St Eligius of Noyon – Feast Day – December 1 2023

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St Eligius of Noyon was also known as Eloi or Eloy.

He was the Bishop of Noyon, France.

He was born in 588 AD in Chaptelat, near Limoges, France, and died on December 1 660 in Noyon, France.

We celebrate his feast day on December 1 every year in the Catholic Church.

St Eligius of Noyon Biography
 
Date of Birth 588 AD
Place of Birth Chaptelat, near Limoges, France
Profession Bishop of Noyon, France
Place of Work France
Date of Death December 1 660
Place of Death Noyon, France
Feast Day December 1
Canonization Pre-congregation
Patron Saint of
  • Metalworkers
  • Horses
  • Farmworkers

St Eligius of Noyon’s Life History

St Eligius, born in 588 AD near Limoges, France, was the son of Eucherius and Terrigia. He was a highly skilled metalsmith and began his career as an apprentice to the master of the mint in Limoges, France.

Later, he served as a treasurer in Marseilles and became the master of the mint in Paris under King Clotaire II, where he also became a close friend and advisor to the king.

Known for his piety, hard work, and honesty, Eligius was generous to the poor, ransomed slaves, including Saint Tillo of Solignac, and contributed to the construction of churches, a monastery in Solignac, France, and a major convent in Paris.

His home was often filled with the poor he cared for. He played a crucial role as a counselor and diplomat for King Dagobert I and formed a small religious society with his friend Saint Ouen of Rouen.

In 640 AD, Eligius was ordained and went on to become the Bishop of Noyon, France, and Tournai, Belgium, in 641 AD.

He built the Basilica of Saint Paul and preached in Antwerp, Ghent, and Courtai in Belgium, where he converted many through his charitable acts and care for the sick and poor.

He encouraged devotion to the saints and the veneration of their relics, even discovering and creating reliquaries for several saints.

He was also known for his miraculous gifts of clairvoyance and prophecy and could foresee the date of his own death.

Saint Eligius is the traditional patron of smiths, metalworkers, and craftsmen. He is also associated with horses and those who work with them, stemming from his patronage of smiths and a legendary story involving a horse. Horses are blessed in some places on his feast day.

Although the nature of transportation and work has changed over the years, his patronage for those in these professions has endured.

He died on December 1, 660, in Noyon, France, due to a high fever and was interred in the Cathedral of Noyon.

Saint Eligius is the patron saint against diseases, and poverty, and is also invoked by agricultural workers, blacksmiths, cab drivers, carpenters, horse traders, and those working at petrol stations.

His representations in art include an anvil, a bishop holding a crosier in his right hand with a miniature church of chased gold on the open palm of his left hand, a bishop with a hammer, anvil, and horseshoe, and other images related to his various attributes and legends.

Saint Eligius of Noyon Feast Day
Saint Eligius of Noyon Feast Day

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About Laban Thua Gachie 10721 Articles
The founder of Catholicreadings.org is Laban Thua Gachie. I am a Commissioned Lector, a commissioned Liturgy Minister, and a Commissioned member of the Catholic Men Association. We at Catholic Daily Readings, operate the catholicreadings.org, a Catholic Church-related website and we pride ourself in providing you, on a daily basis the following; 1. Catholic Daily Mass Readings 2. Reflections on those Daily Readings 3. Daily prayers 4. Bible Verse of the Day 5. Saint of the Day