Stephen of Obazine
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Stephen of Obazine also known as Stephen of Vielzot (french: Étienne de Vielzot, Étienne d'Obazine; (1085 1159), was a French priest and
hermit A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Ch ...
, famed for his pious nature, even from a young age. He is commemorated on March 8.


Religious life

Stephen was born in Vielzot, a village in Bassignac-le-Haut. According to local tradition, famine was great in the country, the poor went from one door to another. Young Stephen, who was from a fairly good home, suffered to see so much misery outside. One day, when he was left alone, he emptied the bread bin completely in alms, and when the family returned, they were furious, but the future monk smiled calmly as he took them back to the bin and showed them more dough than had been distributed. He began his religious life in a community of clerics at
Pleaux Pleaux (; Auvergnat: ''Pleus'') is a commune in the Cantal department in south-central France. Geography The Maronne river forms the commune's southern border, with the Enchanet reservoir. Population Sights * Château de Branzac, 15th cen ...
, where he became a priest and gained the reputation of holiness, especially when it came to the recitation of the divine office, only interrupting these if something of grave necessity arose. He was also known for his love for all things to do with the
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
, ensuring the provision of sacred vessels, furnishings and vestments that were perfect for God. Wanting a more austere life, Stephen and a like-minded priest, by the name of Peter, set out at the beginning of
Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...
one year to locate a place where they could live as
hermits A hermit, also known as an eremite (adjectival form: hermitic or eremitic) or solitary, is a person who lives in seclusion. Eremitism plays a role in a variety of religions. Description In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Chr ...
.Obrecht, Edmond. "Monastery of Obazine." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 11. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. 26 December 2022
On
Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...
they discovered a forest in the region of Obazine. The two priests remained there fasting until
Easter Sunday Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the ''Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...
, after which they found a nearby church to celebrate
Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
. There is a well-known story of this time: heading back to their hermitage, the two friends paused to rest on the mountain, exhausted and weak from hunger. A peasant woman offered them half a loaf of bread to eat and a vessel of milk to drink. Stephen would later say that this simple meal was the most delightful he had ever tasted.


Founding of Obazine Abbey

In 1134,
Eustorge de Scorailles Eustorge de Scorailles ( la, Eustorgius) was the bishop of Limoges from 1106 until his death in 1137. He belonged to the local nobility, and was chosen by the cathedral chapter in an election free of outside interference. Eustorge commissioned the ...
, the
Bishop of Limoges The Roman Catholic Diocese of Limoges (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lemovicensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Limoges'') is a diocese of the Latin Rite of the Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is ...
, approved the establishment of the hermitage as a monastery on a site granted them by the Viscount Archambault. It was known from then on as
Obazine Abbey Obazine Abbey, also known as Aubazine Abbey, was a Cistercian monastery in the present town of Aubazines in the ''département'' of Corrèze in the Limousin in France. History The monastery was founded in about 1134 by Saint Stephen of Obazine, w ...
, even though at the time it comprised mainly many small huts in the forest. Nearby at Coyroux they founded a nunnery for 150 nuns along similar lines. In 1142 Stephen assumed the role of abbot. He affiliated his house with the Cistercians in 1147. While on visitation to a daughterhouse, Bonnaigue, he became seriously ill and died there."Cistercian Saints", New Melleray Abbey
/ref>  The monastery flourished until it was suppressed during the
French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, and its property was seized in 1791. The abbey church survives, and serves as a parish church.Saint Stephen of Obazine
Patron Saint Index


References


Studies

* Gert Melville, "Stephan von Obazine: Begründung und Überwindung charismatischer Führung," in Giancarlo Andenna / Mirko Breitenstein / Gert Melville (eds.), ''Charisma und religiöse Gemeinschaften im Mittelalter. Akten des 3. Internationalen Kongresses des "Italienisch-deutschen Zentrums für Vergleichende Ordensgeschichte"'' (Münster / Hamburg / Berlin / London: LIT 2005) (Vita regularis. Ordnungen und Deutungen religiosen Lebens im Mittelalter, 26), 85–101. {{DEFAULTSORT:Stephen of Obazine French Roman Catholic saints 12th-century Christian saints 1154 deaths 1085 births French Cistercians 12th-century French Roman Catholic priests French hermits Canonizations by Pope Clement XI