E00639: Gregory of Tours, in his Glory of the Martyrs (89), recounts three miracles effected in western and north-western Gaul by relics of *Vincent (deacon and martyr of Saragossa and Valencia, S00290): in a church with his relics at Bessay in the territory of Poitiers, the inhabitants celebrated his feast a day early, but were put right by a possessed man who, with others, was then cured; at Céré-la-Ronde near Tours, relics being carried by travellers brought about cures; at Orbigny (also in the Touraine), relics were stolen and sold to an abbot of Bourges, but, after two visions, were solemnly returned, with an accompanying miracle. Written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 580/594.
Creators: name: Mszada
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2015
Subjects: History

description: Gregory of Tours, Glory of the Martyrs 89<br><br>Gregory relates three separate miracle stories involving relics of Vincent:<br><br>Vincent, deacon and martyr, was martyred in Spain. At the border of the territory of Poitiers there is the village of Bessay, with relics (reliquiae) of the saint. Vincent's feast is on the twelfth day before the Kalends of the eleventh month [= 21 December by Gregory's reckoning], but the inhabitants there in ignorance celebrated the vigils a day early. However, having completed mass on the feast day and having just sat down to eat, a possessed man then told them that Vincent was approaching for his vigils. The villagers returned to a night of vigils and celebrated the feast the next day, at which the possessed man and two others, as well as two paralytics, were cured. <br><br>Some relics (reliquiae) of Vincent, being carried by travellers (a quibusdam peregrinis), arrived at Céré-la-Ronde (Ceratinsis vicus), a village in the territory of Tours, where they were hosted for the night in the humble house of a poor man. In the morning, two paralytics were cured in the presence of these relics (super haec pignora), and a blind man received his sight.<br><br>Haud procul autem ab illo vico est alius quem Orbaniaco vocant, in cuius eclesia huius sancti habentur reliquiae. Quae cum a furibus ablatae fuissent, et ipse qui easdem abstulerat in Biturigo cuidam abbati, accepto pretio, reliquisset, revelatum est abbati, ut eas loco unde dimotae fuerant restauraret. Nihilhominus et archipresbitero huic monasterio propinquo per visum manifestatum est, ne penitus moras innecteret ad restituendum. Quas acceptas cum psallendo deferret, homo quidam, qui per annum integrum oppraessus gravi aegritudine decubabat, inter suorum deportatus manibus, ut velum, quo sanctae tegebantur favillae, adorans suppliciter osculavit, mox conpraessa infirmitate sanatus, exsequiis martyrialibus cum reliquis est secutus.<br><br>'Not far from this village is another village called Orbigny, whose church has relics of this saint. Thieves stole these relics. The man who stole the relics left them with an abbot in Bourges, after being paid. The abbot had a vision that he should restore the relics to the place from which they had been removed. Likewise an archpriest who was a neighbour of the monastery had a vision that he should contrive no delays for their restoration. He received the relics and, to the chanting of psalms, transported them [to Orbigny]. A man who suffered from a serious illness and had been laid up for an entire year was carried by the hands of his servants so that he might honour the cloth that covered the holy ashes. As a suppliant he kissed the cloth. His illness soon vanished and he was healed. Along with the other people he followed the procession of the martyr.'<br><br>Text: Krusch 1969, 97-98. Translation: Van Dam 2004, 84, lightly modified. Summary: Bryan Ward-Perkins