Valère de Langres or Saint Valère (died 22 October 411, also known as Saint Vallier), archdeacon of

Langres Langres () is a commune in France, commune in northeastern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Departments of France, department of Haute-Marne, in the Regions of France, region of Grand Est. History As the capital ...

, was arrested by a group of

Vandals The Vandals were a Germanic people who were first reported in the written records as inhabitants of what is now Poland, during the period of the Roman Empire. Much later, in the fifth century, a group of Vandals led by kings established Vand ...

led by a man named Chrocus, beaten and beheaded on 22 October 411 in

Port-sur-Saône Port-sur-Saône () is a commune in the Haute-Saône department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. It was probably the Roman ''Portus Abucini''. Population Twin towns Port-sur-Saône is twinned with: * Brest, Bela ...

or in Port-Saint Pierre, a place on the

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

River which today is within the commune (municipality) of

Heuilley-sur-Saône Heuilley-sur-Saône (, literally ''Heuilley on Saône'') is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Côte-d'Or department The following is a list of the 698 communes of the Côte- ...

History

In 411, the Vandals invaded Gaul. They seized the city of

and killed the city's bishop, Dizier, who had tried to intervene between the barbarians and the city's inhabitants (According to Guillaume Flamang, a

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

in 1482,

under the leadership of a man named

Chrocus Chrocus or Crocus (fl. 260–306 AD) was a leader of the Alamanni in the late 3rd to early 4th centuries. In 260, he led an uprising of the Alamanni against the Roman Empire, traversing the Upper Germanic Limes and advancing as far as Clermont-Fe ...

beheaded the bishop.). After the martyrdom of the bishop, archdeacon Valère rallied Christians and tried to ensure their safety by fleeing to the Jura mountains. But when the group arrived at a place on the Saone called Portus Bucinus, Valere and his group of Christians encountered the enemy and were killed. Experts disagree on the exact location of Portus Bucinus, some of them identifying it as Port-sur-Saône, while others say it was Port-Saint Pierre which today is within the commune (municipality) of

. According to tradition, the body of Saint Valère (or Vallier) was buried not far from the place where he was martyred. His grave was found in the sixth century by a warrior named Gaudericus.Histoire d'Heuilley-sur-Saône de l'an 100 avant J.-C. à l'an 2000 Jean-Pierre Bonnin (2007) pages 53-54 Traveling with his army to Italy, he was miraculously informed in his sleep that his troops were encamped on the spot where the remains of St. Valere were buried. A celestial voice promised him victory if he promised, on his return, to build a church in his honor. Victorious, Gaudéricus returned safe and sound, but because of a lack of money he had a modest oratory built with the intention of founding a large building later. Death prevented him from finishing this project. However, the bishop of Langres replaced the oratory with a larger church ... built either in

Talmay Talmay () is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France. Population Personalities * Marie-Thérèse Figueur (1774-1861) - a French heroine who fought in the French Revolutionary Wars and Napoleonic Wars. Known by her ''nom de ...

(a village near Port-Saint Pierre) or Port-sur Saône. The Catholic church in Talmay is named Église Saint Vallier in memory of Saint Valère de Langres. Part of Vallier's spine is kept at the church in Talmay. A stained-glass window at the church depicts the saint's decapitation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valere de Langres 411 deaths Year of birth unknown 5th-century Frankish people 5th-century Christian martyrs Christian martyrs executed by decapitation 5th-century Christian clergy