Saint Gildard (Lurcy-le-Bourg)
Encyclopedia
Saint Gildard, or Saint Gildardus, is a saint of the Roman Catholic Church
. He was a priest in the seventh century of Lurcy-le-Bourg
, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nevers
. His name remains in the convent of St. Gildard, operated by the Sisters of Charity of Nevers
, and the final resting place of St. Bernadette of Lourdes
.
s have little to say on the saint—he was a priest in the seventh century who "edified with his virtues the parish of Lurcy-le-Bourg."
Local historians agree that little is known of this saint and repeat what was written in Les Petits Bollandistes
. The date of his death was 24 August, but because that day was already dedicated to Saint Bartholomew Gildard's feast day was moved to 31 August, and was celebrated on that day for three centuries, until in the Nevers area it was moved back to 24 August, according to Augustin-Joseph Crosnier, vicar-general of the Diocese of Nevers in the mid-nineteenth century. Crosnies also reports that an ancient ceremony directs that the celebration is to be accompanied with wine and warm bread rolls.
Gildard's body was buried in a small church dedicated to a Saint Loup (known by the Latinised name
of Saint Lupus), outside the city walls of Nevers. In the course of time, after miracles had occurred, the church came to be called after both saints, and later again the name of Lupus was forgotten.
and Charles the Fat
, it was an abbey
, and in the eleventh century became a parish church
; by the end of that century it was left to the monastery of Saint-Laurent-l'Abbaye
.
The church suffered greatly during the Hundred Years' War
, and the parish became so depopulated that the church was empty; in 1784 it was closed at the request of the local population. By the mid-nineteenth century, a wine press
was in operation in two of the church bays
, while the grounds were overgrown with vines.
, bishop of Nevers, assigned the church to be rebuilt as a religious house for the Sisters of Charity of Nevers
. By that time, not much was left but a rectangular building; the remains of the thirteenth-century were used to build the Saint Gildard Convent, which was officially consecrated on 15 July 1856. This is the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, where in 1866 Bernadette of Lourdes entered to do her novitiate
and where she died in 1879. Her body was buried on the convent grounds, in a special crypt, separate from the graves of the other sisters.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
. He was a priest in the seventh century of Lurcy-le-Bourg
Lurcy-le-Bourg
Lurcy-le-Bourg is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-References:*...
, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nevers
Roman Catholic Diocese of Nevers
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Nevers, is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic church in France. The diocese comprises the department of Nièvre, in the Region of Bourgogne....
. His name remains in the convent of St. Gildard, operated by the Sisters of Charity of Nevers
Sisters of Charity of Nevers
The Sisters of Charity of Nevers , also known as Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction, is a religious order founded in 1680 in Nevers, Nièvre department, France, at the instigation of Jean-Baptiste Delaveyne. The motherhouse, the convent at St...
, and the final resting place of St. Bernadette of Lourdes
Bernadette Soubirous
Saint Marie-Bernarde Soubirous was a miller's daughter born in Lourdes. From 11 February to 16 July 1858, she reported 18 apparitions of "a small young lady" who asked for a chapel to be built at that site at Lourdes....
.
History
The BollandistBollandist
The Bollandists are an association of scholars, philologists, and historians who since the early seventeenth century have studied hagiography and the cult of the saints in Christianity. Their most important publication has been the Acta Sanctorum...
s have little to say on the saint—he was a priest in the seventh century who "edified with his virtues the parish of Lurcy-le-Bourg."
Local historians agree that little is known of this saint and repeat what was written in Les Petits Bollandistes
Les Petits Bollandistes
Les Petits Bollandistes is a 17 volume collection of lives of the saints by Paul Guerin, published in Paris in 1865.-References:Holweck, F. G. A Biographical Dictionary of the Saint. St. Louis, MO: B. Herder Book Co. 1924....
. The date of his death was 24 August, but because that day was already dedicated to Saint Bartholomew Gildard's feast day was moved to 31 August, and was celebrated on that day for three centuries, until in the Nevers area it was moved back to 24 August, according to Augustin-Joseph Crosnier, vicar-general of the Diocese of Nevers in the mid-nineteenth century. Crosnies also reports that an ancient ceremony directs that the celebration is to be accompanied with wine and warm bread rolls.
Gildard's body was buried in a small church dedicated to a Saint Loup (known by the Latinised name
Latinisation (literature)
Latinisation is the practice of rendering a non-Latin name in a Latin style. It is commonly met with for historical personal names, with toponyms, or for the standard binomial nomenclature of the life sciences. It goes further than Romanisation, which is the writing of a word in the Latin alphabet...
of Saint Lupus), outside the city walls of Nevers. In the course of time, after miracles had occurred, the church came to be called after both saints, and later again the name of Lupus was forgotten.
Church of St. Lupus and St. Gildard
Less is known of Lupus than of Gildard, though at least some historians believe that a Lupus had lived in the area and that some miracles were performed at the church that came to bear his name, which he later shared with Gildard. In the time of Charles the BaldCharles the Bald
Charles the Bald , Holy Roman Emperor and King of West Francia , was the youngest son of the Emperor Louis the Pious by his second wife Judith.-Struggle against his brothers:He was born on 13 June 823 in Frankfurt, when his elder...
and Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat
Charles the Fat was the King of Alemannia from 876, King of Italy from 879, western Emperor from 881, King of East Francia from 882, and King of West Francia from 884. In 887, he was deposed in East Francia, Lotharingia, and possibly Italy, where the records are not clear...
, it was an abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
, and in the eleventh century became a parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
; by the end of that century it was left to the monastery of Saint-Laurent-l'Abbaye
Saint-Laurent-l'Abbaye
Saint-Laurent-l'Abbaye is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France.-References:*...
.
The church suffered greatly during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, and the parish became so depopulated that the church was empty; in 1784 it was closed at the request of the local population. By the mid-nineteenth century, a wine press
Wine press
A wine press is a device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making. There are a number of different styles of presses that are used by wine makers but their overall functionality is the same. Each style of press exerts controlled pressure in order to free the juice from the fruit...
was in operation in two of the church bays
Bay (architecture)
A bay is a unit of form in architecture. This unit is defined as the zone between the outer edges of an engaged column, pilaster, or post; or within a window frame, doorframe, or vertical 'bas relief' wall form.-Defining elements:...
, while the grounds were overgrown with vines.
Saint Gildard Convent
In 1853, Dominique-Augustin DufêtreDominique-Augustin Dufêtre
Dominique-Augustin Dufêtre was the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Nevers from 1842 to 1860....
, bishop of Nevers, assigned the church to be rebuilt as a religious house for the Sisters of Charity of Nevers
Sisters of Charity of Nevers
The Sisters of Charity of Nevers , also known as Sisters of Charity and Christian Instruction, is a religious order founded in 1680 in Nevers, Nièvre department, France, at the instigation of Jean-Baptiste Delaveyne. The motherhouse, the convent at St...
. By that time, not much was left but a rectangular building; the remains of the thirteenth-century were used to build the Saint Gildard Convent, which was officially consecrated on 15 July 1856. This is the motherhouse of the Sisters of Charity of Nevers, where in 1866 Bernadette of Lourdes entered to do her novitiate
Novitiate
Novitiate, alt. noviciate, is the period of training and preparation that a novice monastic or member of a religious order undergoes prior to taking vows in order to discern whether they are called to the religious life....
and where she died in 1879. Her body was buried on the convent grounds, in a special crypt, separate from the graves of the other sisters.