  have 
spread  beyond  it  but  for  the  accident  that,  when  the  plague 
was  raging  at  Constance  in  1414,  during  the  session  of  the 
great  Council  at  which  Huss  was  denounced,  a  young  monk 
advised  the  authorities  to  have  the  effigy  of  St.  Roch  carried 
through  the  city.  The  effect  was,  it  is  claimed,  immediate,  for 
the  plague  ceased  at  once,  and  the  fame  of  St.  Roch  spread 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Europe.  The  Venetians 
resolved,  if  possible,  to  possess  themselves  of  his  relics,  and  in 
1485,  under  the  pretence  of  doing  homage  at  his  tomb,  a  party 
of  pilgrims  managed  to  secure  the  sacred  spoil,  bringing  it 
back  in  triumph  to  the  lagoon  city,  where  it  was  received 
with  the  greatest  enthusiasm  by  the  Doge,  the  Senate,  and  the 
clergy.  The  beautiful  Church  of  S.  Rocco  was  built  to  receive 

VOL.   III.  22 


338  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

the  relics,  to  which  was  later  added  the  now  world-famous 
Scuola,  decorated  by  Titian  and  Tintoretto. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Roch  as  a  young  man  jn  the 
dress  of  a  pilgrim,  with  the  scallop-shell  in  his  broad-brimmed 
hat,  and  the  staff  and  bottle  held  in  one  hand,  whilst  with  the 
other  he  indicates  a  deep  cut  in  his  thigh.  A  dog  with  a  loaf  in 
its  mouth  is  at  his  feet,  and  occasionally  an  angel  is  introduced 
beside  him,  touching  the  wounded  thigh,  or  offering  the 
sufferer  a  tablet  bearing  the  words  '  Eris  in  peste  patronis,'  in 
allusion  to  the  note  left  in  his  cell  by  the  Saint,  who  is  credited 
with  the  power  of  saving  animals  as  well  as  his  human  fellow- 
creatures  from  epidemics  and  from  diseases  of  the  leg,  and  is 
the  patron  Saint  not  only  of  surgeons,  but  also  of  stonemasons, 
possibly  because  his  name  means  *  rock.' 

The  cult  of  the  celebrated  pilgrim  of  Montpellier  extended 
in  course  of  time  even  to  England,  where  his  familiar  figure  is 
introduced  on  many  rood-screens,  notably  on  one  in  Stalham 
Church,  Norfolk,  and  can  still  be  made  out  in  certain  old 
mural  paintings,  as  in  one  at  Kettering.  St.  Roch  appears  with 
his  dog  beside  him  in  numerous  devotional  pictures,  amongst 
which  may  be  specially  noted  the  beautiful  'Christ  En- 
throned '  of  Bartolommeo  Montagna,  in  the  Venice  Academy ; 
the  '  St.  Mark  Enthroned '  of  Titian,  in  S.  Maria  Salute, 
Venice ;  and  the  Madonna  with  Saints  Sebastian  and  Roch,  by 
Correggio,  in  the  Dresden  Gallery.  St.  Roch  is  also  included 
in  Francia's  '  Presentation  of  Christ  In  the  Temple,'  now  in 
the  gallery  of  the  Capitol,  Rome,  noteworthy  as  the  only 
painting  by  the  artist  in  which  a  dog  is  introduced.  The 
life-sized  figure  of  St.  Roch  forms  the  pendant  to  that  of 
St.  Sebastian  in  Luini's  masterly  frescoes  in  S,  Maurizio, 
Milan,  and  also  in  his  famous  *  Passion '  frescoes  at  Lugano. 
The  pilgrim  Saint  is  one  of  the  e  Four  Saints  '  of  Crivelli  in 
the  Venice  Academy;  he  appears  amongst  the  Saints  attendant 
on  the  Blessed  Virgin  in  the  '  Battle  of  Lepanto '  of  Paolo 
Veronese,  in  the  Venice  Academy ;  and  there  is  a  very  fine 
representation  of  him  on  the  back  of  Sodoma's  celebrated 
Standard  of  the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Sebastian,  in  the  Uffm 
Gallery,  Florence. 

For  the  church  at  Alost  in  Belgium  Rubens  painted  a  very 
dramatic  rendering  of  the  last  important  scene  in  the  chequered 
career  of  St.  Roch,  his  reception  of  the  commission,  just  before 


ST.      BERNARDINO 
/?  j'  /  V? <t.*c*/i  /V/  ra /A ' 


To  f«ice  p.  338 


ST.  BERNARDINO  OF  SIENA  339 

his  death,  to  be  the  protector  of  his  votaries  from  the  plague. 
The  dying  Saint  kneels  with  his  dog  beside  him,  gazing  up  in 
rapt  devotion  at  the  Saviour,  whilst  an  angel  offers  him  the 
tablet  with  the  inscription  quoted  above,  and  below  crowds  of 
sick  and  suffering  await  the  promised  relief.  In  the  Dresden 
Gallery  is  a  beautiful  *  St.  Roch  distributing  his  Goods  to  the 
Poor '  by  Annibale  Caracci,  and  Bassano's  '  St.  Roch  ad- 
ministering the  Blessed  Sacrament  to  the  Plague-stricken/ 
is  also  a  very  fine  interpretation  of  the  legend. 

More  celebrated  that  any  of  these  are,  however,  the  paint- 
ings by  Tintoretto  in  the  Church  and  Scuola  di  S.  Rocco  at 
Venice,  which  include  in  the  former :  St.  Roch  receiving  the 
blessing  of  the  Pope  ;  the  pilgrim  Saint  and  his  dog  in  a 
landscape,  with  crowds  of  people  on  either  side  of  them  ;  his 
healing  of  the  sick ;  St.  Roch  and  the  beasts  of  the  field  ; 
and  his  death  in  prison  ;  whilst  in  the  latter  are  an  Altar- 
piece  of  the  apotheosis  of  St.  Roch,  a  subject  repeated  on 
the  ceiling,  and  a  fine  single  figure  of  the  same  Saint,  all  form- 
ing part  of  a  magnificent  scheme  of  decoration,  which  ranks 
with  that  of  the  Sistine  Chapel  by  Michael  Angelo  and  of  the 
Stanze  by  Raphael 


CHAPTER  XXVI 

ST.    BERNARDINO   OF   SIENA  AND   OTHER  SAINTS   OF   THE 
FIFTEENTH  CENTURY 

FEW  of  the  many  monks  who  have  been  counted  worthy  to  be 
called  Saints  more  truly  deserved  that  honour  than  did  the 
noble  Italian  preacher,  St.  Bernardino  of  Siena,  whose  deeply 
interesting  personality,  brilliant  eloquence,  sincere  piety,  and 
keen  reasoning  powers,  combined  to  give  to  him  a  position 
unique  amongst  his  contemporaries,  A  scion  of  the  great 
house  of  the  Albi&zecchi,  he  was  born  in  1380,  the  year  of  the 
death  of  his  fellow-countrywoman,  St.  Catherine,  who,  had 
she  lived,  would  doubtless  have  been  one  of  the  first  to  appre- 
ciate the  great  gifts  of  a  man  whose  spirit  was  so  thoroughly 
akin  to  her  own. 

Pre-eminently  handsome,  and  with  a  slight,  graceful  figure,, 
the  young  Bernardino  was  well  fitted  to  shine  in  society ;  but 

22 — 2 


340  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

at  the  age  of  seventeen  he  renounced  the  world  to  enter  a 
society  for  nursing  the  poor,  and  when  the  plague  broke  out  in 
Siena  none  of  the  brethren  were  more  zealous  in  their  care 
for  the  sufferers  than  he.  In  1403  he  entered  the  Franciscan 
Order,  and  was  sent  to  preach  in  various  districts  of  Italy, 
carrying  everywhere  with  him,  it  is  said,  a  tablet  on  which  was 
painted  the  monogram  of  Jesus,  framed  in  luminous  golden  rays. 

So  great  was  the  success  in  preaching  of  the  young  monk 
that  mariy  of  his  hearers  were  not  only  moved  to  professions 
of  repentance  whilst  the  memory  of  his  incisive  utterances 
was  fresh,  but  permanently  renounced  their  evil  practices. 
Enemies  were  reconciled ;  women  cut  off  their  hair  and  tore  off 
their  jewels  to  fling  them  at  the  feet  of  the  youthful  reformer ; 
gamblers  destroyed  their  cards ;  and  even  the  rival  political 
parties  of  Italy  forgot  their  feuds  for  a  time  in  their  common 
adoration  for  the  new  apostle.  The  future  Pope,  ^Eneas 
Sylvius,  author  of  the  famous  commentaries,  was  among  the 
disciples  of  St,  Bernardino.  The  Sienese  Government  issued 
a  new  code  of  decrees  called  the  '  Riformagioni  di  Frate  Ber- 
nardino,' of  which  the  chief  aim  was  to  keep  down  excessive 
display  of  wealth  and  to  prevent  the  election  to  public  offices 
of  immoral  persons ;  and  a  great  bonfire  was  made  in  the  Piazza 
del  Campo  of  personal  ornaments,  dice,  cards,  vicious  prints, 
pictures,  and  books,  in  the  presence  of  crowds  of  zealous 
spectators.  In  a  word,  many  of  the  reforms  advocated  by 
Savonarola  half  a  century  later,  were  anticipated  by  St.  Ber- 
nardino, who  is  also  credited  with  having  been  the  founder  of  the 
Franciscan  community  known  as  the  Observantists,  so  called 
because  they  enforced  the  original  rigid  rule  of  the  ascetic  of 
Assisi,  although  as  a  matter  of  fact,  a  little  body  of  hermits 
had  already  inaugurated  a  similar  reform  in  a  convent  at 
Colombiere,  a  few  miles  from  Siena,  before  the  great  preacher 
entered  the  Order. 

It  is  related  that  after  the  suppression  of  gambling  through 
the  influence  of  St.  Bernardino  a  card-maker  complained  that 
his  livelihood  had  been  taken  away  from  him,  and  the  preacher 
advised  him  to  make  tablets  with  the  monogram  of  Jesus,  such 
as  the  one  he  himself  used,  and  sell  them  instead  of  cards. 
In  this  the  reformer  showed  no  little  worldly  wifsdom,  for  the 
man  took  ^  the  hint  and  thereby  won  a  great  fortune,  the 
tablets  having  for  a  time  an  immense  vogue  in  Italy. 


ST.  BERNARDINO  OF  SIENA  341 

With  the  name  of  St.  Bernardino  is  also  associated  what 
was  the  originally  beneficent  institution  of  the  so-called  Monts 
de  Piete,  founded  by  him  to  check  usury  and  to  aid  the  poor 
to  pay  their  debts.  The  society  received  its  strange  name  from 
the  symbol  adopted— three  small  mounds,  the  central  one 
higher  than  the  other  two,  surmounted  by  a  cross  or  by  a 
standard  bearing  a  Pieta  or  figure  of  the  dead  Christ.  The 
warm-hearted  friar  was,  indeed,  from  first  to  last  deeply  inter- 
ested _m  the  suffering  of  those  imprisoned  for  debt,  and  on  one 
occasion,  when  a  certain  nobleman  insisted  on  forcing  upon 
him  a  gift  of  a  hundred  ducats,  he  made  the  messengers  go 
with  him  to  the  prison,  to  witness  the  ransom  with  the 
money  of  all  the  debtors  confined  in  it. 

St.  Bernardino  died  in  1444  at  Aquila  in  the  Abruzzi,  on  one 
ot  his  preaching  expeditions,  and  was  buried  in  the  church  of 
the  tranciscan_  monastery  now  named  after  him  in  that  town. 
Later  his  remains  were  enshrined  in  a  fine  monument  adorned 
with  bas-reliefs  by  Silvestro  Salviati,  which  was  long  the  goal  of 
numerous  pilgrims  who  went  to  it  to  seek  the  aid  of  the  Saint 

The  chief  attributes  in  art  of  St.  Bernardino—who  is  gener- 
ally represented  as  a  tall,  thin  man  in  the  prime  of  life,  with  a 
beardless  and  emaciated  face— are  the  tablet  already  described 
held  in  both  hands,  or  an  open  book  or  scroll,  on  which  can  be 
read  the  words  :  •  Pater,  manifestavi  nomen  tuum  hominibus ' 
(Father  I  have  manifested  Thy  name  to  men),  in  memory 
of  the  fact  that  an  anthem  beginning  with  this  quotation 
from  bt.  John  xvii.  6  was  being  sung  at  vespers  at  the 
moment  _  of  the  death  of  the  Saint.  The  book  or  scroll 
is  occasionally  replaced  by  the  symbol  of  the  Monts  de 
FieW,  and  three  mitres  are  now  and  then  introduced  at  the 
feet  of  St.  Bernardino  in  memory  of  his  having  refused  three 
bishoprics.  A  star  sometimes  shines  above  his  head,  in  token 
ot  his  gift  of  eloquence,  or  the  figure  of  the  Blessed  Virgin 
appears  near  a  city  portal,  the  holy  monk  having,  it  is  said 
prayed  constantly  at  a  shrine  near  the  gates  of  Siena 

St  Bernardino  is  very  often  grouped,  as  in  the  painting  by 
Moretto  in  the  Louvre  already  referred  to,  with  Saints  Francis 
ot  Assisi,  Antony  of  Padua,  and  Bonaventura.  In  the  beautiful 
Annunciation  'by  Francia  in  the  Bologna  Gallery  he  stands 
opposite  to  St.  Francis ;  in  Crivelli's  '  Infant  Christ  giving  the 
Keys  to  St.  Peter,'  now  in  the  Berlin  Gallery,  he  is  amongst  the 


342  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

attendant  Franciscan  Saints  ;  in  Perugino's  '  Virgin  of  Conso- 
lation/ now  in  the  Pinacoteca  Vannucci,  Perugia,  Saints 
Francis  and  Bernardino  are  kneeling  in  prayer  for  a  crowd  of 
suppliants  in  the  background  ;  in  the  Oratory  of  S.  Bernardino 
at  Siena  is  a  fine  life-sized  fresco  of  the  great  preacher  by 
Pacchiarotto ;  the  bas-reliefs  of  the  altar-piece  by  Luca  della 
Robbia  in  the  Church  of  the  Osservanza  near  Siena  include 
a  very  beautiful  interpretation  of  the  character  of  St.  Ber- 
nardino ;  his  bust  is  amongst  the  portrait  medallions  in  the 
Piazza  of  S.  Maria  Novella,  Florence;  and  there  is  a  life-sized 
statue  of  him  in  S.  Croce  in  the  same  city,  said  to  be  by  Luca 
della  Robbia. 

Scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Bernardino  are  of  frequent  occur- 
rence in  Italian  churches,  the  most  celebrated  being  those  by 
Pinturicchio  in  S.  Maria  Ara  Cceli,  Rome,  which  include  his 
admission  to  the  Franciscan  Order,  his  preaching,  his  medita- 
tions in  the  wilderness,  his  death,  funeral,  and  glorification. 
The  '  funeral '  is  especially  beautiful :  the  scene  is  laid  in  Siena, 
although  it  actually  took  place  at  Aquila,  and  additional 
interest  is  given  to  it  by  the  introduction  of  contemporary 
portraits.  In  the  '  glorification '  St.  Bernardino  stands  between 
Saints  Francis  and  Louis  of  Toulouse;  his  figure  and  attitude 
are  full  of  dignity  and  repose  as  he  listens  to  the  songs  of  the 
angels  in  attendance  upon  Christ,  and  awaits  the  placing 
upon  his  own  head  of  the  crown  of  immortality. 

Other  celebrated  monks  of  the  fifteenth  century  were 
Saints  Francis  of  Paula,  Giovanni  Capistrano,  Pietro  Rego- 
ato,  Lorenzo  Giustiani,  Juan  de  Sahagan,  Giacomo  della 
Marchia,  and  Diego  d'Alcala,  with  whom  may  be  associated 
the  famous  St.  Antonino,  Archbishop  of  Florence ;  King 
Casimir  of  Poland;  and  the  Polish  priest,  John  Cantius. 

St.  Francis  of  Paula,  who  was  of  lowly  origin,  was  born 
in  ^416,  in  the  town  in  Calabria  after  which  he  is  named 
and  was  taken  by  his  parents  when  still  a  child  to  the  shrine  of 
St.  Francis  at  Assisi,  a  journey  which  made  a  deep  impression 
upon  him.  On  his  return  home  he  withdrew  to  a  lonely 
cave  near  Reggio,  where  he  was  presently  joined  by  other 
enthusiasts,  and  in  1436  he  founded  a  congregation  to  which 
he  gave  the  significant  title  of  the  Frates  Minimi,  or  the  Least 
Brethren,  as  a  sign  that  their  humility  exceeded  even  that  of 
the  Frates  Minori,  or  Lesser  Brethren,  of  St.  Francis.  The 


Antierstw  j>/iati>\  [X.  Maria  Ara  Cu'li,  A'ow*' 

THE    GLORIFICATION    OF    ST.    UKRNARDIXO    OK    SIKNA 

B\>  Pintoficchio 


To  face  p.  -342 


ST.  FRANCIS  OF  PAULA  343 

single  word  Caritas,  or  'charity/  was  chosen  as  the  motto  of 
the^new  community,  whose  members  assumed  the  dark-brown 
tunic  and  cord  of  the  Franciscans,  with  the  addition  of  a 
snort  white  scapulary. 

The  fame  of  the  austerity  of  St.  Francis  and  of  the  wonder- 
ful miracles  he  is  said  to  have  performed,  spread  throughout 
Kurope,  and  he  lived  to  found  many  monasteries  in  Italy 
trance,  and  Spain.  In  1483  he  was  summoned  to  the  death- 
bed  ot  Louis  XL,  who  hoped  through  the  ministrations  of  the 
bamt  to  obtain  relief  from  the  tortures  of  remorse  for  all  his  own 
evil  deeds.  St.  Francis  at  first  refused  to  go,  but  the  French 
monarch  persuaded  Pope  Sixtus  IV.  fo  command  him  to  obey, 
and  the  monk  reluctantly  set  out  for  Plessis  le  Tour.  His  journey 
thither  was  like  a  triumphant  progress,  so  enthusiastic  was  the 
reception  accorded  him,  and  he  was  met  at  Amboise  by  the 
Dauphin  and  the  chief  nobles  of  France,  who  escorted  him  to 
the  bedside  of  the  King.  The  interview  between  the  sinful 
monarch  and  the  simple  monk  must  have  been  a  very  remark- 
able ^one,  peculiarly  significant  of  the  time  at  which  they  lived 
Louis  is  said  to  have  entreated  the  holy  man  to  obtain  a  pro- 
longation  of  his  life,  but  St.  Francis  bid  him  prepare  for  death 
by  making  such  amends  as  he  could  for  the  wrongs  he  had 
inflicted  on  his  subjects,  and  this  advice  having  been  eagerly 
followed,  the  holy  man  administered  the  last  Sacraments  to  his 
penitent,  remaining  with  him  till  the  end. 

St.  Francis  spent  the  rest  of  his  life  in  France,  the  successors 
of  Louis  XL  turning  to  him  for  advice  in  their  temporal  as 
well  as  their  spiritual  difficulties.  He  was  nicknamed  le  Bon 
Homme  by  the  courtiers,  and  the  title  of  '  Les  Bons  Homines ' 
is  still  given  to  his  monks  in  France.  He  died  at  Plessis  le 
Tour  in  1508,  and  was  buried  in  that  town,  but  his  tomb  was 
rifled  by  the  Huguenots  in  1562. 

The  attributes  of  St.  Francis  of  Paula— who  is  generally 
represented  as  a  very  old  man  with  a  long  beard— are  a  scroll 
bearing  the  word  <  Caritas '  in  a  glory  of  light,  either  held  in 
his  own  hand  or  by  an  angel  near  him;  a  staff,  on  account  of 
his  great  age,  or,  according  to  some,  because  he  is  said  to  have 
stopped  a  huge  piece  of  rock  which  was  rolling  down  a  moun- 
tain by  touching  it  with  his  stick;  and  a  crucifix,  on  account 
of  his  love  of  the  Saviour,  or  because  the  wood  of  one  is  said 
to  have  been  used  for  burning  his  relics.  A  donkey  near  a 


344  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

forge  is  sometimes  introduced  beside  St.  Francis,  in  allusion  to 
a  legend  to  the  effect  that  one  day,  when  he  had  no  money  to 
pay  a  blacksmith,  he  ordered  the  animal  which  had  just  been 
shod  to  kick  off  its  shoes,  and  was  obeyed,  to  the  great 
astonishment  of  all  present.  Occasionally,  as  in  several  Spanish 
pictures,  the  founder  of  the  Prates  Minimi  is  seen  standing 
on  his  cloak  on  the  sea,  for  one  day,  when  some  sailors  refused 
to  take  him  and  two  of  his  monks  from  Sicily  to  Calabria  with- 
out payment,  he  is  said  to  have  used  his  mantle  as  a  boat ;  or 
he  is  breaking  a  piece  of  money  from  which  blood  is  issuing,  in 
the  presence  of  Ferdinand  L  of  Naples,  who  on  one  occasion 
offered  him  a  large  sum  of  money  that  had  been  acquired 
unjustly  by  the  oppression  of  the  poor. 

St.  Francis  of  Paula  was  a  very  favourite  subject  with 
Murillo,  the  Madrid  Museum  containing  three  fine  represen- 
tations of  the  great  ascetic  from  the  hand  of  the  Spanish 
master,  and  in  the  Munich  Gallery  is  a  beautiful  group  of  the 
Saint  healing  a  cripple  at  the  door  of  a  church.  In  the 
Bologna  Gallery  is  an  interesting  painting,  by  Lavinia 
Fontana,  of  Louise,  Duchesse  d'Angoul£me  attended  by  four 
ladies-in-waiting,  presenting  her  infant  son,  the  future  King 
Francis  I.,  to  St.  Francis  ;  and  in  the  Dresden  Gallery  is  a  pic- 
ture, attributed  to  one  ojf  the)  Salimbene,  of  the  same  Saint 
presenting  a  beautiful  boy  to  the  Blessed  Virgin. 

St.  Giovanni  Capistrano  belonged  to  a  noble  family  of  Anjou, 
and  was  born  at  Capistran  in  1385.  After  taking  a  high  position 
as  a  lawyer  and  marrying  a  beautiful  girl  to  whom  he  was  much 
attached,  the  future  Saint  became  embroiled  in  the  quarrel 
between  the  city  of  Perugia  and  Ladislas  of  Naples.  He  was 
unjustly  suspected  of  betraying  the  plans  of  the  former,  and  was 
thrown  into  prison,  where  he  languished  for  some  months.  His 
wife  died  during  his  incarceration,  and  when  he  was  set  free  he 
entered  the  Franciscan  Order  and  became  celebrated  as  a 
preacher.  After  the  capture  of  Constantinople  by  the  Turks 
St.  Giovanni  was  sent  to  preach  a  crusade  against  them  through- 
out Europe.  At  the  siege  of  Belgrade,  when  the  Mohammedan 
forces  were  driven  off  with  great  loss,  the  Franciscan  friar 
was  seen  on  the  walls  with  his  crucifix  in  his  hand  cheering  on 
the  Hungarian  defenders,  and  he  is  said  to  have  led  the  army 
to  victory  again  and  again,  shouting  the  watchword  '  Jesus  ! 
Jesus !'  Some  writers  have  even  accused  him  of  fighting  himself, 


ST.  LORENZO  GIUSTIANI  345 


but  others  assert  that  he  never  used  any  weapon  but  his  crucifix, 
which  secured  success  wherever  he  appeared  with  it.  Before 
he  died  St.  Giovanni  Capistrano  became  General  of  the  Obser- 
vantist  branch  of  the  Franciscan  Order.  He  breathed  his  last 
on  October  23,  1476,  in  one  of  his  own  monasteries  at  Willech, 
and  was  buried  in  its  church,  but  his  remains  were  later  thrown 
into  the  Danube  by  the  Lutherans. 

The  emblems  in  art  of  the  great  Franciscan  leader — who  is 
sometimes  grouped  with  Saints  Lorenzo  Giustiani,  John  of 
Sahagan,  John  of  God,  and  Pascal  Baylon,  who  were  canonized 
with  him  in  1690 — are  a  crucifix  held  in  one  hand,  to  which  he 
points  with  the  other;  a  banner  bearing  the  monogram  of 
Jesus  or  a  cross ;  a  red  cross  embroidered  on  his  robes,  and  a 
turban,  on  which  he  is  trampling,  all  in  memory  of  his  suc- 
cesses against  the  Turks.  A  star  is  also  sometimes  introduced 
above  the  head  of  St.  Giovanni  Capistrano,  in  token  of  his 
eloquence  as  a  preacher. 

St.^PietroRegolatp — who  appears  sometimes  in  Spanish  and 
Italian  pictures  giving  bread  to  the  poor,  and  calling  their 
attention  to  a  crucifix — was  born  at  Valladolid  early  in  the 
fifteenth  century,  and  entered  the  Franciscan  Order  as  soon  as 
he  was  old  enough  to  be  received.  He  won  much  renown  for 
his  combined  austerity  and  generosity,  and  died  in  1456. 

More  famous  than  any  of  the  Franciscan  monks  of  the 
fifteenth  century,  except  St.  Bernardino  of  Siena,  was  the 
Augustine  St.  Lorenzo  Giustiani,  a  scion  of  a  noble  family  of 
Venice,  in  which  city  he  was  born  in  1380.  His  mother,  who 
was  left  a  widow  soon  after  his  birth,  brought  him  up  in  the 
fear  of  the  Lord,  but  was  at  the  same  time  anxious  that^  he 
should  marry  and  preserve  his  father's  name.  He  was  him- 
self, however,  determined  to  embrace  a  religious  life,  and  ran 
away  from  home,  taking  refuge  with  some  Augustinian  hermits 
at  S.  Giorgio  in  Alga.  It  is  related  that  he  often  came  to  the 
door  of  his  mother's  house  to  beg  for  alms  for  his  brethren,  and 
that,  although  her  heart  was  broken,  she  never  failed  to  fill  his 
wallet  for  him  without  a  word  of  remonstrance,  St,  Lorenzo 
rose  to  great  honour  in  the  Augustinian  Order,  and  very  much 
against  his  own  will  was  made  Bishop  of  Venice  in  1433. 
He  is  said  to  have  continued  to  wear  his  coarse  monastic  habit, 
and  to  have  slept  on  the  ground  on  straw,  until  his  death, 
which  took  place  in  1455.  In  spite  of  his  reluctance  to  become 


346  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

a  Bishop,  he  ruled  his  see  with  very  great  wisdom,  and  is  credited 
with  having  again  and  again  saved  Venice  from  the  plague  and 
other  evils,  for  which  reason  he  is  sometimes  represented 
calming  a  storm  which  appears  about  to  burst  upon  the  city  of 
the  lagoons.  The  portrait  of  St.  Lorenzo  Giustiani  was 
painted  during  his  life-time  by  Vittore  Carpaccio,  and  the 
various  representations  of  him  introduced  in  devotional  pictures 
are  supposed  to  be  founded  on  it.  One  of  the  most  celebrated 
interpretations  of  his  character  occurs  in  an  altarpiece  by 
Giovanni  Antonio  da  Pordenone,  painted  for  the  Church  of 
S.  Maria  dell'  Orto,  but  now  in  the  Academy  of  Venice,  in 
which  the  Bishop,  whose  features  resemble  those  of  Dante,  is 
the  central  figure  of  a  group  of  Saints,  whom  he  seems  to  be 
addressing.  His  right  hand  is  raised  as  if  in  preaching,  and  in 
the  left  he  holds  a  book  with  clasps.  Another  celebrated  picture 
in  which  St.  Lorenzo  is  the  principal  figure,  is  that  representing 
his  election  to  the  Patriarchate  of  Venice,  by  Marco  Vecelli, 
in  the  Doge's  Palace,  and  he  is  introduced  in  the  *  Christ 
Enthroned J  attributed  to  Palma  Vecchio,  and  many  other 
Italian  devotional  pictures. 

St.  Juan  de  Sahagan  was  of  Spanish  origin,  and  though  he 
was  brought  up  in  a  Benedictine  convent,  he  joined  the 
Augustinian  Order  in  1463.  He  became  Prior  of  a  monastery 
in  Salamanca,  and  won  an  extraordinary  reputation  for 
holiness  throughout  Spain,  many  miracles  having,  it  is  said, 
been  performed  by  him  or  on  his  behalf.  On  one  occasion  an 
attempt  made  to  poison  him  in  the  Sacramental  cup  by  a 
beautiful  girl,  whose  lover  he  had  converted,  was  supernaturally 
frustrated,  for  which  reason  the  emblem  of  a  chalice  from 
which  a  serpent  is  issuing  is  given  to  htm.  He  several  times 
defeated  the  schemes  of  the  evil  one,  and  is  now  and  then 
represented  trampling  a  demon  under  his  feet ;  and  when-  a 
nobleman  he  had  offended  sent  two  assassins  to  murder  him, 
he  discovered  their  design,  and,  instead  of  harming  him,  they  fell 
at  his  knees  to  ask  for  his  forgiveness.  The  constant  triumphs 
of  St.  Juan  over  those  who  wished  to  harm  him  are  also  some- 
times symbolized  by  a  number  of  swords  on  the  ground  beside 
him,  and  now  and  then  he  is  seen  trampling  upon  a  globe,  in 
token  of  his  renunciation  of  the  world.  He  died  in  1479,  and 
was  buried  at  Salamanca,  where  he  is  still  held  in  high 
esteem. 


«*1  litiari  phofo} 


Gallery 


SAINTS    FRANCIS   OF   ASSISI   AND    BERNARDINO    OF    SIENA    WITH 

THE    FRANCISCAN    ANNUNCIATION 
Bv  Franc  let. 


To  face  p.  346 


ST.  GIACOMO  BELLA  MARCHIA  347 

The  story  of  St.  Giacomo  della  Marchia  greatly  resembles 
that  of  St.  Juan  de  Sahagan,  and  his  chief  emblem  is  also  a 
chalice  with  a  serpent  issuing  from  it,  in  memory  of  an  attempt 
to  poison  him.  St.  Giacomo  was  of  Italian  birth,  entered  the 
Franciscan  Order  as  a  young  man,  and  became  famous  for  his 
eloquent  preaching.  It  is  related  of  him  that,  when  ordered  by 
Pope  Eugenius  IV.  to  go  to  Bosnia  to  take  proceedings  against 
the  heretics  there,  he  put  down  a  cap  from  which  he  was 
about  to  drink,  and  started  without  a  moment's  delay ;  hence  a 
goblet  sometimes  replaces  his  emblem  of  the  chalice.  He  died 
and  was  buried  at  Naples  in  1476,  after  winning  back  many 
doubters  to  the  true  Church,  and  was  canonized  in  1746,  at 
the  same  time  as  St.  Agnes  of  Monte  Palciano,  for  which 
reason  he  is  sometimes  grouped  with  her.  In  addition  to  the 
cup  and  chalice,  the  attribute  of  the  name  of  Jesus  in  luminous 
letters  above  his  head  is  now  and  then  given  to  St.  Giacomo, 
or  he  holds  a  banner  bearing  the  monogram  of  the  Saviour, 
both  in  memory  of  his  great  devotion  to  his  Master.  Occasion- 
ally, too,  he  holds  three  globules  in  one  hand,  it  is  said  because 
he  died  of  cstone,  a  malady  from  which  he  is  supposed  to  be 
able  to  save  his  votaries,  though  he  fell  a  victim  to  it  himself. 

St.  Diego  d'Alcala  was  of  very  lowly  Spanish  origin,  and 
was  received  as  a  lay-brother  in  a  Franciscan  monastery  when 
he  was  little  more  than  a  boy.  He  became  noted  for  his  rigid 
obedience  and  humility,  and  was  chosen  to  go  to  Rome  with 
many  others  to  be  present  at  the  canonization  of  St.  Ber- 
nardino of  Siena.  He  won  golden  opinions  in  the  Eternal  City 
for  his  loving  ministrations  to  his  fellow-pilgrims,  and  is, 
indeed,  credited  with  having  performed  many  miracles  on  their 
behalf,  as  well  as  on  that  of  the  sick  and  suffering  whom  he 
met  by  the  way.  A  quaint  story  is  told  of  his  having  restored 
to  life  a  child  whose  mother  had  accidentally  shut  him  up  in 
an  oven  and  roasted  him  to  death.  The  Infant  Saviour  is  said 
to  have  appeared  to  St.  Diego  as  He  had  done  to  Saints 
Francis  and  Antony ;  the  familiar  legend  is  told  of  the  pro- 
visions the  holy  man  was  taking  from  his  convent  to  the  poor 
being  changed  to  roses  when  he  was  asked  what  he  was 
carrying,  and  angels  are  supposed  to  have  done  his  work  when 
he  forgot  to  attend  to  it,  in  his  rapt  contemplation  of  heavenly 
things. 

St.  Diego  died  at  Alcala  soon  after  his  return  from  Rome, 


348  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

and  was  buried  in  the  graveyard  of  his  monastery.  He  would 
probably  have  long  since  been  forgotten,  but  for  the  fact  that 
many  years  after  his  death  he  is  credited  with  having  cured  the 
Infant  Don  Carlos  of  a  serious  wound.  He  was  canonized  by 
Pope  Sixtus  V.,  and  a  chapel  was  dedicated  to  him  in  the 
Church  of  S.  Giacomo  degli  Spagnuoli  at  Rome,  which  was 
enriched  with  frescoes,  since  transferred  to  canvas,  after  the 
designs  of  Annibale  Caracci  by  Francesco  Albani,  the  subjects 
of  which  included  the  various  incidents  related  above. 

The  art  attributes  of  St.  Diego  are  a  crucifix  held  in  his 
hand,  in  memory,  it  is  said,  of  his  having  pressed  one  to  his 
heart  on  his  death-bed,  with  the  words,  '  Precious  wood,  happy 
nails,  that  had  the  honour  of  supporting  the  Kings  of  kings  !* 
and  roses  held  in  a  fold  of  his  robes.  He  has  been  several 
times  painted  by  Murillo,  and  perhaps  the  finest  interpretations 
of  his  simple  character  are  by  that  great  master :  one  in  the 
Louvre,  in  which  the  Saint  bears  a  cross  upon  his  shoulder, 
and  holds  up  the  miraculous  roses  in  his  hand ;  the  other  in 
Madrid,  in  which  he  appears  in  ecstasy  upon  masses  of  clouds, 
whilst  angels  are  doing  his  work  below. 

Very  different  from  the  career  of  the  humble  lay  brother 
St.  Diego,  was  that  of  the  great  Archbishop  Antonino  of 
Florence,  who  was  born  in  that  city  in  1389.  The  latter  was  of 
noble  parentage,  and  might  have  taken  a  high  position  as  a 
political  leader,  but  from  the  first  he  shrank  from  the  world,  and 
loved  to  meditate  in  solitude  on  holy  things.  St.  Antonino  entered 
a  Dominican  convent  at  Fiesole  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  having,  it 
is  said,  been  at  first  refused  admission  by  the  Superior,  who, 
thinking  he  looked  too  delicate  to  bear  the  austere  life  of  a 
monk,  bid  him  go  home  and  learn  the  whole  of  Gratian's 
'  Libro  del  Decreto  '  by  heart.  Instead  of  protesting  against 
this  extraordinary  task,  the  young  man  went  home,  and  a  year 
later  knocked  again  at  the  door  of  the  convent.  He  was  taken 
before  the  Prior,  and  astonished  him  by  saying,  'Reverend 
Father,  I  have  obeyed  your  wishes ;  I  can  say  the  book  by 
heart.  Will  you  now  receive  me  ?'  Needless  to  add  that  no 
further  difficulty  was  made.  Antonino  became  a  monk,  and  in 
the  convent  at  Fiesole  he  had  the  inestimable  privilege  of  con- 
stant intercourse  with  the  great  painter  Fra  Angelico,  whose 
devoted  friend  he  remained  till  the  end  of  his  life.  After 
winning  a  very  high  position  in  the  Dominican  Order,  and 


ST.  ANTONINO  349 

acting  as  Prior  of  many  convents,  St.  Antonino  was  made 
Archbishop  of  Florence,  it  is  said,  by  the  advice  of  his  old 
comrade,  Fra  Angelico,  to  whom  the  appointment  had  first 
been  offered.  The  new  prelate  ruled  his  important  diocese 
with  great  wisdom  for  thirteen  years,  saving  his  city  several 
times  from  the  dangers  that  threatened  it,  and  he  died  in  1459. 
He  was  buried  in  the  chapel  of  the  famous  Convent  of  S.  Marco, 
where  he  had  so  often  met  his  friend  the  painter,  and  in  which 
the  cell  is  still  pointed  out  where  he  and  Fra  Angelico  were 
received  together  by  Cosimo  Pater  Patrise. 

The  special  attribute  in  art  of  St.  Antonino — who  is  generally 
represented  as  a  young  man  with  an  ascetic  face,  wearing  the 
robes  and  mitre  of  an  Archbishop — is  a  pair  of  scales,  with 
fruits  in  one  balance,  and  a  scroll  bearing  the  word  '  Retri- 
butio '  in  the  other,  in  memory  of  the  Bishop  having  more  than 
once  put  to  shame  those  who,  whilst  pretending  that  they  were 
making  him  a  free  gift  for  the  good  of  the  poor,  really  expected 
to  benefit  themselves.  The  holy  man  accepted  their  offerings 
with  the  words,  '  God  will  reward  you,'  and  then,  seeing  their 
discontent,  proved  to  them  that  he  was  giving  them  far  more 
than  their  deserts,  by  placing  their  offerings  in  one  scale,  and 
a  paper  bearing  his  reply  in  the  other,  with  the  result  that 
the  latter  proved  to  be  far  heavier  than  the  former.  Some- 
times in  addition  to  the  scales,  a  lily  and  a  book  are  given  to 
St.  Antonino,  the  former  in  token  of  his  purity,  the  latter  in 
memory  of  his  many  writings.  He  is  introduced,  for  instance, 
in  the  *  Isabella  Breviary '  of  the  British  Museum,  holding 
a  book  with  edges  folded  over,  making  it  look  like  a  bag, 
and  elsewhere  several  volumes  are  placed  beside  him  bearing 
the  titles  of  some  of  his  works,  such  as  the  *  Summa  Theologica  ' 
and  the  '  Chronicorum  Opus.' 

In  the  chapel  in  which  St.  Antonino  is  buried  is  a  fine  statue 
of  him  by  Giovanni  da  Bologna,  and  the  walls  are  adorned  with 
frescoes  by  Domenico  Cresti,  representing  his  burial  and  canon- 
ization, in  which  are  introduced  portraits  of  many  Italian 
celebrities  of  the  sixteenth  century.  Even  more  interesting, 
however,  are  the  frescoes  in  the  Convent  of  S.  Marco,  which 
include  St.  Antonino  as  a  boy  praying,  and  his  entrance  into 
Florence  as  Archbishop,  both  by  Bernardino  Barbatelli ;  his 
death  as  an  old  man,  by  Matteo  Roselli,  outside  the  refec- 
tory, with  various  scenes  from  his  life  from  different  hands  in 


35o  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

some  of  the  cells ;  and,  above  all,  the  portrait  of  St.  Antonino 
ascribed  to  Fra  Bartolommeo,  in  cell  No.  31,  said  to  have  been 
occupied  by  the  future  Archbishop  when  he  was  still  only  a 

monk. 

In  striking  contrast  to  the  long  and  influential  career  of 
St.  Antonino  of  Florence  was  the  brief  life  ^  of  Prince  Casimir 
of  Poland,  who  resigned  his  claim  to  his  father's  throne, 
and  entered  the  third  Order  of  St.  Francis,  devoting  his 
life  to  good  works.  He  was  specially  attached,  it  is  said,  to 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  the  hymn  in  her  honour  beginning 
with  the  words  '  Omni  die  die  Marias '  was  constantly  on  his 
lips.  He  died  in  1483,  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-three,  and 
was  buried  in  the  Church  of  St.  Stanislas  at  Vilna.  ^He  is 
still  much  honoured  in  Poland,  and  also  in  France,  his  cult 
having  been  introduced  to  the  latter  country  by  Casimir  V., 
who  on  resigning  his  crown  became  Abbot  of  a  Benedictine 
convent  in  Paris.  The  emblems  of  St.  Casimir  are  a  lily,  a 
scroll  on  which  is  inscribed  part  of  his  favourite  hymn  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin,  and  a  crown  at  his  feet.^  One  of  the  most 
celebrated  representations  of  the  Polish  Saint  is  that  by  Carlo 
Dolci  in  the  Pitti  Gallery, 

St.  John  Cantius  was  the  contemporary  of  St.  Casimir,  and 
though  he  never  attained  any  dignity,  and  died  a  simple  priest 
in  1473,  he  is  much  revered  in  Poland  on  account  of  his  great 
generosity  to  the  poor,  to  whom  he  often  gave  all  he  had, 
stripping  off  his  own  garments  to  clothe  them.  In  memory  of 
St.  John  Cantius  it  was  customary  for  many  centuries  for  every 
professor  at  the  College  of  Cracow,  in  which  the  Saint  was  at 
one  time  professor  of  theology,  to  take  a  poor  man  home  to 
dinner  with  him  at  least  once  a  year. 

To  the  fifteenth  century  also  belongs  St.  Francesca  Romana, 
the  foundress  of  the  Benedictine  Congregation  ^  of  ^  the  Oblates, 
so  called  because  its  members  offered  up  their  lives  to  God, 
without,  however,  altogether  renouncing  their  duties  in  the 
world.  Born  at  Rome  in  1384,  St.  Francesca  belonged  to  an 
aristocratic  family,  and  was  married  against  her  will  in  1396  to 
a  young  nobleman  named  Lorenzo  Pinziano,  to  whom,  how- 
ever, she  became  greatly  attached.  Her  husband  made  no  oppo- 
sition to  her  spending  much  of  her  time  working  for  the  poor, 
and  even  before  his  death  she  had  won  to  her  views  a  little  body 
of  ladies  as  devoted  as  herself,  to  whom  she  gave  the  rule  of 


ST.  FRANCESCA  ROMANA  351 

St.  Benedict.  When  left  a  widow  in  1436  St.  Francesca  herself 
joined  the  community,  and  a  year  later  the  Papal  sanction  was 
given  to  the  new  congregation,  which  received  the  name  of  the 
Oblates,  but  was  also  known  as  that  of  the  Collatines,  after  the 
district  in  Rome  in  which  the  first  house  belonging  to  it  was 
situated.  St.  Francesca  ruled  her  nuns  with  great  wisdom — 
performing,  it  is  said,  many  miracles  on  their  behalf — until  her 
death,  which  took  place  in  1440  in  the  house  of  her  son  Bap- 
tista  Pinziano,  whom  she  had  gone  to  comfort  in  a  great 
bereavement.  She  was  buried  in  S.  Maria  Nova,  now  named 
after  her,  and  was  canonized  in  1608. 

The  special  attributes  of  St.  Francesca  Romana — effigies  of 
whom  are  very  numerous  in  Rome,  where  she  is  still  much 
revered — are  an  angel  kneeling  beside  her,  for  she  is  said  to  have 
been  constantly  attended  by  one  visible  to  herself  alone ;  a 
basket  of  loaves  held  in  her  hand,  in  memory  of  her  having  on 
one  occasion  multiplied  the  provision  of  bread  for  the  sisters  of 
her  convent,  when  all  but  a  few  broken  crusts  had  been  given 
to  the  poor ;  and  an  open  book,  in  which  can  be  read  the  words 
*  Tenuisti  manum  dexteram  rneam,  et  in  voluntate  tua  dedux- 
isti  me,  et  cum  gloria  suscepiste/*  in  allusion  to  a  touching 
legend  to  the  effect  that,  having  one  day  been  called  away 
four  times  from  her  devotions  to  meet  some  domestic  emer- 
gency, she  found  on  kneeling  down  for  the  fifth  time,  the  verse 
quoted  above  shining  forth  from  the  page  in  letters  of  gold,  a 
significant  proof  that  God  Himself  approved  of  her  devotion  as 
a  wife  and  mother.  Now  and  then  the  open  book  is  replaced 
by  a  pyx,  rays  of  light  issuing  from  it  and  concentrating  upon 
the  heart  of  the  Saint,  an  allusion  probably  to  her  devotion  to 
the  Blessed  Sacrament;  and  instances  occur  of  the  introduction 
of  the  representation  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  bending  down  to 
place  the  Holy  Child  in  the  arms  of  St.  Francesca,  to  whom 
that  signal  favour  is  said  to  have  been  granted  one  day  when 
she  was  returning  home  from  church. 

There  is  a  recumbent  statue  of  St.  Francesca  by  Bernini  on 
her  tomb  in  the  church  named  after  her  at  Rome ;  she  is 
introduced  seated  on  clouds  with  her  angel  kneeling  beside  her 
in  the  frescoes  by  Domenichino  at  GrottaFerrata;  and  Guercino 

6  Nevertheless,  I  am  continually  with  Thee  ;  Thou  hast  holden  me  by  my 
right  hand.  Thou  shalt  guide  me  with  Thy  counsel,  and  afterward  receive 
me  to  glory'  (Ps,  Ixxiii.  23,  24). 


352  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

has  painted  her  holding  her  book,  with  her  basket  of  bread 
beside  her,  and  her  guardian  angel  in  attendance.  The  so-called 
'  Vision  of  St.  Francesca '  is  the  subject  of  a  fine  composition 
ascribed  to  Poussin,  in  which  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  seen  above 
the  kneeling  Saint  offering  broken  arrows  to  her,  whilst  on  the 
ground  beside  the  suppliant  are  dead  and  dying  figures,  a  sup- 
posed allusion  to  the  cessation  of  a  plague  at  Rome  through 
the  intercession  of  St.  Francesca ;  and  Alessandro  Tiarini  has 
represented  the  saintly  widow  restoring  a  dead  child  to  life  to 
give  him  back  to  his  mother. 

Other  women  of  the  fifteenth  century  who  have  been  canon- 
ized and  are  occasionally  represented  in  art  were  Saints 
Catherine  of  Bologna  and  Colette  of  Picardy.  The  former, 
who  was  one  of  the  maids  of  honour  of  Princess  Margareta 
d'Este,  withdrew  to  a  convent  of  Poor  Clares  on  the  marriage 
of  her  royal  mistress,  and  is  chiefly  famous  for  a  tradition  to 
the  effect  that  the  Blessed  Virgin  allowed  her  to  hold  the  Infant 
Saviour  in  her  arms.  St.  Catherine  died  in  1463,  and  her  body 
is  still  shown  in  the  chapel  of  her  nunnery  at  Bologna,  one 
cheek  retaining,  it  is  said,  the  imprint  of  the  kiss  given  to 
her  by  the  Holy  Child,  St.  Catherine,  who  is  the  patron  of 
the  Academy  of  Painting  at  Bologna,  is  supposed  to  have  had 
some  talent  for  art,  and  in  the  Bologna  Gallery  is  preserved  a 
representation  on  panel  attributed  to  her,  of  St.  Ursula  and  her 
maidens. 

Of  St.  Colette,  the  daughter  of  a  poor  French  carpenter  of 
Corbie  in  Picardy,  the  remarkable  story  is  told  that  one  day 
when  she  was  about  fifteen  and  was  kneeling  in  prayer  before  a 
crucifix,  Saints  Francis  and  Clara  appeared  to  her,  to  order  her 
to  restore  to  their  primitive  severity  the  rules  of  the  Orders 
founded  by  them.  The  recipient  of  this  remarkable  favour 
devoted  the  rest  of  her  life  to  carrying  out  the  supernatural 
instructions,  at  first  joining  the  third  Order  of  St.  Francis, 
and  later  instituting  a  congregation  known  for  some  little 
time  as  that  of  the  Colletines,  which  was  absorbed  in  the 
sixteenth  century  in  that  of  the  Observants.  St.  Colette  is  said 
to  have  been  rewarded  for  her  ardent  zeal  in  the  cause  of 
religion  by  being  allowed  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  to  hold  in  her 
arms  the^dead^body  of  the  crucified  Redeemer,  and  ever  after 
that  awe-inspiring  experience,  to  have  felt  once  a  day  in  her  own 
person  the  supreme  agony  of  the  Passion  of  her  Lord.  She  is 


ST.  IGNATIUS  LOYOLA  353 

further  credited  with  having  understood  the  language  of  birds, 
and  is  supposed  to  have  been  constantly  attended  by  a  tame 
lark,  for  which  reason  she  is  generally  represented  with  birds 
flying  about  her  head,  and  by  a  pet  lamb  that  always  accom- 
panied her  to  church,  never  failing  to  kneel  with  her  at  the 
elevation  of  the  Host.  St.  Colette  died  at  Ghent  in  1447,  and 
is  still  lovingly  remembered  in  Belgium  and  France. 


CHAPTER  XXVII 

ST.   IGNATIUS    LOYOLA  AND   OTHER   SAINTS   OF  THE 
SIXTEENTH    CENTURY 

IT  appears  at  first  sight  a  somewhat  remarkable  fact  that  there 
should  exist  so  few  celebrated  representations  of  the  Saints 
who  were  the  contemporaries  of  the  great  masters  of  the  golden 
age  of  painting  and  of  sculpture.  The  reason  for  the  apparent 
anomaly  is  not,  however,  far  to  seek,  for  it  was  not,  as  a  general 
rule,  until  the  honour  of  canonization  had  been  given  to  them, 
that  the  heroes  of  the  faith  were  considered  suitable  subjects 
for  introduction  in  devotional  pictures  and  ecclesiastical  decora- 
tion. Before  the  holy  men  and  women  of  the  sixteenth  century 
had  been  admitted  to  the  hierarchy  of  the  Saints,  the  great  re- 
ligious painters  properly  so  called,  whose  chief  aim  was  the 
promotion  of  the  glory  of  God  and  of  His  elect,  had  passed 
away,  and  the  decadence  of  art — especially  of  sacred  art — was 
already  far  advanced.  Moreover  the  representations  of  the 
later  Saints,  beautiful  though  many  of  them  undoubtedly  are> 
owe  their  value  less  to  their  subject  and  the  interpretation  of 
that  subject,  than  to  the  technical  skill  of  their  execution,  and 
they  must  therefore  be  judged  as  works  of  art  alone,  their 
connection  with  religion  being  accidental  rather  than  essential. 

Chief  amongst  the  Saints  of  the  sixteenth  century  who  have 
been  treated  by  their  interpreters  in  a  thoroughly  modern  and 
realistic  spirit,  was  Ignatius  de  Loyola,  the  founder  of  the  great 
Jesuit  Order,  which  has  exercised  since  his  time  so  important  an 
influence  on  the  politics  of  Europe.  The  youngest  son  of  noble 
Spanish  parents,  the  future  Saint  was  born  in  1491  in  his 
father's  castle  of  Loyola,  and  began  his  career  as  a  page  in 

VOL.  in.  23 


354  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

the  Court  of  Ferdinand  V.  He  afterwards  entered  the  army, 
and  quickly  won  renown  as  a  brave  and  enthusiastic  officer  ; 
but  in  1521  he  was  wounded  in  both  legs  at  the  siege  of  Pam- 
peluna.  After  a  terrible  illness  he  recovered  to  a  certain  extent 
only,  for  one  of  the  limbs  was  badly  set,  and  to  save  himself 
from  deformity,  he  submitted  to  have  it  broken  again,  in  the 
hope  that  a  new  operation  could  remedy  the  evil.  In  spite  of 
all  the  agony  the  patient  endured,  disappointment  was  again 
the  result.  The  doctors  broke  the  news  to  him  that  he  would  be 
lame  for  life,  and  in  his  despair  he  turned  for  consolation  to 
religion.  Before  he  rose  from  his  sick-bed  he  had  vowed  him- 
self to  the  service  of  the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  his  first  act  on 
his  recovery  was  to  make  a  pilgrimage  to  the  shrine  of  our 
Lady  at  Montserrat,  where  he  hung  up  his  sword  and  lance 
in  token  that  he  renounced  for  ever  the  career  of  a  soldier. 

The  next  two  years  were  spent  by  St.  Ignatius  in  pilgrimages 
to  Rome  and  to  Jerusalem,  but  the  peace  of  mind  he  hoped 
to  win  was  denied  to  him.  He  was  everywhere  met  with 
proofs  of  his  own  unfitness  for  the  new  career  he  had  chosen, 
and  with  remarkable  force  of  will  he  resolved,  at  the  age  of 
thirty-three,  to  qualify  himself  to  preach  the  gospel  by  sub- 
mitting to  the  usual  four  years'  course  of  study.  After  passing 
through  the  Universities  of  Alcala  and  Salamanca,  he  went  to 
Paris,  and  there  gathered  about  him  a  little  community  of 
kindred  spirits,  whom  he  fired  with  his  own  enthusiasm  for 
the  cause  of  Christ,  and  who  eventually  became  the  first 
members  of  the  new  Order,  to  which  the  beautiful  name  of 
the  Company  of  Jesus  was  given.  In  1539  St.  Ignatius  went 
to  Rome  to  obtain  the  Papal  sanction  for  his  rule,  which  was 
given  to  him  in  1540,  and  many  associates  having  joined  him, 
the  new  institution  was  soon  in  thorough  working  order.  Adopt- 
ing the  motto  'Ad  majorem  Dei  glorium '  (To  the  greater  glory  of 
God),  the  Company  of  Jesus,  in  addition  to  the  vows  of  chas- 
tity, poverty,  and  obedience,  took  a  fourth,  binding  them  to  go 
to  any  country  as  missionaries  to  which  the  Pope  should 
choose  to  send  them,  and  through  all  its  vicissitudes  this,  the 
original  constitution  of  the  Order,  has  remained  practically 
unchanged. 

For  fifteen  years  St.  Ignatius,  making  Rome  his  head- 
quarters, worked  with  unremitting  energy  as  head  of  the  ever- 
increasing  Order,  and  on  his  death,  which  took  place  in  the 


ST.  IGNATIUS  LOYOLA  355 

Eternal  City  in  1556,  there  were  no  less  than  1,000  Jesuits  in 
Italy  alone.  St.  Ignatius  was  at  first  buried  in  the  chapel  of 
his  monastery  at  Rome,  but  in  1587  his  remains  were  trans- 
lated to  the  beautiful  Church  of  II  Gesu,  built  by  the  great 
architects  Vignola  and  Giovanni  della  Porta. 

The  fact  that  by  a  special  clause  in  the  minor  regulations  of 
the  Jesuit  Order,  its  members  are  allowed  to  assume  the  dress 
of  whatever  country  they  are  in,  makes  it  sometimes  difficult  to 
distinguish  them  in  works  of  art,  but  to  St.  Ignatius  himself, 
instead  of  the  black  habit  fastened  up  to  the  throat,  which  was 
long  the  distinctive  garb  of  his  monks,  the  ornate  vestments  of 
a  high  dignitary  of  the  Church  are  generally  given.  His 
distinctive  attributes  are  the  monogram  of  Jesus  set  in 
luminous  rays,  either  embroidered  on  his  robes,  or  held  in  his 
hand,  sometimes  replaced  by  a  scroll  inscribed  with  the  words, 
'O  sanctissima  Trinita ';  an  open  book,  with  I.H.S.  on  one 
leaf,  and  the  initial  letters  of  the  Jesuit  motto.  *  A.  M.  D.  G.,' 
on  the  other ;  a  heart  surmounted  by  a  crown  of  thorns,  the 
Sacre  Coeur,  or  sacred  heart,  which  became  the  crest  of  his 
Order,  and  a  globe  at  his  feet,  in  token  of  his  renunciation  of 
the  world.  Sometimes  St.  Ignatius  holds  a  representation  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  mourning  over  her  dead  Son,  for  he  is  said 
to  have  had  a  special  affection  for  a  certain  Pieta  in  his  pos- 
session. A  wolf  is  also  occasionally  introduced  beside  him, 
two  wolves  having  been  part  of  the  Loyola  coat  of  arms,  or, 
according  to  some,  because  he  protected  the  people  of  Pied- 
mont from  wolves,  against  which  he  is  still  invoked. 

Representations  of  St.  Ignatius  Loyola  are,  of  course,  of 
frequent  occurrence  in  Jesuit  churches,  the  greater  number,  it 
is  claimed,  founded  upon  a  cast  of  his  features  taken  after  death 
by  the  Spanish  master  Sanchez  Coello,  who  also  himself 
painted  a  portrait  from  them.  The  most  celebrated  scenes 
from  the  life  of  the  great  Jesuit  are  those  by  Rubens,  who  in 
the  famous  painting  in  the  Vienna  Gallery,  has  represented 
him  standing  at  an  altar,  with  his  hand  resting  on  an  open 
book,  and  the  monogram  of  Christ  appearing  above  in  a  glory 
of  light,  whilst  his  nine  first  companions  are  grouped  near  him, 
and  below  are  introduced  various  miracles  of  healing  with 
which  St.  Ignatius  has  been  credited. 

The  most  celebrated  of  the  immediate  followers  of  St. 
Ignatius  Loyola  were  Saints  Francis  Xavier  and  Francis 

23—2 


356  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Borgia,  with  whom  may  be  associated  the  less  famous  Saints 
Aloysius  Gonzaga,  Stanislas  Kotska,  and  Ignatius  of  Azevedo, 
all  of  whom  joined  the  Jesuit  Order  in  the  sixteenth  century. 
St.  Francis  Xavier,  the  Apostle  of  the  Indies,  belonged  to  a 
noble  Spanish  family,  and  was  born  in  1505  in  his  parents' 
castle  near  Sanguesa.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  he  was  sent 
to  study  in  Paris,  where  he  came  under  the  influence  of 
St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  entering  with  eager  zeal  into  his  scheme 
for  the  foundation  of  the  Jesuit  Order,  In  1541  St.  Francis 
was  sent  to  the  East  as  one  of  the  first  missionaries  of  the  new 
Society,  and  after  winning  many  thousands  of  converts  in 
India  and  Japan,  he  started  for  China ;  but  he  died  in  1522  on 
the  little  island  of  Sancian,  whence  his  body  was  taken  to  Goa, 
where  it  was  interred  with  great  solemnity. 

Still  much  revered  in  the  field  of  his  labours,  where  he  is 
credited  with  having  performed  many  miracles,  the  figure  of 
St.  Francis  Xavier  is  generally  introduced  in  Jesuit  churches 
wearing  the  surplice  of  a  priest  over  the  black  habit  of  his 
Order.  He  appears  as  a  tall,  noble-looking  man  in  the  prime 
of  life,  with  a  short  black  beard,  and  one  of  his  attributes  is  a 
scroll  bearing  the  words,  'Amplius,  Domine,  amplius,'  for  he 
was  often  heard  to  exclaim,  *  It  is  enough,  O  Lord,  it  is 
enough,'  and  is  said  sometimes  to  have  torn  open  his  cassock 
that  the  burning  love  consuming  his  heart  might  have  free 
egress.  The  staff  and  flask  of  a  pilgrim,  a  crucifix,  which  he 
presses  to  his  breast,  and  a  rosary  hanging  from  his  girdle,  are 
also  given  to  St.  Francis ;  and  sometimes  a  crab  is  seen  at  his 
feet,  because  it  is  related  that  on  one  occasion  when  he  had 
dropped  his  crucifix  into  the  sea,  it  was  brought  back  to  him 
by  a  crustacean. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St,  Francis  Xavier  baptizing  Indian 
converts,  carrying  one  of  his  disciples  on  his  back,  or  dying  in 
a  miserable  shed.  The  most  famous  painting,  inspired  by  the 
tragic  story  of  his  life,  is  the  one  in  the  Vienna  Gallery  by 
Rubens,  forming  a  companion  to  that  of  St.  Ignatius  described 
above ;  and  the  death  of  St,  Francis  Xavier  is  the  subject  of 
a  fine  composition  by  Carlo  Maratti.  There  is  also  an  inter- 
esting interpretation  of  the  character  of  the  Apostle  of  the 
Indies  by  Carlo  Dolci  in  the  Pitti  Gallery. 

St.  Francis  Borgia,  who  belonged  to  the  same  illustrious 
family  as  Pope  Alexander  VI.,  was  born  in  1510  at  Gandia,  in 


ST.  FRANCIS  BORGIA  357 

Valencia.  An  hereditary  grandee  of  Spain,  married  In  early 
life  to  a  beautiful  girl,  to  whom  he  was  deeply  attached,  the 
young  Duke  might  have  attained  to  the  very  highest  position, 
not  only  in  the  State,  but  in  the  Church.  On  the  death  of  his 
wife,  however,  he  resolved  to  enter  the  Jesuit  Order,  and  went 
to  Rome  to  consult  St.  Ignatius  Loyola,  who,  of  course,  received 
him  very  gladly,  and  sent  him  to  preach  in  Spain  and  Portugal, 
In  1555  St.  Francis  was  made  General  of  his  Order,  and  he 
died  at  Rome  seven  years  later.  He  was  at  first  buried  in  the 
chapel  of  his  monastery,  but  in  1617  his  remains  were  trans- 
lated to  Madrid,  where  they  are  still  greatly  revered. 

St.  Francis  Borgia — who  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  protect  his 
votaries  from  earthquakes — is  generally  represented  as  a  man  in 
middle  life,  with  a  refined  and  ascetic  face,  wearing  the  simple 
robes  of  his  Order  and  kneeling  at  an  altar,  on  which  stands  a 
pyx.  At  his  feet  are  a  Cardinal's  hat,  in  memory  of  his  having, 
it  is  said,  left  Rome  secretly,  to  escape  being  elected  to  the 
Sacred  College,  and  a  death's-head  wearing  an  Imperial  crown. 
The  latter  emblem  is  supposed  to  indicate  the  fact  that 
he  owed  his  conversion  to  the  revulsion  of  feeling  caused 
by  the  sudden  death  of  the  Empress  Isabella,  at  whose 
funeral  it  was  his  duty,  as  Master  of  the  Horse,  to  raise  the 
lid  of  the  coffin  and  swear  to  the  identity  of  the  remains. 
Sometimes  St.  Francis  Borgia  holds  a  painting  or  engraving 
of  the  famous  image  of  the  Virgin  in  S.  Maria  Maggiore,* 
of  which  he  had  copies  made  for  other  churches.  The  most 
celebrated  representation  of  St.  Francis  Borgia  is  that  by 
Velasquez  in  the  Sutherland  Collection,  in  which  he  is  seen 
arriving  at  the  Jesuit  monastery  in  Rome,  St.  Ignatius  Loyola 
and  three  of  his  monks  receiving  him.  In  the  Cathedral  of 
Valencia  are  two  scenes  from  the  life  of  St.  Francis  Borgia  by 
Francesco  de  Goya,  and  in  a  painting  by  Luca  Giordano,  in 
the  Naples  Gallery,  of  St.  Francis  Xavier  baptizing  converts, 
St.  Francis  Borgia  is  introduced  kneeling  behind  him. 

St.  Aloysius  or  Louis  Gonzaga,  eldest  son  of  the  Marchese 
di  Castiglione,  was  bora  in  1568,  entered  the  Jesuit  Order  at 
the  age  of  seventeen,  and  died  of  fever  in  Rome  in  1591.  In 
spite  of  his  early  death,  St.  Louis  is  credited  with  having  done 
great  things  for  his  Society.  He  is  the  chosen  patron  of 

*  See  vol.  L,  p  47. 


358  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

college  students,  and  though  he  has  not  been  made  the  subject 
of  any  great  masterpiece  of  art,  representations  of  him  arc 
numerous,  either  kneeling  to  receive  the  Blessed  Sacrament 
from  St.  Carlo  Borromeo,  or  surrounded  by  young  children. 
His  special  attributes  are  a  lily,  in  token  of  his  purity ;  a 
scourge  in  memory  of  his  severe  self-discipline ;  and  a  crown 
at  his  feet,  in  token  of  his  renunciation  of  his  high  rank.  In 
S.  Ignacio,  Rome,  in  which  St.  Aloysius  is  buried,  is  a  fine  bas- 
relief  by  Pierre  Le  Gros  representing  his  apotheosis,  and  he 
appears  in  various  groups  of  famous  Jesuits,  notably  in  one  by 
Pietro  da  Cortona. 

St.  Stanislas  Kotska,  who  is  one  of  the  patron  Saints  of  his 
native  country,  where  he  is  invoked  by  those  suffering  from 
heart  disease,  and  is  supposed  to  be  able  to  save  his  votaries 
from  despair,  was  the  son  of  a  Polish  nobleman,  and  was  born 
in  1550.  He  entered  the  Jesuit  Order  when  still  a  mere  boy, 
but  died  in  1586  before  he  had  completed  his  novitiate.  In  spite 
of  the  shortness  of  his  life,  he  is  credited  with  performing  many 
miracles.  Twice  he  is  said  to  have  received  the  Blessed  Sacra- 
ment from  the  hands  of  angels,  and  he  was  also  privileged  to 
hold  the  Holy  Child  in  his  arms.  When  his  brothers  wished  to 
prevent  him  from  becoming  a  monk,  and  had  almost  overtaken 
him  on  his  way  to  the  monastery  in  which  he  was  received, 
their  horses  declined  to  advance ;  and  so  ardent  was  his  love 
for  Christ  that  on  another  occasion  a  fire  was  seen  to  issue  from 
a  rent  in  his  robes  near  his  heart.  Effigies  of  St.  Stanislas, 
who  generally  holds  a  lily,  abound  in  Poland  and  in  Italy ;  he 
is  often  grouped  with  St.  Louis  Gonzaga  amongst  the  first 
members  of  the  Jesuit  Order,  but  he  has  not  been  made  the 
subject  of  any  celebrated  work  of  art. 

St.  Ignatius  of  Azevedo  was  the  leader  of  a  band  of  Jesuits 
who  were  martyred  in  1570,  when  they  were  on  their  way  to 
Brazil,  by  the  French  Calvinists  of  La  Rochelle.  The  martyrs 
were  surprised  as  they  were  embarking,  and  St.  Ignatius,  who 
was  flung  dying  into  the  sea,  encouraged  them  as  they  were 
being  struck  down,  by  holding  up  an  image  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin,  for  which  reason  he  is  generally  represented  with  one 
in  his  hand. 

Another  famous  monk  of  the  sixteenth  century  was  the 
Dominican ^  St.  Louis  Bertrand,  of  whom  representations  are 
numerous  in  Spain,  and  whose  attributes  are  a  cup,  from 


ST.  JOHN  OF  GOD  359 

which  a  serpent  is  issuing,  in  memory  of  a  frustrated  attempt 
to  poison  him ;  a  crucifix,  in  allusion  to  his  missionary  work; 
and  a  pistol,  ending  in  a  crucifix  instead  of  a  barrel.  This 
strange  emblem  has  reference  to  the  Saints,  having,  it  is  said, 
converted  a  weapon  raised  against  him  by  a  nobleman  whom 
he  had  offended  by  his  plain  speaking,  into  a  crucifix,  by  making 
the  sign  of  the  cross  as  his  enemy  was  about  to  fire.  St.  Louis 
preached  the  Gospel  with  some  success  in  Peru,  and  died  in 
Spain  in  1581. 

More  celebrated  than  St.  Louis  Bertrand  were  the  so-called 
St.  John  of  God  and  St.  John  of  the  Cross.  The  former,  who 
was  of  very  lowly  Portuguese  origin,  won  the  beautiful  name 
given  to  him  by  his  intense  devotion  to  divine  things. 
He  began  life  as  a  shepherd,  was  converted  by  the  preaching 
of  John  of  Avila,  and  determined  henceforth  to  devote  him- 
self entirely  to  the  care  of  the  sick.  In  the  end  he  founded  at 
Granada  the  important  Order  of  the  Hospitallers  or  Brothers 
of  Charity,  and  died  in  1550,  after  receiving,  it  is  said,  many 
signal  proofs  of  the  special  favour  of  Heaven.  On  one  occa- 
sion, when  St.  John  was  washing  the  feet  of  a  pilgrim,  he 
suddenly  found  that  he  was  ministering  to  Christ  Himself. 
Another  time,  when  he  was  kneeling  in  prayer,  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  St.  John  the  Evangelist  came  and  placed  a  crown 
of  thorns  upon  his  brow,  and  again  and  again  angels  ministered 
to  his  needs.  The  attributes  of  St.  John  of  God,  who  is 
often  grouped  with  Saint  Lorenzo  Giustiani,  and  other  saints 
canonized  at  the  same  time  as  himself,  are  a  pomegranate 
surmounted  by  a  cross,  because  the  Blessed  Virgin  is  said 
to  have  told  him  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  Granada,  the  name 
of  which  signifies  pomegranate,  and  an  earthenware  bowl 
hung  round  his  neck  on  a  cord,  in  memory  of  his  having 
collected  alms  for  the  poor.  St.  John  is  also  sometimes  repre- 
sented wearing  the  crown  of  thorns  upon  his  head,  and  he  is 
often  introduced  in  Spanish  pictures  carrying  a  sick  man  on 
his  back,  as  in  a  celebrated  painting  by  Murillo,  in  the  Caritad 
of  Seville. 

St.  John  of  the  Cross  was  the  chief  coadjutor  of  St.  Theresa 
(whose  story  is  related  below)  in  her  reform  of  the  Carmelite 
Order,  and  for  that  reason  he  is  often  associated  with  her  in 
devotional  pictures.  He  was  born  in  1542  near  Avila  in  Spain, 
entered  a  Carmelite  monastery  in  1563,  and  began  to  work  with 


360  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

St.  Theresa  in  1569.  He  is  looked  upon  as  the  first  monk  of 
the  Congregation  of  Bare-footed  Carmelites.  His  eagerness 
for  reform  led  to  his  suffering  much  persecution  from  his  fellow 
monks,  and  after  being  for  a  short  time  Superior  of  his  monastery, 
he  was  deposed.  He  withdrew  for  some  time  to  a  lonely  retreat 
in  the  Sierre  Morena,  and  died  in  1591  in  a  Carmelite  convent 
at  Baeza.  His  distinctive  name  was  given  to  him  in  memory 
of  the  Saviour  on  the  Cross  having,  it  is  related,  appeared 
to  him,  and  asked  the  strange  question,  '  Johannes,  quid  vis  pro 
laboribus  ?'  (What  reward  wilt  thou  have  for  all  thy  labours  ?), 
to  which  St.  John  replied,  '  Domine,  pati  et  contemni  pro  te  ' 
(Suffering  and  scorn  for  Thy  sake).  For  the  same  reason  a 
crucifix  and  a  scroll  bearing  the  Master's  question,  are  the  chief 
attributes  in  art  of  the  great  Carmelite,  to  whom  a  pen  and  roll 
of  manuscript,  in  allusion  to  his  writings,  are  also  sometimes 
given. 

Other  canonized  monks  of  the  sixteenth  century  were  Saints 
Felix  of  Cantalico,  Paschal  Baylon,  Peter  of  Alcantara,  and 
Gaetano  of  Thienna.  The  first  was  a  member  of  the  Capuchin 
branch  of  the  Franciscan  Order,  founded  by  Matteo  di  Bossio, 
who  added  to  the  ordinary  habit,  the  pointed  hood  or  cowl, 
which  gave  its  distinctive  name  to  the  new  community. 
St.  Felix  was  of  very  humble  origin,  and  was  born  in  1513 
at  Citta  Ducale.  He  was  received  into  the  Capuchin  Order  at 
Rome,  and  spent  his  whole  life  in  begging  alms  for  his  con- 
vent. It  is  related  that  one  day  when  he  met  St.  Filippo  Neri 
in  the  street,  the  famous  priest  accepted  a  draught  of  water 
from  his  pilgrim's  flask,  and  that  on  another  occasion  Christ 
Himself  appeared  to  him  as  a  beautiful  boy  of  about  ten 
years  old,  and  gave  him  a  loaf  of  bread,  incidents  which 
have  been  many  times  represented  in  art,  though  not  by  any 
of  the  great  masters.  The  special  attribute  of  St.  Felix  is  a 
bag  of  provisions,  either  hung  across  his  own  shoulders,  or 
carried  by  an  ass  he  is  leading.  He  is  often  grouped  with 
St.  Filippo  Neri,  and  in  the  Seville  Museum  is  a  beautiful 
representation  of  him  by  Murilio,  in  which  he  is  gazing  up  at 
an  apparition  of  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  the  Holy  Child. 

St.  Paschal  Baylon  was  a  Spanish  shepherd,  who  from  his 
earliest  boyhood  had  a  very  deep  veneration  for  holy  things, 
and  is  said  to  have  persuaded  those  who  passed  by  when  he 
was  minding  his  flock,  to  teach  him  to  read  and  write.  He 


ST.  PETER  OF  ALCANTARA  361 

was  born  in  1540,  entered  a  Franciscan  convent  at  the  age  of 
twenty,  and  died  in  1592.  He  appears  sometimes  in  Spanish 
devotional  pictures  wearing  the  robes  of  a  Franciscan  monk, 
but  with  his  sheep  about  him  still ;  kneeling  at  an  altar  adoring 
the  Blessed  Sacrament,  which  appears  above  him  on  a  mass 
of  clouds  ;  or  gazing  up  at  a  vision  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
St.  Paschal  is  said  to  have  had  so  great  a  veneration  for  the 
Holy  Communion  that  even  after  he  was  dead  he  twice  opened 
his  eyes  at  the  elevation  of  the  Host. 

St.  Peter  of  Alcantara — whose  art  emblems  are  a  dove 
whispering  in  his  ear,  in  token  of  his  constant  communion 
with  the  Holy  Spirit,  a  cross  held  in  his  arms,  in  memory  of 
his  devotion  to  the  Crucified  Redeemer,  and  a  scourge,  because 
of  his  strict  self-discipline — was  the  founder  of  a  new  Franciscan 
Congregation,  known  as  that  of  the  Strict  Observants,  in  which 
the  original  rule  was  enforced  with  greater  rigidity  than  in  any 
other  branch  of  the  Order.  St.  Peter  is  said  to  have  performed 
many  miracles,  including  the  calming  of  a  storm,  when  he 
walked  upon  the  tossing  waves  with  a  lay  brother  of  his  con- 
vent, an  incident  which  is  the  subject  of  a  fine  painting  by 
Claudio  Coello,  now  in  the  Munich  Gallery.  The  ascetic  monk 
died  in  1562,  and  as  his  soul  ascended  to  heaven  he  is  supposed 
to  have  appeared  to  St.  Theresa,  and  to  have  said  to  her,  '  Oh, 
happy  penitence,  which  has  brought  me  so  much  glory.' 

St.  Gaetano  of  Thienna  was  of  noble  Italian  birth,  and  is 
famous  for  having  aided  in  the  foundation  of  the  so-called 
Theatine  Brotherhood,  which  took  so  large  a  share  in  the 
reform  of  the  monastic  orders.  He  became  Superior  in 
1527,  and  died  in  1547.  He  is  said  to  have  been  held  in 
special  favour  by  the  Blessed  Virgin  and  St.  Joseph,  for 
which  reason  he  is  sometimes  introduced  in  late  Italian  paint- 
ings, notably  in  one  by  Tiepolo  in  the  Academy  of  Venice, 
being  presented  to  the  Holy  Child,  or  receiving  Him  from 
His  Mother's  arms,  A  lily  is  one  of  the  emblems  in  art  of 
St.  Gaetano,  and  sometimes  a  winged  heart  consumed  by 
flames,  is  introduced  above  his  head,  whilst  he  holds  his  robes 
open  as  if  it  had  just  been  set  free,  a  somewhat  realistic 
manner  of  typifying  the  fervour  of  the  Saint's  devotion.  In 
S.  Niccolo  da  Tolentino,  Venice,  is  a  painting  by  the  little- 
known  Santo  Peranda,  representing  St.  Gaetano  with  three 
maidens,  emblematic  of  poverty,  chastity,  and  obedience. 


362  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

Elsewhere  the  great  monk  is  grouped  with  his  co-founder  of 
the  Theatines,  St.  Andrea  Avellino,  who,  though  he  has  no 
art  attibutes,  is  sometimes  represented  dying  before  the  altar, 
because  he  succumbed  to  apoplexy  whilst  performing  Mass. 

With  the  great  monks  who  in  the  sixteenth  century  main- 
tained the  strict  traditions  of  the  early  days  of  monasticism, 
may  justly  be  ranked  the  celebrated  Churchmen,  Pope  Pius  V., 
Archbishop  Carlo  Borromeo  of  Milan,  Bishop  Thomas  of 
Villanuova,  and  the  comparatively  humble  priest,  St.  Filippo 
Neri. 

As  is  well  known,  St.  Pius  V.,  who  was  born  of  poor  parents 
in  1504,  did  much  to  reform  the  abuses  in  the  Church,  was  a 
stern  upholder  of  the  Inquisition,  and  was  mainly  instrumental 
in  breaking  the  power  of  the  Turks,  he  having  in  1571  organized 
the  expedition  which  resulted  in  the  great  naval  victory  of 
Lepanto.  The  attributes  of  St.  Pius  V.  are  a  rosary,  which  he 
holds,  not  only  because  he  belonged  to  the  Dominican  Order,  but 
in  memory  of  the  numerous  processions  of  the  Brotherhood  of 
the  Rosary  arranged  by  him  in  times  of  anxiety,  and  a  crucifix, 
at  which  he  kneels  in  an  attitude  of  apparent  despair,  the  feet 
of  the  Redeemer  seeming  to  shrink  away  from  his  lips  as  he  is 
about  to  kiss  them.  This  remarkable  incident  is  said  to  have 
actually  taken  place,  causing  the  Pope  to  fear  he  had  incurred 
the  anger  of  the  Lord,  but  it  turned  out  to  be  merely  a  warning 
of  a  plot  to  poison  him.  St.  Pius  called  his  confessor  to  see 
the  strange  phenomenon,  and  the  latter  noticed  that  the  feet 
of  the  image  were  exuding  a  poisonous  liquid.  Sometimes  a 
Heet  is  seen  in  the  distance  behind  the  Pope,  an  allusion,  no 
doubt,  to  the  Battle  of  Lepanto.  He  died  in  1572,  and  was 
buried  in  S.  Maria  Maggiore,  Rome. 

St.  Carlo  Borromeo,  one  of  the  greatest  churchmen  of  his 
time,  was  of  noble  Italian  origin,  and  was  born  in  his  father's 
castle  of  Arona,  on  Lake  Maggiore.  He  was  educated  in  Paris, 
and  was  made  a  Cardinal  and  Archbishop  of  Milan  by  his 
uncle,  Pope  Pius  IV.,  when  he  was  still  quite  a  young  man. 
He  had  much  to  do  with  the  Council  of  Trent,  and  with  the 
drawing  up  of  the  famous  Roman  Catechism.  He  was  the 
chief  counsellor  of  Pius  IV.,  and  the  election  of  St.  Pius  V.  was 
due  in  a  great  measure  to  his  influence.  On  his  accession  to  the 
hereditary  wealth  of  his  family  St.  Charles  distributed  all  his 
property  to  the  poor,  and  as  Archbishop  he  ruled  his  see  with 


ST.  CARLO  BORROMEO  363 

such  vigour  that  an  attempt  was  made  to  assassinate  him  by  a 
monk  who,  dreading  the  reform  of  his  Order,  fired  at  him  when 
he  was  kneeling  at  Mass.  During  the  plague  which  devastated 
Milan  in  1575  the  holy  prelate  ministered  to  the  sufferers  with  his 
own  hands,  headed  processions  through  the  afflicted  quarters  of 
the  city,  walking  bare-foot  and  with  a  rope  round  his  neck,  in 
token  of  the  penitence  of  the  people  for  whose  sins  the  pestilence 
was  thought  to  have  been  sent.  Often  and  often  he  knelt  before 
the  altar  in  his  cathedral  and  entreated  God  to  accept  his  life 
as  a  sacrifice  for  his  afflicted  flock.  When  at  last  the  plague 
was  stayed  the  grateful  Milanese  attributed  the  relief  to  the 
intercession  of  St.  Carlo,  and  from  that  time  until  his  death, 
in  1584,  he  was  revered  as  more  than  human.  He  was  buried 
in  the  cathedral,  where  the  crucifix  he  is  said  to  have  carried 
during  the  plague,  his  ring,  and  his  staff  are  still  preserved, 
whilst  in  the  sacristy  is  a  life-sized  silver  statue  of  him  in  full 
vestments,  the  gift  of  the  goldsmiths  of  the  city. 

Representations  of  the  beloved  Archbishop  are  of  very  con- 
stant occurrence  in  Italian  churches,  in  which  he  appears  either 
in  his  ornate  vestments,  or  in  the  simple  robes  worn  by  him  at 
the  time  of  the  plague,  and  with  a  rope  round  his  neck.  Some- 
times he  kneels  at  an  altar,  offering  himself  up  for  his  people, 
or  he  pauses  for  a  moment  in  his  devotions,  as  a  bullet  from  the 
hidden  assassin  falls  harmless  beside  him,  leaving  a  black  stain 
on  his  white  vestments.  Occasionally  St.  Carlo  is  seen 
administering  the  Holy  Communion  to  St.  Louis  Gonzaga  as 
a  child ;  but  the  favourite  subject  from  his  life  is  the  aiding  of 
the  plague-stricken,  which  has  been  chosen  by  Pietro  da 
Cortona,  Jakob  Jordaens,  Jakob  van  Oost,  and  many  other 
Italian  and  Belgian  roasters.  There  is  a  beautiful  painting  by 
Carlo  Maratta  in  S.  Carlo  al  Corso,  Rome,  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  recommending  St.  Carlo  to  her  divine  Son.  He  is 
introduced  amongst  the  Saints  in  Guido  Reni's  famous  Pietd 
in  the  Bologna  Gallery ;  and  in  many  other  Italian  pictures 
he  is  grouped  with  his  predecessor  in  the  See  of  Milan, 
St.  Ambrose,  or  with  his  contemporary,  St.  Filippo  Neri. 

St.  Thomas  of  Villanuova  was  of  aristocratic  Spanish  origin, 
and  was  born  at  Fuenlana  in  1488.  He  entered  the  Church 
as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough,  and  rose  to  be  Cardinal  and 
Archbishop  of  Valencia,  dying  in  1555,  after  having  won  a 
great  reputation  for  religious  fervour  and  generosity  to  the 


364  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

poor,  especially  to  those  imprisoned  for  debt.  He  has  no 
special  art  attributes,  but  is  generally  represented  as  a  noble- 
looking  man  in  the  robes  of  an  Archbishop,  surrounded  by 
beggars,  or  he  is  seen  rapt  away  from  earth  in  a  state  of 
ecstasy ;  for  it  is  related  of  him  that  he  was  often  interrupted 
whilst  preaching,  once  when  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  was  in 
the  audience,  by  being  carried  up  to  heaven  in  a  trance.  In 
Lord  Ashburton's  collection  there  is  a  beautiful  painting  by 
Murillo  of  St.  Thomas  dividing  his  cloak  with  four  boys ;  and 
at  Hertford  House  is  another  fine  composition  from  the  same 
hand,  called  '  The  Charity  of  St.  Thomas  of  Villanuova.' 

St.  Filippo  Neri  was  the  son  of  a  Florentine  lawyer,  and  was 
born  in  1515.  He  began  life  as  a  private  tutor,  but  eventually 
became  a  priest,  and  soon  won  great  renown  for  his  eloquent 
preaching  and  his  special  affection  for  children,  whom  he  was 
never  weary  of  teaching  and  amusing.  St.  Filippo  became  the 
close  friend  and  constant  assistant  of  St.  Carlo  Borromeo,  who 
encouraged  him  in  the  foundation  of  what  became  known  as 
the  Oratorian  Fraternity,  although  its  members  were  bound 
by  no  vows,  and  merely  took  their  name  from  the  oratory  in 
which  they  rnet  to  pray  with  St.  Filippo  and  receive  his 
instructions  for  their  work  amongst  the  poor.  St.  Filippo  died 
in  1595,  and  was  buried  in  S.  Maria  della  Vallicella,  Rome, 
which  had  been  given  to  him  in  1575  for  his  fraternity  by 
Pope  Gregory  XI II.,  and  in  which  is  a  copy,  in  mosaic,  of  a 
portrait  of  the  Saint  by  Guido  Reni,  preserved  in  the^  adjoining 
Philippine  monastery. 

Many  miracles  are  said  to  have  been  wrought  on  behalf  of 
St.  Filippo  during  his  lifetime.  On  one  occasion  when  he  was 
preaching,  an  angel  was  seen  kneeling  at  his  feet  holding  an 
open  volume  of  the  Gospels  ;  and  on  another,  when  the  roof  of 
his  chapel  was  about  to  fall,  the  Blessed  Virgin  kept  it  up  with 
her  own  hands  until  help  was  obtained.  A  touching  story  is 
also  told  of  the  famous  preacher  being  sent  for  to  the  death-bed 
of  the  young  Prince  Fabrizio  Massimi,  whom  he  called  back 
to  life  for  a  few  minutes  that  he  might  assure  his  weeping 
parents  of  his  happiness  in  the  other  world  ;  an  incident  that  is 
the  subject  of  a  fine  composition  by  Antonio  Circignano,  and  is 
still  commemorated  by  a  service  held  every  year  in  the  private 
chapel  of  the  Massimi  family. 

It  is  usual  to  represent  St.  Filippo  Neri,  as  in  a  statue  of  him 


ST.  THERESA  OF  AVILA  365 

by  Algardi  in  St.  Peter's,  Rome,  in  the  robes  of  a  priest,  with 
an  angel  kneeling  beside  him  and  a  lily  at  his  feet ;  or  he  is 
surrounded  by  children,  who  are  listening  eagerly  to  his  instruc- 
tions ;  drinking  from  the  pilgrim's  gourd  of  St.  Felix  of  Can- 
talico  (whose  story  is  related  above) ;  or  celebrating  Mass  at  an 
altar.  Occasionally,  also,  St.  Filippo  is  grouped  with  Saints 
Ignatius  Loyola,  Francis  Xavier,  Isidore  the  Ploughman, 
and  St.  Theresa,  all  of  whom  were  canonized  with  him 
in  1622. 

Amongst  the  few  women  who  in  the  sixteenth  century 
attained  to  a  position  of  influence  in  the  church,  the  most 
celebrated  was  St.  Theresa  of  Avila,  who  reformed  the  Carmelite 
Order  and  founded  the  branch  of  it  known  as  the  Bare-footed. 
The  daughter  of  a  Spanish  nobleman,  Don  Alfonso  Sanchez  de 
Cepeda,  she  was  born  in  1515,  and  when  only  seven  years  old  she 
ran  away  from  home  with  a  younger  brother,  with  the  intention 
of  seeking  martyrdom  amongst  the  Moors.  The  children  were 
soon  missed  and  brought  safely  back  to  Avila,  and  later  Theresa 
was  sent  to  an  Augustinian  convent  to  be  educated.  There  she 
became  so  enamoured  of  a  monastic  life  that  she  resolved  to 
become  a  nun,  and  at  the  age  of  twenty  she  was  received  into 
a  Carmelite  community  in  her  native  town.  It  was  in  1561  that 
the  idea  of  reforming  her  Order  first  occurred  to  her,  and  in 
the  following  year  she  was  able  to  lay  the  foundation  of  the 
first  convent  for  the  new  branch.  She  died  in  1582  with  the 
words,  *  A  broken  and  a  contrite  heart,  O  God,  Thou  wilt  not 
despise/  on  her  lips,  and  was  buried  in  her  own  chapel  at  Avila, 
where  her  relics  are  still  greatly  revered. 

These  the  simple,  well-authenticated  facts  of  the  life  of  St. 
Theresa  have  been  supplemented  by  many  wonderful  legends. 
Her  heart  is  said  to  have  been  pierced  with  an  arrow  by  an 
angel,  or,  according  to  another  version  of  the  story,  by  the 
Blessed  Virgin  herself,  the  marks  of  the  wound  being  clearly 
visible  after  her  death ;  and  the  Bare-footed  Carmelites  still 
celebrate  what  is  known  as  the  F6te  of  the  Transfixion,  in 
memory  of  the  miraculous  incident.  A  dove  is  supposed  to  have 
hovered  constantly  about  St.  Theresa,  whispering  heavenly 
counsels ;  the  holy  maiden  was  often  carried  up  to  heaven  in  a 
state  of  ecstasy,  on  one  occasion  in  company  with  St.  John  of 
the  Cross ;  the  Saviour  she  loved  so  well  and  His  Mother  came 
to  her  one  night  and  fastened  a  chain  of  gold  with  a  cross 


366  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

suspended  from  it,  round  her  neck,  and  after  her  death  miracle- 
working  balm  exuded  from  her  tomb. 

The  special  attributes  of  the  much-favoured  Saint  are  a  dove, 
a  crucifix,  a  lily,  and  a  burning  heart,  the  last  sometimes  bear- 
ing the  monogram  of  Jesus.  Now  and  then  the  crown  of  thorns 
is  placed  upon  her  head,  and  she  holds  the  other  instruments 
of  the  Passion,  or  she  wears  the  cap  of  a  Spanish  doctor  of  law 
— why  it  is  difficult  to  say — and  holds  a  pen  and  book  or  a 
scroll,  on  which  are  inscribed  the  words  *  Misericordias  Domini 
in  seternam  cantabo.'*  More  rarely  she  has  the  staff  of  a  pilgrim, 
in  memory  of  her  many  journeys,  including  one  to  Mount 
Carmel,  to  enforce  the  reforms  she  had  inaugurated. 

One  of  the  most  celebrated  representations  of  St.  Theresa  is 
the  fine  composition  by  Rubens  now  in  the  Antwerp  Gallery,  in 
which  she  is  seen  kneeling  at  the  feet  of  Christ  and  pleading  the 
cause  of  the  prisoners  in  purgatory,  who  await  the  result  in 
attitudes  of  agonized  expectancy.  Pictures  of  various  incidents 
from  her  life  and  legend,  and  effigies  with  her  usual  attributes 
also  abound,  of  course,  in  Carmelite  convents  and  churches, 
but  they  can  none  of  them  be  ranked  as  true  masterpieces. 

A  famous  contemporary  of  St.  Theresa  was  St.  Jeanne  de 
Valois,  the  saintly  daughter  of  Louis  XI.,  who  founded  the  so- 
called  Congregation  of  the  Annunciation,  and  is  sometimes 
introduced  in  French  pictures  holding  a  crucifix,  and  with  the 
Infant  Saviour  beside  her,  from  whom  she  is  receiving  a  ring, 
because  she  is  said  to  have  become  the  bride  of  Christ  after 
being  divorced  by  her  husband,  King  Louis  XII.  St.  Catherine 
of  Ricci,  a  Dominican  nun  who  lived  in  the  first  half  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  also  deserves  a  passing  mention.  She  is 
credited  with  having  received  the  signal  favour  of  being 
embraced  by  the  figure  of  the  Redeemer  on  the  cross,  at  the 
foot  of  which  she  was  worshipping,  to  have  received  the  crown 
of  thorns  and  the  stigmata  from  Christ  Himself,  and  to  have 
been  comforted  on  her  death-bed  by  St.  Filippo  Neri,  although 
he  was  far  away  at  the  time. 

*  *The  mercies  of  the  Lord  I  will  sing  for  ever'  (Ps.  Ixxxviii.  i,  Douai 
Version). 


ST.  VINCENT  DE  PAUL  367 


CHAPTER  XXVIII 

FAMOUS  MONKS  AND  NUNS  OF  THE  SEVENTEENTH  AND 
EIGHTEENTH  CENTURIES 

ALTHOUGH  there  was  in  the  seventeenth  century  a  very  marked 
falling  off  in  the  enthusiasm  for  a  monastic  life  and  the  eager- 
ness for  reform  in  the  Church,  which  were  characteristic  of  the 
fifteenth  and  sixteenth  centuries,  some  few  zealous  workers  in 
the  cause  of  religion  distinguished  themselves  sufficiently  to  win 
admission  to  the  ranks  of  the  Saints,  and  have  been  occasionally 
represented  by  modern  masters  of  painting  and  sculpture. 
Amongst  this  favoured  minority  the  most  celebrated  were 
Saints  Vincent  de  Paul,  Fran9ois  de  Sales,  Jeanne  Fran$oise  de 
Chantal,  Rosa  of  Lima,  and  Maria  Maddalena  dei  Pazzi. 

St.  Vincent  de  Paul  was  of  humble  origin,  and  was  born  at 
Puy  in  Gascony  in  1576.  He  began  life  as  his  father's  shep- 
herd, but  at  his  own  strong  desire  his  parents  allowed  him  to 
enter  the  Franciscan  Order  at  the  age  of  twenty.  He  was 
received  in  a  convent  at  Toulouse,  and  had  already  won  the 
love  and  esteem  of  his  fellow-monks  by  his  unselfish  devotion, 
when  he  was  summoned  to  Marseilles  to  receive  a  legacy  left 
to  him.  On  his  way  back  by  sea  his  ship  was  attacked  by 
pirates,  who  carried  him  and  several  of  his  companions  into 
captivity.  St.  Vincent  was  sold  at  Tunis  to  a  fisherman,  and 
by  him  to  another  master,  and  after  changing  owners  several 
times  and  enduring  great  hardships  as  a  galley-slave,  he  fortu- 
nately fell  into  the  hands  of  a  native  of  Savoy,  who  had  been 
converted  to  Mohammedanism,  but  was  induced  by  St.  Vincent 
to  return  to  the  true  faith.  As  a  reward  for  this  great  service, 
the  French  monk  received  his  liberty,  and,  accompanied  by  his 
former  master,  he  returned  to  France  in  1607.  He  then  made 
his  way  to  Rome,  and  was  entrusted  by  Pope  Paul  V.  with  a 
mission  to  the  French  Court,  where  he  became  the  trusted 
friend  and  counsellor  of  Queen  Margaret  of  Valois.  He  was, 
however,  continually  haunted  by  the  memory  of  the  sufferings 
of  the  galley-slaves  with  whom  he  had  been  associated  in 
Africa,  and  the  story  goes  that  he  even  left  Paris  for  a  time  to 
take  the  place  of  a  poor  prisoner,  whose  heart  he  had  in  vain 
endeavoured  to  touch  when  they  were  at  work  in  the  same  gang 


368  THE  SAINTS  .IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

of  slaves.  Whether  this  be  true  or  not,  St.  Vincent  continually 
visited  the  prisons  in  France,  doing  much  to  ameliorate  the 
treatment  of  those  detained  in  them,  and  he  founded  many 
societies  for  the  relief  of  the  oppressed.  Later  he  inaugurated 
the  useful  Order  of  the  Sisters  of  Charity,  which  rapidly  spread 
throughout  Europe,  and  has  been  of  such  inestimable  value  to 
the  suffering  poor.  He  also  founded  the  great  Congregation 
of  Priests  of  the  Missions,  known  as  that  of  the  Lazarists,  in 
memory  of  their  first  priory,  St.  Lazare  in  Paris,  and  he 
established  the  famous  Foundling  Hospital  of  the  French 
capital.  It  was,  it  is  said,  no  unusual  thing  to  see  the  tender- 
hearted philanthropist  carrying  the  deserted  little  ones  he  had 
picked  up  in  the  streets  of  Paris  to  this  refuge,  and  he  became 
known  in  the  French  capital  as  the  *  Intendant  de  Providence 
et  Pere  des  Pauvres.'  St.  Vincent  also  did  much  to  aid 
St.  Francis  de  Sales  in  the  organization  of  his  new  Order ;  he 
was  often  consulted  by  Louis  XIII. ,  to  whom  he  administered 
the  last  Sacraments  on  his  death-bed,  and  he  died  at  St.  Lazare 
in  1669,  having  done  more,  perhaps,  than  any  one  man  of  his 
time,  to  promote  the  cause  of  true  Christianity. 

The  special  attributes  of  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  who  is  gener- 
ally represented  as  a  handsome  man  in  the  prime  of  life, 
wearing  the  Franciscan  habit,  are  a  newly-born  infant  held  in 
his  arms,  and  a  Sister  of  Charity  kneeling  at  his  feet.  In  the 
well-known  statue  by  Falguiere,  now  in  the  Luxembourg 
Gallery,  he  carries  two  beautiful  nude  boys,  who  seem, 
however,  in  no  need  of  charity,  his  features  lit  up  with 
an  expression  of  fatherly  love.  In  a  bas-relief  by  Lemaire 
above  the  door  of  the  church  dedicated  to  him  in  Paris,  he 
stands  between  two  figures  symbolizing  Faith  and  Charity  ; 
and  on  the  ceiling  of  the  choir  of  the  same  building  is  a  fresco 
by  Picot,  representing  St.  Vincent  presenting  children  to  the 
enthroned  Redeemer. 

St.  Frangois  de  Sales — whose  emblem  in  art  is  a  heart  crowned 
with  thorns,  either  held  in  his  hand  or  appearing  in  a  glory 
above  him,  in  memory  of  his  fervent  love  for  Christ — belonged 
to  a  noble  French  family,  and  was  born  near  Annecy  in  1567. 
He  entered  the  Church  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough,  and 
became  Bishop  of  Geneva  in  1602  ;  but  he  is  chiefly  celebrated 
for  having  founded,  with  the  aid  of  St.  Jeanne  Fran^oise  de 
Chantal,  the  Order  of  the  Visitation  of  St.  Mary,  for  the 


ST.     VINCJKNT     DK     PAUI, 


To  face  p.  368 


ST.  ROSA  OF  LIMA  369 

reception  of  holy  women,  who  for  one  reason  or  another  were 
ineligible  for  the  older  monastic  institutions.  St.  Jeanne,  who 
was  left  a  widow  at  the  early  age  of  twenty-nine,  had  made  a 
vow  before  her  marriage  that  if  she  should  lose  her  husband, 
she  would  dedicate  the  rest  of  her  life  to  God,  and  in  fulfilment 
of  it  she  withdrew  to  a  nunnery  after  her  husband's  death,  not, 
however,  until  she  had  made  due  provision  for  her  young 
family.  In  1610  she  became  associated  with  the  work  of 
St.  Fran9ois  de  Sales,  whom  she  survived  for  nearly  twenty 
years,  and  with  whom  she  is  occasionally  grouped  in  French 
pictures.  The  most  celebrated  representation  of  St.  Francis 
is  that  by  Carlo  Maratta  at  Forli,  in  which  he  appears  as  a 
remarkably  handsome  man  in  the  robes  of  a  Bishop.  Some 
few  instances  occur  of  the  introduction  above  his  head  of  a 
globe  of  fire,  in  memory,  it  is  said,  of  his  soul  having  appeared 
in  that  form  to  St.  Vincent  de  Paul,  accompanied  by  a  smaller 
globe,  supposed  to  typify  his  fellow-worker,  St.  Jeanne. 

St.  Rosa  of  Lima  was  the  daughter  of  wealthy  Spanish- 
American  parents,  and  was  born  in  1586  in  the  city  after 
which  she  is  named.  She  is  said  to  have  been  very  lovely  as 
a  girl,  but  to  have  destroyed  her  own  beauty  by  rubbing  quick- 
lime on  her  face.  She  used,  moreover,  to  wear  a  chaplet  of 
flowers,  beneath  which  were  thorns  piercing  her  head.  She 
refused  all  suitors,  and  was  about  to  enter  a  nunnery,  when  her 
parents  lost  all  their  money.  St.  Rosa  therefore  contented  her- 
self with  joining  the  third  Order  of  St.  Dominic,  which  did  not 
necessitate  her  complete  retirement  from  the  world,  and  she 
supported  her  father  arid  mother  until  their  deaths  by  doing 
gardening  and  needlework.  She  died  in  1617,  and  was 
canonized  by  Pope  Clement  X.,  who  at  first  refused  to  have 
anything  to  do  with  an  Indian,  as  he  called  the  American 
maiden,  exclaiming,  'We  might  as  well  expect  a  shower  of 
roses  in  winter.'  Whereupon,  says  the  legend,  although  the 
weather  was  bitterly  cold,  the  sky  was  suddenly  darkened  by 
roses  falling  upon  the  Vatican,  convincing  the  sceptical  Pontiff 
of  his  error. 

St.  Rosa  became  a  very  favourite  Saint  in  the  latter  part  of 
the  seventeenth  century,  and  there  are  famous  representations 
of  her  by  Murillo  and  Carlo  Dolci.  Her  special  attributes  in 
art  are  a  chaplet  of  roses  on  her  head  ;  a  bunch  of  roses  held 
in  her  hand,  from  which  issues  an  image  of  Christ ;  and  an 

VOL.  in.  24 


370  THE  SAINTS  IN  CHRISTIAN  ART 

anchor,  on  which  she  is  leaning,  into  which  is  introduced  a 
representation  of  Callao,  the  port  of  Lima,  in  memory,  it  is 
supposed,  of  the  Saint  having  aided  the  sufferers  in  the  great 
earthquake  of  1746,  or  simply  because  she  is  the  chosen  patron 
of  a  seaport  town. 

St.  Maria  Maddalena  dei  Pazzi  was  a  Carmelite  nun  of  the 
early  part  of  the  seventeenth  century,  who  is  supposed  to  have 
received  an  extraordinary  number  of  signal  favours  from 
heaven.  When  she  was  only  a  little  child  the  Infant  Saviour 
is  said  to  have  placed  a  ring  upon  her  finger ;  on  her  resolving 
to  withdraw  from  the  world,  the  Blessed  Virgin  brought  her  a 
white  veil,  and  Christ  Himself  came  to  administer  the  Holy 
Sacrament  to  her.  St.  Augustine  wrote  upon  her  heart  the  words 
*  Verbum  caro  factum '  (The  word  made  flesh) ;  and  after  her 
death  her  remains  long  continued  to  exude  a  miraculous  balm. 
St.  Maddalena  died  in  1607,  and  was  canonized  not  long  after- 
wards. The  various  incidents  of  her  legend  are  occasionally 
represented,  but  except  that  Luca  Giordano  has  painted  her 
being  presented  to  Christ  by  an  angel,  they  have  not  been 
chosen  as  subjects  by  any  of  the  greater  masters.  The  art 
emblems  of  the  maiden  Saint  are  a  burning  heart,  a  ring,  a 
crown  of  thorns,  and  a  scroll  bearing  the  words  *  Pati  non 
mori '  (Suffering  not  death),  for  St.  Maria  is  said  to  have  prayed 
to  be  allowed  to  continue  to  suffer  for  Christ  rather  than  to  be 
released  by  death.  Now  and  then  she  is  seen  kneeling  before 
the  Blessed  Sacrament,  from  which  rays  issue  and  pierce  her 
breast. 

Other  Saints  ot  the  seventeenth  century  who,  though  they 
cannot  be  said  to  have  inspired  any  works  of  art  properly  so 
called,  yet  have  their  distinctive  emblems,  were :  Saints  Fran- 
cesco Carracciolo,  a  Franciscan  monk  whose  attribute  is  a 
pyx,  on  account  of  his  intense  veneration  for  the  Blessed 
Sacrament,  and  Joseph  of  Calasanza,  a  Spanish  priest,  founder 
of  the  so-called  Piarists  Schools  for  the  education  of  poor 
children,  who  generally  holds  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
is  surrounded  by  children,  and  has  a  mitre  at  his  feet,  in 
memory  of  his  having  refused  a  bishopric ;  Fidelis  of  Sigma- 
ringen,  the  first  martyr  of  the  so-called  Propaganda,  a  congre- 
gation founded  in  the  sixteenth  century  for  the  propagation  of 
the  Roman  Catholic  faith,  whose  emblems  are  a  club  held  in 
his  hand,  or  an  axe  embedded  in  his  skull,  he  having  been 


ST.  THOMAS  OF  CORI  371 

killed  by  a  blow  on  the  head  whilst  preaching  in  the  prisons, 
and  a  crucifix,  in  token  of  his  devotion  to  Christ. 

A  famous  ecclesiastic  of  the  same  century  was  St.  Josaphat 
Kongewicz,  Archbishop  of  Polock,  who  was  assassinated  by 
Greek  schismatics  at  Witepsk,  and  whose  art  emblems  are  the 
same  as  those  of  St.  Fidelis  of  Sigmaringen,  to  which  is  some- 
times added  a  monstrance,  in  memory  of  his  veneration  for  the 
Blessed  Sacrament ;  and  Andrea  Avellino,  a  Theatine  monk, 
who  is  represented  with  angels  singing  around  him,  in  memory 
of  a  vision  vouchsafed  to  him,  or  dying  at  the  foot  of  the  altar, 
he  having  been  carried  off  by  apoplexy  whilst  performing  Mass, 
also  deserves  recognition,  as  does  St.  Paul  of  the  Cross,  founder 
of  the  Congregation  of  the  Passionists,  who  give  up  their  lives 
to  preaching  Christ  crucified,  and  whose  art  emblems  are  a 
large  crucifix  and  a  heart  embroidered  on  their  robes,  bearing 
the  words  '  Passio  Domini  nostri  Jesu.'  With  these  may  be 
associated  the  less  celebrated  St.  Francesco  de  Geronimo,  a 
Jesuit  monk  who  preached  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Naples,  for 
which  reason  a  representation  of  Mount  Vesuvius  behind  him 
is  his  distinctive  emblem ;  St.  Joseph  of  Copertino,  a  Fran- 
ciscan monk  who  is  supposed  to  have  been  carried  up  to  heaven 
in  a  state  of  ecstasy  when  praying  at  the  shrine  of  St.  Francis 
at  Assisi ;  St.  Camillus  of  Sellis,  founder  of  a  congregation  of 
Canons  Regular  for  visiting  the  sick,  who  are  distinguished  from 
the  Theatines  by  a  cross  worn  on  the  right  instead  of  the  left 
side  of  their  robes,  to  whom  is  said  to  have  been  granted  the 
signal  favour  of  being  embraced  by  the  image  of  Christ  on  a 
crucifix,  at  the  foot  of  which  he  was  praying,  and  whose  soul  is 
supposed  to  have  been  received  at  his  death  by  Christ  Himself, 
an  incident  occasionally  represented  in  modern  pictures  ;  and 
the  Jesuit  St.  Peter  Clavier,  whose  special  emblem  is  a  group 
of  negro  boys  kneeling  at  his  feet,  and  who  is  sometimes 
associated  with  the  beatified  Alfonso  Rodriguez,  with  whom 
he  was  associated  in  his  missionary  work. 

In  the  eighteenth  century  there  were  but  three  Saints  of  any 
note  who  have  been  represented  in  art :  the  Franciscan  monk 
St.  Thomas  of  Cori,  whose  emblem  is  an  image  of  the  Infant 
Saviour,  who  is  said  to  have  appeared  to  him  when  he  was 
officiating  at  Mass  and  to  have  caressed  him  with  His  little 
hands  ;  St.  Veronica  Juliani,  a  Capuchin  nun,  whose  attribute 
is  a  heart  marked  with  a  cross,  because  after  death  the  instru- 

24 — 2 


372  THE  SAINTS  IN   CHRISTIAN   ART 

ments  of  the  Passion  are  said  to  have  been  found  engraved 
upon  her  heart ;  and  St.  Alfonso  dei  Liguori,  founder  of  the 
congregation  of  missionary  priests  known  as  the  Redemptorists, 
who  became  Bishop  of  a  diocese  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  and 
won  a  great  reputation  as  a  writer  on  theology.  His  soul  is 
said  to  have  been  several  times  transported  to  heaven  whilst 
his  body  remained  upon  earth,  on  one  occasion  when  he  was 
preaching  to  a  large  congregation.  He  lived  to  a  great  age, 
and  before  his  death  withdrew  to  one  of  his  own  convents.  The 
attributes  of  St.  Alfonso  are  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin, 
from  which  rays  of  light  issue  and  concentrate  on  his  face, 
his  eloquence  having  been,  it  is  supposed,  inspired  by  the 
Mother  of  his  Lord  ;  a  rosary,  because  after  his  retirement 
from  his  diocese,  he  is  said  to  have  spent  much  of  his  time  in 
telling  his  beads  ;  and  a  pyx  or  monstrance  held  in  his  hands, 
in  memory  of  his  book  on  the  Blessed  Sacrament. 


INDEX 


ACCA  of  Hexham,  37 

Achard  of  Jumieges,  79 

Adalbert  of  Prague,  147,  164,  167-169, 

194 

Adelaide,  151 

Adelard  of  Corbie,  116,  128 
Adjutor  of  Vernon,  235,  240 
Adrian  of  Nerida,  116,  129,  152 
Afra  of  Augsburg,  166 
Agnela  of  Foligno,  330 
Agnes  of  Monte  Pulciano,  247,  258,  326, 

347 

Agricola  of  Avignon,  116,  123 
Aichart.     (See  Achard) 
Aidan,  2,  8,  10,  17-24,  28,  31,  37,  53, 

90,99 

Alberic  of  Citeaux,  185,  225 
Albert  of  Lie'ge,  218,  219 
Albert  of  Ogna,  235,  241,  242 
Albert  of  Sicily,  307,  309 
Albert  of  Siena,  235,  239 
Albert  of  Vercelli,  307,  308 
Aldegonda  of  Maubeuge,  97-99 
Aldhelm,  50 
Alesso  Falconieri,  310 
Alfonso  dei  Liguori,  372 
Alice.     (See  Adelaide) 
Aloysius  Gonzaga,  356-358,  363 
Alpha,  103,  1 06 
Alphege,  156,  162-164 
Amandus  of  Maestricht,  69,  70,  80,  Si, 

98 

Amatus  of  Sion,  55,  62 
Amelburga,  103,  108 
Anastasius  the  Martyr,  80,  84,  85 
Andrea  Avellino,  362,  371 
Andrea  Corsini  of  Fiesole,  331,  333 
Angelus,  307,  308 
Angradesma  of  Beaulieu,  97,  102 
Ansbert  of  Rouen,  55,  68 
Anselm  of  Canterbury,  199-203 
Anthelra  of  Bellay,  227,  231 
Antonino  of  Florence,  342,  348-350 


Antony  of  Padua,  266,  277-291,  341  347 
Arnould  of  Metz,  55,  65,  99,  120 
Arnould  of  Soissons,  200,  208,  209 
Arnulphus.     (See  Arnould  of  Metz) 
Athelwold.      (See  Ethelwold   of   Win- 
chester) 

Aubert  of  Cambrai,  55,  67,  79 
Augustine  of  Canterbury,  1-12,    17,   36, 

53»  I29 
Aure  of  Paris,  59,  97 

Barbatus  of  Benevento,  69,  71 

Bathilde  of  France,  96 

Bavon  of  Ghent,  70,  So,  81 

Bedan.    (See  Bede) 

Bede  of  Yarrow,  42,  43 

Bees.     (See  Begga) 

Begga  of  Audene,  91,  97,  99 

Beino,  102 

Benedict  of  Ainan,  135,  174 

Benedict  Biscop  of  Wearmouth,  I,  40-42, 

45^9 

Benezet  of  Avignon,  227,  230,  231 
Beniti.    (See  Filippo  Benizzi) 
Benno  of  Meissen,  199,  206,  207 
Bercharius  of  Hautvilliers,  79 
Bernard  of  Clairvaulx,  184, 186,  220-226, 

244 

Bernard  of  Mentthon,  165,  172,  173 
Bernard  of  Tiron,  227,  232 
Bernardino  of  Siena,  286,  295,  339-342, 

345.  347 

Bernardo  dei  Tolomei,  331-333 
Bernardo  degli  Uberti,  227,  229,  230 
Bern  ward  of  Hildesheim,  200,  208 
Bertha  of  Blangvvy,  103 
Bertin  of  Artois,  116,  126,  127 
Bertold  of  Garsten,  227,  232 

i   Bertulphus  of  Renty  in  Flanders,  116, 

I       126 

i   Birinus  of  Dorchester,  38 

I  Bonaventura,  285,  286,  289-291,  341 

1  Bonet.    (See  Bonitus) 


373 


374 


INDEX 


Boniface,  104,  110-114,  124 
Bonitus  of  Clermont,  55,  66 
Botolph,  39,  40 
Brandan,  61 

Bridget  of  Sweden,  326-328 
Brieuc,  116,  128,  129 
Bruno  of  Reggio,  174,  179-184,  208,  216, 
330 

Csesareus  of  Aries,  70,  78 

Camillus  of  Sellis,  371 

Canute  IV.  of  Denmark,  194,  197 

Carlo  Borromeo,  358,  362-364 

Casimir  of  Poland,  342,  350 

Catherine  of  Bologna,  352 

Catherine  of  Ricca,  366 

Catherine  of  Siena,  322-326,  329 

Catherine  of  Sweden,  327,  328 

Ceadda.     (See  Chad) 

Cedd,  28 

Charlemagne,  134,  138 

Chad,  2,  8,  20,  24,  25,  27-29,  89 

Charles  the  Good,  233,  234 

Clara  of  Assisi,  246,  266,  273-277 

Clara  of  Montefalco,  247,  257 

Clarus  of  Vienne,  79 

Claud  of  Besan9on,  55,  63,  64 

Cloud  of  Metz,  65 

Colette  of  Picardy,  352,  353 

Colman,  71 

Columban  of  Leinster,  46,  47,  57,  97 

Comgall  of  Bangor,  46 

Conrad  of  Piacenza,  331,  333 

Conrad  of  Constance,  164,  165,  169,  222 

Cunibert  of  Cologne,  69,  71 

Cunegunda,  152-155  / 

Cuthbert  of  Lindisfarne,  2,  20,  29-37,  43? 

5?i  53 
Cyril  of  Moravia,  137,  139 

Debonnaire.     (See  Sulpicius) 

Deodatus.     (See  Didier) 

Didier  of  Treves,  55,  64,  65 

Die.     (See  Didier) 

Diego  d'Alcala,  342,  347,  348 

Doda,  65 

Pominic,  246,  266,  271,  295-309,  320, 

325,  332,  336 

Dominic  de  la  Calzada,  235,  237,  238 
Dominic  of  Silos,  186,  187 
Dominic  of  Sora,  186,  187 
Donatian  of  Rheims,  65 
Dunstan  of  Canterbury,  10,  58,  143,  147, 

154-164,  193 
Dympna,  97,  101 


Eadburga  of  Faremontier,  86,  94 

Eanswith,  86,  94 

Eata  of  Hexham,  37 

Ebba  of  Coldingham,  26,  86-88,  92,  93 

Edith  the  Elder,  103,  143,  145 

Edith  the  Younger,  103,  146,  147,  159 

Edmund  of  Canterbury,  307,  317-319 

Edmund  the  Martyr,  130-133 

Edward    the  Confessor,    190-194,    198, 

203-205 

Edward  the  Martyr,  143-148,  *59 
Edwin,  King,  2,  11-18,  21-24,  53,  89,  94 
Egbert,  49 

Egidius.     (See  St.  Giles) 
Egwin  of  Worcester,  50 
Elegius.     (See  Eloy) 
Eleutherius  of  Tournai,  61,  77 
Elizabeth  of  Hungary,  247-253,  329,  330 
Elizabeth  of  Portugal,  328-330 
Elmo,  316,  317 

Eloy  of  Noyon,  55-59,  67,  96,  109,  156 
Emeric,  195 

Erhard  of  Ratisbon,  69,  105 
Eric  of  Sweden,  233 
Erkenwald,  49 
Ethelburga.     (See  Eadburga) 
Ethelburga  of  Northumbria,  14,21 
Ethelreda  or  Awdry,  24,  25,  86-89,  92, 

94 

Ethelwald  of  Fame  Island,  37 
Ethel  wold  of  Winchester,  146,  *6i,  162 
Eucherius  of  Orleans,  55,  59 
Eulogius  of  Cordova,  137 
Eustace,  120 

Exuperia  of  Turenne,  103,  109 
Ewald  the  Black,  50,  51 
Ewald  the  Fair,  50,  51 

Fare  of  Champigny,  97 
Faro  of  Meux,  51,  69,  97 
Felix  of  France,  38,  39 
Felix  of  Cantalico,  360,  365 
Felix  of  Valois,  227-229 
Ferdinand  of  Leon,  72,  319,  320 
Fiacre,  51,  52 
Fiaker.     (See  Fiacre) 
Fidelis  of  Sigmaringen,  370 
Filippo  Benmi,  307,  310,  31  i 
Filippo  Neri,  360,  362-366 
Fina  of  S,  Gemignano,  247,  256 
Florentina,  73 
Florentius  of  Strasburg,  72 
Francesca  Romana,  350-352 
Francesco  Carracciolo,  370 
Francesco  de  Geronimo,  371 


INDEX 


375 


Francis  of  Assisi,  246,  259-282,  286-291, 
295.  298-301,  308,  309,  323,  328,  332, 
336,  341-343,  347,  37 1 

Francis  Borgia,  311,  356,  357 

Francis  of  Paula,  342-344 

Francis  Xavier,  241,  3S5-3575  365 

Francis  de  Sales,  367-369 

Frederic  of  Utrecht,  137,  140 

Frideswide,  137,  107 

Frobert  of  Troyes,  79 

Fructuosus  of  Braga,  69,  74 

Fulbert  of  Chartres,  200,  208 

Fursy  of  Tuam,  49 

Gaetano  of  Thienna,  311,  360,  361 
Gall  of  Ireland,  46 
Gautier  of  Pontoise,  186-188 
Gengulph,  116,  129 
Geoffroy  of  Amiens,  200,  209 
Gerard  of  Namur,  165,  170 
Gerardo  dei  Tintori,  319,  321 
Gerardo  dei  Villamanca,  319 
Gerhard  of  Czanad,  195,  206 
Gerlach  of  Maestricht,  235,  238 
Gertrude  of  Nivelle,  97-100,  103 
Gertrude  of  Saxony,  247,  254 
G^ry  of  Cambrai,  55,  68,  98 
Giacomo  della  Marchia,  342,  347 
Giles  the  Hermit,  61,  70,  74-78,  84,  197 
Giovanni  Columbini,  331,  333 
Giovanni  of  Capistrano,  342,  344,  345 
Godeberte,  103,  108 
Godelieve  of  Flanders,  199 
Gomer  of  Antwerp,  125,  126 
Gregory  the  Great,  2-12,  139 
Gregory  II.,  in 
Gregory  III.,  116 
Gregory  VII.,  199,  200,  206,  208 
Gregory  of  Ostia,  238 
Gualberto.     (See  John  Gualberto) 
Gudula  of  Brussels,  97,  100,  101 
Guido  of  Anderlecht,  189 
Guido  of  Ravenna,  186,  188 
Guthlac  of  the  Fens,  43-46 

Hedwig  of  Poland,  247,  253,  254 
Henry  the  Pious  of  Bavaria,  152-155,  167 
Henry  IL  of  Bavaria,  167,  175,  186,  194, 

211 

Ilerbland  of  Indret,  116,  126,  127 
Herman  Joseph  of  Cologne,  316,  317 
Hidulphus  of  Treves,  53,  64,  69 
Hilda  of  Whitby,  86,  89-91 
Hildegarda  of  Bingen,  239,  244 
Homobonus  of  Cremona,  235,  242,  243 


Hubert  of  Maestricht,  116,  120-122 
Hugh  of  Lincoln,  208,  216-218,  330 
Hugo  of  Grenoble,  179,  183,  200,  207, 

208,  330 
Humbeline,  225 
Hyacinth  of  Poland,  319-321 

Ignatius  of  Azevedo,  356,  358 
Ignatius  Loyola,  241,  353'357>  3&~5 
lldefonso  of  Toledo,  69,  73,  74 
Isidore  of  Madrid,  189,  235,  240,  241 
Isidore  of  Seville,  69,  72,  73,  244,  246, 365 
Ives,  the  Persian,  50 
Ives  of  Brittany,  331,  335,  336 
Ives  of  Chartres,  218,  219 

Jeanne  Fran9oise  de  Chantel,  367-369 
Jeanne  of  Valois,  366 
John  of  Beverley,  37,  38 
John  Cantius,  342,  350 
John  Chrysorroas.      (See  John  of  Da- 
mascus) 

John  Damascene.  (See  John  of  Damascus) 
John  of  the  Cross,  359,  360,  365 
John  of  Damascus,  114,  115 
John  of  God,  345,  359 

}ohn  Gualberto,  174,  176-180,  184 
ohn  of  Matha,  227-229 
John  Nepomucen.    (See  John  Nepomuk) 
John  Nepomuk  of  Brittany,  331,  335 
Josaphat  Kongewicz  of  Polock,  371 
Joseph  of  Coper tino,  371 
Juan  de  Sahagan,  342,  345'347 
Judicael  of  Armorica,  82 
Judoc  of  Brittany,  So,  82-84 
Julian  of  Cuenca,  218,  219 
Juliana  Falconieri,  247,  257,  258 
Justus  of  Canterbury,  10,  12,  13 

Kenelm  of  Mercia,  136 
Kilian  of  Wurzburg,  71 

Ladislas  of  Hungary,  194,  197,  198 
Lambert  of  Li<%e,  66,  116,  119-121 
Landelin  of  Hainault,  67,  79 
Lanfranc,  198-203 
Lawrence   of   Canterbury,    9,    12,    152, 

154 

Leger  of  Autun,  55,  67,  68 
Leo  II.,  53 
Leo  III.,  137,  138 
Leo  IV.,  137,  138 
Leo  IX.,  199,  200 
Leocadia,  73,  74 
Leonard  the  Younger,  80,  82 


376 


INDEX 


Leopold  pf  Austria,  233,  235 

Leu.     (See  Lupus) 

LeufroiofEvreux,  116,  127 

Leutfrid.     (See  Lenfroi) 

Lievin,  52,  53 

Lorenzo  Giustiani  of  Venice,  342,  345, 

346 

Louis  Bertrand,  311,  358,  359 
Louis  Gonzaga.     (See  Aloysius  Gonzaga) 
Louis  of  France,  289,  291-293 
Louis  of  Toulouse,  286,  294,  295,  342 
Ludger  of  Saxony,  140*  Hi 
Ludmilla  of  Bohemia,  143,  147,  167 
Lupus  of  Sens,  55,  61,  62,  77 

Magnus  of  Fiissen,  83,  84 

Magnus  of  Orkney,  233,  234 

Malo  of  Aleth,  55,  60,  61 

Margaret  of  Cortona,  247,  254,  255 

Margaret  of  Hungary,  247,  253 

Margaret  of  Scotland,  194,  198,  199 

Maria  de  la  Cabeza,  241,  244,  246 

Maria  Maddalena  dei  Pazzi,  367,  370 

Marina,  103,  Jo8 

Martin  of  To'urs,  169 

Matilda,    Empress    of   Germany,    150, 

I5i 

Maura  of  Champagne,  109 
Maurus,  77 

Mawes,  or  Mauditus,  6 1 
Maxellinda,  97,  101 
Mechtilde  of  Saxony,  247,  254 
Mellitus  of  Canterbury,  7,  9,  10,  12 
Meinhardt  of  Einsiedeln,  136,  137 
Merri  of  Autun,  116,  128 
Methodus  of  Moravia,  137,  139 
Mordwena  of  Ireland,  97,  102,  103 

Neot,  137,  141-143*  l6* 

Nicetas  of  Tram",  189,  190 

Nicolas.    (See  Nicetas) 

Nicolas  of  Tolentino,  307,  311,  312 

Nilus  of  Grotta  Ferrata,  165,  170-172 

Norbert  of  Magdeburg,  220-222,  225 

Nothburga  of  Rothenburg,  329 

Oda,  65 

Odilo  of  Clugny,  iS6t 

Odo  of  Clugny,  165,  169,  174 

Olaf  of  Sweden,  I94"I96 

Olavell.     (See  Olaf) 

Omer  of  Terouanne,  55,  66 

Opportuna  of  Montreuil,  103,  106 

Oringa  of  Lucca,  330 

Oswald,  King,  2,  16-2 1,  24,  53 


Oswald  of  Worcester,  161 

Oswin,  19-22 

Osyth,  86,  95 

Ottilia  of  Alsace,  69,  103,  105 

Ouen  of  Rouen,  55-58,  67,  68,  96 

Pascal  Baylon,  345,  360,  361 

Paul  of  the  Cross,  371 

Paul  of  Verdun,  55,  59 

Paulinus    of   York,    I,    10-17,    22,   24, 

53>%9 

Peter  of  Alcantara,  360,  361 
Peter  Celestine,  307,  313 
Peter  Clavier,  371 
Peter  Gonsalez.     (See  Elmo) 
Peter  of  Luxembourg,  331,  333 
Peter  of  Nolasco,  307,  313,  314,  316 
Peter  of  Verona,  302,  303,  305,  306 
Philip  Neri,  241 
Pietro  Regolato,  342,  345 
Pius  V,,  362 

Poppo  of  Stavelo,  165,  170 
Procopius  of  Bohemia,  194,  197 

Radbod  of  Utrecht,  164 

Ranieri  of  Pisa,  235,  236 

Raymond  Nonnatus,  307,  314,  315 

Raymond  de  Penaforte,  307,  314,  315 

Regulus  of  Lucca,  69,  71 

Remaclus  of  Maestricht,  69,  7° 

Ricarius/78,  79 

Richard,  the  Saxon  King,  103,  116,  117, 

124,  127 

Richard  of  Chichester,  307,  319 
Richard  de  Wych,  318,  319 
Rigobert  of  Rheims,  116,  122 
Riquier.     (See  Ricarius) 
Robert  d'AbriseUe,  186,  187 
Robert  of  Moleme,  184,  185,  225 
Roch  of  Montpellier,  331,  336-339 
Romain  of  Rouen,  53-55 
Romanius.     (See  Romain) 
Rombaud  of   Mechlin,   116,    123,    124, 

126 

Romualdo,  123,  175,  176,  180,  184 
Ronan,  53 

Ronin  of  Beaulieu,  79 
Rosa  of  Lima,  311,  367,  369 
Rosa  pf  Viterbo,  247,  257 
Rosalia  of  Palermo,  244,  245 
Rosalina  ofVillamiOYa,  330 

Salomon  of  Brittany,  136 
Salvius,  116,  125 
Saulve.     (See  Salvius) 


INDEX 


377 


Scholastica,  45 
Sebald  of  Denmark,  116-119 
Sebastian.     (See  Edmund  of  East  Anglia) 
Serafina.     (See  Fina) 
Sexburga,  86,  88,  92,  94 
Siegfrid  of  Sweden,  199,  205 
Sigebert  of  East  Anglia,  38,  39 
Sigismund  of  Burgundy,  148,  149 
Silvanus,  116,  125 
Silvin.     (See  Silvanus) 
Simon  Stock,  307,  309 
Simpert,  165 
Sitha.     (See  Osyth) 
Sitha  of  Lucca,  247,  256 
Solange  of  Berry,  109,  no 
Stanislas  of  Cracow,  199,  205 
Stanislas  Kotska,  356,  358 
Stephen  of  Hungary,  194,  197,  206 
Stephen  of  Muret,  186,  188 
Stephen  the  Younger,  115,  116 
.-Stephen   Harding  of  Citeaux,    184-186, 

223-225 

Sulpicius  of  Bourges,  55,  63 
Super,  125 
Swidbert,  48,  49 

S  within  of  Winchester,  137,  140,  162 
Sylvester  Gozzalini,  316 

Theobald  of  Provins,  189,  210,  21 1 
Theoclard  of  Maestricht,  119 
Theodore  of  Canterbury,  129 
Theresa  of  Avila,  359,  360,  365,  366 
Thibaud.     (See  Theobald) 
Thomas  Aquinas,  290,  291,  302-306 
Thomas  of  Canterbury,  209-218 
Thomas  of  Cori,  371 
Thomas  of  Villanuova,  362-364 
Thurief.     (See  Thurien) 
Thurien  of  Dol»  116,  125 
Totnari,  71 

Ubaldus  of  Gubbio,  218,  219 
Ulric  of  Augsburg,  164-166,  169 


Valery  of  Le  Vimeu,  78 

Vautrude.     (See  Waltrude) 

Veronica  Juliani,  371 

Vincent  de  Paul,  367-369 

Vincenzo  Ferreris  of  Valencia,  331,  332 

Walarie.     (See  Valery) 

Walpurga  of  Alsace,  103-105,  116,  124, 

127 

Walpurgis.    (See  Walpurga) 
Waltheof  of  Melrose,  227,  232 
Waltheu.     (See  Waltheof) 
Waltrude  of  Mons,  97-99 
Wencelas,  147-149,  167 
Werburga,  86,  94 
Wilfrid  of  York,  I,  10,  22-29,  37»  44»  4^j 

53,  8<>88 

William  of  Aquitaine,  134-136,  169 
William  of  Bourges,  218 
William  of  Monte  Vergine,  227 
William  of  Norwich,  235,  243 
William  of  Roskild,  227,  230 
William,  King  of  Scotland,  233,  234 
William  of  York,  215,  216 
Willibald  of  Eichstadt,   104,    116,    118, 

124,  125,  127 

Willibrod  of  Northumbria,  46,  48,  49 
Williehad,  114 
Winibald  of  Heidenheim,  104,  116,  118, 

124,  127 

Winifred  of  Wales,  97,  101,  102 
Winoc,  79 
Withburga,  86,  92 
Wolfgang  of  Ratisbon,  152, 154, 164,  166, 

167 

Wolstan  of  Worcester,  199,  203,  204 
Wulfran  of  Sens,  55,  62,  129 
Wulfstan.    (See  Wolstan) 

Yvo.     (See  Ives  of  Chartres) 

Zachay,  116 

Zila.     (See  Sitha  of  Lucca) 


BILLING  AND   SONS,    LTD.,   PRINTERS,    GUIU5FORD 


II 


I HIM  I II 

115029