Gangulphus
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Gangulphus of Burgundy (died 11 May 760 AD) is venerated as a
martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', 'witness' Word stem, stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In ...
by the
Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. Gangulphus was a Burgundian
courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the officia ...
whose historical existence can be attested by only a single document: a deed from the court of
Pepin the Short the Short (; ; ; – 24 September 768), was King of the Franks from 751 until his death in 768. He was the first Carolingian dynasty, Carolingian to become king. Pepin was the son of the Frankish prince Charles Martel and his wife Rotrude of H ...
, dated 762, attests that he was a great landowner, whose family dominated the region and exercised a lot of power.Alessandro Barbero
/ref> Gangulphus decided to renounce his wealth and become a
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 Chr ...
. Even so, he was subsequently killed by his wife's lover, who wished to remove Gangulphus as a possible interference to the
adulterous Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept e ...
relationship.


Legend

Born to one of the most illustrious families of Burgundy, his education was provided by his parents, who were virtuous Christians. As a youth, Gangulphus was known for his great honesty, chastity, and propriety, and visited churches and read religious texts, avoiding the company of
libertine A libertine is a person questioning and challenging most moral principles, such as responsibility or Human sexual activity, sexual restraints, and will often declare these traits as unnecessary, undesirable or evil. A libertine is especially som ...
s. When his parents died, he became a model landowner, taking care of the household economy with ease and industry and also providing for the churches and the poor on his land. When it came time to marry, he chose a woman who did not share his virtues. As an important nobleman, Gangulphus participated in the wars of the time, but also dedicated himself to preaching the
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
in
Frisia Frisia () is a Cross-border region, cross-border Cultural area, cultural region in Northwestern Europe. Stretching along the Wadden Sea, it encompasses the north of the Netherlands and parts of northwestern Germany. Wider definitions of "Frisia" ...
. On a journey back to Burgundy, he found a property at
Bassigny The arrondissement of Langres is an arrondissement of France in the Haute-Marne department in the Grand Est region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are b ...
upon which stood a fountain that issued fresh and good water. Gangulphus bought the property. However, his friends mocked him because the property's fountain would not serve back at home. However, when Gangulphus returned home, he pushed a stick into the soil. The next day, he instructed his servant to pull the stick out of the soil. Out of the soil emerged a new fountain, from which gushed fresh water. During his absence, his wife had committed adultery with 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 deity, deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in parti ...
. His wife protested her innocence, but Gangulphus wished her innocence to be judged by
God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...
. Thus, he had her dip her hand into the very same source of water he had created on his property. His wife’s hand was completely and miraculously scalded by the water. Gangulphus was fairly lenient: he forbade his wife from ever sharing his marriage bed and also ordered the priest to go abroad. Gangulphus meanwhile withdrew to his castle at
Avallon Avallon () is a commune in the Burgundian department of Yonne, in France. Name Avallon, Latin ''Aballō'', ablative ''Aballone'', is ultimately derived from Gaulish ''*Aballū'', oblique ''*Aballon-'' meaning "Apple-tree (place)" or "(plac ...
, near
Vézelay Vézelay () is a Communes of France, commune in the Departments of France, department of Yonne in the north-central French region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. It is a defensible hill town famous for Vézelay Abbey. The town and its 11th-century Ro ...
, performing works of
penance Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of contrition for sins committed, as well as an alternative name for the Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. The word ''penance'' derive ...
and
charity Charity may refer to: Common meanings * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sha ...
. However, his wife soon had her lover return. Hurrying back, the priest, wishing to decapitate Gangulphus, attacked him as he slept. However, the priest missed and injured Gangulphus'
thigh In anatomy, the thigh is the area between the hip (pelvis) and the knee. Anatomically, it is part of the lower limb. The single bone in the thigh is called the femur. This bone is very thick and strong (due to the high proportion of bone tissu ...
. The wound, however, proved to be fatal and Gangulphus received the last sacraments on 11 May 760. The priest fled the country with Gangulphus' wife.San Gengolfo
/ref> Purported
miracles A miracle is an event that is inexplicable by natural or scientific lawsOne dictionary define"Miracle"as: "A surprising and welcome event that is not explicable by natural or scientific laws and is therefore considered to be the work of a divin ...
soon took place at Gangulphus' tomb. Both his wife and the priest soon suffered illnesses and died.


Veneration

Gangulphus'
relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
were translated to
Varennes-sur-Amance Varennes-sur-Amance (, literally ''Varennes on Amance'') is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. Between 1972 and 2012 it was part of the commune Terre-Natale Terre-Natale (, ''homeland'') is a former Communes of ...
in the
diocese of Langres The Diocese of Langres (Latin: ''Dioecesis Lingonensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Langres'') is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church comprising the ''département'' of Haute-Marne in France. The diocese is now a suffragan in ecclesiast ...
, where his cult developed, and later distributed to various places in
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 ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, the
Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
and
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. Gangulphus' name is found in numerous
martyrologies A martyrology is a catalogue or list of martyrs and other saints and beati arranged in the calendar order of their anniversaries or feasts. Local martyrologies record exclusively the custom of a particular Church. Local lists were enriched by na ...
of the 10th and 11th centuries, in France as well as in Germany, and later in
England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
and
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
. His ''Life'' was probably written at Varennes.
Hrotsvitha of Gandersheim Hrotsvitha (–973) was a secular canoness who wrote drama and Christian poetry under the Ottonian dynasty. She was born in Bad Gandersheim to Saxon nobles and entered Gandersheim Abbey as a canoness. She is considered the first female writer fr ...
wrote a version of his life around 960. Some of his
relics In religion, a relic is an object or article of religious significance from the past. It usually consists of the physical remains or personal effects of a saint or other person preserved for the purpose of veneration as a tangible memorial. Reli ...
, consisting of part of his head, can be found at the Gangolfskirche in
Bamberg Bamberg (, , ; East Franconian German, East Franconian: ''Bambärch'') is a town in Upper Franconia district in Bavaria, Germany, on the river Regnitz close to its confluence with the river Main (river), Main. Bamberg had 79,000 inhabitants in ...
. The Gangolfskirche in
Hollfeld Hollfeld is a town in the Bayreuth (district), district of Bayreuth, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated 20 km west of Bayreuth, and 30 km east of Bamberg. Sport The towns association football club, ASV Hollfeld, experienced its greates ...
developed as a daughter church of the Bamberger church. On the
Milseburg The Milseburg is an extinct volcano and at above sea level the second highest elevation in the Hessian part of the Rhön Mountains, Germany. The hill is located east of Fulda, near the villages of Kleinsassen and Danzwiesen. It is a popular des ...
, in the
Rhön Mountains The Rhön Mountains () are a group of low mountains (or ''Mittelgebirge'') in central Germany, located around the border area where the states of Hesse, Bavaria and Thuringia come together. These mountains, which are at the extreme southeast end o ...
, rises a Gangolfkapelle, as well as at
Wolpertswende Wolpertswende is a municipality in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. World Heritage Site It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwelling ...
in
Upper Swabia Upper Swabia ( or ) is a region in Germany in the federal states of Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria.''Brockhaus Enzyklopädie.'' 19. Auflage. Band 16, 1991, p. 72. The name refers to the area between the Swabian Jura, Lake Con ...
and at
Fladungen Fladungen is a town in the Rhön-Grabfeld district, in Bavaria, Germany. It is situated in the Rhön Mountains, 11 km northwest of Ostheim, 20 km west of Meiningen, and 33 km east of Fulda. It is the northernmost town in Bavaria, b ...
in northern
Franconia Franconia ( ; ; ) is a geographical region of Germany, characterised by its culture and East Franconian dialect (). Franconia is made up of the three (governmental districts) of Lower Franconia, Lower, Middle Franconia, Middle and Upper Franco ...
. There is also a Sankt Gangloff in
Thuringia Thuringia (; officially the Free State of Thuringia, ) is one of Germany, Germany's 16 States of Germany, states. With 2.1 million people, it is 12th-largest by population, and with 16,171 square kilometers, it is 11th-largest in area. Er ...
. Gangulphus became also associated with the spot now occupied by the area known as
Saint-Gingolph Saint-Gingolph is a small town situated on the south bank of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman). It sits at the France–Switzerland border and is administratively divided into Saint-Gingolph, Switzerland, Saint-Gingolph, Valais (Switzerland) and Saint-Gingol ...
, where he is said to have dedicated himself as a hermit to a life of prayer and penance. Local legends confused Gangulphus with a hypothetical soldier of the
Theban Legion The Theban Legion (also known as the Martyrs of Agaunum) figures in Christianity, Christian hagiography as a Roman legion from Roman Egypt, Egypt —"six thousand six hundred and sixty-six men" — consisting of Christian soldiers who were marty ...
who escaped from nearby
Agaunum Agaunum was an outpost in Roman Switzerland, predecessor of the modern city of Saint-Maurice in the canton of Valais, southwestern Switzerland. It was used by the Roman Empire for the collection of the '' Quadragesima Galliarum''. In Christian t ...
and would have faced martyrdom there. There is a poem about the saint in
The Ingoldsby Legends ''The Ingoldsby Legends'' (full title: ''The Ingoldsby Legends, or Mirth and Marvels'') is a collection of myths, legends, ghost stories and poems written supposedly by Thomas Ingoldsby of Tappington Manor, actually a pen-name of an English c ...
, entitled ''A Lay of St. Gengulphus'', by
Richard Barham Richard Harris Barham (6 December 1788 – 17 June 1845) was an English cleric of the Church of England, a novelist and a humorous poet. He was known generally by his pseudonym Thomas Ingoldsby and as the author of ''The Ingoldsby Legends''. ...
.


The Office of St Gangulphus

The Psalterium Foundation has undertaken to collect the available materials on the saint. The extensive research done earlier by Paul Trenchard was only available on the Internet Archive. His website has been reconstructed and extended with new findings on the website gengulphus.com. Moreover, an
Office An office is a space where the employees of an organization perform Business administration, administrative Work (human activity), work in order to support and realize the various goals of the organization. The word "office" may also denote a po ...
was reconstructed from disparate fragments. Finally in early 2022, this Office was sung and recorded by the gregorian chant ensemble, Hartkeriana. It appears that most of this Office has not been sung in over 500 years. The recording will become available in due time.


Gallery

Image:Wolpertswende St Gangolf Deckengemälde Gangolf.jpg, Image of Gangulphus from a church at
Wolpertswende Wolpertswende is a municipality in the district of Ravensburg in Baden-Württemberg in Germany. World Heritage Site It is home to one or more prehistoric pile-dwelling (or stilt house) settlements that are part of the Prehistoric Pile dwelling ...
Image:Wolpertswende St Gangolf Gangolfaltar.JPG, Saint Gangolf Altar, Wolpertswende Image:Gangolf 1.jpg, Bust of Gangulphus in Milseburg. Image:St Gangolf Bamberg.jpg, Historical map of Bamberg. Church of St Gangolf at Bamberg. Image:Trier, Portal St. Gangolf Statue (2009-09-21 Sp B).JPG, Portal of St Gangolf in Trier


See also

* Saint Gangulphus, patron saint archive


Notes


External links


Saints of May 11: Gangulphus of Burgundy


* ttp://www.heiligenlexikon.de/BiographienG/Gangolf.html Gangolf
San Gengolfo


{{Authority control Medieval German saints French hermits German hermits 760 deaths 8th-century Frankish saints Year of birth unknown