Helinand (or Elinand) was the

bishop of Laon The diocese of Laon in the present-day département of Aisne, was a Catholic diocese for around 1300 years, up to the French Revolution. Its seat was in Laon, France, with the Laon Cathedral. From early in the 13th century, the bishop of Laon ...

from 1052 to 1098.Paul J. Archambault
''A Monk's Confession: The Memoirs of Guibert of Nogent''
(Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996), pp. 122–124. John F. Benton
''Self and Society in Medieval France: The Memoirs of Abbot Guibert of Nogent''
(University of Toronto Press, 1984), pp. 146–147.

Guibert of Nogent Guibert de Nogent (c. 1055 – 1124) was a Benedictine historian, theologian and author of autobiographical memoirs. Guibert was relatively unknown in his own time, going virtually unmentioned by his contemporaries. He has only recently caught the ...

provides a short biography of Helinand in book III, chapter 2 of his autobiographical ''Monodies''. According to Guibert, he came from a poor and undistinguished family from the

Vexin Vexin () is an historical county of northwestern France. It covers a verdant plateau on the right bank (north) of the Seine running roughly east to west between Pontoise and Romilly-sur-Andelle (about 20 km from Rouen), and north to south ...

. He had little education. Through the intercession of Count , he became a chaplain to Walter's uncle, King Edward the Confessor of England. He was often sent on missions to King

Henry I of France Henry I (4 May 1008 – 4 August 1060) was King of the Franks from 1031 to 1060. The royal demesne of France reached its smallest size during his reign, and for this reason he is often seen as emblematic of the weakness of the early Capetians. T ...

because of his knowledge of French ways. In England, he acquired great wealth, with which he bribed King Henry to make him bishop of Laon. He was ordained bishop on 14 June 1052.Suzanne Martinet (1991)
"Élinand, évêque de Laon méconnu (1052–1098)"
''Mémoires de la Fédération des Sociétés d'histoire et d'archéologie de l'Aisne'' 36: 58–78. In June 1053, he was present when the body of Denis of Paris was put temporarily on public display in the

Abbey of Saint-Denis The Basilica of Saint-Denis (french: Basilique royale de Saint-Denis, links=no, now formally known as the ) is a large former medieval abbey church and present cathedral in the commune of Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris. The building ...

. Around 1054–1056, Helinand undertook a pilgrimage to

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

. This is known from the '' Vita'' of Bishop Lietbert of Cambrai, who met the returning Helinand at Laodicea while on his own pilgrimage. Helinand warned him of the hardship of the remaining journey and Lietbert opted to turn back. The two bishops returned to France together. Margarita Torres Sevilla and José Miguel Ortega suggest that Helinand may have brought back the relic of the

Holy Chalice The Holy Chalice, also known as the Holy Grail, is in Christian tradition the vessel that Jesus used at the Last Supper to serve wine. The Synoptic Gospels refer to Jesus sharing a cup of wine with the Apostles, saying it was the covenant in hi ...

, which they identify with the Chalice of Doña Urraca. Following the death of Archbishop Gervais I in 1067, Helinand offered to purchase the vacant archdiocese of Reims from King

Philip I Philip(p) I may refer to: * Philip I of Macedon (7th century BC) * Philip I Philadelphus (between 124 and 109 BC–83 or 75 BC) * Philip the Arab (c. 204–249), Roman Emperor * Philip I of France (1052–1108) * Philip I (archbishop of Cologne) (1 ...

. He was opposed by Manasses I and the two candidates took their case to Rome, where the Archdeacon Hildebrand (future Pope Gregory VII) judged in the latter's favour. According to Guibert, when questioned about his simony, he responded that he would purchase the

papacy The pope ( la, papa, from el, πάππας, translit=pappas, 'father'), also known as supreme pontiff ( or ), Roman pontiff () or sovereign pontiff, is the bishop of Rome (or historically the patriarch of Rome), head of the worldwide Cathol ...

if it were available. In 1078, during the

Investiture Controversy The Investiture Controversy, also called Investiture Contest ( German: ''Investiturstreit''; ), was a conflict between the Church and the state in medieval Europe over the ability to choose and install bishops ( investiture) and abbots of mona ...

, Helinand, with Bishops Theobald of Soissons and Ivo of Senlis, consecrated one Ralph, who had been invested by the king, as bishop of Amiens in contravention of

canon law Canon law (from grc, κανών, , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It is th ...

. Helinand seems to have maintained his contacts with England after Edward's death.

Ranulf Flambard Ranulf Flambard ( c. 1060 – 5 September 1128) was a medieval Norman Bishop of Durham and an influential government minister of King William Rufus of England. Ranulf was the son of a priest of Bayeux, Normandy, and his nickname Flambard ...

, chancellor of

William I of England William I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England, reigning from 1066 until his death in 10 ...

, sent his sons to be educated by

William de Corbeil William de Corbeil or William of Corbeil (21 November 1136) was a medieval Archbishop of Canterbury. Very little is known of William's early life or his family, except that he was born at Corbeil, south of Paris, and that he had two brothers. E ...

in the bishop's house in Laon, according to ''

De miraculis sanctae Mariae Laudunensis ''De miraculis sanctae Mariae Laudunensis'', generally ascribed to Herman of Tournai, is a Latin work written in the 1140s which describes two fundraising tours of northern France and southern England made by the canons of Laon Cathedral in 1112 ...

''. In 1096, Helinand assisted at the enthronement of Archbishop Manasses II of Reims. Despite his criticism of his character, Guibert praises Helinand for defending his diocese's rights and expending his fortune on its churches. Helinand died on 18 January 1098. The

necrology An obituary (obit for short) is an article about a recently deceased person. Newspapers often publish obituaries as news articles. Although obituaries tend to focus on positive aspects of the subject's life, this is not always the case. Acc ...

of the

cathedral of Laon Laon Cathedral (french: Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Laon) is a Roman Catholic church located in Laon, Aisne, Hauts-de-France, France. Built in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, it is one of the most important and stylistically unified exampl ...

lists his many gifts to the church. These included some lavishly bound

gospel book A Gospel Book, Evangelion, or Book of the Gospels (Greek: , ''Evangélion'') is a codex or bound volume containing one or more of the four Gospels of the Christian New Testament – normally all four – centering on the life of Jesus of Nazareth ...

s.John S. Ott, ''Bishops, Authority and Community in Northwestern Europe, c.1050–1150'' (Cambridge University Press, 2015), pp. 51–52.

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Further reading