Maurontius of Douai (634 – May 5, 702) was a nobleman and

Benedictine The Benedictines, officially the Order of Saint Benedict (, abbreviated as O.S.B. or OSB), are a mainly contemplative monastic order of the Catholic Church for men and for women who follow the Rule of Saint Benedict. Initiated in 529, th ...

abbot. His parents were

Rictrude Rictrude (Rictrudis, Richtrudis, Richrudis) (c. 614–688) was abbess of Marchiennes Abbey, in Flanders. The main early source for her life is the ''Vita Rictrudis'', commissioned by the abbey, and written in 907 by Hucbald. Life She was from a ...

and

Adalbard Adalbert I of Ostrevent (died 652) was a 7th-century Frankish nobleman of the court of King Clovis II of France. He is recognized as a saint, and is commemorated on both 2 February (his martyrdom) and 2 May (translation of his relics to Douai in ...

. He is a Catholic saint, with a feast day on May 5, especially venerated in

Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. His sisters Clotsinda,

Adalsinda Adalsinda or Adalsindis of Hamay and Eusebia of Douai, were 7th-century Columban nuns, who were sisters from a prominent Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from around the middle of the 5th century unt ...

of Douai and Eusebia are also saints.

Life

Born in 634, he was baptized by the hermit-monk, Richarius, a friend of the family. As the eldest son of Adalbald of Ostrevent, he passed his youth in the court of King

Clovis II Clovis II (633 – 657) was King of the Franks in Neustria and Burgundy, having succeeded his father Dagobert I in 639. His brother Sigebert III had been King of Austrasia since 634. He was initially under the regency of his mother Nanth ...

. Upon the death of his father in 652, Maurontius became lord of Douai, and succeeded to other large estates. He came home into Flanders to settle his concerns and to marry a rich young lady, a treaty having been already concluded for this purpose. However, a sermon of Amandus, abbot of Elnon Abbey on the vanity and dangers of the world, caused him to reconsider.Alban Butler, Alban. "Saint Mauront, Abbot". ''Lives of the Fathers, Martyrs, and Principal Saints'', 1866. CatholicSaints.Info. 4 May 2013
/ref> He entered

Marchiennes Abbey Marchiennes Abbey was a French monastery located on the Scarpe in Marchiennes. It was founded around 630 by Adalbard of Douai, and Irish monks, disciples of Saint Columbanus, on the advice of Saint Amand. One of its founders was Rictrude, who ...

, which had been founded by his parents, and received the tonsure from Abbot Amandus. After some years, he was made deacon and prior of Hamage, half a league from Marchiennes, on the Scarp, founded by a relative, Gertrude of Hamage. He built himself a new monastery called Breüil, on his estate of Merville, a considerable town near Saint-Venant, in the diocess of

Thérouanne Thérouanne (; ; Dutch ''Terwaan'') is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Hauts-de-France region of France west of Aire-sur-la-Lys and south of Saint-Omer, on the river Lys. Population History At the time of the Gauls, ''T ...

, and when it was finished, was chosen the first abbot. His father Adalbald had two brothers, Sigefrid, count of Ponthieu, and Archenald, Mayor of the Palace to Clovis II, son of Dagobert, to whom they were related. After the death of Adalbald, his brother Archenald rebuilt the castle of Douay, (which gave rise to the town,) and founded the church of our Lady, now called Saint Amatus’s. Amandus, on being banished by King Theodoric III. was committed to the care of Mauront, who so much respected Amandus that he resigned to him his abbacy, and lived under his obedience, but was obliged to resume his charge upon the death of that holy bishop, in 690. He was also abbot of the monks at Marchiennes, while his sister Clotsinda was abbess of the separate house of nuns, this being at that time a

double monastery A double monastery (also dual monastery or double house) is a monastery combining separate communities of monks and of nuns, joined in one institution to share one church and other facilities. The practice is believed to have started in the East ...

. Saint Mauront died there in the seventy-second year of his age, on 5 May 702.Cristiani, Léon. "Liste chronologique des saints de France, des origines à l'avènement des carolingiens", ''Revue d'histoire de l'Église de France'', 1945, p. 81
/ref> Merville, the ancient Minariacum of Antoninus, having been plundered by the Danes or Normans, towards the end of the ninth century,

Charles the Simple Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a memb ...

, king of France, transferred the community of monks from Breüil to our Lady’s Church at Douai, which had been founded by Archenald, Mauront’s uncle. At the same time the body of Mauront with that of Saint Amandus, was translated from Breüil to Douay, and both are there enshrined in the church of Saint Amatus, which, since the secularization of the monastery in 940, is a collegiate church of canons. Mauront is styled sometimes Deacon, and sometimes Abbot: by which he seems never to have been ordained priest. His body was kept in a rich shrine in this church, in which there was a chapel, where his statue is seen between those of his parents. He is represented holding in his right hand a sceptre, and in his left a building with a tower or belfry. The abbey of Saint Guislin in Hainault possesses his skull in a shrine of silver gilt. The cathedral of Arras and some other churches, show particles of his relics.

Sources

Information regarding Maurontius is derived from the ''Vita Rictrudis'', commissioned by

, and written in 907 by

Hucbald Hucbald ( – 20 June 930; also Hucbaldus or Hubaldus) was a Benedictine monk active as a music theorist, poet, composer, teacher, and hagiographer. He was long associated with Saint-Amand Abbey, so is often known as Hucbald of St Amand. Deeply i ...

. Karine Ugé suggests that the identification of Maurontius as a son of Rictrude is due to an inadvertent conflation with an individual of the same name mentioned in

Alcuin Alcuin of York (; ; 735 – 19 May 804), also called Ealhwine, Alhwin, or Alchoin, was a scholar, clergyman, poet, and teacher from York, Northumbria. He was born around 735 and became the student of Ecgbert of York, Archbishop Ecgbert at Yor ...

's ''Vita Richarii confessoris Centulensis'', where a woman by the name of "Rictrude" is also mentioned, although not necessarily his mother.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Maurontius of Douai Frankish Benedictines French abbots Benedictine abbots 7th-century Christian clergy 7th-century Frankish saints 634 births 702 deaths 7th-century Christian abbots

Life

Sources

See also

References