St. Genevieve, Virgin and Defender of Paris, like a great precursor of St. Joan of Arc (422-512 AD)
A SPECIAL CHILD
St. Genevieve was born in the small village of Nanterre, near Paris, about the year 422 A.D. Her parents were simple farmers who also tended sheep. She was but seven years when St. Germanus (Bishop of Auxerre) and St. Lupus passed through Nanterre on their way to England to defeat the Pelagian heresy growing there. St. Germanus preached to the people of Nanterre. Under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, the holy bishop took special note of little Genevieve. He sought out her parents and spoke to them regarding their daughter. He questioned her as well about the Faith and then asked her if she would desire to serve God in a state of perpetual virginity and never bear any title other than “spouse of Jesus Christ.” Genevieve affirmed that this was her only desire. He then foretold to the parents of the future sanctity and importance of their daughter. The following day, St. Genevieve obediently returned for an audience with St. Germanus and she resolutely confirmed her determination to consecrate herself entirely to Christ through a perfect virginity. The bishop gave her a brass medal, engraved with a cross, and commanded her to always wear it as a sign of her vows. At the same time, he charged her never to wear any other kind of jewelry or adornments of vanity. All these admonitions she kept most diligently. Even as a young child she practiced fervent penances and numerous devotions. As there were no convents in this area at the time, St. Germanus encouraged her to live out her vow at home under the obedience of her pious parents.
A CONSECRATED LIFE OF PENANCE
When St. Genevieve was fifteen, she was presented before the Bishop of Paris, in order to renew her consecration. Shortly thereafter, both her parents passed away. She went to live with her godmother, Lutetia, in Paris. There she led a life of even more intense prayer and penance and performed many works of charity. It became her practice to only eat twice a week. Her infrequent meals consisted of barley bread with a few beans. She completely abstained from meat. She only lessened these penances after more than thirty years (around the age of fifty), because she was commanded to do so by a local bishop. Her prayer was continual and so pleased God that He often revealed the future to her and worked many miracles through her. She also frequently received visions of saints and of angels and held regular conversations with them. Her acts of charity took her to many nearby cities, including Tours, Orleans and Meaux. Everywhere she went, she performed great miracles and made remarkable predictions.
GROWTH THROUGH SUFFERING
However, God also sent her severe trials. For a certain time, it seemed everyone was against her. They calumniated her with accusations of being a false visionary, a hypocrite, a lying witch, and one who was motivated only by self-interest. All these attacks were directed against her innocence and perfect fidelity to Christ. These detractors were finally silenced by St. Germanus when he passed through the area again. Yet the storm of vile accusations resumed within a short span. Her enemies went so far as to capture the frail visionary and were bent upon drowning her. At the most providential moment, just before she was executed, the archdeacon from Auxerre arrived with blessed bread that had been sent to Genevieve by St. Germanus. This miracle and witness was enough to save her life and converted many of those formerly prejudiced against her. In fact, some of them became her most ardent supporters. Many young women of the area also chose to imitate St. Genevieve by embracing a life of virginity consecrated to God. The bishop then placed her in charge of overseeing the welfare of these virgins. Under her tutelage they advanced greatly in virtue. (St. Germanus had predicted that many would follow St. Genevieve’s eminent example of sanctity when he had first met her as a seven year old girl.)
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DEFENDER OF PARIS
St. Genevieve is perhaps best known as the “Defender of Paris.” Attila the Hun, who was nicknamed ‘the scourge of god’, was laying waste to much of Europe. In 451, his hordes advanced upon Paris and the panicked populace prepared to flee. They were ready to give up their homes and livelihood, forsaking their city as lost. Yet St. Genevieve, like Judith and Esther of old, courageously rallied her people. Her words of hope cut to their heart, for she assured them that God would come to their aid if they but turned to Him with contrite hearts and did penance. She then led by example – dedicating herself to nothing but a “marathon of prayer and penance.” A devout group of virgins who gathered around St. Genevieve never ceased to pray and never left their place about the principal baptistery of Paris. The spiritual fervor was contagious and the people of Paris united behind her and began to fast, pray, and hold vigils. (How can one not recall the Ninevites who heeded Jonah’s call and turned to the Lord? It should be clear to all of us, that this is what our society needs most today!) Yet the devil never sleeps and he incited several naysayers. They accused St. Genevieve of being an imposter and even of secretly aiding Attila so that the Parisians would remain defenseless within the city and slaughtered. Yet St. Genevieve proved her heart by going out to meet the barbarous tyrant. History records that he changed his course and never advanced upon Paris. How this simple devout virgin was able to deter such a maniacal destroyer was never recorded and remains a great mystery or history (for such a victory is even more stunning than David’s defeat of Goliath). Paris was spared from Atila and St. Genevieve’s confident prophecy regarding their salvation proved true.
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A decade later, in 464, the Franks were conquering much of Gaul. The pagan Childeric was their king. He laid siege to Paris. His lengthy blockade forced many of the Parisians into famine. Without fear or concern for her own safety, St. Genevieve sallied forth from the embattled city and passed through the foreign armies unscathed. She procured provisions at Arcis-sur-Aube and Troyes and brought several boats laden with grain back to Paris. The people did not starve and once again were saved by St. Genevieve. Childeric still conquered Paris and remained a pagan till death, but he held St. Genevieve in great esteem. It was on account of her valiant intercession that he spared the lives of numerous prisoners and granted clemency to many others.
HER FINAL YEARS
St. Genevieve had a deep devotion to St. Denis, patron saint of Paris and martyr bishop. Her zeal led many of the faithful to build a church in his honor over his remains. She also often made pilgrimages to the burial sites of St. Martin of Tours, St. Hilary of Poiters and other “founding” saints of Catholic France. In 496, King Clovis of the Franks embraced the Catholic Faith and was baptized by St. Remigius. Clovis and his queen, St. Clotilde, recognized St. Genevieve’s sanctity and sought her advice and counsel in many matters. For example, under her guidance they built a magnificent church in Paris to honor Ss. Peter and Paul. Clovis also built an adjoining monastery. St. Genevieve was able to live out the final years of her life there.
At the age of eighty-nine, on 3 January 512, St. Genevieve passed away. Happily she went to meet her Divine Spouse, whom she had always served faithfully in life. King Clovis had died a few weeks before her and their tombs were placed near each other in the monastery of Ss. Peter and Paul, under the care of Benedictines.
VENERATION
Her relics were later enclosed in a beautiful shrine of silver and gold by St. Eligius (+ 660 AD). Her shrine was adorned with three porticos that depicted the history of the patriarchs, prophets, martyrs and confessors. It became a great site of pilgrimage and veneration for Catholic France. So many miracles were performed there that the church was renamed “St. Genevieve”. This church and monastery were plundered several times, and even burnt (by Vikings, by Normans and others), but was always rebuilt and strengthened. That is, until her shrine was burned during the diabolical French Revolution. Her relics were burned in public and the remains scattered to the winds by the mad mob. Her relics are now largely lost to us today, save for one large relic that had been kept at Verneuil, Oise and is still extant.
Her life was recorded at the command of St. Clotilde. The saintly Queen outlived her husband and spread devotion to St. Genevieve everywhere she went. St. Genevieve continued to posthumously protect France and work stupendous miracles. For example, in 834 AD, the city of Paris was poised to be inundated by a raging torrent from a flooding River Seine. The city was saved through her intercession. Yet again in 1129 AD, during the reign of King Louis VI, a terrible pestilence was laying waste to Paris. Fourteen thousand lives were claimed and physicians were powerless to stem the advancing disease. Stephen, then Bishop of Paris, led the people in penance and fasting. He then led a procession through the city carrying St. Genevieve’s relics to the cathedral. Hundreds of people who were on the verge of death touched her relics and were miraculously cured. The pestilence promptly abated at the conclusion of the procession. Pope Innocent II himself came to Paris the following year, and after scrutinizing all the evidence surrounding these incidents, declared them to have truly been miraculous. Upon his decree, an annual feast commemorated this event on 26 November and included a procession with her relics. Regrettably, this devotion was terminated in the rationalistic eighteenth century.
In art she is often depicted in a long flowing gown with a mantle covering her shoulders, similar to the garments of the Blessed Virgin Mother. She is often depicted with the sheep she so dutifully and humbly cared for. One of her symbols is a loaf of bread, because she was so generous to those in need and because she saved Paris by bringing grain and because she was saved by the loaf sent by St. Germanus.