Fifty-third point. His funeral, and the veneration shown by the people to his mortal remains

Her answer on the fifty-third point was :

I have heard from several people that when the death of this holy and blessed Servant of God became known, numbers of the inhabitants of Lyons hurried to the gardener's cottage attached to our Convent of the Visitation, in which cottage he had died. They threw themselves on their knees beside the holy body, kissing the feet and hands; an act of veneration of which the example was set by the President de Villars, a most holy man, and brother of their Lordships, Pierre and Jerome, Archbishops of Vienne. He was the first to kneel down at the feet of our Blessed Founder, and, having prayed for a while, to kiss them reverently. He afterwards asked M. Roland, Chaplain of the deceased Bishop, to give him his spectacles, which he did. Several other people asked the servants to give them something which he might have

242 Saint Sane $. tie Cfjantal's Bepostttons touched, and received whatever was given them with great devotion.

His body having been opened in order that it might be embalmed, much fine linen steeped in his blood was taken to different places, carefully put away, and is still reverently preserved as relics of a Saint. His liver was shared between the Father-Provincial of the Feuillants and M. Menard, an ecclesiastic of great worth and reputa tion, who sent us a portion of it.

His heart was carried to our Convent of the Visitation at Lyons, where it is preserved with the greatest reverence in a silver, heart-shaped box. There it can be seen, both in colour and substance exactly as it was in life, and from it there flows continually a liquid which moistens the coverings in which it is folded; these are, therefore, frequently changed, and given to people who ask for them, and receive them with rever ence. The Bishops of Langres and of Chalonssur-Saone have come to look upon and to venerate it, deriving from this act great consolation. One of them wrote to me saying that this holy heart was one of the best relics France possessed; add ing his admiration of its lifelike beauty.

Most of the greatest Religious Orders begged earnestly for some relic of our Blessed Founder, so that his brother and successor, the Bishop of Geneva, was obliged to distribute among them the robes, chasubles, albs, and other priestly garments which had belonged to him. The little triangular stones that were found in place of the gall bladder, as has been said in the point on his gentleness, were also seized by those who were present.

His rosary was divided, and the beads distri buted among various persons of rank. The medal attached to it was given to the Duke de Nemours, who, on the very day of cur Blessed Founder's death, went to see him, and on his knees received his blessing for himself and for his son, the Prince of Geneva.

The holy body having been carried into the Church of our Convent at Lyons, the people crowded to it; they threw themselves on their knees before the shrine in which the body was exposed, said their prayers there, and touched it with their rosaries and other pious objects, allow ing them to rest for a while upon the body : in fact they venerated it as the relic of a Saint.

When his servants wished to carry the holy body to Annecy, the people of Lyons strenuously opposed the idea; they had it placed in the Nun's Choir under their care, forbidding them to give it up to any one without special permission from these people themselves. The servants, therefore, finding their efforts useless, were obliged to have recourse to the Bishop of Geneva, his brother, that he might produce the will of our Blessed Founder, in which he had prescribed the place of his burial. The gentlemen of Lyons, thus being convinced of the real desire and intention of the holy Bishop, allowed the body to be taken from the Church and placed under the care of M. le Chevalier de

244 Saint Sane $. tie (MjantaPs liepogittons

Sales, his brother, who was there on purpose to escort it back to Annecy. His servants were, how ever, obliged to be very speedy in this matter, for fear of hindrance from the people, who indeed afterwards repented bitterly of having allowed it to leave their city.

As the body of our Blessed Founder was carried along through the villages, the people came out to meet it, threw themselves on their knees, kissed the coffin, some even pressing the edge of the pall which covered it against their faces; doing, in fact, all that they could to show their recognition of his sanctity.

The Churches in which the body rested on its journey were instantly filled with people. Madame la Marquise de Meximieux, as soon as she knew that it had been deposited in the Parish Church of la Valbonne, hastened thither with several persons, and then with all her train escorted it a great distance until they reached the port, from which they never stirred until they could no longer see the precious shrine which enclosed these holy remains.

The Marquis d'Urfe, a knight of the Order of Savoy, ran a distance of two or three leagues to overtake the funeral procession. Having reached it, he threw himself on his knees, prayed silently, then rising, said aloud that he boldly paid his veneration to one who deserved it, and whom he considered to be a Saint.

On the way through Culoz, a village of this diocese of Geneva, a strange thing, worthy of careful notice, occurred. The Baron de Cusy, M. de Pingon his nephew, and the Sieui de Fabri, were all then at Culoz. The latter, having SQQTL the great honour paid by the people to the holy body, said in a derisive manner : " Really, they pay as much honour to this Bishop of Geneva as if he were a Saint ! " He was instantly seized with faintness and giddiness, and for some time could not utter a word. When he had recovered from this sort of swoon, the first thing he said was : " I believe that God permitted this to happen to me because I had spoken jeeringly of the Bishop of Geneva."

The honour paid by the townspeople of Seyrsel to his body was beyond description. They arranged for it a chapelle ardcnte* to which they crowded, kissing the coffin with fervour and de votion, and laying their rosaries and medals upon it; and when it left the town, they accompanied it in procession, carrying torches, and in the same order as that in which they had received it. They also deputed the highest dignitaries of their city to go the whole way, as torch-bearers, to Annecy.

When the holy body drew near to this bereaved town, all its inhabitants poured forth to do honour to the remains of their beloved Pastor, weeping bitterly, and overwhelmed with grief, although the presence of this sacred treasure, which was being committed to them, assuaged it somewhat. We, the Nuns of the Visitation, shed indeed many sorrowful tears, feeling as if no joy could ever

• Lying in state [2V.].

246 .Saint Sane J* toe Cental's Bepsittons again visit our hearts, now that we had lost so holy a Father and so kind a protector ! Indeed, our only consolation was the remembrance that this was the Will of God, and the thought of the holiness of our Blessed Founder making us con fident that he would continue his paternal care over us.

He was laid to rest temporarily in the Church of the Sepulchre, on the tomb of a holy monk named St. Andrew, until the Cathedral Church should be ready for him. People of all conditions, even the Lorraine soldiers who formed the garrison, pressed around the holy body. They vied with each other in their eagerness to kiss the coffin or touch anything which was near it; they seized the ropes of the litter, which they divided amongst them.

From thence it was taken to the Church of St. Francis, where the Cathedral Offices were then said, and with the greatest solemnity and beauty the Office for the Dead was chanted. Instinctively they had had the canopy and pall made of white silk, thus symbolising his purity and sanctity. In the evening it was brought into the Church of this Convent of the Visitation, where in his life time, the order had been given that it was to be buried, by our Blessed Founder himself.

As soon as this was done (I mean, as soon as the body had been placed in our Church), the people not only of the town, but also of the ad jacent country, came flocking thither in numbers to show their devotion and veneration, calling him

Saint and Blessed. They brought their rosaries that they might touch the coffin with them, and linen cloths which they afterwards treasured or used for the sick; they kissed the coffin, its linen draperies, and the silken pall spread over it. It is impossible to give you an idea of the fervour of their veneration, and this not only continues at the present time, but increases daily, so that our Church, which was scarcely, at all frequented, and in which only one Mass was said each morn ing, is now so thronged that it cannot hold the people, some of whom are obliged to remain outside until others come out, making it neces sary for us to enlarge it, and the Masses are so frequent that we are compelled to arrange many altars at which they can be said. These altars are indeed often occupied from dawn to noontide, and sometimes even later. Votive offerings are being continually brought to his tomb, and massive silver lamps, and a foundation to furnish oil, has been provided by the Duchess de Nemours, to keep a light burning day and night before the tomb : though it has not yet been lit until it shall please His Holiness to beatify this faithful and most humble Servant of God.

Among the votive offerings made in our Church there are in particular a great many hearts of gold, silver, and wax. The Cardinal of Savoy, to show his devotion for our Blessed Founder, gave a very large and beautiful one of pure gold; the Infanta Maria a silver head; the Infanta Catherine, her sister, a rich altar-cloth and

248 Saint Sane JJ\ tie ffityantal's Depositions chasuble of brocade. Also many torches and tapers of white wax, vestments and silver vessels for the use of the Church, linen, both altarcloths and albs, pictures, and various other things, are being offered by her, quite as much in thanksgiving for favours received through the intercession of the holy Bishop, as in order to obtain new ones.

And great indeed is the concourse of Marquises, Ambassadors, Counts, Barons, noblemen, ladies of quality, Monks and Nuns, people, in fact, of all classes, both of this province and from a distance who arrive and depart hence, either having received the grace for which they have asked, or, as those who frequent the Church declare, at least full of contentment and consolation.

They come continually, bringing rosaries and other objects of piety to lay in the coffin in which his body was brought from Lyons,* and it is im possible to describe the tenderness and untiring devotion which the people display at his tomb. They kiss it; they lay their heads down upon it; if any have maimed or affected limbs they touch it with them. They scrape off powder from the tombstone, carry it away, and preserve it rever ently.

They are constantly asking us for relics of our Blessed Founder. Great and small, Princes, Princesses, and people of all ranks and degrees, receive them with every demonstration of de-

• This coffin is still carefully preserved among the treasures of the first Convent of the Visitation at Annecy.

votion, as the relics of a Saint. We have had to send them to various parts of France, Piedmont, Lorraine, Burgundy, and other places where they were asked for.

His portrait was also demanded in so many places, that the painter could scarcely find time for any other work, and artists in various quarters were employed in copying the original. In the city of Grenoble, the capital of Dauphine, most families consider it at once an honour and pleasure to possess a picture of the great Prelate.

In short, I see and hear on all sides that the honour universally paid to our Blessed Founder, equals that rendered to other Saints, he being called a Saint, and held, reputed, and proclaimed to be one by all; and this is true, well known, and public.