De sancto Leonardo
The Lion-Hearted Saint
The etymology and early life of Saint Leonard reveal a man of strength, contemplation, and detachment from worldly noise.
Leonardus comes from 'odor populi'—'odor' meaning scent and 'populus' meaning people—and 'nardus,' which is a fragrant herb, because the scent of his good reputation drew the people to him. Leonardus is said to mean either 'one who reads high things' or 'one who comes from a lion.' For the lion has four characteristics within itself. First, it has strength—a strength that, as Isidore says, resides in its chest and head. Similarly, the blessed Leonard had strength in his chest through the restraint of evil thoughts, and in his head through his tireless contemplation of heavenly things. Second, it has sagacity, and this in two ways: namely, in the opening of its eyes when it sleeps, and in the direction of its tracks when it flees. In this way, Leonard kept watch through the labor of action, and while watching, he slept through the quiet of contemplation. And within himself, he wiped away the traces of all worldly attachment. Third, it has virtue in its voice, because its voice raises the lion cub born dead on the third day and makes every beast stand still; likewise, Leonard raised many who were dead in their sins and made many who were living like beasts stand firm in good works; fourth, it has fear in its heart, because (according to Isidore) it is long afraid, namely of noise. of wheels and a kindled fire. In this way, Leonard feared, and by fearing, he avoided the noise of worldly anxiety; and for this reason, he fled into the desert and the fire of earthly greed, and for this reason, he rejected all the treasures offered to him. Leonard is said to have lived around the year 500. He was raised from the sacred font by Saint Remigius, the Archbishop of Reims, and was instructed by him in saving disciplines. His parents were highly regarded at the French royal palace. He gained such favor with the king that any prisoners he visited were immediately set free. When, therefore, the fame of his holiness grew, the king compelled him to stay with him for a long time, until he could give him a bishopric at an opportune moment. He refused, and desiring solitude, he left everything behind and arrived in Orléans to preach with his brother, Lifard. After they had lived for some time in a monastery, Lifard decided to remain a hermit on the bank of the Loire, while Leonard, prompted by the Holy Spirit, intended to preach in Aquitaine; they kissed each other and parted ways.
The Hermit of Nobiliacum
Leonard establishes his monastery in the forest, where his prayers bring forth water and liberation for the imprisoned.
Leonard, therefore, preaching everywhere and performing many miracles, lived in a certain forest near the city of Limoges, where a royal hunting lodge had been built. It happened, however, that one day the king was hunting there, and the queen, having come out to that place for the sake of love, was in danger during childbirth. As the king and his household grieved over the queen's condition, Leonard happened to be passing through the woods. Hearing their cries, he was moved by pity and hurried to the lodge; when the king called for him, he entered at once. The king asked who he was, and Leonard explained that he had been a disciple of Saint Remigius. The king, feeling hopeful and believing him to be well-trained by a good master, brought him to the queen and asked him to pray that he might receive the double joy of his wife's recovery and the birth of his child. Leonard prayed, and his request was immediately granted; but when the king offered him a large amount of gold and silver, he immediately refused, advising him to give it to the poor, saying, "I have no need of any of these things, but I desire only to serve Christ alone in some part of the woods, having despised the riches of this world." When the king offered to give him the entire forest, Leonard replied, "I won't take all of it, but I would like you to grant me as much as I can ride around in one night on my donkey." The king gladly agreed. Having built a monastery there, he lived there for a long time in great abstinence with two monks who had joined him. Since the water was a mile away, he ordered a dry well to be dug on the spot, which he then filled with water through his prayers. He named the place Nobiliacum because it had been given to him by a noble king. He shone with such great miracles there that anyone who called upon his name while in prison would soon find their chains broken, and with no one to stop them, they would walk away free and present their chains or shackles to him. Many of these people stayed with him and served the Lord there. Seven also. Families from his noble lineage sold everything and came to him; after giving away their belongings, they stayed with him in the woods and drew many others by their example. Finally, the holy man Leonard, famous for many virtues, departed to the Lord on the eighth day before the Ides of November. After he had performed many miracles there, it was revealed to the church clergy that because the place was too cramped due to the crowds, they should build a church elsewhere and honorably transport the body of Saint Leonard there. But they, along with the people, persisted in a three-day fast and prayer, and when they looked out, they saw the whole province covered in snow, but they saw that the place where Saint Leonard wished to rest was completely empty.
Miracles of Liberation
A series of miraculous accounts demonstrate Leonard's power to break physical and spiritual chains for those who call upon him.
Having been moved there, the vast array of iron chains hanging before his tomb stands as a witness to the miracles the Lord continues to perform through him, especially for those who have been imprisoned. To strike terror into evildoers, the Viscount of Limoges had made a very heavy chain, which he ordered to be fastened to the stocks in his tower. Anyone whose neck was bound by this chain was exposed to the harshness of the weather and suffered not just one, but as if a thousand deaths. It happened, however, that a certain servant of Saint Leonard was bound by this chain without any fault of his own; as he was breathing his last, he prayed to Saint Leonard with all his heart, as best he could, that since he had freed others, he would also come to the aid of his own servant. Immediately, Saint Leonard appeared to him in a white robe and said, "Don't be afraid, for you won't die. Get up, take this chain with you to my church, and follow me, for I will go before you." He rose, took the chain, and followed Saint Leonard, who led the way to his church. As soon as he reached the doors, Saint Leonard let him go and entered the church he had built for himself. The man told everyone what had happened and hung that massive chain before the saint's tomb. A man living near Saint Leonard’s place in Noblat, who was very devoted to the saint, was captured by a tyrant. The tyrant thought to himself, "This Leonard sets everyone free, and all the power of iron melts before him like wax before a fire." If I bind this man in chains, Leonard will immediately arrive and set him free; but if I could keep him guarded, I would have him ransomed for a thousand gold pieces. I know, therefore, what I will do. I’ll dig a deep pit in my tower and submerge this man there, weighed down by shackles. Then I’ll build a wooden chest over the mouth of the pit, where I’ll have armed soldiers lie in wait. For although Leonard may break iron, he hasn't yet gone beneath the earth. When he had finished everything he planned, and the man was calling out to Saint Leonard quite often, Leonard arrived at night, rolled away the chest where the soldiers were lying, and shut them inside it as if they were dead in a tomb. Then, entering the pit with a great light, he took the hand of his faithful servant and said, "Are you sleeping or awake?" Look, it’s Leonard, whom you desire. But he, in amazement, said, "Lord, help me." He immediately gathered up the chains, took the man into his own arms, and carried him out of the tower; then he walked with him, chatting like one friend to another, all the way to his own place and home.1 He led him there safely. A certain pilgrim, having returned from a visit to Saint Leonard, was captured in Auvergne and thrown into a dungeon. While he was held there, he repeatedly begged them to release him for the love of Saint Leonard, since he had never done them any harm. They replied that he wouldn't get out unless he paid a large ransom. He told them, "Let that be between you and Saint Leonard, to whom you know I have entrusted myself." The following night, Saint Leonard appeared to the lord of the castle and commanded him to release the pilgrim. But the lord, waking in the morning and dismissing the vision as a mere dream, refused to let him go. The next night, the saint appeared to him again with the same command, but he again refused to obey. On the third night, Saint Leonard took the pilgrim and led him out of the town; immediately, the tower and part of the castle collapsed, killing many and leaving only the lord alive, with his legs broken, to his own shame. A certain soldier, imprisoned in Britain, called upon Saint Leonard, who immediately appeared in the middle of the house while everyone watched, recognized him, and stood in awe; he entered the prison and broke the chains. He placed the chains in my hands and, leading me through the middle of them, struck everyone with amazement.
The Legacy of the Second Leonard
The life and final days of a second Saint Leonard, who mirrored the first in his humility, prayer, and miraculous power.
There was another Leonard, of the same profession and virtue, whose body rests at Corbiacum. While he was abbot of the monastery, he humbled himself so deeply that he seemed inferior to everyone. But as crowds flocked to him, some envious people warned King Clotaire that unless he took precautions, Leonard—who was gathering many under the guise of religion—would cause the kingdom of France significant harm. The king, being overly credulous, ordered him to be expelled. The soldiers who came were so moved by these words that they promised to protect their future disciples. The king, feeling remorse, sought pardon and had the detractors stripped of their possessions and honors. He grew to love Saint Leonard deeply, and only at the saint's request did he reluctantly restore the detractors to their former status. He who similarly obtained from God that anyone held in prison would soon be freed upon invoking his name. While one day he was engaged in prayer, a certain great serpent stretched from his feet to his bosom; he did not rise from prayer at all because of this, but when he completed his prayer, he said to it: 'I know that from the beginning of your creation, men, as much as you prevail, disturb, but now, if the power given to you is in me, be in me whatever I have deserved.' On that day, the serpent, leaping through his hood, fell dead at his feet. After this, once he had settled a dispute between two bishops, he predicted that his own end would come the next day, around the year of our Lord 570.
Read the original Latin
Leonardus odor populi a leos, quod est populus, et nardus, quod est herba redolens, quia odor bonae famae populum ad se trahebat. Vel Leonardus dicitur, quasi legens ardua, vel Leonardus dicitar à leone. Leo enim quatuor habet in se. Primo habet fortitudinem, quam fortitudinem (ut dicit Ysidorus) habet in pectore et in capite, Sic beatus Leonardus habuit fortitudinem in pectore per malarum refrenationem cogitationum, et in capite per infaligabilem supernorum contemplationem. Secundo habet sagacitatem, et hoc in duobus, scilicet in apertione oculorum, cum dormit, et in directione vestigiorum, cum fugit. Sic Leonardus vigilavit per laborem actionis, et vigilando dormivit per quietem contem. plationis et in se delevit vestigia mundanae totius affectionis. Tertio habet virtuositatem in voce, quia ejus vox tertia die suscitat leunculum natum mortuum et omnem bestiam figere facit gradum, Sic Leonardus multos mortuos in peccatis resuscitavit et multos mortuos bestialiter viventes in operibus bonis fixit, Quarto habet timorem in corde, quia (secundum Ysidorum) diu timet, scilicet strepitum !)
rotarum et ignem accensum. Sic Leonardus timuit et timendo vitavit strepitum mundanae sollicitudinis et ideo in desertum fugit et ignem terrenae cupiditatis et ideo omnes thesauros sibi oblatos contemsit. — Leonardus fuisse dicitur cirea annum domini D. Hic a sancto Remigio Remensium archiepiscopo de sacro fonte levatus et ab ipso salutaribus disciplinis instructus est. Cujus parentes primi in palatio regis Franciae habebantur. Hic tantam gratiam a rege obtinnit, quod omnes incarcerati, quos ipse visitabat, protinus absolvebantur. Cum igitur fama sanctitatis ejus excresceret, rex multo tempore eum secum manere coegit, donec opportuno tempore ei episcopatum donaret. Quod ille renuit et solitudinem desiderans relictis omnibus Aurelianum praedicando cum confratre suo Lifardo devenit, ubi, postquam in quodam coenobio aliquamdiu vixerunt, dum Lifardus super ripam Ligeris solitarius manere vellet et Leonardus per sancti spiritus admonitionem in Aquitania disponeret praedicare, osculantes se ab invicem discesserunt.
Leonardus igitur ubique praedicans, multa miracula exercens in quadam silva civitati Lemovicae vicina habitavit, ubi erat aula regia causa venationis constructa. Accidit autem, ut quadam die rex ibi venaretur et regina illuc causa dilectionis egressa partu periclitaretur. Cum ergo rex et familia propter reginae' periclitationem lugerent et Leonardus per nemus transiret et gementium voces audiret, pietate commotus illuc properavit et a rege vocatus protinus introivit, Cum igitur a rege interrogatus, quis esset, et se sancti Remigii discipulum fuisse narraret, rex spem bonam concipiens et a bono magistro ipsum bene instructum existimans ipsum ad reginam induxit rogans, ut suis precibus de recuperata conjuge et edita prole duplex gaudium obtineret. Tunc ille oratione fusa, quod petebat, protinus impetravit, Cum autem rex multa in auro et argento sibi offerret, . ille protinus recusavit admonens, ut haec pauperibus daret, dicens: ego nullis horum indigeo, sed tantum in aliqua silvarum contemtis hujus mundi divitiis soli Christo famulari desidero. Cum autem rex totum illud nemus sibi tradere vellet, ille ait: non totum illud accipio, sed quantum nocte cum meo asello circuire potero, tantam mihi concedere exopto. Quod rex libentissime adimplevit. Gonstrncto itaque ibidem monasterio, ibi diu cum adjunctis sibi duobus monachis in abstinentia multa degebat.
Cum autem aqua uno ab iis milliario distaret, puteum ibidem siccum penitus fodi jussit, quem aqua orationibus suis implevit. Locum autem illum Nobiliacum appellavit eo, quod a rege nobili traditus sibi fuisset. Ibi tantis miraculis coruscavit, quod, quicunque ejus nomen in carcere invocasset, mox ruptis vinculis nullo contradicente liber abiret et suas eidem catenas vel compedes praesentaret. Horum plures secum manebant et ibidem domino serviebant. Septem quoque !) familiae de ejus nobili stirpe venditis omnibus ad eum venerunt et distributis singulis in nemore cum ipso manentes exemplo suo plurimos attraxerunt. Denique sanctus vir Leonardus multis clarus virtutibus VIII Idus Novembres ad dominum migravit, ubi, postquam mulla fecisset miracula, clericis illius ecclesiae est revelatum, ut, quia locus ille propter multitudinis frequentiam artus erat, alibi ecclesiam fabricarent et illuc corpus sancti Leonardi honorifice transportarent. At illi cum populo triduano jejunio et orationi insistentes respicientes viderunt totam provinciam nive oopertam, locum autem illum, in quo sanctus Leonardus quiescere volebat, omnino vacuum conspexerunt.
Ibi itaque translatus; quanta miracula praecipue circa incarceratos dominus per eum faciat, immensa ferri varietas ante ejus tumulum dependentis testis exsistit,
Vicecomes Lemovicensium ad terrorem malorum quandam gravissimam catenam fecerat, quam incippo snae turris affigi mandaverat; qua catena quicunque collo cingebatur, eullibet aéris Intemperiei expositus non uma, sed quasi mille mortibus angebatur, Accidit antem, ut quidam servus sancti Leonardi illa catena sine culpa ligaretur; qui cum fere ultimum spiritum efflaret, intra se, quo potuit, )toto sanctum Leonardum affectu rogavit, nt, qui alios liberaret, sibi quoque servo suo subveniret. Statimque sanctus Leonardus in veste candida sibi apparens dixit: noli timere, quia non morieris; surge et hane catenam tecum ad ecelesiam meam deferas, sequere me, quia ego praecedam te. Qui consurgens et catenam accipiens sanctum Leonardum praecedentem usque ad ecclesiam suam secutus est statimque, nt ante fores (uit, beatus Leonardus ipsum dimisit et ecclesiam intrans, quam sanctus Leonardus sibi fecerat, omnibus enarravit et catenam illam tam maximam ante tumulum ejus suspendit.
Vir quidam in loco sancti Leonardi Nobiliaeo habitans et eidem sancto valde fidelis exsistens a quodam tyranno captus est; qui tyrannus intra se cogitans dicebat: Leonardus iste omnes ahsolvit ct omnis vis ferri ante eum, velnt cera ante ignem, liquescit. Si hunc igitur vinculis ligavero, protimus Leonardus aderit et ipsum liberabit, si autem ipsum custodire possem, mille solidis ipsum redimere facerem. Scio igitur, quid faciam. Jn turre mea profundam foveam faciam et hominem hunc compedibus aggravatum ibidem :)submergam, deinde super os foveae ligneam archam construam, in qua armatos milites accubare faciam. Licet enim Leonardus ferrum confringat, tamen nondum sub terra intravit. Qui cum totum, quod cogitaverat, implevisse et ille homo sanctum Leonardum saepius inclamaret, Leonardus nocte veniens archam, in qua jacebant milites, revolvit et tamquam mortuos in sepulchro, ita eos sub ipsa conclusit, Deinde cum multa luce foveam ingressus manum fidelis sui tennit ac dixit: dormis an vigilas? Ecce Leonardus, quem tu desideras. At ille admirans ait: domine, adjuva me.
Confestim coníractis catenis apprehensum propriis ulnis extra turrim portavit, deinde secnm, sieut aimicns cum amico confabulans, usque ad locnm suum et domum. ipsum deduxit.
Peregrinus quidam, cum a visitatione sancti Leonardi rediisset et in Avernia captus in caven. inclusus esset, eos plurimum deprecabatur, ut amore sancti Leonardi, cum nihil unquam eos offendisset, enm relaxare deberent. Quiresponderunt, qnod, nisi se copiose redimeret, non exiret. Et ille: sit inter vos et sanctum Leonardum, cui me sciatis recommendatum. Sequenti igitur nocte sanctus Leonardus domino illius castri appárnit et, ut peregrinum stum dimitteret, imperavit. Ille vero maneevigilans et visionem quasi somnium parvipendens nallatenus dimittere voluit. Altera nocte eadem imperans sibi apparuit, sed ille iteruim obedire contemsit. Tertia vero noctesanctus Leonardus peregrinum accipiens extra oppidum deduxit statimque turris cun: media parte castri corruens oppressis pluribus solum príncipem ad sui confusionem fractis cruribus reservavit.
Miles quidam in Britannia incarceratus sanctum Leonardum invocabat, qui statim cunctis videntibus et cognoscemtibus et sfupentibus in media domo apparuit et carcerem intrans et vincula frangens ho. mini catenas in manibus posuit et per medium illorum deducens omnes stupore perterruit.
Fuit et alius Leonardus ejusdem professionis et virtutis, cnjus corpus apud Corbiacum requiescit, Hic, cum in monasterio esset praelatus, tanta se humilitate dejiciebat, ut omnibus inferior videretur. Sed cum omnis paene populus ad eum conflueret, quidam invídi regi Clotario suaserunt, quod, nisi sibi praevideret, per Leonardum, qui multos sub obtentu religionis colligebat, regnnm Franciae detrimentum non modicum sustineret. Quibus rex nimium credulus eum expelli jussit. Venientes autem milites adeo hujus verbis compuncti sunt, quod se suos futuros discipulos spoponderunt. Rex quoque poenitens veniam petiit et detractores rebus et honoribus privari fecit, et sanctum Leonardum valde dilexit et vix ad preces sancti detractores dignitati pristinae restituit. Qui a Deo similiter impetravit, ut, quicunque in carcere tenerentur, mox invocato suo nomine solverentur. Dum autem quadam die orationi incamberet , serpens quidam maximus a parte pedum usque in ejus sinum tetendit,Q0ui propter hoc nullatenus ab oratione surrexit, completa vero oratione dixit ei: scio, quia ab initio creationis tuae homines, quantum praevales, inquietas, sed nunc, si in me tibi tradita est potestas, fae in me, quidquid merui. Quo dieto serpens per caputium ejns exsiliens ad pedes ejus mortuus corruit.
Post hoc antem, cum daos episcopos discordantes sedasset, in crastinum se finiendum praedixit, circa aunos domini DLXX.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'coníractis' is treated as 'contractis' (gathered/drawn together) and 'aimicns' as 'amicus' (friend) based on context.
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