The Crown of Excellence : Chapter 12 : § 5.81

Chapter 12 : The Eleventh Star or Splendour of the Crown of Excellence of the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré's Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac.(Poggi, 2020)

She has been and is still recognized and called blessed by all generations in the world

§ 5. She was recognized  and honoured by all Nations everywhere in the world

 81   We have eventually found our way to the Electorate of Trèves [Trier] and to a Church dedicated to the Holy Virgin, which leads me to relate a narrative which I would never consider doing if I did not have learned and reliable writers[1] on whose good faith I am happy to base the truth of this history. I say this for it cannot be denied that what you are about to read is quite extraordinary and includes some most unusual incidents.

St Hidulf was an Archbishop whose see was located in Trier and around 740 a Catholic league had been formed against the Pagans and Idolaters. The Palatine[2] of Trier was Siegfried[3], a generous-hearted prince who was most accomplished in arms and on fire with zeal for the advancement of religion. One of the main leaders of this holy enterprise, he was married to a Lady called Genevieve, as famous for her virtue as for her noble blood, being the daughter of the Duke of Brabant and Lorraine. In addition to the outstanding qualities which made her dear to her husband, she had everything necessary for a most perfect beauty. Among the virtues which made her particularly beloved of Heaven was a truly tender and exceptional devotion to the Holy Virgin.

So great were the beauty and perfection possessed by this Princess that they caused a brooding doubt in the jealous mind of Siegfried. He wondered whether they might not be the occasion of amorous interest during his absence on the part of those whom she could quite easily cause to sigh after her, particularly if she were in the public gaze at the palace and in the city of Trier. He therefore determined to withdraw her from public life into the seclusion of a small château near the city of Maifeld and there he summoned an assembly of all the Lords, Knight and Barons who held land and position from him.

Following their advice and that of the council, he chose Lord Golo to serve in his absence as his Lieutenant General in respect of his lands and estates. In accordance with custom, the following night, which was the last before he left, he lay with his wife and she conceived by him through the will of God and as a result of prayers to the Virgin, from whom Genevieve had learned that she would be the mother of a child. The following morning, he called upon the Golo to show love and care to his good subjects and especially to be a faithful guardian for his beloved wife during his absence. He then bade his final farewell to her whom he was finding it most difficult to leave. His courage had enabled him to stay in control of his emotions for a time but the pain of such a sad separation melted his heart and suddenly he started to weep and his tears mingled with those of his beloved wife, especially when he saw her in his arms overwhelmed my feelings of sadness. It could not be otherwise than that this separation, should have such an effect on two hearts joined in such a tender and perfect love. In this manner, then, the Palatine Siegfried took leave of his lands and, after saying his prayers to the Virgin, he set off directly with his retinue and all his knights to set sail with his whole army, towards foreign lands, the destination for his courage and zeal.

Golo had taken over the reins of government in the place of the Palatine. He paid frequent visits to his Lady, not only because he was honour bound to communicate the business of state to her but also to pay her his compliments. He began to burn with desire as he was overwhelmed by her beauty and it was not long before he made an improper suggestion to her which was rebuffed with proper disdain by the Lady. Now, just as in Nature thorns exist to protect roses but can sometimes stimulate the desire of those who wish to pick the flower, the same  happened with Golo for he started trying to find various ways of defeating the chaste courage of the Princess, his Lady. He came up with the idea of forging letters brought from a far which made a particular mention of the mortal remains of the Palatine and of much of his army drowned in the sea as the result of a violent tempest. He passed on this false news to the princess and prepared for her to spend the night overwhelmed by grief. Although the soul of the princess was in conformity with the will of God, she was for a long time unable to control her tears and stem her understandable grief. This death had suddenly eclipsed the dawn of her contentment. Eventually, however, she turned towards the holy Virgin, her gentle Mother and faithful Teacher. With tender confidence, she sought consolation by entrusting her poor afflicted heart to her. Very soon she found herself overtaken by a sweet slumber, as often occurs in such cases. During her repose, it seemed as if she could hear the sweet Mother of consolation, with a cheerful and smiling face, telling her to be of good heart and not to lament for any longer the loss of her husband who had been spared and was alive and well, even though some of his men had died. 

This wonderful visit by the holy Virgin and the joyful news she brought swept away all the sadness that had been afflicting her heart. She awoke and people were amazed to see how quickly her countenance had changed, for now joy shone in her eyes towards all those who came to console her. Golo had been keeping watch at the door and noticed the change, but without knowing the cause. He decided it was expedient to serve her in her new-found happiness and he treated her most favourably. Then, having told all the company to withdraw and believing now that he would be able to overcome her resistance, he spoke to her as follows:

“Dear lady,  this is just what I was expecting, that such resilient courage as yours would soon vanquish your grief, even though it was greatly painful, caused by the loss of your late husband. I knew we would all have the pleasure of seeing your constancy, having been shaken for a while, reassert itself with firmness against the shock of such a tragic loss. Glory shall be yours once more and it is our desire to ensure that your future will have every sort of happiness. This is what encourages me to propose to you with confidence that you no longer need to defer thinking about a new husband. Indeed I find myself obliged to tell you that, in the position to which you find yourself reduced, you should not reject the generous offer of the man to whom your late husband granted absolute power and the administration of all his estates.”

His wild and insane lust grew even as he spoke; he was no longer able to speak to her for he was moved commit the effrontery of trying to kiss her. Turning away in disgust and placing herself under the protection of the holy Virgin, she struck him with all her strength in his face. Golo was greatly shocked and, to avenge himself for being scorned in this way, he gave an order on the spot that the Lady was to be locked up alone in her chamber. He then dismissed all her ladies-in-waiting from her presence and she was forced to remain like this for a long period of time, without having anyone to whom she could complain about the conditions in which she was being kept. Through the unwavering trust she had in the help of the Virgin, she was able to fight against the trials and tribulations of her harsh captivity. Even when she was coming to the end of her term, she was scarcely able to obtain the services of a midwife to help with the delivery of her fine baby boy (who will himself have a role to play in this tragic story).

She continued to be kept in these harsh conditions until she was delivered of her baby. About that time a messenger arrived bringing news of the return of the Palatine, with letters telling of the complete success of his voyage and his expedition. The traitor Golo was shocked and terrified of the just anger of his Lord. Following the advice of a certain woman, however, he resolved to put on a brave face and to prevent the Princess from making an accusation against him by making up a lying story that she had congress with a servant and that he was in fact the father of the baby she had just delivered. This vile plan was a great success, as will be seen. He went to meet the Lord Palatine when he arrived in Strasbourg and he took some time with a carefully constructed speech to explain how the Lord’s wife had basely surrendered her honour and unworthily soiled her couch by receiving into it a man who was the lowest of his servants. The Lord told him to take away this object of public scandal and cause of shame to his house. The Palatine was completely cut to the quick by this unexpected news and he uttered some bitter prayers to the Virgin, to whom he had entrusted the protection and care of his wife. He angrily ordered Golo to go ahead and arrange for the execution of the mother and the boy before his arrival so that he would never hear anything more of either of them. Through this rash command he made himself an instrument of his servant’s anger, by being too credulous to his words. The treacherous Lieutenant received the order and went in great haste to carry out with the law’s authority the last act in his maniacal fury. He ordered some soldiers, on pain of death, to seize the mother and her child and take them into the depths of the forest, there to drown them in a great lake. The poor soldiers ordered by Golo to carry out such a barbaric execution found it almost impossible to contain themselves without expressing their reactions, but in order not to lose their own lives, they acted as though they were willing to obey and they took the poor victims into the depths of the forest. When they saw they were quite alone, they began to consult with one another as to how they could save someone who was innocent, who had been so unworthily betrayed and had been condemned to such a cruel death. They came to an agreement amongst themselves that they would do nothing against these two people to whom they owed the highest respect and that they would rather leave them to be prey to wild beasts rather than besmirch their hands with their innocent blood; but they feared that if they escaped the risks from beasts, hunger would eventually drive them from the woods in search of food. They accepted however the promise the Lady gave them never to depart from the forest of her own will and never to leave the place where they were abandoning her. They withdrew not without much weeping, for they were broken-hearted to see such a worthy lady left in these pitiful and tragic circumstances, with no way of escape. They decided in prudence to cut out the tongue of a little dog who had been following them to prove to Golo that his orders had been followed. This indeed helped them greatly because Golo, who had been waiting impatiently for their return, did not omit to ask them for proof of the execution and they were able to give this by showing him the tongue.

While the evil Golo was smirking at the success of his plans, the poor Princess was drowning in the bitterness of her tears, seeing herself alone and abandoned in this wood where all she could find were rocks and lonely places which echoed to the sound of her sadness and grief. The tender almost touching concern she felt to feed her baby who was only thirty days old, being unable herself to breast-feed, the fear of this solitude, the dread of wild beasts, the cruel betrayal of Golo – all these thoughts pierced her poor heart and were almost enough to throw her into despair, completely crushing her courage; but her virtue and her devotion towards the Virgin served to counteract her terrible misfortunes, making it possible for her to persevere in patience. In the depths of this great calamity she had recourse to the holy Virgin, in whose heart she placed all her hopes, imploring her through all the miracles of her mercy to provide her with succour in the dire straits where she found herself; for Mary always has a ready ear and a tender heart when it comes to innocent souls suffering affliction. She spoke words to the Lady which were borne to her as though by a gentle breeze:

 

“My dear Genevieve, I shall never abandon thee.”

This voice seemed to have an immediate effect for her tears went away, her pain and trouble seemed easier to bear and she felt the balm of sweet consolation being poured into the wounds of her heart. These words stayed with her all the time that she remained in this solitude. When this voice had ceased speaking, she saw a doe drawing near to her little baby, lying down at their feet, showing an udder full of milk. The baby was able to drink this milk and this was his nourishment all the time he was there in the forest. The Lady took her food from the nuts and wild plants she found in the forest. She led this hard and punishing life with admirable patience for six years and three months, making her home in the hollow of a tree around which she built a palisade as protection against wild animals and the depredations of the weather. It so happened that the Palatine one Twelfth Night took it into his head to go hunting in the forest with some of his fellow nobles whom he had summoned for this purpose. The huntsmen with their packs of hounds disturbed the deer which had been feeding the little boy. They chased it high and low, forcing it in the end to run back to the den where the mother and her child had made their home.

The Palatine and a goodly number of the beaters followed the deer and they crowded around the place where it had stopped. They were truly astonished to see an unknown woman fending off the dogs with a large stick so as to protect the deer. A curiosity to learn who this woman was made the Palatine order the huntsmen to call off their dogs that were barking fiercely at the deer. Then he approached the woman and asked her about her religion and her way of life in this solitude. He asked about how long she had been there and questioned her about her child and the deer that been miraculously feeding him. As he was carefully studying the delicate features of her face, somewhat weathered by her hard life and coloured by life in the open, the thought came into his mind that this person might be his wife. To resolve his uncertainty, he looked at her more closely and then he recognised a certain mark on her body and the ring that she still wore on her finger which was the token of their faithful love for each other. These persuaded him that this was indeed his wife and there was no-one there who had known her previously that did not come to the same conclusion. This affected everyone present but especially the good Palatine who, melting with love and compassion, swooned on her neck and covered her face with his kisses, at the same time sighing with deepest emotion.

They wanted to hear from her about Golo’s treachery and some of them indeed had entertained dark thoughts about his character. She told them in a few words what had happened, how he had wanted to make her perish along with her son, how she had been delivered from this fate by the kind intervention of the holy Virgin and by the sympathetic co-operation of the appointed executioners who had not dared to lay hands upon their Lady nor to besmirch their hands with her blood. Hearing about this made all the knights feel such a blazing anger against Golo that, when they saw him approaching with the rest of the beaters who had lost the trail, they wanted to tear him to pieces on the spot and to carry out this execution to the sound of the horns instead of killing the innocent deer. The Palatine stayed their hands, ordering Golo to be seized so that he might determine what manner of execution would be appropriate. A short while afterwards, Golo was condemned to be drawn and dismembered by four wild bulls, the sentence being carried out on the spot. The Palatine, amidst much weeping, implored forgiveness from his beloved spouse for the rash judgement that he had made against her virtue and her fidelity which were acknowledged, and for the evils she had been forced to suffer because of his credulity. After this, people could think only of their joy, of arranging a feast of thanksgiving with public rejoicing. All this duly took place over several days in Trier and in all the lands belonging to the Palatine. The faithful and peerless Princess, however, wanted to eternalise her gratitude for the graces that she had received from God and from the Holy Virgin. Her immediate request was that the place when she had lived in the wilds of the forest should be consecrated by the building of a Church in honour of the holy Trinity and the glorious Virgin. This was soon done and the consecration was carried out by the blessed Archbishop Hidulf. The church was later enriched and received considerable endowments for the saying of divine services. The Church was also visited and honoured by crowds of people who received wonderful graces and miraculous cures. Only one more thing seemed to be needed : that the good and devout princess Genevieve might enjoy for a long time the wonderful days that the love of her dear husband and the devoted affection of her people were promising her. She preferred, however, to depart quickly so as to enjoy the eternal happiness which heaven had prepared for her. This in fact happened on the second of April, three months after she had been found in the forest. On that day, after all the trials and tribulations she had suffered, she surrendered her blessed soul into the hands of her Creator and her gentle Mother, the blessed Virgin.

Footnotes

[1] Additiones ad Molanum de sanctis Belgicis ; Erycius Puteanus ; Freferus, lib. de Origine Pala-tinatus, vol. II, et antiquis sacelli monumentis Raderus in Bavaria sancta.

[2] A ruler having royal privileges within a province.

[3] Siegfried : The French text has Syffrede.

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The Vladimirskaya Icon. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen.

 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam. 

© Peter Bloor 2024