De sancto Marcello Parisiensi
The Life and Miracles of Saint Marcellus
Saint Marcellus of Paris is remembered for his profound humility, his miraculous service, and his victory over the serpent that haunted a grave.
The most blessed Marcellus was born in Paris, yet he was a citizen of heaven; humble on earth, but exalted in the heavens; born of modest parents, but noble in his merits. This was his true mark of nobility: to serve Christ without fault. He didn't swell with the pride of his birth, but wore the ornaments of his virtues; he took no pride in his family's reputation, but possessed the grace found in the examples of his virtues, keeping his treasures within himself and embracing God with a pure heart. He lived in poverty with Christ and gave himself so completely to discipline—in the practice of humility, the abundance of charity, the light of chastity, and the richness of fasting—that he matured from his very infancy. Though he lived in a body, he carried himself as if he had no flesh at all. Thus, girded by this blessed training and his venerable works, he was a priest almost before he was a cleric, long since worthy to receive that dignity, having been prepared beforehand for what was to come. He was ready without delay, having trampled underfoot the vanity of the world and its sins. Once initiated with divine armor, he prepared himself for the hope of a happy victory over the public enemy. In the militia of Christ, he was made a reader, offering himself as the first fruits to the temple of Christ, like a sacrifice from the wars, a victim of conquered flesh and a pure mind. Brighter in his reward than in his name, and greater in his merit than in his rank, he performed his duties without offense and began to grow in the service of the King he had received. Then, while he was still hidden in his clerical training, he was revealed by miracles and illuminated by heavenly signs. Once, he went to a blacksmith's shop, and being looked down upon by the craftsman, he was compelled to extract... ...a glowing mass of iron from the burning furnace with his own hand. He lifted the burning iron and declared its weight. Then the most blessed man, knowing that everything is to be presumed from Christ and knowing what a cause of virtue it is to obey in matters that are not shameful, immediately placed his hand underneath and lifted the iron higher, saying: 'It is hot from the heat, but it has nine weights.' What was later found on the scale was exactly what his voice had predicted it would weigh. So, while he was serving in his subdiaconal ministry on the day of the Epiphany, he was drawing water from the river Seine, and as he offered it to the blessed Prudentius to wash his hands, the elements changed, and the water was found to have the taste of wine. The bishop, stunned by what he saw, ordered the water to be poured from that same pitcher into the sacred chalice. From this, the entire congregation received Communion after the Mass was celebrated, and the vessel itself—even though it had sufficed for the multitude of the people—remained as full as if it had not been touched and was still intact. Through the mystical benefit of this wine, many were later healed. Once, when the most holy man was serving the aforementioned venerable bishop in the duties of his office and had offered water for his hands, the water immediately began to smell of balsam; and as the stream flowed, the drops seemed to breathe out chrism, so that the bishop almost believed he was anointing his hands rather than washing them, and he asked for other water to wash off the first. Seeing this, the venerable priest was stunned; he gave thanks to God for the gift he had received and showed reverence to the blessed Marcellus for his religious life, realizing that he was not the kind of man who should be served, but rather the kind who should be served. A certain noblewoman, of high birth but low reputation—staining with sin the very status that shone through her lineage—was carried to her tomb with great pomp after the light of her fleeting life had been extinguished, but it was a pomp that would not profit her. I shudder to report that this happened after her funeral, for a double lamentation arose over the deceased. Therefore, a monstrous serpent began to haunt her grave to consume her corpse—or, to speak more clearly, it became the burial place for the woman whose limbs the beast was devouring. When the people saw this, they were terrified and fled from their homes. The blessed Marcellus, however, understanding that he would win a triumph over this bloody enemy, gathered the people of the city, set out, and leaving the citizens behind, approached the place alone, with Christ as his guide, to do battle. And when the serpent returned from the woods to the tomb, they met face to face; as the blessed Marcellus offered a prayer, the serpent bowed its head. The beast began to beg for mercy, fawning with its tail. Then, with the bishop leading the way, everyone followed the beast for nearly three miles, giving thanks to the Lord and performing the funeral rites for their enemy. Then the blessed Marcellus, rebuking it, said: 'From this day on, either stay in the wilderness or cast yourself into the sea.' Once the beast was dismissed, no further trace of it was ever found. Behold the bulwark of the country standing in one priest, who overcame the enemy more powerfully with a fragile staff than if they had pierced it with ballistae. Thus, therefore, let the merits of holy men be compared by their deeds; let Gaul admire Marcellus, while Rome admires Silvester—unless this distinction holds: the one boasted, the other did not. Famous for these works, perfect in his deeds, and always intent on the dragon, the holy Marcellus, glorious in his blessedness and rewarded for his labors, was destined to reign forever with the Lord. Having conquered the contagion of the world, he migrated to Christ on the first of November, while our Lord Jesus Christ reigned, to whom is honor and glory, power and might.
The Calling and Virtues of Saint Genevieve
Saint Genevieve is introduced through her etymology, her early calling by Saint Germanus, and her life of rigorous asceticism and charity.
The name Genovefa comes from 'genos' and 'efa', meaning 'measure', as if to say she possessed natural gifts in full measure or abundance. She attained supernatural gifts easily, with the grace of God accompanying the natural virtues she already possessed; or, the name is derived from 'genos', meaning 'beard' or 'manliness', and 'efa', meaning 'outpouring' or 'fullness', as if she were overflowing and full of manly and strong deeds, for she is to be imitated and equaled even by men themselves, as we can gather from her life and the hymns sung of her in the Church. The blessed virgin Genovefa was born to honorable parents—her father named Severus and her mother Gerontia—in the town of Nanterre, not far from Paris. Holy. Germanus. When the Bishop of Auxerre came to that same town to pray, and a great crowd had gathered at the local basilica, Genovefa was there as well. Whom the saint... Germanus, seeing the noble-hearted Genovefa, ordered her to be brought to him, and to those standing around... People. He predicted she was chosen by God as His bride, declared that angels sang at her birth, and praised her parents as blessed for having such a child; he also affirmed that many would be converted from their wicked lives by her example. When she was summoned by him and advised to keep her virginity for her heavenly Spouse, she replied that she had always desired this with all her heart. He said to her, "Take heart, daughter; act with courage, and strive to prove by your deeds what you believe in your heart and profess with your lips, for the Lord will give strength and virtue to your beauty." And when on the following day he had Genovefa brought to him again, he said to her, "Greetings, daughter Genovefa; do you remember what you promised me yesterday regarding the integrity of your body?" She replied, "I remember, Father." Then he picked up from the ground a small bronze coin, brought by God's will and marked with the sign of the cross, and said to her, "Always keep this, pierced as it is, hanging around your neck in my memory, and do not allow yourself to be adorned with any metal or pearl ornaments, nor let your fingers be decorated." He then said goodbye, kissed her head, and left. When her mother was going to church on a holy day and ordered Genovefa to stay at home against her wishes, the moment her mother slapped her face, she lost her hearing; she suffered under this divine wrath for nearly two years until, through her daughter's prayers, she was finally restored to her former health. Another time, while Genovefa was walking with two consecrated virgins who were older than she was, taking the last place, the order of walking was immediately reversed when the Bishop of Chartres, Julitus, met them, for the bishop said, "Let the one who follows be placed in front, since she has already attained sanctity from heaven." After her parents had passed away, when she had moved to the city of Paris, she was seized by such a paralysis—or so it seemed—that her body was believed to be lifeless for three days, as her limbs were completely relaxed and her joints loosened. When she had regained her health, she said that she had been led in spirit by an angel to see the glory of the saints and the punishment of the wicked, and from then on she began to reveal and manifest the secrets of people's consciences to their no small wonder. When the holy Germanus returned and entered Paris, Genovefa immediately sought him out, asking where he was and what he was doing, and went down to his lodging; when people spoke ill of her (for the simplicity of the just is often mocked), she showed them the ground watered by her tears, and thus commending her to the bystanders, he left and for a time silenced the mouths of those speaking unjustly. But after the death of the blessed Germanus, when Attila, king of the Huns, was invading Gaul and especially the city of Paris, threatening to subject it to his rule, and while almost everyone was carrying their possessions to cities that seemed safer to them, Genovefa persisted in her works and vigils, exhorting those with whom she lived to do the same; she said that the enemy was not to be feared, but rather predicted that the city would remain unharmed. Because of this, some of her fellow citizens began to call her a false prophet for their times and started conspiring to have her killed. At that same time, an archdeacon arrived from the city of Auxerre. When he heard about this, he confronted the citizens, saying, "Don't commit this crime. We learned from our bishop, Saint Germanus, that this woman you're planning to kill was chosen by God as His bride from her mother's womb, and I can show you the tokens he left behind for her." As soon as they read them, they abandoned their plans, and the Huns immediately left. A woman came to Paris from the city of Bourges who had been violated after her consecration, and she came to speak with Genevieve. When Genevieve asked her if she were a nun or a widow, she immediately declared that she was a virgin and revealed the man who had violated her, along with the place and time. Stung by shame, she humbly begged Genevieve for forgiveness. A certain matron's four-year-old son had fallen into a well and, after three hours, was pulled out dead. As his mother wept and tore her hair, he was brought to Genevieve, who turned to prayer, placed her cloak over his body, and immediately returned the boy alive to his mother. When the city of Paris was suffering from famine due to a long siege, Genevieve, feeling pity for the poor, boarded a ship on the Seine to buy grain. When she arrived at a place where there was a tree near which ships often met with disaster, she immediately ordered the tree to be cut down. Turning to prayer, she saw two horrible monsters flee from that spot. From that day on, no ship was lost there, but they completed their journey with a prosperous run. On her way back, the virgin distributed bread to the poor according to their needs. Once, when she had arrived at the city of Troyes, a great crowd of people immediately met her, bringing countless men and women of both sexes afflicted with various illnesses. Among them was a man whom divine vengeance had struck blind for working on a Sunday, as well as a girl who had been blind for nearly twelve years; Genevieve blessed them, and they were instantly restored to health. In the city of Meaux, a girl who had been promised to a young man learned of Genevieve's virtues and begged Genevieve to let her change her clothes and be counted among the company of virgins. The young man, indignant, pursued his bride with fury. When Genevieve heard this, she took the girl with her to the nearest church and, by divine power, miraculously opened the church doors, which had been locked, and saved the girl from the young man's fury. In Orléans, when Genevieve was pleading with a head of a household for a servant who had sinned against him, the man refused entirely. As soon as she entered his house, he was struck by a violent fever and was not restored to health until he begged Genevieve for forgiveness and granted mercy to the servant. Look, upon entering the church of Saint Martin of Tours, she freed many who were possessed by demons after they had been anointed with oil. Once, when she wanted to anoint some people and there was no oil in the flask—and even the bishop who would bless the oil was absent—she immediately lay on the ground in prayer, and the flask in her hands was filled with oil, with which the sick were later healed. Vincent of Beauvais speaks of her abstinence and virtues in his Mirror, among many other things. From the age of fifteen until she was fifty, her food was barley bread and beans, which she would mix again in a pot after two or three weeks and eat. She fasted from Sunday to Thursday, and again from Thursday to Sunday; she never drank wine or anything that could intoxicate. After she turned fifty, however, she began eating fish and milk with barley bread, at the urging of the bishops and out of obedience. She held him in great veneration. She loved the village of Catulacensis, where the blessed Dionysius suffered, and she was devoted to building a basilica in his honor. She asked the priests to each contribute toward the building, but they replied, 'We might have the strength for the building, but we lack the lime to make the mortar.' Filled with the Holy Spirit, she prophesied and said, 'Go, I beg you, to the city bridge, and tell me what you hear.' They went out and stood in the street, astonished, and just then they heard two swineherds talking. One said to the other, 'While I was tracking a sow that had wandered off to give birth, I found a lime kiln of amazing size.' The other replied, 'And I found a lime kiln in the woods under the roots of a tree that had been blown over by the wind, from which I believe nothing has ever been taken.' Hearing this, the priests gave thanks and returned. When the saint heard this, she filled her lap with tears of joy. She urged the priest Genesius to build the basilica in honor of the aforementioned martyr, and so, through her prayers, it was built for all the citizens.
The Miraculous Intercession of Saint Genevieve
The narrative details the many miracles performed by Genevieve during her life and the ongoing power of her relics and intercession after her death.
While the carpenters were working on the project, the drink ran out; the saint took a cup, prostrated herself alone, and prayed with tears. Then, rising, she made the sign of the cross over the vessel, and it was filled to the brim. From this, the workers drank abundantly until the basilica was finished, and they gave thanks. One night, around the time of the cock's crow, the blessed Genevieve went out to the basilica of Saint Denis; the candle that was being carried before her went out, and she ordered a candle to be given to her. When she held it, it was immediately lit. Similarly, at that same time, she lay prostrate in prayer in the church for a long while. When she rose, the candle—which had not yet been touched by fire—was lit by divine will in her hand. Many sick people were healed by taking a little bit of the wax in faith. A woman stole her shoes, but when she got home, she was struck blind; then, prostrating herself at the saint's feet and begging for mercy, she had her eyes marked by the saint and regained her sight. Childeric, the king of the Franks, who loved her dearly, feared that the saint would rescue the prisoners he intended to execute, so he ordered the gates of Paris to be closed when he entered the city. Hearing this, the saint immediately went to free the souls; the gates opened for her without a key, and she reached the king and succeeded in preventing the prisoners from being beheaded. At that time, the blessed Simeon was also on his pillar; merchants traveling back and forth say that he asked about her, greeted her with profound reverence, and asked to be remembered in her prayers. In Paris, people possessed by demons were also brought to her; while she prayed in the basilica of Saint Denis, they would scream, crying out that the blessed Genevieve was coming to their aid. She would rise and bless each one, healing them of the unclean spirit, so that the foul stench reached the nostrils of those standing by. When she finished her Lenten fast, she went out and lit the way with the prayer of the cross. In the church of Saint Martin of Tours, while she was praying in a corner, a mouse among the chanters was seized by a demon and was tearing at its own limbs; when the blessed Genevieve commanded the unclean spirit to leave, it was expelled through the bowels, leaving behind a foul mess. During that same time, while standing at the entrance of her house, she saw a girl carrying a flask she had bought a little earlier. When asked what it was, she saw a demon sitting on the mouth of the flask; it breathed into it, and immediately a piece of the flask's mouth fell off. In the territory of Meaux, while the workers were harvesting their own grain, they were very worried about an impending rainstorm. But she entered her tent—as she was accustomed to do without ceasing—and prostrated herself in prayer with tears, obtaining that while rain watered all the crops in the surrounding area, not a single drop touched the harvest or the harvesters. She was so holy that, filled with the spirit of prophecy, she also drove all diseases from human bodies. She gave whole loaves of bread to the needy, to such an extent that her girls often could not find the portion of bread they had placed in the oven. She lived for more than eighty years; her feast day is celebrated on the third of January. This is what Vincent wrote; the rest of what is included here is drawn from the most certain and approved records of the church where the blessed virgin presides, some of which Vincent himself testifies to. After the blessed virgin passed away, a lamp was placed at her tomb. It stayed lit regardless of how much oil it consumed, and the sick were healed by its touch, as if the oil had been transformed into a fountain and a medicine. A man who had lost his speech and sight came to the virgin's tomb and recovered both his sight and his ability to speak; a certain woman, warned in a vision, brought her son from birth... ...who was blind, to the place of the aforementioned virgin. While the miracle was being recounted in the church—how the Lord Jesus Christ opened the eyes of the man born blind—his eyes were immediately opened. It was revealed to a man who had been mute from birth that he should go to the tomb. He went to the virgin's tomb to receive the gift of speech there. When he arrived on Sunday, trusting in the revelation, the bond of his tongue was immediately loosened and he began to speak, praising God. When asked by the abbot what he wished to do after the gift of speech had been granted to him, he replied that he did not want to leave that place, did not want to return home, and did not want to live the rest of his days without the presence of the virgin. The abbot, embracing his vow with a joyful heart, ordered that he be provided with the necessities of life. When a thief who had been imprisoned escaped from jail due to the guards' negligence, and the magistrate pursued him as he fled to the virgin's tomb, the thief sought the virgin's help. He cried out in prayer, but the magistrate broke into blasphemy against her; the magistrate suddenly fell and died miserably, while the thief was set free. At another time, when the river Seine rose beyond measure and reached the middle of the chapel of the virgins—which the virgin had built near the church of Saint John the Baptist—the small bed in which she had died, which was kept there, was found untouched by the river, even though the waters flowed continuously over it and receded from it. A few days later, when the monastery had been consumed by a fire from the Normans and the virgin's body was being carried by the brothers to the village of Ategias, it was proven that many miracles had shone forth there as well; for the altar of the church, where the virgin was to be placed, was adorned with the holy cross and the relics of the saints, as is the custom, and it moved as if rejoicing at her arrival, and it was proven that the object placed upon it, having shown that it had attained what it desired, was firm and would not move any further. Later, in the presence of several bishops of the kingdom, the virgin's body was found to be intact, with its head inside the casket. It was discovered and confirmed. In the time of Louis, the most illustrious King of the Franks, a fiery disease—which physicians call the 'holy fire'—began to consume the limbs that wretched men had offered to serve injustice and iniquity. When many saints' intercession was sought by the sick but not obtained, Stephen, the most religious bishop of Paris, remembered how the blessed virgin Genevieve had once delivered the aforementioned city from many dangers, and he instituted solemn processions in which the virgin was to be carried to the church of the blessed Virgin Mary; once the procession was ordered according to the canonical custom and the holy virgin entered the church of the blessed Mary, all who were ill were healed upon touching the bier, with three exceptions. When Pope Innocent, of happy memory, traveled through Gaul the following year, he was informed of this great miracle and, giving thanks to God and the holy virgin, granted that the miracle be celebrated with a solemn memorial for all time. But since the memorial of the aforementioned miracle was celebrated solemnly every year, as has been said, it happened once that, due to the absence of the sacristan who feared the expense, it was celebrated without the ornaments and lights that he was supposed to provide. From this it happened that, on the following day, as he was ascending to the church sanctuary, he experienced the divine power, suddenly fell, and died miserably without a voice; they have experienced this, therefore, and continue to experience it daily. How many there are who know with what trembling one ought to venerate the virgin of Christ, where blindness receives sight with humility, weakness receives strength, and, conversely, minds bound by infidelity receive destruction.
A Prayer for the Faithful
The chapter concludes with a devotional exhortation to honor Saint Genevieve and seek her intercession for the protection of Christendom.
So, regarding our own part: Whatever praises we use to honor Genevieve, we must do so with trembling; and when we ask for her intercession, we must do so with faith. It is truly right to honor Genevieve with praise, for she has so often delivered the illustrious city of Paris—that chief and most stable pillar of the most Christian kingdom and teacher of faith and doctrine for all Christendom—from so many dangers. She rescued it from enemies fighting with hostile slaughter, checked the mourning of flooding waters, consumed the fire of a horrific blaze within human minds, and restored sight to the blind, a steady gait to the lame, and hearing to the deaf; she even drove out demons from the possessed through her prayers. And the Lord, through the fringes of Genevieve’s garment, often deigned to show remedies of healing to the sick and those held by various ailments, not only through her prayers but also in a most powerful way for his beloved virgin. Therefore, she was deservedly placed on the summit of the high mountain in Paris, where, honored and exalted and wonderfully arranged, she never ceases to pour out streams of healing and grace to those who ask for her gifts in faith. For this reason, it is our duty to entrust ourselves to her with all the devotion of our hearts, since she is the one who prays constantly for the people devoted to her and for all Christendom. Therefore, remembering this small portion of her miracles and also venerating her with that most celebrated assembly of religious, let us glorify this noble virgin, the glorious bride of Christ, with praises, asking that through her intercession we may deserve to enjoy the joys of paradise forever. Amen.1
Read the original Latin
Beatissimus Marcellus antistes natus Parisii, sed civis paradisi, in terris humilis, erectus in coelis, mediocris parentibus, sed meritis celsus, cui hoc fuit nobilitatis lumen insigne, Christo sine culpa servire, Non de generis intumescens superbia, sed habens de meritis ornamenta, nec sumens de parentelae lande jactantiam, sed gratiam possidens in virtutum exemplis, intra se suos thesauros retinens, Deum mundo corde complectens. Sed cum Christo panper iste regnavit, qui in humilitatis conversatione, in caritatis ubertate, in castitatis lmnine, in jejuniorum pinguedine ita se totum tradidit disciplinae, ut ab ipsa infantia maturus adscenderet et positus in corpore quasi nihil de carne portaret, Hic itaque beatissima institutione succinctus et venerandis operibus paene prius sacerdos exstitit quam clericus, jamdudum dignus, qui susciperet dignitatem, antea praeparatus ad id, quod . erat sine mora futurus, Calcata mandi pompa vel criminibus, cwn divinis armis initiatus accingeretur ad spem, felicem palinam de hoste publico relaturus in militia Christi exercitando lector effectus est ac se ipsum templo Christi pro primitiis offerens velut a bellis sacrificium hostia victae carnis et purae mentis effectus est. Qui clarior mercede quam nomine et merito major quam gradu sine offendiculo suum gerens officium, coepit in milite crescere, quód accepit a rege. Deinde dum adhuc clericali tyrocinio celaretur, miraculis proditum: et signis coelestibus illustratur. Unde quadam vice ad officinum accessit fabricalem, qui despectus ab artifice cogitur, ut extracta. de ardenti camino ferri massa candens manu sua ferrum accensum attolleret et, quanti ponderis esset, enarraret, Tunc vir beatissimus non ignarus totum de Christo praesumere, et quantae virtutis causa sit, in rebus nón turpibus obedire, mox supposita manu ferrun altius elevavit dicens: de calore calet, sed novem pondera habet. Quod postea tantum ad stateram inventum est, quantum ejus vox librare praedixerat.
Itaque cum subdiaconali ministerio fungeretur in die epiphaniarum, hauriens aquam de fluvio Sequanae, dum beato Prudentio manibus ablaendis aquam offerret, mutatis elementis vini sapor inventus est. Duo viso Obstupescens pontifex jussit ex ipso urceolo in calicem sacrum defundi, Unde universus populus missa celebrata et commuwionem accepit et ipsum vas, eum ad plebis multitadinem suffecisset, ac si non tactum et inlegrum sic plenwn remansit, Cujus vini mystico beneficio postea multi sanati sunt, Cum vir sanctissimus quadam vice ex sui officii servitute aquaun manibus praefato episcopo venerabili porrexisset, mox iude balsama coeperunt frograre, et dum unda curreret, visa sunt chrismala respirare, mt paene pontifex crederet, se manus inagis ungere quiin lavare, et alteras aquas quaereret, wt priores ungas ablueret. (Quo viso sacerdos venerabilis obstu58 pescens Deo gralias de concepto munere retulit et beato Marcello reverentiam de religione servavit, dum eum non talem, qui serviret, sed potius, cui serviretur, agnovit. Matrona quaedam prosapia nobilis, sed opinione vilis, maculans crünine, quod fulgebat ex genere, postquam dies fugitivae vilae rapta luce conclusit, ad tumulum pompa comitante sed non profutura processit, Quo condila horresco referens hoc contigisse post funera, quia duplex nascitür lamentatio de defuncta. Ergo ad sumendum ejus cadaver coepit serpens immanissinus frequentare, et ut dicam clarius, inulieri, cujus membra bestia devorabat, ipse draco factus sepnltura, quo viso perterriti homines de suis sedibus migraverunt, Bealus igitur Marcellus intelligens, se de cruento hoste triumphum acquirere, collecta plebe de civitate progreditur et relictis civibus in prospectu populi solus Christo duce ad locum pugnaturus accessit, Et cum coluber de silva rediret ad tumulum, obviantes sibi invicem, dante orationem beato Marcello, ille capite. supplici coepit veniam blandiente cauda precari, Tunc praecedente pontifice bestiam fere tribus milliaribus omnes prosecuti sunt, reddentes domino gratias et solventes exsequias inimico, Deinde increpans eum beatus Marcellus dixit: ab hac die aut deserta tene aut in mare te demerge. Mox dimissa bestia nnlla ejus ulterius indicia sunt inventa. Ecce propugnaculum patriae in uno consislere sacerdote, qui fragili baculo fortius hostem edomuit, qnam si balistae transfixissent, Sic igitur sanctorum virormn ex factis merita conferantur, miretur Marcellum Gallia, dum Roma Silvesimm, nisi hoc distet vit ille, iste jactavit, His itaque operibus one clarus, consnmimatione praeciin opere, quod draconem sigi sanctus Marcellus semper intentus, conver: puus, beatitudine gloriosus, remuneratione dilalus, cnim perpeinó domino regnaturus, vincens mundi contagium, mundus migravit ad Christum die calendaram Noveimbrium regnante domino nostro Jesu Christo, cni est honor et gloria, virtus et potestas.
Genovefa dicitnr a genos, et efa, quod est mensura, quasi babens naturalia ad mensuram sen plenitudinem. psa enin ex bonis naturalibus, quae habuit, faciliter Dei gratia comitante supernaturalia est assecutá, Vel dicitur genos, quod est barba sen virilitas, et efa, effusio seu plenitudo, quasi effusa et plena operationibus virilibus et fortibus, Ipsa enim, nt ex ejns gestis colligilur et de ea in ecclesia canitur, ipsis etiam viris aliquatenus imitanda atque nequiparanda est. — Beata virgo Genovefa honestis parentibus, patre Severo nomine, matre Gerontia orta apud Nametodormin oppidum hand longe a Parisiensi urbe exstitit nita, Dum autem. sanctas. Germanus. Antissiodorensis episcopus quadam ipso oppido sitam orandi gratin se contulisset, ocenrrente ritus in spiritu pre ge die apud basilicam ejusdem loci populi multitudine simul Genovefa affuit. Quam in sanctus. Germanus inagnanimem Genovelun ad se deduci praecipiens, circumslanti.
popnlo. electam a Deo sponsam praedixit in ejusque nativi itate angelos cecinisse denuntiavit ac felices tantae sobolis progenitores praedicavit multosque ejus exemplis a vita sua mala convertendos affirmavit. Quae dum ab eo accersitur et de virginitate coelesti sponso conservanda admonetur, id se votis omnibus semper desiderasse respondit, Cui ille: confide, filia, viriliter age et, quod corde credis et ore profileris, operibus comprobare stude, dabit enim dominus fortitudinem et virtutem decori tuo. Cumque sequenti die Genovefain iterum. sibi praesentari fecisset, dixit ei: ave filia Genovefa, reminiscetig p quid hesterna die de corporis tui integritate mihi sis pollicita? Cui illa: reminiscot; pater, Tunc ille nunmun aereum Dei nutu allatum habentem signum crucis a terra colligens inquit ad eam: hunc transforatum pro memoria mei ad collum suspensum semper habeto nulliusque metalli aut inargaritarum ornamento collui digitosque tuos ornari patiaris, Et valedicens caputque ejus deosculans abiit, Cum mater ejus die sollemni ad ecclesiam pergeret et Genovefam reclamanteia domi remanere praeciperet, confestim, ut sibi mater alapam in faciem dedit, hunen amisit sicque fere per biennium divinam iram perpessa precibus filiae tandem pristinae sanitati est restituta, Alia vice dum Genovefa cum duabus sacratis virginibus aetate provectioribus loco novissuno incederet, obviante Carnotensi episcopoJulito statin incedendi eversus est ordo, nam: illa, quae sequitur, ait episcopus, anteponalur, quoniam ipsa coelitus jam est sanctificalionem adepta. Parentibus ejus sublatis de medio cum in Parisium urbem transisset, tanta paralisis, ut videbatur, infirmitate detenta est, ut corpus ejus laxatis undique artubus ac dissolutis compagibus triduo exanime crederetur. Quae cum denuo esset sanitatem ssecula, ajebat se in spiritu ab angelo in gloriam sanctorum et supplicium impiorum fuisse deductam ac extunc secreta conscienliarum in non modicam admirationem coepit revelare ac manifestare, Sancto autem Germano redeunte, cum Parisium intrasset, confestim Genovefa, ubinam esset et quidquid ageret, inquirens, in ejus hospitium descendit ac male de ea colloquentibus, (deridebatur enim tunc, ut plerunque fit, justi simplicitas) terram suis lacrymis irrigalam ostendit sicque eam adstanti populo commendans discessit et ad tempus os loquentimi iniqua obstraxit, Verum post obitum beati Germani, cum Attila Hunnorum rex Gallias ac praecipue urbem Parisiorum invaderet ac suae ditioni minaretur subjicere, singulis paene ad tutiores, ut sibi videbatur, urbes facultates deferentibus, Genovefa operàtionibus et vigiliis insistebal, hisque, cum quibus degebat, ita facere exhortans, non esse pertimescendos hostes dicebat, quin imo civitatem illaesam fore praedicabat.
Quamobrem nonnulli ejus cives iusurgenles dicebant, pseudoprophetissam suis temporibus advenisse ac in ejus mortem coeperunt conspirare. Eodem tempore venit ab Antissiodorense urbe archidyaconus, qui haec audiens ia cives adorsus est: nolite, o cives, hoc admittere facinus, quia hanc, de cujus interitu tractatis, didicimus narrante sancto Germano antistite nostro ex utero matris a Deo sponsam electam, et ecce eálogias ab eo sibi derelictas exhibeo. Quas illico perlegentes ab inceptis destiterunt, Hunni autem protinus abierunt. A Bituricense urbe venit mulier quaedam Parisios, quae post cohsecrationem violata fuerat, ut Genovefa alloqueretur. Quae mox interrogata a Genoveía, an sanctunonialis aut vidua esset, confestim ut se virginem asseruit, virum, qui eam violaverat, ct locum et tempus exposuit, Unde ad verecundiam provocata supplex Genovefae veniam, postulavit, Matronae cujusdam filius aetatis annormn qualuor, cum in pulewn cecidisset ac post tres horas mortuus inde subtractus, matre in lacrymas prorumpente ac crines dilacerante, Genovefae oblatus fuisset, ad orationem recurrens pallio suo super corpus ejus apposito puerum vivum confestim matri reddidit, Cwn ob diutinam obsidionem civitas Parisiensis inedia affligeretur, Genovefa pauperibus condolens navim super Sequanam ad emendam annonam ingreditur, Dum autem ad quendam locum, in quo erat arbor, juxta quem naves saepius periclitarenfür, advenisset, confestim arborem incidi praecipiens ad orationem conversa, duo horribilia monstra ex illo loco egredi sunt visa, Ab illo autem die illic navis non periit, sed prospero cursu coeptum iler irausíretavit, Rediens autem virgo panes pauperibus juxta, necessitates suas distribuit, Dujn quadam vice civitatem Trecasium adüsset, protinus occurrens ei multitudo populi innumeros utriusque sexus diversis infirmitatibus afflictos obtulit, inter quos etiam oblatus est ei homo quidam, quem dominico die operantem ultio divina excaecaveral, necnon puella ab annis fere duodecim caeca, quos illa benedicens sine dilatione incolunes reddidit. In civitate Meldensi puella quaedam adolescenti cuidam promissa ut Genovefae virlutes comperit, vestem sibi immutari ac in contubernio virginum annumerari a Genovefa expetiit, unde indignatus adolescens sponsam cum furore persequitur, Qnod Genovefa audiens eam ad ecclesiam, quae proxima erat, secum duxit et fores ecclesiae, quae clausae erant, divina virtute mirabiliter reseravit et puellam a furore adolescentis liberavit, Aurelianis dum cuidam patrifamilias pro servo, qui adversus emm deliquerat, Genovefa veniam expeteret, ille vero omnino renueret, confestim ut domum ingreditur, vehementi febre correptus non prius sanitati restituitur, quam Genovefae veniam postulans famulo misericordiam elargitur. Ecce ecclesiam sancti Martini Turonensis ingressa quamplurinos a daemone obsessos oleo prins inunctos liberavit, Dum antem vellet semel quosdam inungere ac olemn in ampulla, pontifex etiam, qui oleum benediceret, deesset, mox terrae recubans in oratione posita, ampulla in manibus ejus oleo, quo postmodum sanati sunt aegroti, est repleta, De ejns abstinentia ac etiam virtutibus inter alia multa sic dicit Vincentius in speculo. A decimo quinto aetatis suae anno usqne ad quinquagesimum esca erat ei panis hordeaceus et faba, quam post duas aut tres hebdomadas in olla recommiscens edebat.
A die dominico usque in quinta feria jejnabat et a feria quinta usque in die dominico; vinum autem et quodlibet inebrians nunquam polavit. Post quinquagesimum vero mum suadentibus episcopis propter obedientiam piscem et lac cwm pane hordeaceo edere coepit. Moha autem veneratione. Catulacensem vicum, in quo beatus Dionysius passus est, dilexit, cui etiam devotio erat, in honore illius basilicam construere. Sundebat presbiteros, ut faceret unusquisque collationem ad hoc aedificium, qui responderunt: erunt forsitan parvitati nostrae vires aedificandi, sed coqnendae calcis copia deest, At illa spiritu sancto repleta vaticinans ait: egredünini, quaeso, ad pontem civitatis et, quae audieritis, nuntiate mihi. Qui egressi in platea stabant attoniti, Et ecce duos custodes porcorum sermocinantes, quorum unus ad alterum ait; dum suis, id est porcae, vestigium ob partus vagantis legerem, inveni furnum calcis mirae magnitudinis, alter respondit; et ego inveni in silva sub radicibus arboris a vento evulsae furnum calcis, de quo nihil sublatum credo unquam fuisse, Quod audientes presbiteri gratias agentes reversi sunt. Audiens etiam haec sancta lacrymis prae gaudio sinum implevit. — Lacessivit ilaque Genesium presbiterum, ut in honore praedicti martiris basilicam construeret, sicque omnibus civibus illa implorante constructa est.
In cujus opere collectis carpentariis, cum potus deficeret, accipiens sancta cupam seorsum prostrata cum lacrymis oravit, Deinde surgens facto signo crucis super vas usque ad summmn poculnin impletum est, ex quo operarii nsque ad consummationem basilicae uberrime potantes gratias egerunt, Quadam nocte sabbati circa galli cantum egressa est beata Genovefa ad basilicam sancti Dionysii, cereus vero, qui anteferebatur, exstinctus est, Quo turbatis. virginibus , quae cum ea erant prae horrore noctis, cereum sibi dari praecepit; Quem mt tenuit, statin illuminatus est. Similiter eodem tempore, cum jn ecclesia diu prostrata in oratione. surgerel, cereus nondum igne contactus divino nutu accensus est in mana, ejus, De quo et plures infirmi paulnlum in fide auferentes sanati sunt, Quaedam mulier furata est calceamenta ejus, quae ut domum venit, excaecata est, Deinde prostrata ad pedes ejus veniam petens signatis ab ea oculis visum recepit, Hildericus etiam Francorum rex valde diligens eam , tumens, ne vinctos, quos interimere cogitabat, sancta eriperet ingrediens urbem Parisiorum, portun claudi praecepit, Quod audiens sancia statim ad liberandas animas perrexit, inler cujus manus populo porla se sine clave reseravit et sic regem consecula, ne vinctorum capita amputarentur, obtinuit, Fuit eliam eo tempore beatus Simeon in columna, quem negotiatores euntes et redeuntes ferunt de illa interrogasse el eam veneratione profusa salutasse et se in orationibus ejus memorem esse poposcisse, Parisis eliam ei oblati sunt energumeni, pro quibus in basilica beati Dionysii ipsa orante vociferabantur clamantes, prope ber ow sibi in solatio venire beata Genovefa precabatur, forsitan angeli vel Quae surgens et signans unumquemque curavit o spirit immundo, ut foetor vissimus adstantium nares attingeret, A die etiam epiphaniae usquè ad Coen domini beata Genovefa in cella reclusa soli Deo vacabat in orationibus Biliis,' Audiens autem puella quaedam religiosa ad fores ejus magis curiositate quam fide perinota , quid sancta in cella sua agebat, scire volens, statin Jumen amisit. Quam sancta consummata quadragesima egrediens oratione crucis illuminavit. In ecclesia etiam beati Martini Turonensis, cum in angulo quodam oraret, mus de psallentibus arreptus a daemonio proprios artus laerabat, cumqué beata Genovefa spiritum immundum exire juberet et ille per ocufemn progredi se minaretnr, imperante illa fluxu ventris ejectus est foeda relinquens vestigia. Per idem tempus stans in adita domus suae vidit puelláàm in mann umpullam gestantem, quam paulo ante emerat, et interrogata, quid esset, vidit daemonem sedentem in ore ampullae et minans insufflavit in eam statimque pars de ore ampullae cecidit, In territorio Meldensi cum propriam messem meteret, valde turbati sunt operarii propter imbrem imminentem. At illa ingressa tentorium, qnod sine intermissione facere consueverat, cum Jacrymis prostrata oratione obtinuit, ut, cum in circuitu omnes segetes pluvia rigaret, nec messem nec ejus messores gutta aliqua contingeret, Tanta etiam sanctitate pollebat, quod etiam spiritu prophetiae plena omnes quoque morbos ab humanis corporibus expellebat, Egentibus panes integros dabat adeo, ut ejus puellae saepe partem panis, quam in clibano posuerant, non invenirent, Vixit antem plus quim LXXX annis, Hujus autem natale celebratur tertio nonas Jamarii.
Haec Vincentius, Reliqua autem, quae hic inseruntur, ex certissimis ac probatissimis ecclesiae, in qua beata virgo praesidet, codicibus, quorun etiam nonnulla ipse Wiucentius testatnr, extracta sunt. Post transitum vero beatissimae "virginis lampas ejus sepulchro apposita est, in quà praeter olei consumtionem ignis permanebat, ejns contuctu infirmi sánabantur, "Jmupade videlicet mitata in fontem, oleo in medicinàm. Homo quidam linguae et oculorum privatns fàcio ad sepulchrnm virginis accedens et visum et loquendi usum recuperavit, Mulier quaedam in visione admonita filiuin a nativi-. tate caecum ad praefatae virginis locum detulit, cumque in ecclesia iniraculum recifaretur, quomodo dominns Jesus Christus oculos caeci nali aperuit, continuo aperti sunt ejus oculi. Revelatur cuidam a nativitate muto, ut ad sepulchrum. virginis se transferat, vocis illic beneficium percepturus, Cumque in fide revelationis die dominico illuc pervenisset, statim linguae illius vinculum est sohitum et Joquebatur magnificans Deum, Interrogatus ergo ab abbate, quid post indultum sibi vocis beneficimn agere velit, respondet, quod a loco illo recedere nolit, "nolit ad propria redire, nolit omnibus diebus vitae suae sine praesentia virginis vivere. Cujus votuiti Jaeto animo amplectens abbas vitae sibi necessaria jubet ministrari, Cum latro quidam carceri mancipatus enstodis negligentia de carcere exiisset fugientemque ad sepulchrum virginis praeses insequeretur virginisque latro auxilium. implorando acclamaret, praeses vero in ejus blasphemiam prorunperet, subito casu lapsus praeses latrone liberato miserabiliter exspiravit, "Cum alio tempore flumen Sequanae ultra modnm intumesceret et ad capellam virginum, quam prope ecclesiam sancti Johannis baptistae virgo construxerat, ad medium usque aedificii pertingere, lectulus, in quo decesserat, qui ibidem servabatur, flumine infusus aquis continue descendentibus atque discedentibns ab illis intactus est inventus.
Póst aliquot vero dies cum coenobio a Normannis incendio consmnto corpus virginis a fralribus ad Ategias villam suum deportaretur, multis etiam ibidem claruisse miraculis comprobatur, Siquidem altare ecclesiae, cui assessura erat virgo, sancla cruce sanctorumque reliquiis, ut moris est, adormatum tamquam ejns adventui congratulans movebatur, cui superposita, quod cupierat, se adeptum demonstrans firmum nec amplius moveri comprobatum est, In cujus quidem deportatione cereus, uli dam viveret, iterum alque iterum miraculose est accensus, Cum aülem abbas; qui tunc praeerat, dentem a corpore virginis paucis consciis extrahens apud se ad sui tuitionem servare vellet, continuo summa negritudine correptus dentem theca cristallina inclusum, quam cito potuit, restituere curavit, Audita vero ifer Parisios et Normannos concordia corpus virginis ad ecclesiam suam deferentes non eo loco, unde educta fuerat in crypta, sed super majus altare, ubi nunc cernitur, fratres honorifice collocaverunt. Corpus autem virginis cum suo capite integrum in capsa consistere praesentibus nonnullis hujus regni episcopis postmoduin. inventum est atque comprobatum. Tempore Ludovici regis Francoram illustrissimi divina ultione membra, quae miseri homines exhibuerant servire injustitiae et iniquitati ad iniquitatem, coepit morbus igneus, quem physici sacrum ignem appellant, consumere, Multorum igitur sanctorum aegrotis suffraBia deposcentibus nec impetrantibus recordatus est religiosissunus Parisiorum antistes Stephanus, qualiter beata virgo Genovefa praefatam urbem a anultis olim periculis liberavit ac exinde sollemnes processiones, in quibus consulto abbate atque conventu praefata virgo ad ecclesiam beatae virginis Mariae deportaretur, instituit, Ordinata itaque secundum morem canonicum processione ingredienteque sancta virgine ecclesiam beatae Mariae continuo ad tactum feretri omnes male habentes tribus exceptis sunt sanati. Cum vero sequenti anno felicis recordationis Innocentius papa Gallias transmearet, de tanto instructus miraculo gratias agens Deo ac sanctae virgini annis perpetuis sollemni memoria celebrandum miracuhun condonavit. Verum cum per singulos annos praedicti miraculi memoria sollemniter, ut dictum est, veneraretur, contigit semel per absentiam capicerii expensas formidantis sine ornamentis ac luminaribus, quae habebat ministrare, celebrari. Unde accidit, ut sequenti die ecclesiae sanctuarium adscendens divinum expertus virtutem subito lapsus sine voce miserabiliter exspiraret, Experti sunt igitur atque in dies experiuntur. quamplurimi, quanto cum tremore Christi virginem oporteat venerari, nbi cum humilitate capit caecitas visum, debilitas gressum ac e diverso obsirnctae infidelitate mentes capiunt interitum.
Nostris igitur. qualibuscunque laudibus Genovefam veneremur, sed cum tremore; venerantes ejus suífragia imploreinus, sed cwn fide, Et revera digmun est, Genovefam laudibus honorari, quae Parisiorum inclytam urbem regni christianissimi praecipuam stabilissimamque columnam totiusque christianitatis in fide et doctrina magistram eruditissunam toties a tantisque periculis liberavit, ab inimicis hostili caede dümicantibus eripuit, inundantium luctus aquarum restrinxit, ignis horrendi in mentibus humanis incendium consumsit, caecis visum, claudis gressum, surdis auditum reddidit, ab obsessis daemonium precibus effugavit, Et non solum precibus, verum etiam maxima dominus per funbrias vestimenti Genovefae sibi dilectae virgini super aegrotos ac variis detentos langnuoribás ostendere saepius dignatus est sanitatum remedia, Unde merito in Parisii celsi montis vertice exstitit collocata , ubi honorifice sublimata ac mirifice ordinata non cessat jugiter sanitatum ac gratiarum emittere fluinina his, qui in fide deposcunt ejus largitiones, Unde et opus, nos illi tota mentis devotione committere, quoniam ipsa est, qnae assidue orat pro populo sibi devolo et pro tola chrisianitate, Nos igitur suorum mirabilium hane partiunculam memorantes ac eliam venerantes cum celeberrimo illo venerabilium religiosorum coetu suo gloriosam Christi sponsam nobilemque virginem glorificemus Genovelam landibus, postulantes, ut eadem supplicante perfrui gaudiis paradisi mereamur per saecula, Amen.
Notes
- 1 ↩The Latin 'Genovelam' and 'landibus' appear to be orthographic variants for 'Genovefam' and 'laudibus' respectively.
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