Presbyters Uniwersytet Warszawski
ID
ER 1983
An anonymous presbyter celebrates mass in the basilica dedicated to Saint Julian built by the noblewoman Victorina on the territory of her villa near Saintes (Gaul), the second half of the 6th century. Account of Gregory of Tours, "The Miracles of the Martyr Julian", Tours (Gaul), AD 573/585.
47.
 
A blind woman sought help at the tomb of Saint Martin in Tours. Martin told her that she ought to go to a basilica of Saint Julian (basilica sancti Iuliani).
 
Exsurgens autem mulier, et ignorans quod in Turonico huius martyris reliquiae tenerentur, ad Santonicam urbem dirigit. Victorina etenim materfamilias, ex nobili stirpe progenita, in villae suae territorio basilicam construxerat reliquiasque beati martyris condiderat. Ad hanc ergo aedem mulier accedens, orat per triduum.
Die autem tertia advenit natalis baptistae Domini. Stante autem populo et lectionem dogmata auscultante, subito murmur magnum oritur. Presbyter vero qui solemnia celebrabat, comprimere voces cupiens, interrogat quid hoc esset. Cui unus ex astantibus ait: "Murmur mitescere non potest, quia virtus Domini miraculum prodidit. Ecce enim mulier illa quae se caecam testabatur ortam, erumpente ab oculis sanguine, visum recepit!" Tunc omnes benedixerunt Deum, cognoscentes pariter quae fuerunt gesta.
  
(ed. de Nie 2015: 412-414, summarised by J. Szafranowski)
47.
 
A blind woman sought help at the tomb of Saint Martin in Tours. Martin told her that she ought to go to a basilica of Saint Julian (basilica sancti Iuliani).
 
The woman arose and, not knowing that some relics of this martyr were kept in Tours, went to the city of Saintes. For there the matron Victorina, of noble birth, had built a basilica in the of her country house in which she had placed relics of the blessed martyr. To this building the woman went and prayed for three days.
The third day was that of the birth of John, the Lord's Baptist. While the people were standing, listening to the biblical readings, suddenly a great murmuring arose. The presbyter who celebrated the solemnity, wishing to suppress the voices, asked what this was. One of those present said to him: "The murmuring cannot be quitened down because the Lord's power has produced a miracle. For here is a woman who says she has been blind from birth, and she received her sight when blood flowed from her eyes!" Then everyone, learning what had happened, blessed God.
 
(trans. de Nie 2015: 413-415, summarised by J. Szafranowski)

Discussion:

This basilica near Saintes was identified with the one standing in Saint-Julien-de-l'Escap, see Vieillard-Troiekouroff 1976: 259-260.
 
For the account on the translation of Julian' relics to Tours, see [1978].

Place of event:

Region
  • Gaul
City
  • Saintes

About the source:

Author: Gregory of Tours
Title: The Miracles of the Martyr Julian, The Suffering and Miracles of the Martyr Saint Julian, De passione, virtutibus et gloria sancti Iuliani martyris, Virtutes sancti Iuliani
Origin: Tours (Gaul)
Denomination: Catholic/Nicene/Chalcedonian
It seems that Gregory of Tours (Gaul) started to collect the stories of Julian`s miraculous interventions and his sanctuary at Brioude since the very beginning of his ecclesiastical career. In the second chapter of "The Miracles of Saint Julian" (Virtutes sancti Iuliani), Gregory mentions his journey to Brioude while still serving as deacon in Lyon. This is not surprising, as Brioude lies just some sixty kilometres south of Gregory`s hometown, Clermont. Julian maintained his position as a very important saint to Gregory after his episcopal ordination. During Gregory`s episcopate, Julian`s relics were brought to Tours and a basilica was built there in his name. By cross-reference, Raymond Van Dam proved that Gregory had finished his book on Julian`s miracles in the early 580s (Van Dam 1993: 162-163).
Recently, Giselle de Nie proposed a new edition of "The Miracles" which combines the earlier editions by Ruinart, Bordier, and Krusch. She normalised the spelling and punctuation, and provided a new translation "that stays as close as possible to the author`s train of thought" (de Nie 2015: xxv).
Edition:
Gregory of Tours, Lives and Miracles, ed. and trans. G. de Nie, Dumbarton Oaks Medieval Library 39, Cambridge, MA and London 2015, pp. 299-419.
 
Translation:
Gregory of Tours, The Suffering and Miracles of the Martyr St. Julian, trans. R. Van Dam, in: R. Van Dam, Saints and their Miracles in Late Antique Gaul, Princeton 1993, pp. 162-195.
Bibliography:
M. Vieillard-Troiekouroff, Les monuments religieux de la Gaule d'après les oeuvres de Grégoire de Tours, Paris 1976.

Categories:

Functions within the Church - Rural presbyter
Described by a title - Presbyter/πρεσβύτερος
Ritual activity - Eucharist
Devotion - Supernatural experience
Functions within the Church - Presbyter in a lay foundation
Please quote this record referring to its author, database name, number, and, if possible, stable URL: J. Szafranowski, Presbyters in the Late Antique West, ER1983, http://presbytersproject.ihuw.pl/index.php?id=6&SourceID=1983