Saint Lucian of Beauvais (French: Lucien, Latin: Lucianus, died c. 290 AD) is a Christianmartyr of the Catholic Church, called the "Apostle of Beauvais."[1] He was killed in the 3rd century during the Diocletian persecution, although later traditions make him a martyr of the 1st century instead. This was because the church of Beauvais attempted to claim apostolic origins for itself. Odo, bishop of Beauvais during the 9th century, was the first writer to designate Lucien as the first bishop of Beauvais.[1]
Nevertheless, the foundation of the diocese of Beauvais is traditionally attributed to him. His Passio assigns him two disciples, Maximian (Maxien, Maximien) and Julian (Julien), who were decapitated with him on the hill of Montmille.[1]
French historian Louis Duchesne (and others) consider the whole story of Lucian as unhistorical.[2]
Legend
The details of his life are largely unknown; the date of his death was moved backwards in time in order to lend his see more antiquity, a common practice during the Middle Ages. As Hippolyte Delehaye writes, "To have lived amongst the Saviour's immediate following was...honorable...and accordingly old patrons of churches were identified with certain persons in the gospels or who were supposed to have had some part of Christ's life on earth."[3]
Tradition holds he came from a noble family of Rome.[4] He was named "Lucius" like his father, but when he was converted to Christianity by Saint Peter himself, he took the name of Lucian. As a young man, he preached in Italy and then he was ordained bishop by Pope Clement I (who actually lived in a different century), who sent him to Gaul with Saint Denis and Rieul of Reims,[5] among others (Lucian is also called an associate of Saint Quentin), to preach there. He was imprisoned in Parma, but was freed by Christians there. He converted people in Pavia before arriving in Arles, where he once again met up with Saint Rieul. Denis and Lucian continued towards Lutetia. Marcellinus and those accompanying him continued on to Spain. Denis remained in Lutetia while Lucian continued onto Beauvais, at the time known as Caesaromagus.[6]
At Beauvais, he acquired fame for his mortifications and penances. He preached against the Roman gods. He lived in a house that is considered to be the place now occupied by the collegiate church of Saint-Nicolas. Denis and Rieul visited him here. According to Rolandus, the author of Acta Sancti Luciani, he retired to a mountain near the city, living as a hermit on grass and water. According to one account, he converted 30,000 people to Christianity,[6] and was assisted in this task by his 2 disciples.
The assassins Latinus, Jarius and Antor were sent by the Roman Emperor (his legendary account gives the contradictory name of Diocletian, though this emperor lived during the 3rd century) to kill him. They killed his disciples first and then beat Lucian with rods, finally slicing his head off. His legend states that after Lucian was decapitated, he picked up his head and walked towards the town of Beauvais. Having crossed the river Thérain at Miauroy (Beauvais lies at the foot of wooded hills on the left bank of the Thérain at its confluence with the Avelon), Lucian stopped within a quarter mile of Beauvais, and died there, thus indicating to his followers that he wanted to be buried on that very spot. This part of his legend thus makes Lucian one of the legendary cephalophores, whose number also include his alleged companion, Denis.[6]
According to the legend, the angels themselves attended the funeral of the saint, and according to local tradition, vermilion-coloured rosebushes blossomed on the spot where Lucian's blood had run.[1]
Veneration
Lucian's body was buried in the cemetery of Thil. His name occurred in the calendar of the Book of Common Prayer from an early date.
At the end of the Christian persecutions, a church was built over his tomb; it was called the Church of Saints Peter and Lucian. It was destroyed in the 5th century. Around 583, at the request of Dodo, bishop of Beauvais, and Saint Evrou (Evrost), Chilperic I ordered the building of a new basilica and monastery on the same site. Dodo consecrated the church, dedicating it once again to Saints Peter and Lucian. Saint Evrou served as abbot of the monastery. The abbey was destroyed in 845 during the Norman invasions, but a new one was built in the 12th century, serving also as a burial place for the cathedral canons. During the Middle Ages, a priory was also built on the alleged site of their death, at Montmille, which became a place of pilgrimage.[1]
In 1261, the relics of Lucian, Maximian, and Julian were placed in a new reliquary by William of Grès (Guillaume de Grès), bishop of Beauvais. The translation took place in the presence of St. Louis IX, king of France, and Theobald II, king of Navarre, and much of the French nobility. The memory of this translation was formerly celebrated in the abbey of Beauvais as the fête des Corps Saints.[1]
On 5 January 1791, the abbey was put on sale and was bought by a rich Parisian, Vicente Alterio. The liturgical objects were transported to the church of Notre-Dame du-Thil. The basilica and the monastery were demolished between 1795 and 1819. Of the monastery, only the round tower and part of the wall remain.[1]
On 20 November 1793, Lucian's relics were tossed into a fire by Protestant extremists.[1]
In the Orthodox Church, Lucian is commemorated on 3 June and 8 January (See Wikipedia's Eastern Orthodox Liturgics).[4]
Denis of France was a 3rd-century Christian martyr and saint. According to his hagiographies, he was bishop of Paris in the third century and, together with his companions Rusticus and Eleutherius, was martyred for his faith by decapitation. Some accounts placed this during Domitian's persecution and incorrectly identified StDenis of Paris with the Areopagite who was converted by Paul the Apostle and who served as the first bishop of Athens. Assuming Denis's historicity, it is now considered more likely that he suffered under the persecution of the emperor Decius shortly after AD250.
Beauvais is a town and commune in northern France, and prefecture of the Oise département, in the Hauts-de-France region, 75 kilometres north of Paris.
Erasmus of Formia, also known as Saint Elmo, was a Christian saint and martyr. He is venerated as the patron saint of sailors and abdominal pain. Erasmus or Elmo is also one of the Fourteen Holy Helpers, saintly figures of Christian religion who are venerated especially as intercessors.
Fermin was a legendary holy man and martyr, traditionally venerated as the co-patron saint of Navarre, Spain. His death may be associated with either the Decian persecution (250) or Diocletianic Persecution (303).
September 30 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - October 2
September 21 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - September 23
The Diocese of Beauvais, Noyon, and Senlis is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in France. The diocese encompasses the department of Oise in the region of Hauts-de-France. The diocese is a suffragan of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Reims. The current bishop is Jacques Benoit-Gonnin, appointed in 2010.
Quentin also known as Quentin of Amiens, was an early Christian saint.
January 7 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - January 9
A cephalophore is a saint who is generally depicted carrying their severed head. In Christian art, this was usually meant to signify that the subject in question had been martyred by beheading. Depicting the requisite halo in this circumstance offers a unique challenge for the artist: some put the halo where the head used to be, and others have the saint carrying the halo along with the head. Associated legends often tell of the saint standing and carrying their head after the beheading.
Syrus of Pavia, also spelled Sirus, is traditionally said to have been the first bishop of Pavia during the 1st century.
Peregrine (Peregrinus) of Auxerre is venerated as the first bishop of Auxerre and the builder of its first cathedral. A strong local tradition states that he was a priest of Rome appointed by Pope Sixtus II to evangelize this area at the request of the Christians resident in that part of Gaul. He preached at Marseilles, Lyon, and converted most of the inhabitants of Auxerre to Christianity.
In Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another ; usually only the movement of the remains of the saint's body would be treated so formally, with secondary relics such as items of clothing treated with less ceremony. Translations could be accompanied by many acts, including all-night vigils and processions, often involving entire communities.
October 14 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - October 16
Calimerius was an early bishop of Milan. He is honoured as a Saint in the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches and his feast day is on July 31.
August 29 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - August 31
Andrew the Apostle, also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus. According to the New Testament, he was a fisherman and one of the Twelve Apostles chosen by Jesus. The title First-Called stems from the Gospel of John, where Andrew, initially a disciple of John the Baptist, follows Jesus and, recognizing him as the Messiah, introduces his brother Simon Peter to him.
December 9 - Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar - December 11
Saint Sanctinus of Meaux was a Gallo-Roman bishop and missionary, traditionally named as the first bishop of Meaux and also of Verdun.
Rembert Regulus (Rieul) of Senlis was the first bishop of Senlis. His feast day is March 30.
References
Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. ISBN0-14-051312-4.
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