- Pardulphus
Infobox Saint
name= Saint Pardulphus
birth_date=657
death_date=~737
feast_day=October 6
venerated_in=Roman Catholic Church
imagesize= 250px
caption=
birth_place= Sardent, France
death_place=
titles=
beatified_date=
beatified_place=
beatified_by=
canonized_date=
canonized_place=
canonized_by=
attributes=
patronage=
major_shrine=
suppressed_date=
issues=Saint Pardulphus ("Pardulf, Pardoux") (657 - ca. 737) was a
Frankish saint andBenedictine abbot . He is the author of the "Vita Pardulfi ", which is notable for the insight it provides into life inAquitaine at that time.He was born at
Sardent , from a family ofpeasants . His legend states that he was ashepherd who decided to live as ahermit after experiencing a terrible storm. The count of Lantaire had built a monastery atGuéret . Pardulphus joined this monastery, later serving as its abbot. He followed strictpenances , never keeping himself warm, and only eating once a week. He is alleged to have rejected heat from any source but the rays of thesun . However, as he grew old he did occasionally make use of “hot stones” to keep himself warm. [Pierre Riché, "Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne" (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992), 167.] He rejected the consumption of allpoultry , eating only themushrooms the local peasants brought him. [Pierre Riché, "Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne" (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992), 171.] The "Vita Pardulfi" records amiracle performed by Pardulphus. Somecarpenter s were cutting wood with which to build the church of Saint-Aubin at Guéret. After they loaded the wood onto carts and returned to the building works, it was determined that the wood was too short. The carpenters’ superintendent wished to have the carpenters whipped in punishment for this, but Pardulphus intervened with a miracle that made the wood the right size and even surpassed the intended length. As a result, the excess wood was sawn off and hung in the church as an object of veneration. [Pierre Riché, "Daily Life in the World of Charlemagne" (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1992), 154-5.] According to tradition, during theUmayyad invasion of southern France, Pardulphus remained in his monastery. Umayyad forces, retreating after theBattle of Tours , arrived at the monastery. However, his monastery was spared from attack; this was attributed to Pardulphus’ prayers.References
Veneration
His
feast day isOctober 6 . Areliquary that contained his arm had been preserved at the church of Sardent. However, it is now found at the Museum of Fine Art at Guéret. [ [http://www.culture.gouv.fr/emolimo/gueret2.htm Guéret, musée des Beaux-Arts ] ] A number of places in France, such asSaint-Pardoux-de-Drône , take their name from him.External links
* [http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=5225 St. Pardulphus]
*fr icon [http://www.educreuse23.ac-limoges.fr/aub/journal/pierres/pardoux.htm LA LÉGENDE DE SAINT PARDOUX]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.