:''"Sigirannus” is also the name of a 7th-century abbot of St. Cales in the department of Sarthe.'' Saint Sigiramnus (also ''Sigirannus'' and similar spellings; french: Siran, Cyran; died 655 AD), also known as Saint Cyran, was an abbot and confessor of the 7th century. A nobleman of

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

,Alban Butler, ''The Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Other Principal Saints'' (Published by Duffy, 1845), 71. he studied at Tours and then joined the royal court of Clothaire II. He served as cup-bearer but always wore a

hair-shirt A cilice , also known as a sackcloth, was originally a garment or undergarment made of coarse cloth or animal hair (a hairshirt) worn close to the skin. It is used by members of various Christian traditions (including the Roman Catholic Church, ...

underneath his garments, devoting himself to prayer. His father, count of

Bourges Bourges () is a commune in central France on the river Yèvre. It is the capital of the department of Cher, and also was the capital city of the former province of Berry. History The name of the commune derives either from the Bituriges, t ...

(and later bishop of Tours), wanted Sigiramnus to marry the daughter of a nobleman.Alban Butler, Kathleen Jones, David Hugh Farmer, Paul Burns, ''Butler's lives of the saints'' (Published by Liturgical Press, 2000), 41-2. Refusing to marry, Sigiramnus took holy orders at the church of St. Martin at Tours in 625 AD, serving as

archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in the Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Syriac Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, St Thomas Christians, Eastern Orthodox churches and some other Christian denominations, above that o ...

at Tours. He refused to gain high position in the secular world, and after his father died, he gave away his goods and money to the poor; he was locked away as a lunatic for this. In 640, after he was released, he made a pilgrimage to Rome with Flavius, an Irish bishop. According to one account, as they crossed the

diocese of Tours The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tours (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Turonensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Tours'') is an archdiocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church in France. The archdiocese has roots that go back to the 3rd cen ...

, he insisting on working in the fields with the serfs after he was “seized with compassion at the peasants covered with dust and sweat.” When Sigiramnus returned to France, he founded two monasteries with land given to him by Clothaire in the diocese of Bourges:

Saint-Pierre de Longoret The Abbey of Saint-Cyran-en-Brenne, also known since 1975 as the Abbey of Saint-Michel-en-Brenne, and originally as Saint-Pierre de Longoret, is an abbey in the town of Saint-Michel-en-Brenne in France, previously in the province of Berry and now ...

(Longoretum, Lonrey) and

Méobecq Méobecq () is a commune in the Indre department in central France. Geography The commune is located in the parc naturel régional de la Brenne. Population See also *Communes of the Indre department The following is a list of the 241 commun ...

(Millepecus), in the forest of Brenne region of the Berry province. Longoret was later renamed

Saint-Michel-en-Brenne Saint-Michel-en-Brenne () is a commune and town in the French department of Indre, administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. Geography The town is located in the parc naturel régional de la Brenne. Population See also *Communes o ...

after him. He served as abbot of Longoret until his death in 655 AD.

Veneration

A life of Sigiramnus was written in the ninth or tenth centuries; the author of this ''Life'' claims to have compiled it from an earlier text. The monastery of Saint-Cyran was dissolved in 1712.

Jean du Vergier de Hauranne Jean du Vergier de Hauranne, the Abbé (Abbot) of Saint-Cyran, (1581 – 6 October 1643) was a French Catholic priest who introduced Jansenism into France. Life Born in the city of Bayonne to a noble family, Vergier studied theology at the Catho ...

(1581–1643), known as the Abbé of Saint-Cyran, took his title from this monastery. Sigiramnus’ relics were kept at the abbey of Saint-Cyran until 1860, when

Eugénie de Montijo ''Doña'' María Eugenia Ignacia Agustina de Palafox y Kirkpatrick, 19th Countess of Teba, 16th Marchioness of Ardales (5 May 1826 – 11 July 1920), known as Eugénie de Montijo (), was Empress of the French from her marriage to Emperor Napo ...

Empress consort of the French This is a list of the women who were queens or empresses as wives of French monarchs from the 843 Treaty of Verdun, which gave rise to West Francia, until 1870, when the Third Republic was declared. Living wives of reigning monarchs technic ...

, encased them in a

reliquary A reliquary (also referred to as a ''shrine'', by the French term ''châsse'', and historically including ''wikt:phylactery, phylacteries'') is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a ''fereter'', and a chapel in which it i ...

and gave it to the church of

References

External links

Ouvrage sur l'abbaye Saint Cyran
{{Authority control 655 deaths Frankish Christian monks Year of birth unknown 7th-century Frankish saints