E02595: Gregory of Tours, in his Glory of the Confessors (34), tells the story of a tomb in the church of *Venerandus (bishop of Clermont, ob. 423, S01261) in Clermont (central Gaul): its lid was broken, revealing the intact body of an *Anonymous girl (S01262), which lay exposed for a year; the blind wife of Georgius, count of Clermont, regained her sight after seeing a vision in which she was told to cover the tomb, and did so; story set in the mid-6th c. Written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 587/588.
Creators: name: Kwojtalik
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2017
Subjects: History

description: Gregory of Tours, Glory of the Confessors 34<br><br>There were many tombs of holy men and ascetic women in a vaulted chamber (transvoluta cellula) in the church of Venerandus in Clermont; these were certainly Christian because they bore scenes of the miracles of Chrsit and his disciples. In the time of Georgius, count of Clermont, a section of the vaulting in the chamber fell on one of the sarcophagi and broke it, revealing the body of a girl. The entire body of and her white clothing were intact and undecayed. No one knew the name and the story of the girl. The body lay exposed for a one year and no one planned to cover the sarcophagus.<br><br>Contigite, ut uxor antedicti comitis viri post obitum graviter aegrotaret, ac diuturna valitudine obtenta, oculorum lumine multaretur. Quae laxato a febre, vocat medicos, diversa adhibet studia, largitur et praemia; sed nullis potuit modis ab eisdem elicere medellam, donec tandem aliquando pietas Domini commota respiceret. Apparuit enim ei persona quaedam per visum noctis, dicens: 'Si vis visioni praestinae restaurari, perge quantotius et requere lapidem mundum ac sarcofagum puellae quiescentis, quod in basilica sancti Venerandi detectum habetur, citius tege. Moxi, detectis visibus oculorum tuorum, clare cuncto prospicies. Quo facto, ut vas illud clausit operturio, protinus, apertis oculis, lumen recepit ex integro. Unde non ambigitur, esse eam nobilis meriti, quae talia praestare potuit aegrotanti.<br><br>'Then it happened that the wife of the aforementioned count [Georgius] became seriously ill after the death of her husband. After being gripped by this illness for a long time, she lost the sight of her eyes. Once she was freed from her fever, she summoned doctors, presented various requests, and offered rewards. But in no way could she receive a cure from them until finally the compassion of the Lord was motivated to look upon her. A person appeared to her in a vision during the night and said: ‘If you wish to be restored to your original sight, go as quickly as possible, find a clean stone, and quickly cover the sarcophagus of the girl who is at rest. This sarcophagus stands uncovered in the church of Venerandus. After the sight of your eyes has been uncovered, soon you will see everything clearly.’ When the woman had fulfilled this command by covering the tomb with a lid, immediately her eyes were opened and she received her sight anew. There is hence no doubt that this girl who could offer such benefits to an ill woman possessed outstanding merit.''<br><br>Text: Krusch 1969, 318-319. Translation: Van Dam 2004, 27-28. <br><br>