The Book of Sainte Foy
Pamela Sheingorn
Published by University of Pennsylvania Press
For additional information about this book
http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9780812200522
Access provided by McGill University Libraries (31 Oct 2013 13:09 GMT)
Book One 77
Pons, she was stricken with fear of divine vengeance and sent envoys to call
back the abbot, for he had started his journey. It was scarcely necessary for
her to report these things to him, since he had come upon his enemy (who,
as I said, preceded him) thrown down in the road. And when the monks
returned to Conques they had acquired double joy, because they were
enriched with the recovered fief and avenged upon their worst enemy.
1.13: How It Should be Permitted That Statues of Saints Are
Made Because It Is an Ineradicable and Innate Custom of
Simple People, and Especially Because It Detracts Nothing
from Religion; and About Divine Vengeance
Divine justice works very many, terrible punishments, so numerous I can't
describe them all, on those who slander Sainte Foy. Shortly I will relate one
such case, a powerful miracle, after I have said a word about the image of
the holy martyr.
For in fact there is an established usage, an ancient custom, in the
whole country of Auvergne, the Rouergue, and the Toulousain, as well as in
the surrounding areas, that people erect a statue for their own saint, of gold
or silver or some other metal, in which the head of the saint or a rather
important part of the body is reverently preserved. To learned people this
may seem to be full of superstition, if not unlawful, for it seems as if the rites
of the gods of ancient cultures, or rather the rites of demons, are being
observed. And I was no less foolish, for I also thought this practice seemed
perverse and quite contrary to Christian law when for the first time I
examined the statue of Saint Gerald placed above the altar, gloriously
fashioned out of the purest gold and the most precious stones.63 It was an
image made with such precision to the face of the human form that it
seemed to see with its attentive, observant gaze the great many peasants
seeing it and to gently grant with its reflecting eyes the prayers of those
praying before it. And soon, smiling at my companion, Bernier64 — to my
shame — I burst forth in Latin with this opinion:
"Brother, what do you think of this idol? Would Jupiter or Mars
consider himself unworthy of such a statue?"
Bernier had already been guided in forming his judgment, so he
mocked the statue ingeniously enough, and beneath his praise lay disparagement. And not at all undeservedly, for where the cult of the only high
and true God must be practiced correctly it seems an impious crime and an
absurdity that a plaster or wooden and bronze statue is made, unless it is the
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The Book of Sainte Toy's Miracles
crucifix of Our Lord. The holy and universal church accepts this image, in
either carved or modeled form, because it arouses our affective piety in the
commemoration of Our Lord's Passion. But the saints ought to be commemorated by displaying for our sight only truthful writing in a book or
insubstantial images depicted on painted walls. For we allow the statues of
saints for no reason other than very old, incorrect practice and the ineradicable and innate custom of simple people. This incorrect practice has such
influence in the places I mentioned earlier that, if I had said anything openly
then against Saint Gerald's image, I would probably have been punished as
if I had committed a great crime.
After the third day we finally arrived at Conques. When we had
entered the monastery, fate brought it about, quite by chance, that the
separate place where the revered image is preserved had been opened up.
We stood nearby, but because of the multitude of people on the ground at
her feet we were in such a constricted space that we were not even able to
move forward. Although it is grievous to me now that I did such a thing, I
stood looking at the image and spoke the words of a prayer exactly like this:
"Sainte Foy, part of whose body rests in this likeness, help me on the day of
judgment."
And, with a sidelong smile I looked back at Bernier, my scholarly
companion,65 thinking it absurd, of course, and far beyond the limits of
reason that so many rational beings should kneel before a mute and insensate thing. In truth my empty talk and smallmindedness at this time did not
arise from a good heart. For the holy image is consulted not as an idol that
requires sacrifices, but because it commemorates a martyr. Since reverence
to her honors God on high, it was despicable of me to compare her statue to
statues of Venus or Diana. Afterwards I was very sorry that I had acted so
foolishly toward God's saint.
In this regard, among the other reports of miracles, the lord Adalgerius
(then dean, and afterward, as I have heard, abbot),66 a venerable and
upright man, told me about a certain cleric named Odalric, who was
considered a prig and held himself somewhat above the others. One day
when the sacred image had been carried to another place for some necessary
reason, that man so subverted the people's hearts that he completely dissuaded the crowd from making offerings. He was greatly dishonoring the
holy martyr and spreading some silly foolishness or other about her image.
On the following night, when he had given his drunken body over to quiet
rest, he had a dream in which a lady of terrifying authority seemed to stand
before him.
"And you, worst of criminals," she said, "why have you dared to
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disparage my image?" After she said this, she applied the rod that she
seemed to carry in her right hand and she left behind a beaten enemy. He
only survived long enough afterward to be able to tell the story the next day.
After that no room was left for argument as to whether the shaped
image of Sainte Foy ought to be held worthy of veneration, because it was
manifestly clear that he who criticized the statue was punished as if he had
shown disrespect for the holy martyr herself. Nor did any doubt linger as to
whether the image was a foul idol where an abominable rite of sacrifice or of
consulting oracles was practiced. The image represents the pious memory
of the holy virgin before which, quite properly and with abundant remorse,
the faithful implore her intercession for their sins. Or, the statue is to be
understood most intelligently in this way: it is a repository of holy relics,
fashioned into a specific form only because the artist wished it. It has long
been distinguished by a more precious treasure than the ark of the Covenant once held, since it encloses the completely intact head of a great
martyr, who is without doubt one of the outstanding pearls of the heavenly
Jerusalem. Because of her merits, divine goodness performs such great feats
that I have neither known nor heard that their like was done through any
other saint, at least not in these times. Therefore Sainte Toy's image ought
not to be destroyed or criticized, for it seems that no one lapses into pagan
errors because of it, nor does it seem that the powers of the saints are
lessened by it, nor indeed does it seem that any aspect of religion suffers
because of it.
1.14: About a Man Who Wished That the Image Would Fall
Now that I've explained some things about the holy image, I want to add
another miracle about it.
Once in a famine (I don't know what caused it), the revered image in
which the holy martyr's head is preserved was carried out-of-doors in a huge
procession. It happened by chance that a man coming toward the procession passed by very near to the statue. When he saw the effigy radiant with
glowing reddish gold and blazing gems, he was blinded by a cloud of greed
and said, "Oh, if only that image would slip from the shoulders of the
bearers and fall to the ground! No one would gather up a greater portion of
the shattered stone and broken gold than I."
While the foolish man was muttering these words, the mule on which
he was sitting bent its head down between its front legs and kicked up its
hind legs so that they flew over the rider's head. The man ended up in the
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The Book of Sainte Toy's Miracles
mud under the heavy hindquarters of the mule. Some people ran quickly to
keep him from suffocating and freed him from the calamitous weight. Then
all gave thanks to God, Who protects His own saints even from silly chatter.
1.15: About a Girl Who Was Scornful of Standing
for the Image
Just as I shouldn't leave out lesser miracles, I also shouldn't fail to add more
about the powerful miracles worked on behalf of the sick.
Because a triple miracle was worked for her, I'll speak now about a
poor girl who had been crippled in all her joints and had been carried to
Sainte Toy's monastery. There she had been so completely cured that no
trace of her illness remained. Afterward she spent some time in the settlement near the monastery working to pay for her food, for she was poor.
Soon, the severity of vengeance followed after the work of pity; heavenly
truth punished what proud willfulness did wrong. Therefore this case is not
out of harmony with those I have already mentioned.
For while the girl was living there a fast had been declared because of
some calamity, and the venerable image was carried out-of-doors and followed in procession by an enormous crowd of both sexes. And according to
the custom there all the people rushed out of their houses and fell prostrate
before the image. Almost all the inhabitants of the village gathered hastily
in preparation for the image's arrival. The woman who employed the girl as
a weaver began to caution her firmly and then to scold her vehemently,
telling her to leave her work and to stand up for the procession. But the girl
was not moved by fear of God, nor did she take pleasure in the sound of
those singing divine praises; she completely ignored the chiding voice of
her employer, as if she were deeply devoted to her work. And immediately,
in that very hour, the destroying fury of heaven acted. The girl began to be
made pathetically deformed throughout her whole body. She became so
misshapen that it was just as if she had never been healed but had remained
bent and crooked, wholly deprived of the function of her muscles. Her
body was completely drawn together and she didn't have the strength to let
go of the tools of her loom — the very shuttle was held fast in her clenched
fist.
The girl had shown arrogant disdain for the saint, even though her
cure had been effected through the immense kindness of God. Now this
very girl, who could speak only hoarsely because her condition greatly
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restricted her voice (though she had been able to speak normally before),
humbly confessed that she was guilty of offending Sainte Foy. Nonetheless,
her torments did not cease, even a little, for the whole time that she was
carried behind the golden reliquary box through the complete route of the
procession and back to the monastery. There she kept holy vigil for several
nights and through the glorious martyr's just intercession she was transformed a second time from a cripple to a person who could stand upright.
In her case every slander against the image was purged, for the image
cannot be discredited without harm to the slanderer. Now no one should be
surprised if that little object is considered worthy of honor out of respect for
the relics of such a great martyr, for the worthiness of such a holy martyr
beautifies even the ranks of the angels.
1.16: The Miracle of the Golden Doves
Long before the events in the preceding chapter, yet in our own time, the
excellent miracle of the golden doves took place. If you kindly people have
time to listen and will allow a true story to enter the secret places of your
hearts, then I will tell you at once about the fashioning of the famous image
that the inhabitants of the monastery call the Majesty of Sainte Foy.67
It is made of the finest gold and becomingly adorned with gems
delicately and carefully inserted on portions of the garments, as the judgment of the craftsman thought best. The band about the statue's head also
displays gems and gold. She wears golden bracelets on golden arms and a
low golden stool supports her golden feet. Her throne is made in such a way
that only precious stones and the best gold are to be seen there. Also, above
the tops of the supports that project upward at the front, two doves made of
gems and gold adorn the beauty of the whole throne. Now I am going to
relate a miracle about these doves.
Bernard, who was then abbot of Beaulieu and was afterward made
bishop of the city of Cahors, once owned the doves.68 Sainte Foy warned
him in dreams to give them to her. Since he refused to do this, she tried to
persuade him again and again in the same way. Finally Bernard sensed that
the warning came from God, so he took other gold of the same weight as
the doves and set out for Conques. There he offered this gold to God and
His saint. Then he returned, certain that Sainte Foy was pleased because the
weight of his offering was equal to what she had demanded. But after his
return, one night while he was sleeping the same vision appeared. She was