E00262: Gregory of Tours, in his Life of *Lupicinus (recluse of Lipidiacum, ob. first half of the 6th c., S00104), describes a controversy over where the saint should be buried, between a propertied woman from Trézelles and the peasants of Lipidiacum (both central Gaul); he was buried at Trézelle, but both places enjoy his protection. From Gregory's Life of the Fathers, written in Latin in Tours (north-west Gaul), 573/594.
Creators: name: Pnowakowski
Publisher: name: University of Oxford
Year: 2015
Subjects: History

description: Gregory of Tours, Life of the Fathers 13.3<br><br>(Ch.3) Denique hoc [Lupicino], ut diximus, defuncto, adfuit quaedam matrona, quae ablutum dignis induit vestimentis, et, cum eum ad vicum Transaliensim ferre velit, restitit ei populus pagi Lipidiacensis, dicens: "Nostrum hunc solum fovit, nobis corporis eius gleba debetur". Matrona autem respondebat ad haec: "Si aliqua de victus eius exprobratis necessitate, saepius ei ego et triticum misi et hordeum, quod vel ille sumeret vel aliis ministraret". At illi dicebant: "Nostri generis homo effectus est, nostri fluminis aquas hausit, nostra eum terra caelo transmisit. Aequumne ergo est, ut tu de terra aliena veniens, rapias eum de manu nostra? Noveris enim, quia non hoc sustenet quisque nostrum, sed hic sepelietur". Matrona respondit: "Si germen stirpis eius inquiritis, ex aliis hic regionibus adventavit; si aquas fluminis ingeritis, parum sitim eius mollierunt, quam potius e caelo manans fons ille restinxit". Cumque haec et huiuscemodi inter se verba proferrent, et Lipidiacenses, effossam humum, deposito sarcofago, eum sepelire niterentur, convocatis matrona solatiis, fugatis paginsibus, rapuit sanctum corpus ac ferre coepit in feretro ad vicum Transaliacensim, dispositis in itenere psallentium turmis cum crucibus cereisque atque odore flagrantis thimiamatis. Quod illi cernentes, paenitentiam moti, miserunt post matronam, dicentes: "Peccavimus resistendo tibi. Profecto enim cognoscimus, in hoc esse Domini voluntatem. Nunc autem petimus, ut non abiciamur ab huius funeris obsequiis, sed admittamur officiis eius". Illa quoque permittente, ut sequerentur, coniunctus est uterque populus. Et sic pariter usque ad Transaliacensim vicum venientes, celebratis missis, beatum corpus cum summo honore gaudioque sepelierunt, in quo vico saepius se beatissimus in virtutibus declaravit. Sed et Lipidiaco, ut supra praefati sumus, plerumque opus eius sanctum ostenditur. Uterque tamen locus unius sancti praesidiis commonitur. Et fortassis quorundam incredibilium latratus de his conatur obstrepere, noverit, a me visum Deodatum presbiterum, summam octogenarii aevi ferentem, qui mihi haec, ut scripta sunt, contulit, confirmans sacramento, nihil se de his admixto mendatio enarrasse.<br><br>'When the saint [Lupicinus] had died a respectable woman washed the body and dressed it in suitable clothes, and then wanted to take it to the village of Trézelle (ad vicum Transaliensim). But the people of Lipidiacum opposed her, saying "It is our ground (solum) which nourished him, so the remains (gleba) of his body belong to us." But the woman replied "If you base your case on the needs of his life, then I have sent wheat and barley to him, which he ate himself or distributed to the others." And they said "The man is one of us. He drank the waters of our river and he ascended to heaven from our land. Is it right that you who come from somewhere else should take him from our possession? You should know that there is not one of us who will allow it. He will be buried here." The matron replied: "You want to know the origin of his family? He came from another region. You speak of the waters of his river? They did less to quench his thirst than the waters of heaven." And as they exchanged words like this the inhabitants of Lipidiacum dug a grave, placed a sarcophagus there and set about burying the body. But the woman called for help, put the peasants to flight and took away the holy body by force. She placed crowds of singers with crosses, candles and incense along the way, and then she had the body placed on a bier and carried to the village of Trézelle. The people saw that and repented, sending a message to the woman which said "We have sinned in resisting you, and we recognise sincerely the will of the Lord in this matter. We ask you now not to exclude us from his funeral service, but to allow us to attend." She allowed them to follow the coffin, and thus the inhabitants of both places united together and went together to Trézelle. Masses (missae) were celebrated and the holy body was buried with great honour and joy. The saint has manifested himself there several times by miracles, and his holy work has also been shown many times at Lipidiacum, as we have said, for both these places are protected by the same saint. And perhaps some doubters will try to object to what we have said. But they should know that I have seen the priest Deodatus, who is eighty years old, and he has told me things which I have written there, declaring under oath that everything is the absolute truth.' <br><br>Text: Krusch 1969, 266-267. Translation: James 1991, 88-89.<br>