Saint Josse
Encyclopedia
Saint Judoc or Saint Josse (traditionally 600–668) was a seventh-century Breton noble who sought the protection of Aymon, a predecessor of the counts of Ponthieu
, to live as a hermit and renounce the crown of Brittany, in a place then called either Sidraga or Schaderias or Runiacum, located in the coastal forest near the mouth of the River Canche
. He travelled to Rome along the via Francigena
, returning safely shortly before his death.
, developed a local cultus. The Abbey of Saint-Josse
, beginning as a small monastery on the site of his retreat, was built in the eighth century at the place where Judoc's shrine was kept. In 903, some monks of the abbey, fleeing the Norman raiders
, took refuge in England, bearing his relics. The tradition of the New Minster of Hyde at Winchester
(founded 901), was that the relics were translated there, and the date was commemorated annually, 9 January.
From England, the veneration of Saint Josse spread through the Low Countries
, Germany
and Scandinavia
, regions where variations of Josse, Joos, Joost
, and the diminutive Jocelyn, etc. became popular names and chapels and churches were dedicated to him. The mal Saint Josse was the term for the ills resulting from snakebite
, against which the saint's name was invoked by the fifteenth-century French poet Eustache Deschamps
in an imprecatory ballade
: "...Du mau saint Leu, de l'esvertin, Du saint Josse et saint Matelin... soit maistre Mahieu confondus!". According to Alban Butler
, the abbey was given by Charlemagne
to Alcuin
and functioned as a hostel for those crossing the English Channel
; it became a centre of pilgrimage, especially popular with Flemish and Germans in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
La vie de Saint Josse was written in Old French
verses by the learned and competent poet and translator Pierre de Beauvais in the thirteenth century.
The Suaire de St-Josse
, the "Shroud of Saint Judoc " that is now conserved in the Musée du Louvre is a rich silk samite
saddle cloth that was woven in northeastern Iran, some time before 961, which was used to wrap the bones of Saint Judoc when he was reinterred in 1134.
The abbey was closed in 1772, sold and then dismantled in 1789, leaving no traces of the monumental buildings; the abbey church became the parish church of the French commune of Saint-Josse
.
Saint Judoc or Josse has his feast-day on 13 December.
Count of Ponthieu
The County of Ponthieu , centered on the mouth of the Somme, became a member of the Norman group of vassal states when Count Guy submitted to William of Normandy after the battle of Mortemer.....
, to live as a hermit and renounce the crown of Brittany, in a place then called either Sidraga or Schaderias or Runiacum, located in the coastal forest near the mouth of the River Canche
Canche
The river Canche is one of the rivers that flow from the plateau of the southern Boulonnais and Picardy, into the English Channel. The Somme is the largest example. The basin of the Canche extends to 1,274 square kilometres and lies in the southern end of the département of Pas-de-Calais...
. He travelled to Rome along the via Francigena
Via Francigena
The Via Francigena is an ancient road between Rome and Canterbury, passing through England, France, Switzerland and Italy. In mediaeval times it was an important road and pilgrimage route...
, returning safely shortly before his death.
Veneration
Saint Judoc, never formally canonisedCanonization
Canonization is the act by which a Christian church declares a deceased person to be a saint, upon which declaration the person is included in the canon, or list, of recognized saints. Originally, individuals were recognized as saints without any formal process...
, developed a local cultus. The Abbey of Saint-Josse
Saint-Josse
Saint-Josse, or Saint-Josse-sur-Mer, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Saint-Josse is located 4 miles west of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D144 road...
, beginning as a small monastery on the site of his retreat, was built in the eighth century at the place where Judoc's shrine was kept. In 903, some monks of the abbey, fleeing the Norman raiders
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
, took refuge in England, bearing his relics. The tradition of the New Minster of Hyde at Winchester
New Minster, Winchester
The New Minster, Winchester was a royal Benedictine abbey founded in 901 in Winchester in the English county of Hampshire.Alfred the Great had intended to build the monastery, but only got around to buying the land. His son, Edward the Elder, finished the project according to Alfred's wishes, with...
(founded 901), was that the relics were translated there, and the date was commemorated annually, 9 January.
From England, the veneration of Saint Josse spread through the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, regions where variations of Josse, Joos, Joost
Joost (name)
Joost is a male Dutch first name. It derives from the name Jodocus, which can ultimately be traced back to St. Judoc, a Breton saint in the seventh century: Jodocus → Josse → Joos → Joost .Sometimes an alternative derivation from the Ancient Roman name Justus is suggested...
, and the diminutive Jocelyn, etc. became popular names and chapels and churches were dedicated to him. The mal Saint Josse was the term for the ills resulting from snakebite
Snakebite
A snakebite is an injury caused by a bite from a snake, often resulting in puncture wounds inflicted by the animal's fangs and sometimes resulting in envenomation. Although the majority of snake species are non-venomous and typically kill their prey with constriction rather than venom, venomous...
, against which the saint's name was invoked by the fifteenth-century French poet Eustache Deschamps
Eustache Deschamps
Eustache Deschamps was a medieval French poet, also known as Eustache Morel . Born at Vertus, in Champagne, he received lessons in versification from Guillaume de Machaut and later studied law at Orleans University. He then traveled through Europe as a diplomatic messenger for Charles V...
in an imprecatory ballade
Ballade
The ballade is a form of French poetry. It was one of the three formes fixes and one of the verse forms in France most commonly set to music between the late 13th and the 15th centuries....
: "...Du mau saint Leu, de l'esvertin, Du saint Josse et saint Matelin... soit maistre Mahieu confondus!". According to Alban Butler
Alban Butler
Alban Butler , English Roman Catholic priest and hagiographer, was born at Appletree, Northamptonshire.He was educated at the English College, Douai, where on his ordination to the priesthood in 1735 he held successively the chairs of philosophy and divinity...
, the abbey was given by Charlemagne
Charlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
to Alcuin
Alcuin
Alcuin of York or Ealhwine, nicknamed Albinus or Flaccus was an English scholar, ecclesiastic, poet and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Archbishop Ecgbert at York...
and functioned as a hostel for those crossing the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
; it became a centre of pilgrimage, especially popular with Flemish and Germans in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries.
La vie de Saint Josse was written in Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
verses by the learned and competent poet and translator Pierre de Beauvais in the thirteenth century.
The Suaire de St-Josse
Suaire de St-Josse
The Suaire de St-Josse, the "Shroud of Saint Josse" that is now conserved in the Musée du Louvre, is a rich silk samite saddle cloth that was woven in northeastern Iran, some time before 961, when Abu Mansur Bakhtegin, the "camel-prince" for whom it was woven, was beheaded...
, the "Shroud of Saint Judoc " that is now conserved in the Musée du Louvre is a rich silk samite
Samite
Samite may refer to :* Samite, a heavy silk fabric, of a twill-type weave, worn in the Middle Ages* Samite Mulondo, Ugandan-American musician* SS Samite, a Liberty ship...
saddle cloth that was woven in northeastern Iran, some time before 961, which was used to wrap the bones of Saint Judoc when he was reinterred in 1134.
The abbey was closed in 1772, sold and then dismantled in 1789, leaving no traces of the monumental buildings; the abbey church became the parish church of the French commune of Saint-Josse
Saint-Josse
Saint-Josse, or Saint-Josse-sur-Mer, is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:Saint-Josse is located 4 miles west of Montreuil-sur-Mer on the D144 road...
.
Saint Judoc or Josse has his feast-day on 13 December.