Eligius Was a Much-Pictured Saint of the Seventh Century
SAINT AND BISHOP Eligius from Aquitaine (in the area that is now modern France) was a deeply honorable and tenderhearted man. Given a donation of land for some monks to build on, he discovered he had taken a foot too much. He immediately went to the French king Dagobert, prostrated himself at his feet, and apologized with tears. On another occasion, Dagobert demanded Eligius take an oath before entrusting him with some important task. Eligius, who took seriously Christ’s admonition against swearing, begged to be excused. Dagobert insisted. Eligius burst into tears. Acknowledging the saint’s integrity, the king yielded.
During the Middle Ages, Eligius (known as Eloy, or Loy, in England) was a well-known and much-loved saint. Because of a miracle he supposedly worked with a horse and horseshoe, he became the patron of blacksmiths and farriers. His image appeared in English churches.
Before becoming a bishop, Eligius was a goldsmith and operated the royal mint. Even as a layman, he was noted for his love of godly things. He kept his Bible open on his desk while he worked, bought slaves to free them, buried the bodies of criminals, and gave large sums of money to charity and for building monasteries.
When Bishop Acarius of Noyon-Tournai died on 27 November 639, King Clovis II, who had replaced Dagobert on the throne, asked Eligius to fill the vacant place. Eligius, with his deep sense of responsibility, asked for time to prepare himself. In his second year of study, after first having been ordained as a priest, he assumed his new duties. He was consecrated bishop on this day, Sunday 13 May 641.*
Noyon is in the vicinity of Belgium. Much of Eligius’s see (the area overseen by a bishop) was unevangelized, and he engaged in mission work among the Flemings, Suevi, and others. By his exemplary life and by tending the sick among his pagan enemies, he eventually converted many to Christianity.
Over his years as bishop, Eligius preached many sermons, believing God would hold him accountable if he neglected souls. One that has come down to us centers on obedience to Christ: “For he who will be a true Christian must needs keep these commandments; because if he does not keep them, he deceives himself. He, therefore, is a good Christian who puts faith in no charms or diabolical inventions, but places all his hope in Christ alone.”
Eligius died of fever at about seventy years of age on the first day of December. The year is uncertain, and may have been as early as 659 or as late as 665.
—Dan Graves
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* Note about the date: Eligius is often said to have been consecrated in 640, but this date does not square with other details. Acarius died in 639, and Eligius is supposed to have studied for two years which brings us to 641. He was consecrated on May 13th, said to be the Sunday before Rogation Week, but Sunday doesn’t fall on May 13th in 640. However, in 641, Easter was on April 8th. Ascension Day was May 17th, which means Rogation Days were May 14th-16th. The Sunday before was therefore May 13th.
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Eligius desired above all to point people to Christ, the aim also of the drama Jesus, the Desire of Ages.
Jesus, the Desire of Ages can be purchased at Vision Video
And like many before and after him, Eligius cared for the sick as an act of Christian love, a story detailed in Christian History #101 Healthcare and Hospitals in the Mission of the Church.
