Philibert Of Jumièges
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Philibert of Jumièges (c. 608–684) was an
abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...
and
monastic Monasticism (; ), also called monachism or monkhood, is a religious way of life in which one renounces worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual activities. Monastic life plays an important role in many Christian churches, especially ...
founder, particularly associated with
Jumièges Abbey Jumièges Abbey (), formally the Abbey of St Peter at Jumièges (), was a Benedictine monastery. Its ruins are situated in the commune of Jumièges in the Seine-Maritime Departement of Normandy, France. History Around 654 the abbey was founde ...
.


Life

Philibert was born in
Gascony Gascony (; ) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part of the combined Province of Guyenne and Gascon ...
, the only son of Filibaud, a magistrate of Vicus Julius (now
Aire-sur-l'Adour Aire-sur-l'Adour (; or simply , before 1962: ''Aire'')Déc ...
). When he came of age he was given a place at the court of
Dagobert I Dagobert I (; 603/605 – 19 January 639) was King of the Franks. He ruled Austrasia (623–634) and Neustria and Burgundy (629–639). He has been described as the last king of the Merovingian dynasty to wield real royal power, after which the ...
at
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 ...
, where he met Saints
Ouen Audoin (; AD 609 – on 24 August 684), venerated as Saint Audoin, was a Frankish bishop, courtier, hagiographer and saint. He authored ''Vita Sancti Eligii'' which outlines the life and deeds of Eligius, his close friend and companion in the ro ...
and Wandregisel.Monks of Ramsgate. “Philibert”. ''Book of Saints'', 1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 23 August 2016
/ref> He received permission of the king to become a monk and entered the monastery of Rebais, which had been founded by Ouen and his brothers on land donated by the king. In 650, he succeeded his friend Agilus as abbot, but internal disagreements arose as to the more or less rigorous practice of the rule of
Columbanus Saint Columbanus (; 543 – 23 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in presen ...
. He left and spent some time traveling round monasteries including Luxeuil and Bobbio, studying their Rules and constitutions.


Jumièges

In 654, through the influence of Queen Balthild of Chelles, Philibert received a gift of land from Clovis II on which he founded Notre Dame de Jumièges. He drew up a Rule based on his studies for this and for his later foundations, drawing on several earlier Rules, including those of Benedict,
Macarius Macarius is a Latinization (literature), Latinized form of the old Greek given name Makários (Μακάριος), meaning "happy, fortunate, blessed"; compare the Latin Beatus (disambiguation), ''beatus'' and Felix (name) , ''felix''. Ancient Gree ...
,
Basil the Great Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (330 – 1 or 2 January 379) was an early Roman Christian prelate who served as Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia from 370 until his death in 379. He was an influential theologian who suppor ...
and particularly the strict rule of
Columbanus Saint Columbanus (; 543 – 23 November 615) was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries after 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil Abbey in present-day France and Bobbio Abbey in presen ...
. The monks' chief work was the reclaiming of waste lands. He welcomed the poor and pilgrims. An important spiritual place, Jumièges became renowned and several notables and abbots came to consult Philibert. Philibert did not hesitate to confront
Ebroin Ebroin (died 680 or 681) was the Frankish mayor of the palace of Neustria on two occasions; firstly from 658 to his deposition in 673 and secondly from 675 to his death in 680 or 681. In a violent and despotic career, he strove to impose the ...
, the mayor of the palace of
Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia. It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day ...
, about his treatment of Leodegar,
Bishop of Autun The Diocese of Autun (–Chalon-sur-Saône–Mâcon–Cluny) (Latin: ''Diocesis Aeduensis'', ''Dioecesis Augustodunensis (–Cabillonensis–Matisconensis–Cluniacensis)''; French: ''Diocèse d'Autun (–Chalon-sur-Saône–Mâcon–Cluny)''), m ...
, who had died a martyr. Ebroin then saw to it that for a time Philibert lost the favour of Ouen and the royal family. He was briefly imprisoned then not permitted to return to Jumieges. He chose exile from
Neustria Neustria was the western part of the Kingdom of the Franks during the Early Middle Ages, in contrast to the eastern Frankish kingdom, Austrasia. It initially included land between the Loire and the Silva Carbonaria, in the north of present-day ...
and withdrew to
Austrasia Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...
and the court of Bishop Ansoald of
Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
who put his own foundation of Luçon Abbey under Philibert's charge.


Noirmoutier

Around 676, Philibert decided to found a new monastery on the island of Her (Noirmoutier) with the agreement of the bishop Ansoald who granted him some land.Alston, George Cyprian. "Benedictine Abbey of Jumièges." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910
On the island, in addition to evangelization, the monks carried out important work: agricultural development, irrigation, communication routes, salt exploitation, and construction of monastic buildings. The bishop also gave him land at Déas which became the
abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christians, Christian monks and nun ...
of Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu. (Around 847, the monks of Noirmoutier built a Carolingian priory church in Saint-Philbert-de-Grand-Lieu in his honor.) Five years later, still with the bishop of Poitiers, he developed, with monks from Noirmoutier, a priory that would become the royal abbey of Saint-Michel-en-l'Herm, partly at the origin of the
Marais Poitevin The Marais Poitevin () or Poitevin Marsh is a large area of marshland in the former province of Poitou in western France. It is a remnant of what was the former . The western zone near the sea (about two-thirds of the area) is called the "dry ...
.


Later life

After the death of Ebroin in 681, Philibert returned briefly to Jumieges, but did not stay as he was by then deeply involved with Noirmoutier. Before leaving the place for the last time, he reconciled with his friend Saint Ouen. When he regained the favour of his patrons, he founded other houses, including the nunneries at Pavilly and in 682 Montivilliers Abbey. On his return, he continued supervising his various foundations. Philibert died and was buried at Heriou.


Veneration

In 836 the monks of
Noirmoutier Noirmoutier (also French: Île de Noirmoutier, ; , ) is a tidal island off the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée department (85). History Noirmoutier was the location of an early Viking raid in 799, when raiders attacked the monaster ...
abandoned their home in the face of the
Viking Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden), who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9 ...
attacks to seek refuge on the mainland, in 875 finally settling with the relics of Philibert in the abbey at Tournus named in his honour, where the great church of St Philibert at Tournus still stands. This translation by the monks of Noirmoutier gave rise to several foundations and numerous Carolingian endowments, creating a large monastic network. The relics of the saint are kept in the choir of the Saint-Philibert abbey of Tournus, inside a reliquary, the work of the artist Goudji. They were desecrated on January 25, 1998; the skull of the saint and two of his bones having been stolen. Among those inspired by Philibert's example was the Irish monk Sidonius of Jumieges, who founded the monastery at Saint-Saëns. Philibert of Jumièges' feast day is 20 August. The filbert, or hazelnut, is said to have been named after him, since it ripens about August 20 in England. Villages bear his name in the Rhone Valley, in Anjou, in Normandy and in
Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...
.


References


Sources

*Farmer, David (ed.), 2004. ''Oxford Dictionary of Saints''. Oxford: OUP (5th edn). *Krusch, B. (ed.). ''Vita Filiberti'' (
Monumenta Germaniae Historica The (Latin for "Historical Monuments of Germany"), frequently abbreviated MGH, is a comprehensive series of carefully edited and published primary sources, both chronicle and archival, for the study of parts of Northwestern, Central and Souther ...
, Scriptores Rerum Merovingicarum V, pp. 568–606). *Poupardin, R., 1905. ''Monuments de l'histoire des abbayes de saint Philibert''.


See also

Saint-Philibert de Noirmoutier Abbey


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Philibert of Jumieges 608 births 684 deaths 7th-century Frankish saints