Saint Goar of Aquitaine (; 585 – 6 July 649 AD) was a French
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 ...
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 Chr ...
of the seventh century. He was offered the position of
Bishop of Trier
The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.patron saint
A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...
of innkeepers, potters, and vine growers.
Life
Goar was born in 585 to a noble family in
Aquitaine
Aquitaine (, ; ; ; ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Aguiéne''), archaic Guyenne or Guienne (), is a historical region of southwestern France and a former Regions of France, administrative region. Since 1 January 2016 it has been part of the administ ...
, and was noted for piety even in his youth. When he was finally ordained a priest, he became famous for his forceful preaching. However, Goar wanted to serve God more discreetly, and so traveled abroad to the
diocese of Trier
The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany.Oberwesel
Oberwesel () is a town on the Middle Rhine in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It belongs to the ''Verbandsgemeinde'' Hunsrück-Mittelrhein, whose seat is in Emmelshausen.
Geography
Location
Oberwesel l ...
. Despite his intention to live in solitude and obscurity, his renown for holiness spread all over the country.
Goar was frequently visited by travelers seeking advice. On one occasion, he was derided by two pilgrims, who told Rusticus, the
Bishop of Trier
The Diocese of Trier (), in English historically also known as ''Treves'' () from French ''Trèves'', is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic church in Germany. As a result,
Sigebert III
Sigebert III ( 630–656) was the Merovingian dynasty, Merovingian king of Austrasia from 633 to his death around 656. He was described as the first Merovingian ''roi fainéant'', or "do-nothing king", with the mayor of the palace in fact ruling ...
, King of
Austrasia
Austrasia was the northeastern kingdom within the core of the Francia, Frankish Empire during the Early Middle Ages, centring on the Meuse, Middle Rhine and the Moselle rivers. It included the original Frankish-ruled territories within what had ...
, called Goar to
Metz
Metz ( , , , then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle (river), Moselle and the Seille (Moselle), Seille rivers. Metz is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Moselle (department), Moselle Departments ...
and requested that he fill Rusticus's position in Trier.
Another version of the story states that Goar was accused of
sorcery
Sorcery commonly refers to:
* Magic (supernatural), the application of beliefs, rituals or actions employed to manipulate natural or supernatural beings and forces
** Goetia, ''Goetia'', magic involving the evocation of spirits
** Witchcraft, the ...
by Rusticus himself, cleared by Sigebert in Metz, and then, after Rusticus was deposed for his dishonesty, the saint was offered the see of Trier.
In any case, it is certain that Goar did not want to saddle himself with the responsibilities and pressures of a bishopric, and asked for time to reflect on the offer. Upon returning to Oberwesel, however, he fell ill and died on 6 July 649, having never become bishop.
Veneration
The Catholic Encyclopedia notes that "a small church" was dedicated to Goar in 1768 "in the little town on the banks of the Rhine which bears his name ( St-Goar)." It is also reported that
Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...
built a church over the site of Goar's hermitage. It is around this church that the town of Sankt Goar am Rhein grew on the left bank of the Rhine between
Wesel
Wesel () is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, in western Germany. It is the capital of the Wesel (district), Wesel district.
Geography
Wesel is situated at the confluence of the Lippe River and the Rhine.
Division of the city
Suburbs of Wesel i ...
and
Boppard
Boppard (), formerly also spelled Boppart, is a town and municipality (since the 1976 inclusion of 9 neighbouring villages, ''Ortsbezirken'') in the Rhein-Hunsrück-Kreis (district) in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany, lying in the Rhine Gorge, a UN ...
.
A life of Saint Goar (''Vita Sancti Goaris'') was written in 839 by a monk,
Wandalbert of Prüm
Wandalbert of Prüm (813 – died after 850), also known as Wandalbertus Prumiensis, was a Benedictine monk, distinguished poet, and theological writer.
Little is known of his personal history. He was apparently a native of Francia, born around 8 ...
. This semi-legendary account of Goar's life details various miracles relevant to the life of the saint. The first was the one by which Goar proved Rusticus's unsavory nature. A
foundling
Foundling or The Foundling may refer to:
Places
* Foundling hospital, an institution where abandoned children were cared for
** Foundling Hospital, Dublin, founded 1704
** Foundling Hospital, Cork, founded 1737
** Foundling Hospital, founded 17 ...
, recovered in a nearby church, was brought to the saint. The bishop called upon Goar to name the father of the baby as a proof of his innocence. Goar did not fail the test; he named the bishop Rusticus his father, upon which Rusticus was shocked and begged for forgiveness.
Another miracle explains Goar's depiction as hanging his hat on a sunbeam. When the saint refused Sigebert's invitation to the See of Trier, he threw his ''cappa'' over a sunbeam: the garment was suspended "as though the shaft of light were solid." The purpose of this miracle was not merely a display of bravado, but to show that the saint's action in refusing the position was divinely justified.
Goar's feast day is 6 July. He is variously depicted in art as a hermit being given milk by three
hinds
Hinds may refer to:
Places
*Hinds, New Zealand, a small town
*Hinds County, Mississippi, a US county
*Hinds Lake, a lake in Minnesota
*Hinds River, a river that flows through Hinds, New Zealand
Other
* A plural of deer, especially female deer (do ...
, as holding a pitcher, with the devil on his shoulder or under his feet, and as holding the church of Saint Goar am Rhein.
Sankt Goarshausen
Sankt Goarshausen (abbreviated St. Goarshausen) is a town located in the Rhein-Lahn-Kreis in Nassau on the eastern shore of the Rhine, in the section known as the Rhine Gorge, directly across the river from Sankt Goar, in the German state Rhi ...