Richarius (; – April 26, 645) was a Frankish hermit, monk, and the founder of two monasteries. He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, and Eastern Orthodox Church.

Life

Riquier's ''vita'' was probably written at the end of the 7th century. Shortly after 800 it was revised by Alcuin at the request of Abbot Angilibert, who dedicated his work to Charlemagne.Schäfer, Joachim. "Richarius von Centula", Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon
/ref> Richarius was born a

pagan Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Judaism. ...

in the late 6th century in the county of Ponthieu near Amiens in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...

in the north of Francia. According to the ''vita'' written by Alcuin, Richarius gave shelter to two

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group which is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Mi ...

, Caidocus and Frechorius, who were treated with great hostility by the local people who blamed the strangers for crop failure. Because he "welcomed God in the persons of the travelers... this was why he was granted God's mercy." Richarius

converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

to Christianity under their influence. After his conversion, he fasted on barley bread mixed with ashes, and drank only water. He was ordained a priest, and traveled to England,Monks of Ramsgate. "Richarius". ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 12 November 2017
/ref> preaching the Gospel and curing the sick. Travelling by donkey rather than horse, he read the

psalter A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the emergence of the book of hours in the Late Middle Ages, psalters we ...

as he rode. In 638, after some years in England, Richarius founded a monastery in his hometown in Ponthieu that was named Centule (or ''Centula'', alteration of Latin ''Centum Turres'': ''hundred towers''). This monastery practised according to the Rule of Saint Columbanus of Luxeuil. A city developed around this monastery, also named Centule. In the Middle Ages it was renamed to Saint-Riquier. Nowadays it has some 1200 inhabitants, who still refer to themselves as ''Centulois''. The

Frankish king The Franks, Germanic-speaking peoples that invaded the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century, were first led by individuals called dukes and reguli. The earliest group of Franks that rose to prominence was the Salian Merovingians, who con ...

Dagobert I once came to visit the monastery, and Richarius offered the king advice. He was frank and clear in his speech to the king, speaking without fear or flattery, and the king thereafter became a benefactor of the monastery. Others also gave generously to Richarius's monastery, and he was able to use the money to help lepers and the poor and to ransom prisoners held by England. Richarius eventually founded a second monastery called Forest-Montier. He made a shelter in the forest of Crécy, fifteen miles from his monastery. He lived there as a hermit with his disciple Sigobart. On April 26, 643, he bid farewell to Sigobart and died.

Veneration

His relics were first put in a coffin made of an oak trunk and then translated to the abbey of Centula. One hundred and fifty years later, Charlemagne built a golden shrine to enclose the relics and had the Saint-Riquier Gospels made for the shrine. In 950 Count Arnulf I transferred the bones to Montreuil, then to the

Abbey of Saint Bertin The Abbey of St. Bertin was a Benedictine monastic abbey in Saint-Omer, France. The buildings are now in ruins, which are open to the public. It was initially dedicated to but was rededicated to its second abbot, . The abbey is known for its La ...

in today's St-Omer; in 980 Hugo Capet returned them to St-Riquier. Above the tomb of Riquier, an abbey was built, which was later named after him, as was the city. Aside from Saint-Riquier, the villages of

Saint-Riquier-en-Rivière Saint-Riquier-en-Rivière is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A small forestry and farming village situated by the banks of the Yères river in the Pays de Bray, some east of Diepp ...

and

Saint-Riquier-ès-Plains Saint-Riquier-ès-Plains is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region in northern France. Geography A farming village situated in the Pays de Caux, some southwest of Dieppe at the junction of the D69, D269 and the D925 ro ...

in Normandy bear his name. Medieval monks compiled a catalogue of flowers for each day in the year, and dedicated each flower to a particular Saint, on account of it flowering about the time of the Saint's feast day. The flower '' Erysimum barbarea'' (yellow rocket or wintercress) is associated with Richarius, whose feast day in the Roman Catholic Church is April 26. A feast for the translation of his relics is celebrated on October 9.

References

External links

Saint Richarius of Celles
{{authority control Frankish Christian monks French hermits 645 deaths Year of birth missing 7th-century Frankish saints Colombanian saints