The Latin Life of *Rusticula (abbess of Arles, ob. 627/632, S02433) describes how when Rusticula visited the shrine of *Desiderius (bishop and martyr of Vienne, ob. c. 606/7, S01171) near Vienne (south-east Gaul) in 613/14, the doors of the shrine miraculously burst open for her. Written in southern Gaul, c. 627/640.
E08492
Literary - Hagiographical - Lives
Life of Rusticula 14
For an overview of this Life, see E06492.
Cum ad basilicam sancti Desiderii martyris maxima cum devotione venisset et fores clausas reperisset, ubi sanctum corpus erat positum, fidei alacritate repleta postulat martyrem Christi, dicens: "Beatissime amice Dei, adesto mihi nunc tribulanti et permitte me accedere, ut procumbens exorem ad sancta vestigia tua". Haec ea dicente, disruptae sunt catenae et reserata sunt claustra, et toto corpore prostrata humo, obtinuit precibus, quod fidei alacritate poscebat.
'With much devotion she came to the basilica of the holy martyr Desiderius, and discovered the gates locked where the holy corpse lay. Full of faith, she immediately called upon Christ’s martyr: "Most blessed friend of God, come to me now in my tribulations and permit me to approach that I may prostrate my body at your holy feet and pray." As she spoke, the chains were broken and the door opened. Her whole body prostrate on the ground, she obtained by prayer what she had entreated in swift faith.'
Text: Krusch 1902, 346.
Translation: McNamara et al. 1992, 130.
Cult building - independent (church)
Burial site of a saint - tomb/grave
Non Liturgical ActivityPrayer/supplication/invocation
Visiting graves and shrines
MiraclesMiracle during lifetime
Miracle after death
Miracles experienced by the saint
Power over elements (fire, earthquakes, floods, weather)
Protagonists in Cult and NarrativesWomen
Ecclesiastics - monks/nuns/hermits
Source
The Life of Rusticula was written shortly after her death (in either 627 or 632) by Florentius, presbyter of Tricastrina (Saint-Paul-Trois-Châteaux). For full discussion, see E06492.Discussion
This miracle takes place when Rusticula is passing through Vienne in about 613 while being taken from Arles to the court of King Chlothar II in northern Gaul to face a charge of assisting one of his enemies. Bishop Desiderius of Vienne (PCBE 4, 'Desiderius 14') had been killed in 607, allegedly on the orders of Queen Brunhild. Chlothar had fought against the regime of Brunhild and her grandson Theuderic II in the civil war of 610-613, which ended with the victorious Chlothar uniting Francia under his sole rule and putting to death Brunhild and the sons of Theuderic (Theuderic had died during the war), and it is evident that the killing of Desiderius was widely used to discredit Brunhild and Theuderic. The Life never gives a clear account of precisely what Rusticula was accused of, making only the obscure statement (§ 9) that it was said 'that she had secretly supported a king' (quod illa occulte regem nutriret), but such an accusation only makes sense in relation to the conflict that ended in 613. In this context, for Rusticula to make a point of visiting and praying at Desiderius' tomb obviously takes on extra significance: it would have been a gesture of loyalty to the regime and confidence in her own innocence (emphasised all the more in Florentius' account by the miracle that occurs there).The Life of Rusticula, written soon after her death (in 627 or 632), is a relatively early piece of evidence for the cult of Desiderius. Since the Life states explicitly (§ 12) that the bishop of Vienne at the time of Rusticula's visit was still Domnulus, Desiderius' immediate successor, the tomb visited by Rusticula must have been Desiderius' original burial place at Prisciniacum. The second Martyrdom of Desiderius (E07698) describes how Desiderius' body was translated to a church in Vienne under Domnulus' successor, Aetherius.
Bibliography
Edition:Krusch, B., Vita Rusticulae sive Marciae abbatissae Arelatensis, in: Passiones vitaeque sanctorum aevi Merovingici II (Monumenta Germaniae Historica, Scriptores rerum Merovingicarum 4; Hannover and Leipzig, 1902), 339-351.
Translation:
McNamara, J.A., Halborg, J.E, and Whatley, E.G., Sainted Women of the Dark Ages (Durham NC, 1992), 122-136.
David Lambert
18/09/2023
| ID | Name | Name in Source | Identity | S01171 | Desiderius, bishop and martyr of Vienne, ob. 606/7 | Desiderius | Certain | S02433 | Rusticula, also known as Marcia, abbess of Arles, ob. 627/632 | Certain |
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