Orléans
Orléans (,"Orleans" (US) and AD), nephew of Suavaric,
bishop of Auxerre
The diocese of Auxerre () is a former French Roman Catholic diocese. Its historical episcopal see was in the city of Auxerre in Burgundy, now part of eastern France. Currently the non-metropolitan Archbishop of Sens, ordinary of the diocese of S ...
Paul the Apostle
Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Apostles in the New Testament, Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the Ministry of Jesus, teachings of Jesus in the Christianity in the 1st century, first ...
led Eucherius to seek the monastic life in 714, when he retired to the Abbey of Jumièges in the Diocese of Rouen. After seven years his uncle, Suavaric, Bishop of Orléans, died. The reputation of his virtue must have been very great, for a deputation was sent to
Charles Martel
Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...
, then
mayor of the palace
Under the Merovingian dynasty, the mayor of the palace or majordomo,
( or ) was the manager of the household of the Frankish king. He was the head of the Merovingian administrative ladder and orchestrated the operation of the entire court. He ...
, who practically governed the
Frankish Kingdom
The Kingdom of the Franks (), also known as the Frankish Kingdom, or just Francia, was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Frankish Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties during the Early Middle A ...
, to beg that Eucherius might be elected to the vacant see. Despite his dislike of the idea he consented to their request and became bishop in 721.
Having opposed the elevation of
Charles Martel
Charles Martel (; – 22 October 741), ''Martel'' being a sobriquet in Old French for "The Hammer", was a Franks, Frankish political and military leader who, as Duke and Prince of the Franks and Mayor of the Palace, was the de facto ruler of ...
and the latter's confiscation of church property to fund his war efforts against the
Moorish
The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages.
Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...
invasions from
Al-Andalus
Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...
, Eucherius found himself out of favor with the new
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
dynasty. When Charles Martel returned from his victory at the
Battle of Tours
The Battle of Tours, also called the Battle of Poitiers and the Battle of the Highway of the Martyrs (), was fought on 10 October 732, and was an important battle during the Umayyad invasion of Gaul. It resulted in victory for the Frankish an ...
, he stopped in Orléans and exiled Eucherius to
Cologne
Cologne ( ; ; ) is the largest city of the States of Germany, German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with nearly 1.1 million inhabitants in the city pr ...
. Eucherius retired to the abbey of Sint-Truiden, where he spent the remainder of his life in prayer and contemplation until his death in 743.
Quierzy
Quierzy (), also known as Quierzy-sur-Oise (; formerly in , ''Carisiacum'', ''Charisagum'', ''Karisiacum''), is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France, straddling the Oise River between Noyon and Chauny.
Hi ...
in 858, a vision that Bishop Eucherius of Orléans had seen during the reign of King Pepin III over a century before. While at prayer, Eucherius had been taken up and shown, among other things, the sufferings of those in hell, among whom he saw Charles Martel. When the vision ended, he called Boniface and Fulrad, abbot of Saint-Denis, and sent to them to see whether Charles was in his tomb. When the two opened the tomb a dragon rushed out, and they found the tomb's interior blackened as though burned. These two signs were taken as evidence that the vision had been accurate and that Charles had been condemned to hell for his despoliation of Church property.Living with the Dead in the Middle Ages, by Patrick J. Geary, p. 84
File:Sint-Truiden, OLV-kerk, schatkamer08.jpg, Painting on woodpanel, Church of Our Lady, Sint-Truiden
File:Sint-Truiden, OLV-kerk, schatkamer03.jpg, Reliquairy chest, Church of Our Lady, Sint-Truiden
File:Brustem2013StEucheriuskapel1.jpg, St-Eucherius chapel, Brustem
File:PA00106831-Église Saint-Eucaire.jpg, Eglise St-Euchère,
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...