Helier
Encyclopedia
Saint Helier, a 6th century ascetic hermit
, is patron saint
of Jersey
in the Channel Islands
, and in particular of the town and parish
of Saint Helier
, the island’s capital. He is also invoked as a healing saint for diseases of the skin and eyes.
, Hellerius or Helier was born to pagan
parents in Tongeren (now in Belgium
) after they had had difficulties conceiving a child. In desperation they had turned to Saint Cunibert who had advised them to pray to God and to promise to bring up an eventual child in the Christian
faith. Their prayers having been answered, Helier was born, but Helier’s father eventually grew angry at the influence Cunibert exerted over his precocious son, who was already causing consternation with his youthful miracles. Helier’s father had Cunibert killed, whereupon Helier fled.
Helier’s wanderings led him through what is now the village of St. Hellier in the département of Seine-Maritime
in Normandy
and eventually to the Cotentin where he sought retreat from the distractions of the world in the monastic
community of Saint Marculf
at Nantus (Nanteuil, now St.-Marcouf-de-l’Isle in Manche
).
community did not provide the quiet he required to devote himself fully to a life of contemplation. Marculf had received pleas from the few inhabitants of the island called Gersut, or Agna, now called Jersey
, which was all but depopulated due to repeated attacks by Viking
s, or Saxons, or Vandals, depending on source. The inhabitants requested someone to help them, and bring the gospel
to them as they had no shepherd to guide them.
Marculf sent Helier, and a companion Saint Romard, to Jersey where he found a small community of fishermen on the sand dunes where the modern town of St. Helier was to develop. Helier settled on a tidal islet, nowadays known as the Hermitage Rock, next to L’Islet, the tidal island
now occupied by the 16th century Elizabeth Castle
. Romard would travel back and forth between the hermit on his rock and the fishing village.
From his vantage point on his rock, Helier could see the sails of approaching attackers and would signal to the shore, whereupon the inhabitants would scatter into the surrounding marshes, thereby frustrating the attackers’ bloodlust. Small dark clouds on the horizon are still known in Jèrriais
as les vailes dé St. Hélyi (the sails of St. Helier).
weakness for 13 years, legend holds that he had the strength, when he was beheaded by attackers, to pick up his head and walk to shore.
According to the hagiography, Romard discovered Helier’s body on the beach still clutching his head in his hands, placed it in a boat and set off for the mainland. The boat, guided by the hand of God, arrived at Bréville-sur-mer (Manche
) where a reputedly miraculous healing spring
arose on the spot where Helier’s body rested overnight. A church was founded next to the spring, which is now topped by a statue and still attracts those seeking a cure.
of Beaubec (situated in Beaubec-la-Rosière (Seine-Maritime)) where they remained until the destruction of the abbey
during the French Revolution
.
The historian G.R. Balleine was critical of the Passion of St Helier, noting that "its chronology is absurd. St. Helier was born, we are told 'after the death of wicked Queen Brunehild, when Childebert governed the Francs'. This must be Childebert III, who came to the throne in 693. But Helier became a disciple of St. Marculf, who died in 558; and 'according to one account he was buried by the famous eighth century Bishop Willebrod.' In other words he was baptised 150 years before he was born, and buried, while still a young man, two hundred years later."
The historian Charles Grosset also notes that the Passion of St Helier, written in the 10th or 11th century, draws upon two very much earlier lives of St Marculf (A and B), and amends them to suit his narrative.
"With a priest called Romard, Marcouf goes on his way towards the people of Brittany, and arrives at an island which is called, by its inhabitants, Agna. Here Life B, specifies that it is close to the French coast. In both lives, it is sparsely inhabited, having not more than 30 inhabitants who, according to Life A, were rich, and owners of farmstock. A hermit called Eletus (or Elibertus) had been there fore many years. Our two travellers stayed with him and together they founded a community of three, whose only aim was to be devoted to prayer and fasting. But ... in the morning, at the time that the inhabitants were occupied with their affairs, a fleet of 3,000 Saxon pirates came and prepared to land.... Marcouf prostrated himself on the ground and began to pray. At once, a storm followed. The Saxon ships were hurled against each other and completely destroyed, while the warriors who had landed were all killed, to the last man."
In the Life of Helier, it is added that after Marculf leaves the island that the pirates return and kill Helier.
As Grosset notes, "for both authors, there can be no question of any other region than Continental Brittany. Marcouf and his companions leave on foot, and they find their way to an island which one could reach at low tide. It is very small, for it is described as only being able to support 30 inhabitants and their flocks."
Grosset's conclusion is that the life of St Helier is extremely poorly documented, and like Balleine, he considers it largely fictional. He sees the writer as having "been given the task of writing a life of the hermit Helier, who lived in Jersey and has a few bare facts known about him: the cave where he lived, healing of the sick, and death at the hands of pirates. He discovered a similar sounding name to Helier in the district of Tongres, and also a hermit called Eletus in the Life of St Marcouf. He did not hesitate to identify Helier with the near namesake in Tongres, or to make an identification with Eletus, taking the story of a miracle set on an island whose place-name was not to be found on the map."
, St. Hellier, Beuzeville
(Eure
), Amécourt (Eure), Barentin (Seine-Maritime), Monhoudou (Sarthe
). Evidence of veneration of the saint can be found in La Hague
in the Cotentin at Querqueville
and also at Omonville-la-Rogue where a 13th century mural
in the church of St. John the Baptist links Helier with Thomas Becket
.
Helier is remembered in Jersey for having brought Christianity
to the island, but is better known in Normandy
and Brittany
as a healing saint. Besides the healing springs at St. Hellier and Bréville, there is also a healing spring at Saint-Jouan des Guérets (Ille-et-Vilaine
), where Helier’s name has been deformed by folk etymology to St. Délier (délier meaning to untie in French
, which may refer to the power to loosen the bonds of illness). There is also a chapel
of St. Helier in the cathedral of Trenton, New Jersey
.
The traditional year of his martyrdom is AD 555. His feast day, marked in Jersey by an annual municipal and ecumenical pilgrimage
to the Hermitage, is on July 16. The Hermitage is depicted on the Jersey 2 pence coin and on the 2010 issue Jersey 10 pound note
.
Hermit
A hermit is a person who lives, to some degree, in seclusion from society.In Christianity, the term was originally applied to a Christian who lives the eremitic life out of a religious conviction, namely the Desert Theology of the Old Testament .In the...
, is patron saint
Patron saint
A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...
of Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
in the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
, and in particular of the town and parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
of Saint Helier
Saint Helier
Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...
, the island’s capital. He is also invoked as a healing saint for diseases of the skin and eyes.
Early years
According to hagiographyLegendary material in Christian hagiography
While from its early days Christian hagiography recognized some distinction between the mythical and the historical in the lives of saints and martyrs, the more precise conception of legendary material in hagiography belongs to the religious practice of the Middle Ages.From the early modern period...
, Hellerius or Helier was born to pagan
Paganism
Paganism is a blanket term, typically used to refer to non-Abrahamic, indigenous polytheistic religious traditions....
parents in Tongeren (now in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
) after they had had difficulties conceiving a child. In desperation they had turned to Saint Cunibert who had advised them to pray to God and to promise to bring up an eventual child in the Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
faith. Their prayers having been answered, Helier was born, but Helier’s father eventually grew angry at the influence Cunibert exerted over his precocious son, who was already causing consternation with his youthful miracles. Helier’s father had Cunibert killed, whereupon Helier fled.
Helier’s wanderings led him through what is now the village of St. Hellier in the département of Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime
Seine-Maritime is a French department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France. It is situated on the northern coast of France, at the mouth of the Seine, and includes the cities of Rouen and Le Havre...
in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
and eventually to the Cotentin where he sought retreat from the distractions of the world in the monastic
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
community of Saint Marculf
Saint Marcouf
Saint Marcouf , Abbot of Nantus in the Cotentin, is a saint born in the Saxon colony of Bayeux in Normandy around 500 AD and who is best known for the healing of scrofula....
at Nantus (Nanteuil, now St.-Marcouf-de-l’Isle in Manche
Manche
Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French name for the English Channel.- History :Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
).
Jersey
Helier, however, found the monasticMonasticism
Monasticism is a religious way of life characterized by the practice of renouncing worldly pursuits to fully devote one's self to spiritual work...
community did not provide the quiet he required to devote himself fully to a life of contemplation. Marculf had received pleas from the few inhabitants of the island called Gersut, or Agna, now called Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, which was all but depopulated due to repeated attacks by Viking
Viking
The term Viking is customarily used to refer to the Norse explorers, warriors, merchants, and pirates who raided, traded, explored and settled in wide areas of Europe, Asia and the North Atlantic islands from the late 8th to the mid-11th century.These Norsemen used their famed longships to...
s, or Saxons, or Vandals, depending on source. The inhabitants requested someone to help them, and bring the gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
to them as they had no shepherd to guide them.
Tidal island
A tidal island is a piece of land that is connected to the mainland by a natural or man-made causeway that is exposed at low tide and submerged at high tide. Because of the mystique surrounding tidal islands many of them have been sites of religious worship, such as Mont Saint Michel with its...
now occupied by the 16th century Elizabeth Castle
Elizabeth Castle
Elizabeth Castle is a castle in Saint Helier, Jersey. Construction was started in the 16th century when the power of cannon meant that the existing stronghold at Mont Orgueil was insufficient to defend the Island and the port of St. Helier was vulnerable to attack by ships armed with...
. Romard would travel back and forth between the hermit on his rock and the fishing village.
From his vantage point on his rock, Helier could see the sails of approaching attackers and would signal to the shore, whereupon the inhabitants would scatter into the surrounding marshes, thereby frustrating the attackers’ bloodlust. Small dark clouds on the horizon are still known in Jèrriais
Jèrriais
Jèrriais is the form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, in the Channel Islands, off the coast of France. It has been in decline over the past century as English has increasingly become the language of education, commerce and administration...
as les vailes dé St. Hélyi (the sails of St. Helier).
Healing miracle
Helier is recorded as performing one healing miracle in Jersey, curing a lame man named Anquetil. His prayers and the sign of the cross raised a storm that drove off a raiding party. Though Helier starved himself to asceticAsceticism
Asceticism describes a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from various sorts of worldly pleasures often with the aim of pursuing religious and spiritual goals...
weakness for 13 years, legend holds that he had the strength, when he was beheaded by attackers, to pick up his head and walk to shore.
According to the hagiography, Romard discovered Helier’s body on the beach still clutching his head in his hands, placed it in a boat and set off for the mainland. The boat, guided by the hand of God, arrived at Bréville-sur-mer (Manche
Manche
Manche is a French department in Normandy named after La Manche , which is the French name for the English Channel.- History :Manche is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
) where a reputedly miraculous healing spring
Spring (hydrosphere)
A spring—also known as a rising or resurgence—is a component of the hydrosphere. Specifically, it is any natural situation where water flows to the surface of the earth from underground...
arose on the spot where Helier’s body rested overnight. A church was founded next to the spring, which is now topped by a statue and still attracts those seeking a cure.
Relics
Helier’s relics were sent to the abbeyAbbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
of Beaubec (situated in Beaubec-la-Rosière (Seine-Maritime)) where they remained until the destruction of the abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...
during the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
Criticism of the story
The historian Charles Grosset also notes that the Passion of St Helier, written in the 10th or 11th century, draws upon two very much earlier lives of St Marculf (A and B), and amends them to suit his narrative.
"With a priest called Romard, Marcouf goes on his way towards the people of Brittany, and arrives at an island which is called, by its inhabitants, Agna. Here Life B, specifies that it is close to the French coast. In both lives, it is sparsely inhabited, having not more than 30 inhabitants who, according to Life A, were rich, and owners of farmstock. A hermit called Eletus (or Elibertus) had been there fore many years. Our two travellers stayed with him and together they founded a community of three, whose only aim was to be devoted to prayer and fasting. But ... in the morning, at the time that the inhabitants were occupied with their affairs, a fleet of 3,000 Saxon pirates came and prepared to land.... Marcouf prostrated himself on the ground and began to pray. At once, a storm followed. The Saxon ships were hurled against each other and completely destroyed, while the warriors who had landed were all killed, to the last man."
In the Life of Helier, it is added that after Marculf leaves the island that the pirates return and kill Helier.
As Grosset notes, "for both authors, there can be no question of any other region than Continental Brittany. Marcouf and his companions leave on foot, and they find their way to an island which one could reach at low tide. It is very small, for it is described as only being able to support 30 inhabitants and their flocks."
Grosset's conclusion is that the life of St Helier is extremely poorly documented, and like Balleine, he considers it largely fictional. He sees the writer as having "been given the task of writing a life of the hermit Helier, who lived in Jersey and has a few bare facts known about him: the cave where he lived, healing of the sick, and death at the hands of pirates. He discovered a similar sounding name to Helier in the district of Tongres, and also a hermit called Eletus in the Life of St Marcouf. He did not hesitate to identify Helier with the near namesake in Tongres, or to make an identification with Eletus, taking the story of a miracle set on an island whose place-name was not to be found on the map."
Modern presence
Churches dedicated to Helier can be found in RennesRennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, St. Hellier, Beuzeville
Beuzeville
Beuzeville is a commune in the north-western part of the department of Eure in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.Located on the Lieuvin plateau, it is adjacent to the communes of Pont-l'Évêque, Honfleur and Deauville...
(Eure
Eure
Eure is a department in the north of France named after the river Eure.- History :Eure is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790...
), Amécourt (Eure), Barentin (Seine-Maritime), Monhoudou (Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
). Evidence of veneration of the saint can be found in La Hague
La Hague
La Hague is a region on the tip of the Cotentin peninsula in Normandy, France.La Hague is a picturesque place of Precambrian granite cliffs, coves and small fields surrounded by hedges. It faces the Channel Islands and there any many cousins on both side of the Alderney race.The dialect of the...
in the Cotentin at Querqueville
Querqueville
Querqueville is a commune in the Manche department in north-western France.The Chapel of Saint Germanus with its trefoil floorplan incorporates elements of one of the earliest surviving places of Christian worship in the Cotentin Peninsula - perhaps second only to the Gallo-Roman baptistry at...
and also at Omonville-la-Rogue where a 13th century mural
Mural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
in the church of St. John the Baptist links Helier with Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket
Thomas Becket was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his murder in 1170. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by both the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion...
.
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
to the island, but is better known in Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
and Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
as a healing saint. Besides the healing springs at St. Hellier and Bréville, there is also a healing spring at Saint-Jouan des Guérets (Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine
Ille-et-Vilaine is a department of France, located in the region of Brittany in the northwest of the country.- History :Ille-et-Vilaine is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
), where Helier’s name has been deformed by folk etymology to St. Délier (délier meaning to untie in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, which may refer to the power to loosen the bonds of illness). There is also a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
of St. Helier in the cathedral of Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
.
The traditional year of his martyrdom is AD 555. His feast day, marked in Jersey by an annual municipal and ecumenical pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to the Hermitage, is on July 16. The Hermitage is depicted on the Jersey 2 pence coin and on the 2010 issue Jersey 10 pound note
Jersey pound
The pound is the currency of Jersey. Jersey is in currency union with the United Kingdom, and the Jersey pound is not a separate currency but is an issue of banknotes and coins by the States of Jersey denominated in pound sterling, in a similar way to the banknotes issued in Scotland and Northern...
.
External links
- Helier (Helerius), the 6th century saint
- Article on St Helier by G.R. Balleine
- "St. Elier or Helier, Hermit and Martyr", Butler's Lives of the Saints