Medardus or Medard (

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

: ''Médard'' or ''Méard'') (ca. 456–545) was the

Bishop of Noyon The former French Catholic Diocese of Noyon lay in the north-east of France, around Noyon. It was formed when Saint Medardus moved the seat of the bishopric at Vermandois to Noyon, in the sixth century. From 545 to 1146, it was united with the ...

. He moved the seat of the diocese from

Vermand Vermand (; Picard: ''Vermind'') is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. History Vermand was probably the original capital of the Viromandui, after whom the region of Vermandois is named. It was later di ...

to Noviomagus Veromanduorum (modern

Noyon Noyon (; ; , Noviomagus of the Viromandui, Veromandui, then ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Oise Departments of France, department, Northern France. Geography Noyon lies on the river Oise (river), Oise, about northeast of Paris. The ...

) in northern France. Medardus was one of the most honored bishops of his time, often depicted laughing, with his mouth wide open, and therefore he was invoked against

toothache Toothaches, also known as dental pain or tooth pain,Segen JC. (2002). ''McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine''. The McGraw-Hill Companies. is pain in the teeth or their supporting structures, caused by dental diseases or referred ...

Life

Medardus was born around 456 at Salency,

Oise Oise ( ; ; ) is a department in the north of France. It is named after the river Oise. Inhabitants of the department are called ''Oisiens'' () or ''Isariens'', after the Latin name for the river, Isara. It had a population of 829,419 in 2019.< ...

, in

Picardy Picardy (; Picard language, Picard and , , ) is a historical and cultural territory and a former regions of France, administrative region located in northern France. The first mentions of this province date back to the Middle Ages: it gained it ...

. His father, Nectaridus, was a noble of Frankish origin, while his mother Protagia was

Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization (cultural), Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire in Roman Gaul. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, Roman culture, language ...

.Clugnet, Léon. "St. Medardus." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 1 April 2019 The ''

Roman Martyrology The ''Roman Martyrology'' () is the official martyrology of the Catholic Church. Its use is obligatory in matters regarding the Roman Rite liturgy, but dioceses, countries and religious institutes may add duly approved appendices to it. It provid ...

'' includes the fanciful tale that Gildard,

Bishop of Rouen The Archdiocese of Rouen (Latin: ''Archidioecesis Rothomagensis''; French: ''Archidiocèse de Rouen'') is a Latin Church archdiocese of the Catholic Church in France. As one of the fifteen Archbishops of France, the Archbishop of Rouen's ecclesi ...

, was his brother, '"born on the same day, consecrated bishops on the same day, and on the same day withdrawn from this life." However, there is no mention of Gildard in the earliest lives of Medardus, and Gildard attended the

First Council of Orléans The First Council of Orléans was a synod convoked by Clovis I, King of the Franks, in 511. Clovis called for this synod four years after his victory over the Visigoths under Alaric II at the Battle of Vouillé in 507. The council was attended by ...

in 511, while Medardus was not consecrated until 530. A

pious fiction A pious fiction is a narrative that is presented as true by the author, but is considered by others to be fictional albeit produced with an altruistic motivation. The term is sometimes used pejoratively to suggest that the author of the narrative ...

links his childhood to his future bishoprics: "He often accompanied his father on business to

and Tornacum (modern

Tournai Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...

), where he frequented the schools, carefully avoiding all worldly dissipation". Medardus lived during the immediate aftermath of the

fall of the Western Roman Empire The fall of the Western Roman Empire, also called the fall of the Roman Empire or the fall of Rome, was the loss of central political control in the Western Roman Empire, a process in which the Empire failed to enforce its rule, and its vast ...

. The last Western Roman emperor was deposed in 476. During 481–511, the Salian Frankish king

Clovis I Clovis (; reconstructed Old Frankish, Frankish: ; – 27 November 511) was the first List of Frankish kings, king of the Franks to unite all of the Franks under one ruler, changing the form of leadership from a group of petty kings to rule by a ...

conquered and united several Barbarian kingdoms, Germanic successor states to form the Kingdom of Francia, the predecessor of modern France and Germany. St. Medardus was ordained at the age of 33. His piety and knowledge, considerable for that time, caused Bishop Alomer of Vermand to confer on him Holy Orders. At the death of Alomer in 530, Medardus was chosen to succeed him as bishop of Vermand. Despite his objections, but the people insisted, so he accepted the responsibilities. is held to have removed the seat of his bishopric from Vermand, a little city with no defences, to Noviomagus Veromanduorum (modern

), the strongest place in that region of Neustria, in 531. That year Chlothar I, Clotaire marched against the Thuringii with his brother Theuderic I, but struggles with the Burgundians also troubled Merovingian Neustria. Medardus was a councillor to Clotaire, the Merovingian king at Noviodunum (modern Soissons). It is also claimed that in 532, at the death of Eleutherius of Tournai, Eleutherius, bishop of Tournai, bishop of Tornacum, Medardus was invited to assume the direction of that diocese also. He refused at first, but being urged by Clotaire himself, he at last accepted. The union of the two dioceses of Noviomagus/Noyon and Tornacum/Tournai lasted until 1146, when they were again separated. Tornacum was a center for evangelizing the pagan Flemish people, Flemings. There, Medardus accepted Radegund, Radegund of Thuringia as a deaconess and nun, until she moved to her own foundation at Saix, Vienne, Saix.

Death

King Clotaire, who had paid Medardus a last visit at Noviomagus, where the bishop died, had his body transferred to his own manor of Croviacum (modern Crouy), at the gates of the royal city of Noviodunum; there over his tomb was erected the celebrated Benedictine Order, Benedictine abbey which bears his name, the Abbey of Saint-Médard de Soissons, Abbey of Saint-Médard. The selection of the site was given authenticity through a familiar Trope (literature), trope of hagiography: :''When the procession reached Crouy, which is about three miles from Soissons, the bier became wholly immovable. The king then promised to give half the borough of Crouy to the new church. On trying again to lift the bier, it was found that the half facing the part given to the church was loose and could be moved, but the other half was as fast as ever. Clotaire now promised the whole borough to the church. The bier instantly became so light that it could be lifted and carried without any trouble to its final destination.'' (Walsh 1897)

Veneration

Medardus was one of the most honored bishops of his time. His memory has always been popularly venerated, first in the north of France, then in Cologne and extending to western Germany, and he became the hero of numerous legends. His ''Cult (religious practice), cultus'' is mentioned by both Venantius Fortunatus and Gregory of Tours. His feast day is celebrated on June 8. It is believed that, as with Swithun, whatever the weather on his feast day, it will continue for the forty days following, unless the weather changes on the feast of Saint Barnabas (11 June).:fr:Rosière, French Wikipedia (in French) He was often depicted laughing, with his mouth wide open, therefore he was invoked against

. He is also invoked against bad weather (but also for rain), sterility and imprisonment. He is patron saint of vineyards, brewers, captives and prisoners, the mentally ill, and peasants. The coat of arms of the Dutch municipality of Wessem and that of the German municipality of Lüdenscheid feature St. Medardus.Heraldry of the World (in Dutch)
/ref> The parish church of St Medardus and St Gildardus Church, Little Bytham, St. Medardus and St. Gildardus in Lincolnshire, England, is jointly dedicated to him and Saint Gildard.

Legends and customs

As a child, Medardus was said to have once been sheltered from rain by an eagle which hovered over him. This is how he was most commonly depicted, and is why he is associated with weather, good or bad, and why he is held to protect those who work in the open air. The weather legend concerning Medardus is similar to Swithun in England. The French rhyme is: ''Quand il pleut à la Saint-Médard, il pleut quarante jours plus tard'' (If it rains on St Medardus' Day, it rains for forty days more). In Czech, the same weather lore is also found, "Medardovˇe kápˇe, 40 dní kape." Every year at Salency (Medardus' birthplace) near

, France (and certain other villages) "the most virtuous young girl of the year" of the commune is elected the ''Rosière''. The custom is said to have been started by Medardus himself, and the first ''Rosière'' is said to have been his sister, Médrine. Clothed in a long white dress, the ''Rosière'' is escorted to Mass (liturgy), Mass by 12 young girls dressed in white and 12 young boys. After vespers, accompanied by two godmothers, she is crowned with a crown of 12 roses, decorated with a blue ribbon and a silver ring, at the chapel of St Médard. Then she goes to receive a bouquet of roses from the mayor, who also presents her with two arrows, two tennis balls and a whistle. She blows the whistle three times and throws nuts to the assembled crowd. The procession is followed by a fair with rides, stalls and fireworks.Noyon tourism website; Circuit de la Rosière
/ref>

References

Sources