Richarius
Encyclopedia
Richarius (died April 26, 645) was a Frankish
hermit, monk, and the founder of two monasteries
. He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church
.
near Amiens
in Picardy
in the north-west of France
. He converted
to Christianity
under the influence of Fricor and Cadoc
, two Welsh
missionaries
. After his conversion, he fasted on barley bread mixed with ashes, and drank only water which he mingled with his own tears. He was ordained a priest, and traveled to England, preaching the Gospel and curing the sick. Travelled by donkey rather than horse, he read the psalter
as he rode.
In 638, after some years in England, Richarius founded a monastery in his hometown in Ponthieu that was named Centule (in Latin, Centula). This monastery practised according to the Rule of Saint Columbanus of Luxeuil
. A city developed around this monastery, also named Centule. In the Middle Ages
it was renamed to Saint-Riquier
. Nowadays it has some 1200 inhabitants, who still refer to themselves as Centulois. The Frankish king Dagobert I
once came to visit the monastery, and Richarius offered the king advice. He was frank and clear in his speech to the king, speaking without fear or flattery, and the king thereafter became a benefactor of the monastery. Others also gave generously to Richarius's monastery, and he was able to use the money to help lepers
and the poor and to ransom prisoners held by England
.
Richarius eventually founded a second monastery called Forest-Montier. He made a shelter in the forest of Crécy, fifteen miles from his monastery. He lived there as a hermit
with his disciple Sigobart. On April 26, 643, he bid farewell to Sigobart and died.
built a golden shrine to enclose the relics and had the Saint-Riquier Gospels
made for the shrine.
Aside from Saint-Riquier, the city of Saint-Riquier-en-Rivière
in Normandy
bears his name, and the church in Aberford
in Yorkshire
in England is known as Saint Ricarius Parish.
The flower Erysimum barbarea
(yellow rocket or wintercress) is dedicated to him. The feast day of Richarius in the Roman Catholic Church
is April 26. A feast for the translation of his relics is celebrated on October 9.
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
hermit, monk, and the founder of two monasteries
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...
. He is venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
.
Life
Richarius was born a pagan in the late 6th century in the county of PonthieuPonthieu
Ponthieu was one of six feudal counties that eventually merged together to become part of the Province of Picardy, in northern France. Its chief town is Abbeville.- History :...
near Amiens
Amiens
Amiens is a city and commune in northern France, north of Paris and south-west of Lille. It is the capital of the Somme department in Picardy...
in Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
in the north-west of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. He converted
Religious conversion
Religious conversion is the adoption of a new religion that differs from the convert's previous religion. Changing from one denomination to another within the same religion is usually described as reaffiliation rather than conversion.People convert to a different religion for various reasons,...
to Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
under the influence of Fricor and Cadoc
Cadoc
Saint Cadoc , Abbot of Llancarfan, was one of the 6th century British Christian saints. His vita twice mentions King Arthur. The Abbey of Llancarfan, near Cowbridge in Glamorganshire, which he founded circa 518, became famous as a centre of learning...
, two Welsh
Welsh people
The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
missionaries
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
. After his conversion, he fasted on barley bread mixed with ashes, and drank only water which he mingled with his own tears. He was ordained a priest, and traveled to England, preaching the Gospel and curing the sick. Travelled by donkey rather than horse, he read the psalter
Psalter
A psalter is a volume containing the Book of Psalms, often with other devotional material bound in as well, such as a liturgical calendar and litany of the Saints. Until the later medieval emergence of the book of hours, psalters were the books most widely owned by wealthy lay persons and were...
as he rode.
In 638, after some years in England, Richarius founded a monastery in his hometown in Ponthieu that was named Centule (in Latin, Centula). This monastery practised according to the Rule of Saint Columbanus of Luxeuil
Columbanus
Columbanus was an Irish missionary notable for founding a number of monasteries on the European continent from around 590 in the Frankish and Lombard kingdoms, most notably Luxeuil and Bobbio , and stands as an exemplar of Irish missionary activity in early medieval Europe.He spread among the...
. A city developed around this monastery, also named Centule. In the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
it was renamed to Saint-Riquier
Saint-Riquier
Saint-Riquier is a commune in the Somme department in Picardie in northern France.-Geography:The commune is situated northeast of Abbeville, on the D925 and D32 crossroads.-Abbey:...
. Nowadays it has some 1200 inhabitants, who still refer to themselves as Centulois. The Frankish king Dagobert I
Dagobert I
Dagobert I was the king of Austrasia , king of all the Franks , and king of Neustria and Burgundy . He was the last Merovingian dynast to wield any real royal power...
once came to visit the monastery, and Richarius offered the king advice. He was frank and clear in his speech to the king, speaking without fear or flattery, and the king thereafter became a benefactor of the monastery. Others also gave generously to Richarius's monastery, and he was able to use the money to help lepers
Leprosy
Leprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
and the poor and to ransom prisoners held by England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Richarius eventually founded a second monastery called Forest-Montier. He made a shelter in the forest of Crécy, fifteen miles from his monastery. He lived there as a hermit
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...
with his disciple Sigobart. On April 26, 643, he bid farewell to Sigobart and died.
Veneration
His relics were first put in a coffin made of an oak trunk and then translated to the abbey of Centula. One hundred and fifty years later, CharlemagneCharlemagne
Charlemagne was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800...
built a golden shrine to enclose the relics and had the Saint-Riquier Gospels
St. Riquier Gospels
The St. Riquier Gospels is an illuminated Gospel Book made during the Carolingian Renaissance. It was given to Angilbert, abbot of the monastery of Saint Riquier at Centula by Charlemagne. It is a member of the Ada group of manuscripts, which includes the Ada Gospels.-References:*De Hamel,...
made for the shrine.
Aside from Saint-Riquier, the city of Saint-Riquier-en-Rivière
Saint-Riquier-en-Rivière
Saint-Riquier-en-Rivière is a commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Haute-Normandie region in northern France.-Geography:A small forestry and farming village situated by the banks of the Yères river in the Pays de Bray, some east of Dieppe at the junction of the D16 and the D127 roads...
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:...
bears his name, and the church in Aberford
Aberford
Aberford is a large village and civil parish on the eastern outskirts of the City of Leeds metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. It has a population of 1,059 according to the 2001 census...
in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
in England is known as Saint Ricarius Parish.
The flower Erysimum barbarea
Barbarea
Barbarea is a genus of about 22 species of flowering plants in the family Brassicaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere, with the highest species diversity in southern Europe and southwest Asia.They are small herbaceous biennial or perennial plants with dark green, deeply...
(yellow rocket or wintercress) is dedicated to him. The feast day of Richarius in the Roman Catholic Church
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
is April 26. A feast for the translation of his relics is celebrated on October 9.