Saint Remaclus (Remaculus, Remacle, Rimagilus; died 673) was a

Benedictine , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

missionary

bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

Life

Remaclus grew up at the Aquitanian ducal court and studied under Sulpitius the Pious, bishop of Bourges. In 625 he became a

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedicat ...

Luxeuil Abbey Luxeuil Abbey (), the ''Abbaye Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul'', was one of the oldest and best-known monasteries in Burgundy, located in what is now the département of Haute-Saône in Franche-Comté, France. History Columbanus It was founded circa ...

and was then ordained a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

. Around 631

Saint Eligius Saint Eligius (also Eloy, Eloi or Loye; french: Éloi; 11 June 588 – 1 December 660 AD) is the patron saint of goldsmiths, other metalworkers, and coin collectors. He is also the patron saint of veterinarians, the Royal Electrical and Mechani ...

founded Solignac Abbey and sent for monks from Luxeil, including Remaclus, who became the first abbot. The abbey followed the rule as at Luxeil.

Audoin Alduin (Langobardic: ''Aldwin'' or ''Hildwin'', ; also called Auduin or Audoin) was king of the Lombards from 547 to 560. Life Audoin was of the Gausi, a prominent Lombard ruling clan, and according to the ''Historia Langobardorum'', the son ...

wrote that Solignac quickly gained importance. It became particularly known for its silversmith's workshop. Remaclus was then given charge as well of the abbey of Cougnon, in the duchy of Luxemburg. He served as an advisor to

Sigebert III Sigebert III ( 630–656) was the Merovingian king of Austrasia from 633 to his death around 656. He was described as the first Merovingian '' roi fainéant'' —do-nothing king—, in effect the mayor of the palace ruling the kingdom throug ...

Austrasia Austrasia was a territory which formed the north-eastern section of the Merovingian Kingdom of the Franks during the 6th to 8th centuries. It was centred on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers, and was the original territory of the Fr ...

and persuaded him to establish the double-monastery of Malmedy in 648 and Stavelot in 650. Remaclus served as abbot of Stavelot and Malmedy. Erected as an ecclesiastical principality attached to the Holy Roman Empire, its head bore the title of Prince-Abbot. In 650

Amandus Amandus ( 584 – 679), commonly called Saint Amand, was a bishop of Tongeren-Maastricht and one of the great Christian missionaries of Flanders. He is venerated as a saint, particularly in France and Belgium. Life The chief source of details ...

bishop of Maastricht The Diocese of Maastricht (Latin Traiectum ad Mosam) was a Roman Catholic jurisdiction in parts of present Netherlands (including the see Maastricht) and Belgium, which has been nominally revived as a Latin titular bishopric. History Establishe ...

, resigned his see to resume missionary work.Butler, Alban. "St. Amandus, Bishop and Confessor", ''The Lives of the Saints'', Vol. III, 1866
/ref> Remaclus was appointed in his stead. He brought with him Hadelin, then abbot of Visé. His student Theodard succeeded him as abbot of the double monastery of Stavelot-Malmedy. Inhabitants of this troubled diocese had murdered some of his predecessors. However, Remaclus successfully spread monasticism in the region. He served as the spiritual teacher to Saint Trudo, Saint Babolen, Saint Theodard of Maastricht, and Saint Lambert. Remaclus served as bishop for twelve years before resigning in favor of Theodard, and retiring to Stavelot around 662. He died at Stavelot in 664. Monks of Ramsgate. "Remaclus". ''Book of Saints''
1921. CatholicSaints.Info. 2 September 2016 His relics lie in St. Sebastian Church in

Stavelot Stavelot (; german: Stablo ; wa, Ståvleu) is a town and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Francorchamps and Stavelot. It is best known as the home of S ...

. His feast day is September 3. There is a St. Remaclus Parish Church in

Cochem Cochem is the seat of and the biggest town in the Cochem-Zell district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With just over 5,000 inhabitants, Cochem falls just behind Kusel, in the Kusel district, as Germany's second smallest district seat. Since ...

, Germany. The abbeys of Stavelot-Malmedy ceased to exist at the time of the French Revolution. In 1950 St. Remaclus' Priory, Wavreumont was established between Stavelot and Malmedy.

References

External links

Catholic Online: St. Remaclus

Remaclus
in ''Butler's Lives of the Saints: September'', Alban Butler, Burns & Oates Ltd (2000), *

in ''Ökumenisches Heiligenlexikon'' * Remaclus at the

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia (german: Deutschsprachige Wikipedia) is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on March 16, 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia (after the English Wikipedia), ...

670s deaths 7th-century Frankish bishops Dutch Roman Catholic saints Dutch Benedictines 7th-century Frankish saints Year of birth unknown Abbots of Stavelot Colombanian saints {{saint-stub