Saint Clement of Metz ( la, Clemens de Metiae; french: Clément de Metz) is venerated as the first

Bishop of Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...

. According to tradition, he was sent by

Saint Peter ) (Simeon, Simon) , birth_date = , birth_place = Bethsaida, Gaulanitis, Syria, Roman Empire , death_date = Between AD 64–68 , death_place = probably Vatican Hill, Rome, Italia, Roman Empire , parents = John (or Jonah; Jona) , occupat ...

Metz Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand ...

during the 1st century, with two disciples: Celestius (''Céleste de Metz'') and Felix (''Felix de Metz''), who are listed as his successors in that see. However, this legend may have been constructed much later to lend more antiquity to the episcopal see, and to make the diocese of Metz appear to be more ancient than it actually was.The Graoully, symbol of Metz
As Hippolyte Delehaye writes, "To have lived amongst the Saviour's immediate following was...honorable...and accordingly old patrons of churches were identified with certain persons in the

gospels Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

or who were supposed to have had some part of Christ's life on earth." Elaboration of this legend states that Clement was the uncle of

Pope Clement I Pope Clement I ( la, Clemens Romanus; Greek: grc, Κλήμης Ῥώμης, Klēmēs Rōmēs) ( – 99 AD) was bishop of Rome in the late first century AD. He is listed by Irenaeus and Tertullian as the bishop of Rome, holding office from 88 AD ...

. Clement may have actually arrived at Metz at the end of the 3rd century, though the first fully authenticated bishop, however, is Sperus or Hesperus, who was bishop in 535. Wikisource:Catholic Encyclopedia (1913)/Metz

Legend of the Graoully dragon

Clement of Metz, like many other saints, is the hero of a legend in which he is the vanquisher of a local

dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted a ...

. In the legend of Saint Clement it is called the ''Graoully'' or ''Graouilly''. The legend states that the Graoully, along with countless other snakes, inhabited the local Roman

amphitheater An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

. The snakes’ breath had so poisoned the area that the inhabitants of the town were effectively trapped in the town. After converting the local inhabitants to Christianity after they agreed to do so in return for ridding them of the dragon, Clement went into the amphitheater and quickly made the sign of the cross after the snakes attacked him. They immediately were tamed by this. Clement led the Graoully to the edge of the Seille, and ordered him to disappear into a place where there were no men or beasts. Orius did not convert to Christianity after Clement tamed the dragon. However, when the king’s daughter died, Clement brought her back from the dead, thereby resulting in the king’s conversion. The Graoully quickly became a symbol of the town of Metz, and can be seen in numerous demonstrations of the city, since the 10th century. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, a large

effigy An effigy is an often life-size sculptural representation of a specific person, or a prototypical figure. The term is mostly used for the makeshift dummies used for symbolic punishment in political protests and for the figures burned in certai ...

of the Graoully was carried during processions in the town. The Graoully was a large canvas figure stuffed with hay and twelve feet high. The

French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define th ...

writer

François Rabelais François Rabelais ( , , ; born between 1483 and 1494; died 1553) was a French Renaissance writer, physician, Renaissance humanist, monk and Greek scholar. He is primarily known as a writer of satire, of the grotesque, and of bawdy jokes ...

described the Graoully's effigy during a procession of the 16th century: During the 18th century, bakers gave the dragon a small loaf of white bread, while on the last day of

Rogation days Rogation days are days of prayer and fasting in Western Christianity. They are observed with processions and the Litany of the Saints. The so-called ''major'' rogation is held on 25 April; the ''minor'' rogations are held on Monday to Wednesday ...

, children whipped the effigy in the courtyard of the abbey of Saint Arnould, which was the last stage of the procession. Poet

Paul Verlaine Paul-Marie Verlaine (; ; 30 March 1844 – 8 January 1896) was a French poet associated with the Symbolist movement and the Decadent movement. He is considered one of the greatest representatives of the '' fin de siècle'' in international and ...

was also frightened as a child by the "cardboard monster" during the processions in his hometown. Authors from Metz tend to present the legend of the Graoully as a symbol of Christianity's victory over paganism, represented by the harmful dragon. Today, the Graoully remains one of the major symbols of Metz. A representation of the Graoully from the 16th century may be seen in the crypt in the

cathedral A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...

. Also, a semi-permanent sculpture of the Graoully is suspended in mid-air on Taison street, near the cathedral. Moreover, the Graoully is shown on the heraldic emblems of Metz's football club and it is also the nickname of Metz's ice hockey team. Violist and composer Alain Celo, from the National Orchestra of Lorraine, has written a piece for ensemble entitled ''The Graoully, Messin dragon''. The piece is a musical story with narration depicting the epic fight between Saint Clement and the legendary dragon in the Roman amphitheater. File:Sceau_abbaye_Saint-Clément_1300.jpg, Seal of the Saint Clement abbey during the 14th century File:Metz_Cathedral_003.JPG, Clément de Metz, Window by Hermann de Munster, 14th century, Cathedral of Metz Saintclementmetz

Legend of the stag

Another legend associated with Clement states that a stag took refuge under the saint’s knees on two occasions, thereby convincing the local king, Orius, whose dogs were in pursuit of the stag, of Clement's sanctity.

Veneration

The celebration of Saint Clement of Metz is 23 November. Also, the major abbey in Metz, now home to the

Lorraine Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gra ...

parliament, was named after him.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clement Of Metz Christian saints in unknown century Bishops of Metz Gallo-Roman saints Year of birth unknown