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E00052: Gregory of Tours, in his Life of *Gregory (bishop of Langres, ob. 539/540, S00038), recounts how, secretly by night, the saint visited the baptistery in Dijon (eastern Gaul), where there were many relics of saints. From Gregory's Life of the Fathers, written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 573/594.
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posted on 2014-09-19, 00:00 authored by BryanGregory of Tours, Life of the Fathers 7.2
[...] Nam cum [Gregorius] apud Divionensim castrum moraretur assiduae, et domus eius baptisterio adhaereret, in quo multorum sanctorum reliquiae tenebantur, nocte de stratu suo, nullo sentiente, consurgens, ad orationem, Deo tantum teste, pergebat, ostio divinitus reserato, adtente psallebat in baptisterio. Sed cum hoc multi temporis spatio ageret, tandem ab uno diacono res cognita atque manifestata est. Idem cum cognovisset haec agi, a longe, ne eum vir beatus sentire possit, prosequebatur et quid ageret expectabat. Agebat enim diaconus, quod veniens sanctus Dei ad ostium baptisterii, pulsans manu propria, ostium, nemine conparente, aperiebatur, illoque ingrediente, diutissime silentium erat. Postea psallentium tamquam multarum vocum per trium horarum et fere amplius spatio audiebatur. Credo ego, quod, cum magnorum sanctorum in eodem loco haberentur reliquiae, ipsi se beato viro revelantes, psallentium Domino in commune reddebant. Nam impleto cursu revertens ad lectulum, ita se caute super stratum deponebat, ut prorsus nemo sentiret; observatores vero ostium baptisterii obseratum invenientes, clave sua solite aperiebant, commotoque signo, sanctus Dei, sicut reliqui, novus ad officium dominicum consurgebat.
'[...] He [Gregory, bishop of Langres] usually lived at the town of Dijon, and, as his house was next to the baptistery where the relics of a great number of saints were kept, he used to rise from his bed in the night, without anyone seeing him, God alone being his witness, to say prayers in the baptistery; its door used to open by divine power, and he could sing psalms there in peace. He did that for a long time, but in the end was seen by a deacon, who followed him at a distance to see what he was doing, without the knowledge of the holy man. And the deacon used to tell how the man of God came to the door of the baptistery, and when he knocked at it with his hand it opened although nobody was there, and when he had entered there was a long silence, but then many voices could be heard singing together for three hours and more. I believe that, since the relics of great saints were there, these saints had revealed themselves to this holy man and sang with him the praises of the Lord. And when he had finished, he went back to his bed and got in it very carefully so that no one would hear him. And the following day the guardians of the baptistery found it shut and, opening it with the key as usual, they gave the signal, and the man of God rose again for the divine office along with the others.'
Text: Krusch 1969, 237-238. Translation: James 1991, 44.
[...] Nam cum [Gregorius] apud Divionensim castrum moraretur assiduae, et domus eius baptisterio adhaereret, in quo multorum sanctorum reliquiae tenebantur, nocte de stratu suo, nullo sentiente, consurgens, ad orationem, Deo tantum teste, pergebat, ostio divinitus reserato, adtente psallebat in baptisterio. Sed cum hoc multi temporis spatio ageret, tandem ab uno diacono res cognita atque manifestata est. Idem cum cognovisset haec agi, a longe, ne eum vir beatus sentire possit, prosequebatur et quid ageret expectabat. Agebat enim diaconus, quod veniens sanctus Dei ad ostium baptisterii, pulsans manu propria, ostium, nemine conparente, aperiebatur, illoque ingrediente, diutissime silentium erat. Postea psallentium tamquam multarum vocum per trium horarum et fere amplius spatio audiebatur. Credo ego, quod, cum magnorum sanctorum in eodem loco haberentur reliquiae, ipsi se beato viro revelantes, psallentium Domino in commune reddebant. Nam impleto cursu revertens ad lectulum, ita se caute super stratum deponebat, ut prorsus nemo sentiret; observatores vero ostium baptisterii obseratum invenientes, clave sua solite aperiebant, commotoque signo, sanctus Dei, sicut reliqui, novus ad officium dominicum consurgebat.
'[...] He [Gregory, bishop of Langres] usually lived at the town of Dijon, and, as his house was next to the baptistery where the relics of a great number of saints were kept, he used to rise from his bed in the night, without anyone seeing him, God alone being his witness, to say prayers in the baptistery; its door used to open by divine power, and he could sing psalms there in peace. He did that for a long time, but in the end was seen by a deacon, who followed him at a distance to see what he was doing, without the knowledge of the holy man. And the deacon used to tell how the man of God came to the door of the baptistery, and when he knocked at it with his hand it opened although nobody was there, and when he had entered there was a long silence, but then many voices could be heard singing together for three hours and more. I believe that, since the relics of great saints were there, these saints had revealed themselves to this holy man and sang with him the praises of the Lord. And when he had finished, he went back to his bed and got in it very carefully so that no one would hear him. And the following day the guardians of the baptistery found it shut and, opening it with the key as usual, they gave the signal, and the man of God rose again for the divine office along with the others.'
Text: Krusch 1969, 237-238. Translation: James 1991, 44.
History
Evidence ID
E00052Saint Name
Saints, unnamed or name lost : S00518Related Saint Records
Type of Evidence
Literary - Hagiographical - Lives of saintLanguage
- Latin
Evidence not before
573Evidence not after
593Activity not before
506Activity not after
540Place of Evidence - Region
Gaul and Frankish kingdomsPlace of Evidence - City, village, etc
ToursPlace of evidence - City name in other Language(s)
Tours Tours Tours Toronica urbs Prisciniacensim vicus Pressigny Turonorum civitas Ceratensis vicus CéréMajor author/Major anonymous work
Gregory of ToursCult activities - Liturgical Activity
- Chant and religious singing