Livinus of Ghent

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Martyrdom of St. Livinus by Peter Paul Rubens , 1633

The Holy Livinus of Ghent , and St. Lieven called (* around 580 , † November 12 657 ) was an apostle of Flanders and Brabant . In Catholic areas of Belgium , his feast day is November 12th .

Life

A vita ascribed to St. Boniface and an epistle , the author of which is considered to be the saint himself, reports on the life and work of Livinus . Both sources are judged to be not very credible.

After them he was born into a noble Irish family, traveled to England in his youth, where he visited Augustine of Canterbury . He then returned to his native country to complete his studies. He was ordained a priest and rose to be a bishop . Like many others from Ireland, Scotland and England, he felt called to the "peregrinatio Domini" (trip abroad in the name of God). For his mission he left Ireland and went to Ghent and Zeeland .

There he stayed in the “Coenobium Ganda” (Ghent monastery) and prayed at the grave of St. Bavo , who had died shortly before. Then he went back on a mission to the County of Aalst , including to Houtem, a place between Gent and Ninove , which is named after him today (St. Lievens Houtem). His grave is also there.

Miraculous work and martyrdom

Legend has it that Livinus was attacked by a man possessed on one of his missions. He repelled the attack and ordered the devil to free the poor man. At first he lay lifeless on the floor until he got up and thanked Livinus. It is also said that he healed the squire Ingelbert, son of Craphilde, who had been blind for thirteen years, and then baptized him.

He later preached in Essche near Geraardsbergen . Here, however, he was attacked by pagans who tore his tongue out and beheaded him. This happened on November 12, 657. The missionary was buried in Houtem and venerated as a martyr.

Namesake

The name "Lieven" is a not uncommon given name in the Flemish part of Belgium. The meaning of the name goes back via "Livinus" to lib-win , which means friend of the people or friend of the people. Other explanations interpret it from mhd. Lib-wuan , "loves life".

literature

  • Joost vander Auwera, Sabine van Sprang et al .: Rubens: a genius at work. The works of Peter Paul Rubens reconsidered in the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium. Lannoo Uitgeverij, 2007, p. 199. (Eng.)
  • William Smith, Henry Wace: A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects and Doctrines Julianus to Myensis Part Six. Kessinger Publishing, 2004 (reprint of the 1877 edition), p. 733.

Web links

Commons : Livinus  - collection of images, videos and audio files