Saint Hubertus or
Hubert (born c. 656 to 658, probably in
ToulouseToulouse is a city in southwest France on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. With 1,102,882 inhabitants as of Jan...
; died May 30,
727-Religion:* Pope Gregory II condemns iconoclasm, causing Byzantine Italy to break with the Empire....
in
TervurenTervuren is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636...
near
BrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the de facto capital city of the European Union and the largest urban area in Belgium...
,
BelgiumThe Kingdom of Belgium is a country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters, as well as those of other major international organizations, including NATO...
), called the "Apostle of the
ArdennesThe Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and old mountains formed on the Givetian Ardennes mountains, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
" was the first Bishop of Liège. Hubertus is a
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
saintSaints, individuals of exceptional holiness, are significant in many religions, particularly Christianity.-General characteristics :Though the term is mostly used for Christians considered holy or virtuous, many religions use similar concepts to elevate people worthy of respect, e.g. see Hindu...
, the
patron saintA patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, or person. Patron saints, because they have already transcended to the metaphysical, are able to intercede effectively for the needs of their special charges...
of hunters, mathematicians, opticians and metalworkers, and used to be invoked to cure
rabiesRabies is a viral neuroinvasive disease that causes acute encephalitis in warm-blooded animals. It is zoonotic , most commonly by a bite from an infected animal but occasionally by other forms of contact...
. Saint Hubert was widely venerated in the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
. The iconography of his legend is entangled with the legend of St Eustace.
The Bollandists published seven early lives of this popular saint (
Acta SanctorumActa Sanctorum is an encyclopedic text in 68 folio volumes of documents examining the lives of Christian saints, in essence a critical hagiography, which is organised according to each saint's feast day. It begins with two January volumes, published in 1643, and ended with the Propylaeum to...
November, i. 759-930), the first being the work of a contemporary. Unfortunately, it is very sparing of details.
Youth
Hubert was the eldest son and apparent heir of
Boggis/BertrandBoggis, Bohggis, or Bodogisel was the Duke of Aquitaine from the death of Chilperic of Aquitaine in 632 until his death....
,
Duke of AquitaineThe Duke of Aquitaine ruled the historical region of Aquitaine under the supremacy of the Frankish, The English King and later the French kings....
. Bertrand's wife is variously given in hagiographies as Hugbern, and as Afre, and sister of
Saint OdaSaint Oda of Scotland was a Scottish princess who became a holy woman in the Netherlands.-Life:Oda was born blind and her father sent her on pilgrimage to Liège to visit the relics of Saint Lambert. While praying at Saint Lambert's grave she was miraculously cured from her blindness...
or perhaps Oda herself, the uncertainty being a mark of the low rating accorded women in Merovingian culture, where kings fathered heirs upon peasant women. Modern genealogy often lists Aude or Ode as a wife of Bertrand and mother of Hubert's brother Eudo.
As a youth, Hubert was sent to the
NeustriaThe territory of Neustria or Neustrasia, meaning "new [western] land", originated in 511, made up of the regions from Aquitaine to the English Channel, approximating most of the north of present-day France, with Paris and Soissons as its main cities...
n court of
Theuderic IIITheuderic III was the king of Neustria on two occasions and king of Austrasia from 679 to his death in 691. Thus, he was the king of all the Franks from 679...
at Paris, where his charm and agreeable address led to his investment with the dignity of "
count of the palaceCount palatine is a noble title, used to render several comital styles, in some cases also shortened to Palatine, which can have other meanings as well.-Comes palatinus:...
". Like many nobles of the time, Hubert was addicted to the chase. Meanwhile, the tyrannical conduct of
EbroinEbroin was the Frankish mayor of the palace of Neustria on two occasions; firstly from 658 to his deposition in 673 and secondly from 675 to his death in 680 or 681...
,
mayor of the Neustrian palaceMayor of the Palace was an early medieval title and office, also called majordomo, from the Latin title maior domus , used most notably in the Frankish kingdoms in the 7th and 8th centuries....
, caused a general emigration of the nobles and others to the court of
AustrasiaAustrasia formed the north-eastern portion of the Kingdom of the Merovingian Franks, comprising parts of the territory of present-day eastern France, western Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Metz served as its capital, although some Austrasian kings ruled from Rheims, Trier, and...
at
MetzMetz is a city in the northeast of France, capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. It is located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers....
. Hubert soon followed them and was warmly welcomed by Pippin of Heristal, mayor of the palace, who created him almost immediately grand-master of the household. About this time (682) Hubert married Floribanne, daughter of Dagobert, Count of
LeuvenLeuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium. It is located about 30 kilometers east of Brussels, with as other neighbouring cities Mechelen, Aarschot, Tienen, and Wavre.The township comprises the historical city of Leuven and the former municipalities of...
, a great and suitable match. Their son Floribert would later become bishop of
LiègeLiège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the administrative capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse River, near Belgium's eastern borders...
, for bishoprics were all but accounted fiefs heritable in the great families of the Merovingian kingdoms.
Hubertus' withdrawal
Unfortunately, his wife died giving birth to their son, and Hubert retreated from the court, withdrew into the forested Ardennes, and gave himself up entirely to hunting. But a great spiritual revolution was imminent. On Good Friday morning, when the faithful were crowding the churches, Hubert sallied forth to the chase. As he was pursuing a magnificent
stagThe Red Deer is one of the largest deer species. The Red Deer inhabits most of Europe, the Caucasus Mountains region, Asia Minor and parts of western and central Asia. It also inhabits the Atlas Mountains region between Morocco and Tunisia in northwestern Africa, being the only species of deer to...
or hart, the animal turned and, as the pious legend narrates, he was astounded at perceiving a crucifix standing between its antlers, while he heard a voice saying: "Hubert, unless thou turnest to the Lord, and leadest an holy life, thou shalt quickly go down into hell". Hubert dismounted, prostrated himself and said, "Lord, what wouldst Thou have me do?" He received the answer, "Go and seek Lambert, and he will instruct you."
The story of the hart appears first in one of the later legendary hagiographies (
Bibliotheca hagiographica latina, nos. 3994-4002) and has been appropriated from the legend of Saint Eustace or Placidus. It was first attributed to St. Hubert in the 15th century.
Hubertus as a cleric and bishop
Be that as it may, Hubert set out immediately for
MaastrichtMaastricht is a city and a municipality in the southern part of the Dutch province of Limburg, of which it is the capital. The city is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
, for there Lambert was bishop. Saint Lambert received Hubert kindly, and became his spiritual director. Hubert now renounced all his very considerable honors, and gave up his birthright to the Aquitaine to his younger brother
OdoOdo the Great , Duke of Aquitaine, obtained this dignity by 700. His territory included the southwestern part of Gaul from the Loire to the Pyrenees, with his capital in Toulouse. He retained it until his abdication in 735.His earlier life is obscure, as are his ancestry and succession...
, whom he made guardian of his infant son, Floribert. Having distributed all his personal wealth among the poor, he studied for the priesthood, was soon ordained, and shortly afterwards became one of St. Lambert's chief associates in the administration of his diocese. By the advice of St. Lambert, Hubert made a pilgrimage to Rome in 708, but during his absence, Lambert was assassinated by the followers of Pippin. According to the hagiographies of Hubert, this act was simultaneously revealed to the pope in a vision, together with an injunction to appoint Hubert bishop of Maastricht.
He distributed his episcopal revenues among the poor, was diligent in fasting and prayer, and became famous for his eloquence in the pulpit. In 720, in obedience to a vision, Hubert
translatedIn Christianity, the translation of relics is the removal of holy objects from one locality to another...
St. Lambert's remains from Maastrict to Liège with great pomp and ceremonial, several neighboring bishops assisting. A basilica for the relics was built upon the site of Lambert's martyrdom, and was made a cathedral the following year, the see being removed from Maastricht to Liège, then only a small village. This laid the foundation of the future greatness of Liège, of which Saint Lambert is honored as patron, and Saint Hubert as founder and first bishop.
Hubert actively evangelised among the pagans in the extensive
ArdennesThe Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and old mountains formed on the Givetian Ardennes mountains, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...
forests and in
ToxandriaToxandria is the classical name for a region between the Meuse and the Scheldt rivers in the Netherlands and Belgium. The name is also spelled Taxandria...
, a district stretching from near Tongeren to the confluence of the Waal and the Rhine.
Hubertus died peacefully in Fura, Brabant, May 30, 727 or 728. He was first buried in the collegiate church of St. Peter, Liège, but his bones were exhumed and translated to the Benedictine Abbey of Amdain ("Andagium", in French "Andage", the present-day
Saint-Hubert, BelgiumSaint-Hubert is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Luxembourg Province of Belgium .On 1 January 2007 the municipality, which covers 111.16 km², had 5,737 inhabitants, giving a population density of 51.6 inhabitants per km²....
) in the Ardennes in 825. The abbey became a focus for pilgrimages, until the coffin disappeared during the
ReformationThe Protestant Reformation was a Christian reform movement in Europe which is generally deemed to have begun with Martin Luther's Ninety-Five Theses in 1517 although a number of precursors such as Jan Hus predate that event...
. His feast day is the 3rd of November, probably the date of the translation of his relics to Amdain.
Veneration
Saint Hubert was widely venerated in the
Middle AgesThe Middle Ages of European history is a period of European history covering roughly a millennium in the 5th century through 16th centuries. More specific starting and ending points are sometimes adopted by scholars to suit their respective specializations or current focus...
and partly because of his noble birth several military orders were named after him: the
BavariaBavaria , with an area of and almost 12.5 million inhabitants, is located in the southeast of Germany and is the largest state of Germany by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
n, the
BohemiaBohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands, currently the Czech Republic...
n and that of the Archbishop-Elector of Cologne. Saint Hubert of Liège is patron of archers; dogs; forest workers; hunting; huntsmen; Liege, Belgium; mathematicians; metal workers; Saint-Lamberge, Belgium; smelters; and trappers. Hubertus, along with Quirinus of Neuss, Cornelius and
AnthonyAnthony the Great , , also known as Saint Anthony, Anthony the Abbot, Anthony of Egypt, Anthony of the Desert, Anthony the Anchorite, Abba Antonius , and Father of All Monks, was a Christian saint from Egypt, a prominent leader among the Desert Fathers...
, was venerated as one of the
Four Holy MarshalsThe Four Holy Marshals were four saints venerated in the Rhineland, especially at Cologne, Liège, Aachen, and Eifel. They were conceived as standing particularly close to throne of God, and thus powerful intercessors...
(Vier Marschälle Gottes
) in the RhinelandThe Rhineland is the general name for the land on both sides of the river Rhine in the west of Germany. After the collapse of the French Empire in the early 19th century, the German and Dutch speaking regions at the middle and lower course of the Rhine were annexed to the kingdom of Prussia...
.
The St. Hubertus Orden
(Order of Saint Hubert), a chivalric orderChivalric orders are orders of knights that were created by European monarchs in imitation of the military orders of the Crusades. After the crusades, the memory of these crusading military orders became idealised and romanticised, resulting in the late medieval notion of chivalry, and is...
, was founded in 1444 by Gerhard V of Jülich and BergThe Duchy of Jülich was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory lies in present-day Germany and in the present-day Netherlands . The Duchy had territories on both sides of the river Rur, around its capital Jülich in the lower Rhineland...
.
External links
Catholic Encyclopedia
: Saint Hubert
Military Orders of St. Hubert - From the Catholic Encyclopedia Extract from Das Ökumenische Heiligenlexikon; illustration of
Jan van EyckJan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck was a Flemish painter active in Bruges and considered one of the best Northern European painters of the 15th century....
's: Ghent Altarpiece, 1432, with scenes from the life of Saint Hubert
Painting from the National Gallery, London The Conversion of Saint Hubert
Saint Hubert