Saint Genebald (''Genebaldus, Genebandus'') (french: Génebaud, Génebaut, Guénebauld) (died 550 AD) was a
Frankish bishop of Laon. He was a contemporary of
Saint Remigius,
bishop of Rheims,
and according to ''
The Golden Legend'', was married to Remigius' niece.
Legend
Because the
diocese of Rheims was too large, Remigius had decided to create a separate
diocese
In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associat ...
centered at
Laon
Laon () is a city in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territori ...
, and chose Genebald to be Laon’s first bishop.
A married clerk, Genebald left his wife to become bishop around 499 AD. However, according to Canon
Flodoard’s 10th-century account, ''Flodoardi Historiae Remensis Ecclesiae'', and repeated by ''The Golden Legend'',
[Christian Cochini, ''Apostolic Origins of Priestly Celibacy'' (Ignatius Press, 1990), 111.] Genebald, after he became bishop, slept with his wife, who became pregnant with a boy.
Genebald asked that his son be named
Latro (“Thief”), “because he had engendered it by theft.”
So that it would not appear that his wife had borne a child out of wedlock, Genebald had her visit him again. Again they slept together, and this time his wife became pregnant with a girl, whom they named Vulpecula (“she-fox”).
[In French, ''Volpille''.]
Confessing his sins to Remigius, Genebald offered to leave his diocese. However, Remigius comforted Genebald and received his confession, and gave Genebald
penance
Penance is any act or a set of actions done out of repentance for sins committed, as well as an alternate name for the Catholic, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession. It also plays a pa ...
. Remigius had him shut in a small cell near the church of St. Julian
for seven years. Remigius fed Genebald on only bread and water during this time, and took over Genebald’s duties as bishop of Laon.
According to ''The Golden Legend'', an
angel
In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God.
Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles inc ...
came to Genebald after the end of the seven-year term and gave Genebald permission to leave the cell. Genebald could not open the door as it had been sealed from the outside; however, according to the ''Legend'', the angel opened the door after declaring: “Know thou that the door of heaven is opened to thee; I shall open this door without breaking of the seal which Saint Remigius hath sealed.”
However, Genebald still wanted Remigius’ permission to leave the cell. The angel brought Remigius to him, and the bishop of Rheims reinstated Genebald as bishop of Laon.
According to Christian Cochini, “this legendary narrative probably has a kernel of truth.”
[
Reinstated as bishop, Genebald is said to have remained chaste for the rest of his life.]
References
{{authority control
Angelic visionaries
6th-century Frankish bishops
Bishops of Laon
550 deaths
5th-century births
6th-century Frankish saints