Eligius of Noyon

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Peter Christ : St. Eligius in his goldsmith's workshop , 1449

Eligius of Noyon , in short Eligius or Eulogius ( French St. Éloi or St. Loy ; * around 589 in Chaptelat near Limoges ; † December 1, 659 ( 660 ?) In Noyon ), was Bishop of Noyon ; he was later revered as holy by the people . The main part of his relics rests in the cathedral of Noyon ; in addition, some can be found embedded in the Eulogius bust in the parish church of Aftholderberg . His feast day in the Roman Catholic and Evangelical Churches is December 1st.

Lore

life and work

Eligius learned the goldsmith's trade from Abbo von Limoges and was recommended to the treasurer of the Merovingian king Chlothar II (r. 597–629 / 630) in Paris . He commissioned Eligius with the production of a golden head reliquary and a throne chair. By skillfully using the material, he is said to have succeeded in producing two instead of just one armchair; so he soon became treasurer and mint master himself . Eligius also made goldsmith's work for Chlothar's successor, Dagobert I (r. 629–638), and became his personal advisor. After King Dagobert's death he left the court and was ordained a priest . In 641 he was ordained Bishop of Tours and a little later took over the same office in Noyon on the Oise , from where he devoted himself to the mission in Flanders . He discovered the alleged bones of Quintinius and Piatus of Tournai ; He also founded several churches and monasteries ( Solignac , Paris, etc.) and freed slaves and prisoners of war.

Legends

The saint's parents are said to have been Eucherius and Torrigia . In a dream she saw an eagle calling three times to announce something to her. However, she did not mention this dream image until she was afraid of dying after the birth of her son. A holy man who was to pray for her now told her that her son would become "holy and great in the Lord's Church". According to another version of the legend, the eagle with its wings shaded Torrigia in the garden from the sun's rays.

Hans Leu the Elder : Eligius (middle)

Eligius is said to have been an excellent farrier before he learned the goldsmith's trade . One day after shoeing a horse, a stranger came to him. He praised his work, but suggested another method. So the stranger was brought a horse, whose leg he cut off or chopped off, put on the horseshoe and then put the chopped off leg back on. Eligius wanted to do the same, but of course he did not succeed in forging the foot back on. When the stranger reappeared, Eligius recognized God as the Creator in him and understood that he had been taught a teaching of humility.

According to a variant of the blacksmithing legend , Christ took on the form of a journeyman in Eligus' workshop and tamed stubborn horses by tearing off one of their feet and shod them again. With this he taught the saint, so the interpretation, that one must recognize the devilish horse's foot and tear it up.

presentation

Saint Eligius (14th century) on the north portal of the church of Öja on Gotland with the attributes hammer , tongs and horseshoe
Eligius group in the chapel of Abetsweiler, Bergatreute community (Upper Swabia)
  • The saint is sometimes depicted in images with a goldsmith's tool (hammer and / or pliers), two gold armchairs and an unruly horse.
  • In the Hôtel Dieu in Beaune (Burgundy) is on a Mille Fleurs -Tapisserie the legend of St. Eligius represented as blacksmith from the 15th century.

Patron saint

Saint Eligius is the patron saint of numerous professions: farmers , miners , gunsmiths , goldsmiths , engravers , farriers , servants , coachmen , carriage makers, lamp makers, metal workers, mint masters , numismatists , coin collectors ( see : Eligius Prize ), horse dealers , saddlers , grinders , locksmiths , Blacksmiths , sword sweepers , veterinarians , watchmakers , wagons and pewter casters . He has also been the patron saint of horses since the 17th century.

Eulogius ride

As the only parish church in the Archdiocese of Freiburg , the church in Aftholderberg, a district of Herdwangen-Schönach , has St. Eulogius as its patron saint. In his honor there is an annual patronage on the second Sunday in July. The patronage is a rider procession followed by a service and blessing of the horses. The riding procession in Aftholderberg is documented for the year 1857, but the first horse blessings are likely as early as the 18th century. They were banned with other forms and traditions of popular piety in the course of the Enlightenment around 1800 by the then Vicar General Ignaz Heinrich von Wessenberg of the Diocese of Constance . The rural population has not come to terms with this ban. On July 8, 2007, the so-called "Eulogiusritt" celebrated its 150th anniversary. 350 riders and 400 musicians from all over the region took part.

Other Eulogius rides are known from Bingen (Sigmaringen district) , where this event dates back to the end of the 16th century, but the tradition was interrupted from 1955 to 1988, and from Lenzkirch in the southern Black Forest ; The first equestrian procession took place here in 1934, but was banned by the National Socialists from 1937 to 1945.

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Saint Eligius  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Hiltgard L. Keller: Lexicon of saints and biblical figures . 10th edition. Phillip Reclam jun., Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-15-010570-6 , p. 200
  2. ↑ heiligenlexikon.de (accessed on April 3, 2009)
  3. ^ Hans Fehrle: Eligius saga . Diesterweg, 1940
  4. ↑ Gerhard Eis : The legend of the severed horse leg and the Eligius saga. In: Veterinary survey. Volume 11, 1956, pp. 152-154.
  5. ^ Museum guide, published by Société d'Editions Régionales in collaboration with the Museum Hôtel Dieu, Beaune
  6. ↑ Erna and Hans Melchers: The great book of saints. History and legend over the course of the year (arrangement by Carlo Melcher). Südwest Verlag, Munich 1978, p. 778. Licensed edition for the German Book Association, CA Koch's Verlag, Nachf., Berlin, Darmstadt, Vienna as well as for Bertelsmann Club GmbH, Gütersloh , the Europäische Bildungsgemeinschaft Verlags GmbH, Stuttgart and the Donauland Kremayr & Book Association Scheriau, Vienna
  7. ↑ Tapestry Hospices Beaune 142
personal data
SURNAME Noyon, Eligius of
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Eligius; Eligius Noviomensis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Saint
DATE OF BIRTH at 589
PLACE OF BIRTH Limoges
DATE OF DEATH December 1, 659 or December 1, 660
Place of death Noyon