Saint Claudius of Besançon: a quiet leader, a calm presence, and a strong belief in the value of prayer

Saint Claudius was a humble and faithful bishop and monk. He made no great journeys or miraculous evangelisations. Secluded in his monastery, it was his virtues and zeal for the faith that earned him recognition and made him an exemplary abbot and bishop. However, it is interesting to note that this discreet saint became famous 500 years later through the exceptional preservation of his body, the miracles obtained near his relics, and the pilgrimages those attracted.

Claude de Besançon, basilica of Saint-Nicolas-de-Port (Meurthe-et-Moselle). / © CC0, wikimedia.

Les raisons d'y croire :

Although Claude could have had a successful military career, he gave it up to serve Christ. This path was unlikely to bring him any human glory, and it took deep faith to give up fame and all the advantages it offered, especially at a time when living conditions were difficult for the common people and monks.

At first, Claudius refused to become a bishop, believing himself unworthy. In the end, he humbly yielded to God's will. In this role, he continued to lead an ascetic and frugal monastic life, eating just one meal a day.

Throughout his life, Claudius focused on the sustenance of his monastery, the survival of the poor and the spiritual life of the faithful under his care as bishop. He never thought about himself, but gave himself entirely to his work for others.

The incorruptibility of Saint Claudius' body was discovered five centuries after his death, in 1160. This was the beginning of his glory, as many pilgrims flocked to the abbey for centuries.

This incorruptibility is still attested to by nine doctors in 1754; the minutes of the opening of the shrine are available online. It states: "We cannot avoid judging that he [the body of Saint Claude] has never been embalmed", "His incorruptibility, over a period of time as considerable as that of nearly twelve centuries [...] being beyond the conception and enlightenment of our art, we can only contemplate it with admiration as supernatural and miraculous."

In the 12th century, Saint-Claude Abbey became the largest pilgrimage site in the West, similar to Lourdes today. The kings of France and several saints went there. This popularity was due to the many miracles recorded by pilgrims: signs, healings and conversions... One of them was the miracle of a dead child brought back to life at the saint's tomb. This miracle, like so many others, was corroborated by several witnesses before being recorded in detail in manuscripts.

Saint Claudius's fame grew to such an extent that the town of Condat and the abbey took the name "Saint-Claude". It is hard to imagine such a decision being taken without extraordinary things happening.

Synthèse :

Claudius was born around 607 in Salins, a town in the Jura region, into a family of Gallo-Roman nobility. His father was governor of the town of Besançon. As a child, he spent hours reading devotional books, especially the lives of the saints, but his parents assigned him to the profession of arms and he became a border guard. Although the devil tempted him with glimpses of the riches that a life in the army would bring him, he chose to leave the army at the age of twenty to devote himself to Christ. He was appointed as a canon at the Besançon cathedral chapter. Those canons lived according to a rule established by their bishop, Saint Donatus. Claudius quickly distinguished himself by his virtues and his zeal in the faith, his broad knowledge and his elocution, which led to him being appointed to teach in the cathedral school. He led an ascetic life, eating just one meal a day and demonstrating exemplary frugality.

After a dozen years in the chapter, he chose to join the monastery of Condat, one of the most renowned monasteries of the time. There too, although he ate nothing but roots and slept on a bed, he won the admiration of his brothers for his asceticism and divine zeal. On several occasions, the incumbent abbot asked him to take his place, but he systematically refused, preferring to remain a simple monk. However, when the abbot died, he had to bow to the will of his brothers and became abbot of the monastery of Condat.

Claudius worked hard to ensure the survival of his monastery and went to King Clovis II to ask for subsidies, which he obtained thanks to the queen, Saint Bathilda. This helped to ensure the expansion of the buildings, but above all to feed his brother monks, as well as the pilgrims and poor people from the region who flocked to the monastery, which began to be known throughout Gaul. Claudius introduced the Rule of Saint Benedict to the monastery and taught the monks to cultivate the holy virtues.

When the bishop of Besançon died, a dispute broke out between the clergy and the people over who should succeed him. While everyone was praying, a voice from heaven unanimously designated Claudius as the bishop's successor. At first, Claudius refused, but then yielded to the will of the people and of God. He was taken to Besançon in great jubilation. As bishop, he continued to display great virtues and lived with his canons. He regularly visited the afflicted, urged his faithful to repent and to participate in works of charity, and worked tirelessly for the conversion of sinners, all the while continuing to watch over his monks at the monastery of Saint-Donat. After serving seven years as bishop, in 693, he noticed that the discipline of his monks was slackening and decided to leave his episcopal post and return to the monastery. He remained there for six years, until his death on 6 June 699, at the age of ninety-two, a particularly advanced age for the time.

But Saint Claudius' fame did not end there. In the twelfth century, his incorrupt body was discovered, and miracles were obtained near his relics. It was around this time that the town of Condat took the name of Saint-Claude, and became a very important place of pilgrimage. Among the illustrious figures who have visited Saint-Claude are Louis XI, Jane Frances de Chantal, Anne of Brittany, and Saint Francis de Sales, to name but a few. Many miracles have taken place at Saint-Claude Abbey, including that of a dead child brought back to life. This is why Saint Claudius is often depicted with a child. Other miracles include blind people regaining their sight and paralysed people walking again.

In 1754, a number of doctors were once again amazed by the state of his incorrupt body. Unfortunately, in 1794, during the French Revolution, his relics were burnt. Only his left arm escaped: it was authenticated by one of the doctors who had examined the body fifty years earlier. It is now preserved in a reliquary in Saint-Claude cathedral.

Camille Mino di Ca is recent convert who was baptised at the age of fifty. Passionate about conversion stories and the lives of saints, she writes for Hozana and other media, in a variety of forms, including biography, drama, poetry and song.

Au-delà des raisons d'y croire :

Aller plus loin :

Article "Saint Claudius of Besançon"

En savoir plus :

The life and miracles of Saint Claudius are depicted in a number of places: the stained glass windows in the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris, the stained glass windows in the church of Saint-Gervais-Saint-Protais in Gisors, the old stained glass windows in the church of Saint-Étienne in Beauvais, and more.
Renée Tramond, Saint Claude et sa miraculeuse survie, Téqui, 1964.
On the Wikipedia page " Abbaye de Saint-Claude", the paragraph on the miracle of Saint Claude and the note on the minutes of the opening of the shrine in 1754.
Dom Benoît, Histoire de l'abbaye de Saint-Claude, volume I, Chartreuse de Notre-Dame-des-Prés, 1890-1892.