Prudent de Narbonne ( la, Prudentius, died ) was a Christian
deacon
A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Chur ...
who was martyred in
Narbonne
Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...
in what is now France in the 3rd century.
He is venerated by the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
as a saint. His relics are said to have effected various miracles. They were found in a church in Narbonne and taken to
Bèze Abbey
The Bèze Abbey (french: Abbaye Saint-Pierre, Saint-Paul de Bèze), was a monastery founded in 629 AD in Burgundy, France.
It was destroyed several times during the next three centuries by Frankish warlords, Saracens, Normans and Hungarians.
...
in 883.
They were held for safe keeping during the Norman invasions in the cathedral of Saint-Étienne de Dijon, then returned to the abbey. Later they were restored to Narbonne, and are held in an elaborate reliquary in
Narbonne Cathedral
Narbonne Cathedral (''Cathédrale Saint-Just-et-Saint-Pasteur de Narbonne'') is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Narbonne, France. The cathedral is a national monument and dedicated to Saints Justus and Pastor.
It was the seat of t ...
.
Life
Prudentius was a deacon who was martyred in
Narbonne
Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in Southern France in the Occitanie region. It lies from Paris in the Aude department, of which it is a sub-prefecture. It is located about from the shores of the ...
in the 3rd century.
He came from a noble family of Narbonne and was raised as a Christian.
He studied literature with great success, and was made a deacon.
He may have been a victim of the persecution of
Valerian in 257.
A 19th-century biographer writes that he shone in the assembly of the faithful like the sun at noon by the brilliancy of his teaching and the sanctity of his life, which was shown by many miracles.
This caused some people to hate him.
They loaded him with chains, cruelly tortured him and broke his skull with a mason's hammer on 7 September 257.
It is not recorded whether his murderers were barbarians or Roman soldiers.
Relics
H.M. Duplus in his ''Vie des Saints du diocèse de Dijon'' (1866) relates that the Christians buried Prudentius in a sepulcher, but his enemies pulled the body out and exposed it to be devoured by the birds of prey and scavenging animals.
However, God removed the animals and the Christians reburied the saint secretly.
Later they put the holy relics in a tomb and raised a small church above it.
This church was burned by the
Saracen
upright 1.5, Late 15th-century German woodcut depicting Saracens
Saracen ( ) was a term used in the early centuries, both in Greek and Latin writings, to refer to the people who lived in and near what was designated by the Romans as Arabia Pe ...
s in the 8th century and its revenues given by
Charles Martel
Charles Martel ( – 22 October 741) was a Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of Francia from 718 until his death. He was a son of the Frankish statesm ...
(c. 686–741) to one of his soldiers.
On 6 October 883 Geilon, bishop of Langres, gave
Bèze Abbey
The Bèze Abbey (french: Abbaye Saint-Pierre, Saint-Paul de Bèze), was a monastery founded in 629 AD in Burgundy, France.
It was destroyed several times during the next three centuries by Frankish warlords, Saracens, Normans and Hungarians.
...
the relics of Saint Prudent, which he had brought back after his pilgrimage to
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
in northwestern Spain.
Geilon was bishop of Langres from 880 to 887.
He stole the body during the extraordinary conditions in
Aquitaine
Aquitaine ( , , ; oc, Aquitània ; eu, Akitania; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne ( oc, Guiana), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former administrative region of the country. Since 1 Janu ...
at the time.
He had found it in a church in Narbonne, where the saint was little respected.
Geilon also brought back an arm of the apostle
Saint James and many other sacred relics, some of which he deposited in his cathedral and some at Bèze.
When marauding
Normans
The Normans ( Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Franks and Gallo-Romans. ...
approached in 887 the monks of Bèze transported the body of Saint Prudent to the cathedral of Saint-Étienne de Dijon.
The ''Chronicle of Bèze'', edited by a monk named Jean in the 12th century, describes the flight of the monks from the Normans with Saint Prudent's relics to the cathedral in the fortified town of
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
.
The chronicle records that other relics were also deposited in Dijon for several years, including those of Saint
Medardus
Saint Medardus or St Medard ( French: ''Médard'' or ''Méard'') (ca. 456–545) was the Bishop of Noyon. He moved the seat of the diocese from Vermand to Noviomagus Veromanduorum (modern Noyon) in northern France. Medardus was one of the most ...
of
Soissons
Soissons () is a commune in the northern French department of Aisne, in the region of Hauts-de-France. Located on the river Aisne, about northeast of Paris, it is one of the most ancient towns of France, and is probably the ancient capital o ...
and Saint Silvin.
After peace was restored the body of Saint Prudent, now accompanied by those of Saint Silvin and Anglia, his intimate, was returned to Bèze on 23 September 921 by Bishop Guarnerius.
The ''Acts of St. Prudent'', written by the monk Thibaud in the 12th century, gives a more elaborate story.
Under the protection of
Richard, Duke of Burgundy
Richard, Duke of Burgundy (858–921), also known as Richard of Autun or Richard the Justiciar, was Count of Autun from 880 and the first Margrave and Duke of Burgundy. He eventually attained suzerainty over all the counties of Burgundy save M ...
, the bodies of several saints were found in Dijon, including that of Prudent, which remained there for thirty years.
The monks rebuilt the ruins of the abbey and asked for the saint's body from
Dijon
Dijon (, , ) (dated)
* it, Digione
* la, Diviō or
* lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920.
The earlies ...
.
The canons of Dijon at first refused, then at the command of Bishop Gauthier (Guarnerius) of Langres pretended to comply, but in fact gave the monks the body of Saint Silvin.
The canons wanted to keep the body of Prudent due to its ability to perform miracles, whereas the relics of Saint Silvin were much less effective.
A few days later Prudent himself appeared to the bishop and made a long speech in which he denounced the hoax.
The ruse was discovered, and the body of Saint Prudent was carried with great ceremony from Dijon to Bèze in 931.
Saint Prudent de Narbonne's worship was important to Bèze in the 10th, 11th and 12th centuries.
On 8 June 1116 the body of Saint Prudent was taken to the great debate between
Lux and
Til-Châtel
Til-Châtel () is a commune of the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Côte-d'Or department
The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte-d'Or department of France.
The communes coo ...
arranged by Jocerand
( fr), Bishop of Langres under the presidency of Guy of Burgundy,
Archbishop of Vienne
The Archbishopric of Vienne, named after its episcopal seat in Vienne in the Isère département of southern France, was a metropolitan Roman Catholic archdiocese. It is now part of the Archdiocese of Lyon.
History
The legend according to whi ...
, who was later pope under the name of
Callixtus II
Pope Callixtus II or Callistus II ( – 13 December 1124), born Guy of Burgundy, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 1 February 1119 to his death in 1124. His pontificate was shaped by the Investiture Controversy, ...
, to put an end to the quarrels, lawsuits and other evils from which the province was suffering.
Prudent's body was placed under a temple of greenery with several other saints, and performed great miracles.
In 1675 parcels of the relics of Saint Prudent were given to the church of
Châtillon-sur-Seine
Châtillon-sur-Seine (, ) is a commune of the Côte-d'Or department, eastern France.
The Musée du Pays Châtillonnais is housed in old abbey of Notre-Dame de Châtillon, within the town, known for its collection of pre-Roman and Roman relic ...
.
In 1686 they were given to the city of Narbonne.
Reliquary
The relics of the saint are held today in
Narbonne Cathedral
Narbonne Cathedral (''Cathédrale Saint-Just-et-Saint-Pasteur de Narbonne'') is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Narbonne, France. The cathedral is a national monument and dedicated to Saints Justus and Pastor.
It was the seat of t ...
.
The
reliquary is an octagonal case made of engraved crystal, embossed silver, painted ivory and many
garnet
Garnets () are a group of silicate minerals that have been used since the Bronze Age as gemstones and abrasives.
All species of garnets possess similar physical properties and crystal forms, but differ in chemical composition. The different s ...
s and
intaglios, mostly antique.
This type of case was given to a bride as a place to keep her jewelry.
The base rests on ten crystal balls.
The angles are in the form of small columns.
There is a small drawer in the upper level.
The engravings on the crystal plates on the sides and on the lid are finely executed and depict sea scenes, the four seasons, Faith, Justice and a landscape.
Mansart de Sagonne, an inspector of the Monuments historiques, states that the box is of Italian origin and belonged to
Marie de' Medici.
This seems to be incorrect.
It would have originally belonged to a member of the family of Noël-François-Marie d'Auderic de Lastours, grand archdeacon of the cathedral during the time of Bishop
Arthur Richard Dillon
Arthur Richard Dillon (1721–1806) was archbishop of Narbonne in France. He was the youngest son of Arthur Dillon (1670–1733), who came to France with Mountcashel's Irish Brigade. At the French Revolution he refused the civil constitution ...
.
It would have then been bequeathed to the Église Saint-Sébastien in Narbonne, and the archdeacon would have deposited the relics of Saint Prudent in the box.
During the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...
the reliquary was taken by the archdeacon to the Ricardelle family estate, where it remained hidden with the other relics of the cathedral until the restoral of the church.
It was then taken back to
Narbonne Cathedral
Narbonne Cathedral (''Cathédrale Saint-Just-et-Saint-Pasteur de Narbonne'') is a Roman Catholic church located in the town of Narbonne, France. The cathedral is a national monument and dedicated to Saints Justus and Pastor.
It was the seat of t ...
by the sister of the archdeacon, who had died.
Memories
The
saint's day
The calendar of saints is the traditional Christian method of organizing a liturgical year by associating each day with one or more saints and referring to the day as the feast day or feast of said saint. The word "feast" in this context d ...
is 6 October.
The monk Teobaudus (died 1130) wrote the ''Miracula Sancti Prudentii'', which described the miraculous cures that had been effected by the relics of Saint Prudent.
Prudent de Narbonne is mentioned in the prayer to Notre-Dame du Pont de Narbonne, diocese of Carcassonne.
There is a stone statue of Prudent in
Malange, near
Dole, Jura
Dole (, sometimes pronounced ) is a commune in the Jura department, of which it is a subprefecture (''sous-préfecture''), in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region, in Eastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 23,711.
History
Dole was ...
, from the 15th century.
Notes
Sources
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257 deaths
People from Aude
Ancient Christianity
French Roman Catholic saints
Ante-Nicene Christian martyrs
Ante-Nicene Christian saints